Identifier:
2011.3.18
Description:
A promotional button (badge or pin) that is navy blue and orange in color. At the top of the pin there is an orange smiley face next to the word "Smile" and underneath that in the center of the pin an image of a spacecraft sits on an orange planet. At the bottom of the pin the words "Hello Mars" are printed in black.;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.;The Viking 1 and Viking 2 were the first missions to Mars, launched in 1976. Since then, NASA has continued to send missions and plans to send crewed missions to Mars.
Date:
circa 1980
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://www.nasa.gov
Related Entities:
Batka, Margaret (donor)
Andrea Melvin (identified by)
