National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

"We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." — President John F. Kennedy, 1962¹

  Founding and Legal Mandate

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was created through the National Aeronautics and Space Act, signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on 29 July 1958.² It officially opened its doors on 1 October 1958, absorbing the 43-year-old National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) along with various Army, Navy and Air Force space projects.³

The act charged the new civilian agency to:

• expand human knowledge of phenomena in the atmosphere and space
• develop space vehicles and related technology
• conduct flights for peaceful scientific purposes
• preserve the role of the United States as a leader in aeronautical and space science
• cooperate with other nations in these endeavors

  Mission and Organization

Today NASA articulates its mission as "to explore the unknown in air and space, innovate for the benefit of humanity, and inspire the world through discovery."⁴

The agency is led by an Administrator, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and is headquartered in Washington DC. NASA operates ten major field centers and a constellation of research facilities across the United States.⁵

The budget for fiscal year 2024 was $25.4 billion.⁶

Primary mission directorates:

1. Exploration Systems Development
2. Space Operations
3. Science
4. Aeronautics Research
5. Space Technology

  Key People (selected)

  Historic Programs and Milestones

  Current Focus Areas

  Centers and Facilities

NASA maintains specialized centers, including (but not limited to):

Full list available at NASA's "Centers and Facilities" page.⁵

  References

  References

1. Rice University, 12 Sept 1962 – "Address at Rice University on the Nation's Space Effort." https://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/ricetalk.html ↩

2. NASA History Office – "National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958" https://history.nasa.gov/spaceact.html ↩

3. NASA – "From NACA to NASA" https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/NACA_overview.html ↩

4. NASA – "About NASA" https://www.nasa.gov/about/ ↩

5. NASA – "Centers and Facilities" https://www.nasa.gov/about/sites/ ↩ ↩²

6. NASA FY2024 Budget Estimate (PDF) https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/fy_2024_budget_estimates.pdf ↩

7. NASA History – T. Keith Glennan biography https://history.nasa.gov/biographies/glennan.html ↩

8. NASA History – James Webb biography https://history.nasa.gov/biographies/webb.html ↩

9. NASA History – Charles F. Bolden Jr. biography https://history.nasa.gov/biographies/bolden.html ↩

10. NASA Leadership – Administrator Bill Nelson https://www.nasa.gov/leadership/bill-nelson/ ↩

11. NASA History – Project Mercury https://www.nasa.gov/missions/mercury/ ↩

12. NASA History – Project Gemini https://www.nasa.gov/missions/gemini/ ↩

13. NASA – Apollo 11 Mission Overview https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo11.html ↩

14. NASA – Skylab Factsheet https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/skylab/ ↩

15. NASA JPL – Voyager Mission https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/ ↩

16. NASA – Space Shuttle Program https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/ ↩

17. NASA – International Space Station Overview https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/ ↩

18. NASA – Hubble Space Telescope https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/ ↩

19. NASA – Mars Exploration Program https://mars.nasa.gov/ ↩

20. NASA – James Webb Space Telescope https://webb.nasa.gov/ ↩

21. NASA – Artemis Program https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/ ↩

22. NASA – "NASA Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Independent Study Report" (2023) https://science.nasa.gov/uap/ ↩