STS-107 Mission emblem and notes covers every little design element on the Columbia mission emblem, in excruciating detail.

The particular thing I’d been wondering about was, “What’s the odd alphabetic symbol in the center of the design?”

It’s the scientific symbol for microgravity.

via Deckchairs on the Titanic.

I was curious about this more more than casual reasons – for several years I designed the emblems and logos of a great number of local labor unions throughout the Pacific Northwest, and the particular needs of large, committee-driven organizations for visual symbology that can be worn is something that still interests me.

The level of detailed, unbelievably literal symbology in this instance is by no means atypical. It’s exactly what the market for such designs requires – every design element must be specifically accounted for and approved. It’s a peculiar and sometimes frustrating aspect of developing this sort of thing.