Who would have imagined that behind NASA’s iconic logo – the symbol of the agency that launched America to the Moon – lies the genius of a man with unexpected ties to Italy? From “the meatball,” the affectionate nickname given to it by NASA employees, to a global pop icon, the logo still captures the essence of the American dream, rekindling the excitement of the Moon landing on July 20, 1969.
But let’s take a step back. It was November 20, 1849, when in Colobraro, a small town in the province of Matera, Lucia Di Marco, wife of Nicola Modarelli, gave birth to their son, Domenico.
Like so many born in those years, Domenico emigrated to the United States. He settled in Ohio, home to the largest community of Colobraro natives abroad. On Christmas Eve, December 24, 1879, he married Maria Concetta Agnone, a young woman from Quadrelle (Avellino). The couple lived in Girard, Trumbull County, Ohio. In May 1886, their son James Joseph Modarelli was born. Years later, he married Clarice Ragaini, and together they ensured the continuation of the Modarelli family in America with the birth of their son, James “Jim” Joseph Modarelli Jr., in Youngstown on October 25, 1915.
Jim nurtured his artistic talent at the Cleveland Institute of Art, taking his first professional steps as a technical illustrator. He worked as a graphic designer at the Lewis Research Center, and when the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was reorganized to form a new space agency – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration – Modarelli was called upon to commemorate this transition by designing its official seal, an image that would travel far beyond Earth’s boundaries. It was 1959 – ten years before the historic Apollo 11 mission.
Drawing inspiration from the form of a supersonic aircraft and the red, white, and blue of the American flag, Modarelli designed stylized red wings in the shape of a “V” on a blue planet scattered with stars, with an orbiting ellipse symbolizing space travel surrounding the four white letters of NASA. The “meatball” logo created by Jim Modarelli has flown on astronauts’ spacesuits, crossed the unknown on spacecraft launched into orbit for scientific missions, and watched over the International Space Station from among the stars. It was even captured in the legendary photograph of Neil Armstrong setting foot on the Moon’s dusty surface for the first time.
Even today, the logo – which marked an era of change for America and symbolized the Space Race – continues to live on in popular culture, printed on mugs and T-shirts worn by those who identify with an ideal of innovation and human achievement. NASA’s official website recognizes Jim Modarelli as “the creator of NASA’s first exhibits program, laying the groundwork for the agency’s public outreach and inspiring a generation through community engagement.”
The story of Jim Modarelli and his “meatball” is a fascinating chapter of the American dream – a dream that, for many like his grandfather Domenico and the other emigrants from Colobraro, meant leaving their homeland for the unknown. It serves as a reminder that creativity can emerge from the most unexpected places – and as an inspiration to keep pushing the boundaries of exploration, carrying within us the strength of our roots.
