With the emblem for Juno's Tweetup well-received, we were approached by an attendee of the GRAIL Tweetup to do one for that group. We approached it the same way we approached the Juno emblem by showing the mission's destination as the backdrop of the patch. Instead of Jupiter this time, it was the Moon. Using a photo taken by our own Brian Papke as the basis for the art, we used the half-full Moon for the background and shape.
The twin GRAIL lunar-mapping satellites are shown orbiting the Moon, with their launch vehicle, the Boeing Delta II, launching between them from the perspective of the Tweetup. Like Juno, we indicated that it was the NASA Tweetup by showing their hashtag, as well as the dates for the event. The launch vehicle is also named, along with the launch site (SLC-17).
In the end, the design was turned over to artist Susan Bell for final touchup and production. More detailed versions of the satellites and a simpler Delta II were used (along with a more impressive launch plume for the latter), and the font for "GRAIL" was changed to match that of the official GRAIL mission patch created by NASA. The Moon was faded into the background a bit to give the satellites and launch vehicle a more prominent display. The text for the edges of the patch were kept, although some colors were changed. It remained true to the original vision and was a hit with the attendees of the GRAIL Tweetup!
- Nathan Moeller
