The iconic flying saucer, a symbol of downtown Mars, is looking its best just in time for the Mars Exploration Celebration being held this weekend thanks to two companies.

The spaceship, which has been a staple of the town since the 1980s, flew out of Mars — by crane — at the end of March and was taken to Oesterling's Sandblasting & Painting in Butler to be sanded and coated in paint.

The paint coatings, which were the PPG Coraflon Air-Dry System and covered the ship in a metallic silver shade, were donated by Pittsburgh-based PPG.

Jackie Kulfan, PPG proposal and contract manager, said two years ago she saw a photograph of Chris Clutter, the secretary of the Mars Area History and Landmark Society, painting the saucer with a roller.

“We are pleased to help protect and beautify this iconic town landmark, which is located about 25 miles north of PPG's global headquarters in Pittsburgh,” she said.

Read more in Sunday's Butler Eagle.