'Meatball' milestone: NASA's original logo still soars after 65 years

NASA's official insignia, nicknamed the "meatball," as worn on the moon by Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong in 1969. .

One of the world's best known — and certainly most-traveled — logos is 65 years old.

Since its announcement on July 15, 1959, the insignia representing NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has adorned both t-shirts and spacesuits, been reproduced as large as 10 stories tall and reached the surfaces of both the moon and Mars. The red, white and blue logo is NASA's oldest official identifier, even predating the agency's formal seal.

Designed by James Modarelli, the then-head of the research reports division at NASA's Lewis Research Center (today, Glenn Research Center) in Cleveland, Ohio, the NASA insignia is comprised of a circle symbolizing space; a supersonic wing for aeronautics; and a spacecraft in orbit. The logo reads "NASA" in bold letters across its center.