PPG donates new paint job to iconic Mars flying saucer

Tom Davidson | Saturday, June 1, 2019 5:05 p.m.

Submitted

A crane lifts the newly-painted flying saucer that’s been a fixture in Mars since the 1980s. The saucer was painted thanks to Pittsburgh-headquarted PPG.

She’s gleaming now, Jim.

The flying saucer that’s been a landmark in Mars has a new paint job that “Star Trek’s” James T. Kirk would appreciate, thanks to PPG.

The Pittsburgh-based coatings company donated a new paint job to the spaceship that’s been in the Mars town square since the 1980s. The one ton saucer was crafted from two fuel tankers as a gag that capitalized on the other-worldly-monikered Butler County borough’s fun name.

PPG proposal and contract manager Jackie Kulfan got the idea for PPG to help restore the saucer in 2017 during the Mars New Year’s celebration that’s held in the borough every 678 days — which is the time it takes the red planet to complete an orbit around the sun.

The saucer was removed from its perch in March, as the next Martian year started. It was put back into place May 23, just in time for the Mars Exploration Celebration, which started Friday and runs through Sunday.

“We are pleased to help protect and beautify this iconic town landmark,” Kulfan, who is a Martian herself, said in a news release.

The PPG Science Education Council also sponsored the celebration for the first time this year, the company said.