EXPLORATION

76 CHAPTER 4 Fly Me to the Moon, 1960–1974
production of medals and ribbons would be handled
by the Agency with no further Army responsibilities.
The NASA medals designed by the Army had the same
obverse (front) as the NASA seal. 1
After the inspiring suborbital flight of astronaut
Alan Shepard on 5 May 1961, President Kennedy
awarded him the NASA Distinguished Service Medal
in recognition of his brave and exceptional feat. In the
wake of this event, however, the first critical comments
regarding the design of NASA logos surfaced.
In its 19 May 1961 issue, Time magazine published
a criticism of the design of government medals
in general, with emphasis on the design of the NASA
Distinguished Service Medal:
Since the days of ancient Athens, a brave act has
deserved a proud and artistic medal—everywhere
but in the U.S. Last week when President
Kennedy honored the country’s first astronaut,
all he had to pin on the lapel of Commander
Alan Shepard was something that looked as if it
might have come out of a Cracker Jack box. The
Distinguished Service Medal of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration is the
most unimaginative decoration turned out by
the U.S. government so far—and the competition
for that title is stiff … . Such U.S. medals
are turned out by the U.S. Army Institute of
Heraldry, which has only two trained sculptors
on its staff … . No one at NASA will say
FIGURE 4-1.
NASA’s top management from 1958 to 1960 was Dr. T. Keith Glennan, Administrator
(center); Hugh L. Dryden, Deputy Administrator (left); and Richard E. Horner, Associate
Administrator (right). Taken on 1 March 1960, the picture shows the NASA seal above
Administrator Glennan and the NASA flag behind Dryden. (NASA 60-ADM-7)
1 Fact sheets prepared by Col. John D. Martz, Jr.,
Commander of Quartermaster Corps, on background
of Heraldic Services Division participation in design of
NASA seal and medals, 18 May 1961. The fact sheets were
prepared at the request of higher-level officials within the
Army. Files of the Institute of Heraldry, Department of the
Army, Fort Belvoir, VA, to be deposited in HRC.