Identifier:
2011.3.10
Description:
A promotional button (badge or pin) with an image of Mars in the center of the pin and the spacecraft in the top center. On the top left the trademark "NASA" is printed and around the bottom edge of the pin the name of the spacecraft "Mars Observer" is printed.;This collection of space-related buttons provides the Museum with concrete examples of souvenirs used to commemorate many of the space program's milestones of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The collection was put together by the donor's husband who worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) during those years. These types of buttons would have been given out to members of JPL project teams, but some were also available to general public, demonstrating the wide appeal of the space program. There are observable differences in the buttons that were clearly designed for more of a mass market, versus those designed to be souvenirs for JPL project team members.;Mars Observer was launched on September 25, 1992 from Kennedy Space Center aboard a Titan III rocket. The spacecraft was lost in the vicinity of Mars after (most probably) an explosion of the fuel and oxidizer elements on August 21, 1993 when the spacecraft began its maneuvering sequence for Martian orbital insertion.
Date:
circa 1992
Materials:
Metal, Plastic
Current Location Status:
In Storage
Source:
Gift Of Pasadena, California Edward A. Batka Who Worked For 36 Years At Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Links:
http://heasarc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/missions/marsobs.html
Related Entities:
Batka, Margaret (donor)
Andrea Melvin (identified by)
