NASA [Patch]
Washington DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, pre-2010. Patches. Approximately 3 inches in diameter with two small extensions (approximately .5 inches) on the left side and one longer extension (approximately 1 inch) on the right side. This is an old style NASA logo patch, with the letter A clear with the bar in the center, unlike the newer version where an inverted V replaced the A. This was found together with materials dated in 2010. This NASA insignia was first designed in the late 1950s, then retired in the mid-1970s. It was reinstated as the official agency insignia in 1992 (Information from NASA). The NASA Insignia (more commonly referred to as the "meatball") reflects the history and tradition of the Agency and is used in all of the Agency's day-to-day communications materials. Designed in 1959 by former NASA employee James Modarelli, the NASA Insignia contains the following elements: The sphere represents a planet; The stars represent space; The vector represents aeronautics; and The orbit represents space travel. More