"Ed Kyle" wrote in message
oups.com...



Maybe Griffin knows that NASA isn't really going to send
people to the Moon.

I suspect that when all is said and done, NASA will be
left with a program based only on a CEV, a CEV launcher
(either stick or EELV based), part of a decaying space
station, and bits and pieces of unmanned exploration that
JPL and other centers manage to protect.


Sounds like something a committee put together, a little bit
of everything for everyone, followed by a whole lot of
bickering and confusion. I decided to take a look at
how Nasa started, see if they had a clearer idea of their destiny
back then. To see what Nasa was supposed to ....symbolize.

This is what I found.


NASA "Meatball" Logo

Bringing back memories of NASA's early successes, this logo dates
back to 1959, when the National Advisory Committee on
Aeronautics (NACA) metamorphosed into an agency that
would advance both space and aeronautics

In the "meatball" design, the sphere represents a planet, the stars
represent space, the red chevron is a wing representing aeronautics
and then there is an orbiting spacecraft going around the wing.

"It's a design nightmare," sighs Greg Patt, Graphics Manager for
Lewis' Publishing Services contractor, Cortez III. "It doesn't
print well on laser printers because of the gradations on the
airfoil, and it can't be used at less than 5/8 inch because the
stars disappear and the type becomes illegible."

It is hard to match the meatball's blue background on color copiers,
and the lettering and airfoil do not contrast enough on black & white
copiers. Because of its dark blue background, two versions are used:
the basic version is used against light backgrounds and that version
surrounded by a thin white line is used against dark backgrounds.
In addition, its round shape makes it difficult to artfully place type
around or near it

One last problem? People like to play around with the design, using
as a screen background, adding or taking away elements, or making
it three dimensional. Although this may look interesting, it violates
one of the basic rules of logos--that they should be used consistently
so that they immediately bring the companies or organizations
they represent to mind.

http://history.nasa.gov/meatball.htm


I think Nasa's logo pretty much says it all.
It's simple really, garbage in...garbage out.


Jonathan

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- Ed Kyle