JPL Logo Missing on Mars!

Editor’s note: NASA recently dedicated the landing site of the Spirit rover on Mars to the crew of Columbia. Curiously, the JPL logo that was on the dedication plaque when it left Earth disappeared on Mars. Where did it go?

The JPL logo is upside down in the NASA KSC image showing it being installed prior to launch. Did the JPL Public Affairs Office alter the photos before releasing them? Isn’t this rather silly?

Or did the logo get removed prior to launch – after the KSC photo was taken? Isn’t this also rather silly?

Update from NASA PAO: “The JPL engineers who put the Columbia plaque on the rover in the clean room at KSC thought that the upside-down JPL logo didn’t look right and was visually confusing. Thus, they removed the JPL logo plaque in order to preserve the dignity of the message of the Columbia memorial plaque. However, the KSC photographer was on hand at the installation of the Columbia plaque and shot the image which was the one we released prior to a clear image from Mars being available.”

This image is online at http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/small/03pd3274-s.jpg and shows the Columbia memorial plaque being installed at NASA KSC prior to thelaunch of Spirit.

This image is online at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/rover/columbia-browse.jpg and was released when the official dedication was made.

Note the missing JPL logo on Mars. Where did it go?