The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

NASA was established in 1958, succeeding the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The new agency was to have a distinctly civilian orientation, encouraging peaceful applications in space science.Since its establishment, most US space exploration efforts have been led by NASA, including the ApolloMoon landing missions, the Skylab space station, and later the Space Shuttle. NASA is supporting the International Space Station and is overseeing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the Space Launch System and Commercial Crew vehicles. The agency is also responsible for the

Launch Services Program

which provides oversight of launch operations and countdown management for uncrewed NASA launches.

NASA science is focused on better understanding Earth through the Earth Observing System;advancing heliophysics through the efforts of the Science Mission Directorate's Heliophysics Research Program;exploring bodies throughout the Solar System with advanced robotic spacecraft missions such as New Horizons; and researching astrophysics topics, such as the Big Bang, through the Great Observatories and associated programs.

From 1946, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) had been experimenting with rocket planes such as the supersonic Bell X-1.In the early 1950s, there was a challenge to launch an artificial satellite for the International Geophysical Year (1957–58), resulting in the American Project Vanguard among others. After the Soviet launch of the world's first artificial satellite (Sputnik 1) on October 4, 1957, the attention of the United States turned toward its own fledgling space efforts. The US Congress, alarmed by the perceived threat to national security and technological leadership (known as the "Sputnik crisis"), urged immediate and swift action; President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his advisers counseled more deliberate measures. On January 12, 1958, NACA organized a "Special Committee on Space Technology", headed by Guyford Steve On January 14, 1958, NACA Director Hugh Dryden published "A National Research Program for Space Technology" stating:

It is of great urgency and importance to our country both from consideration of our prestige as a nation as well as military necessity that this challenge [Sputnik] be met by an energetic program of research and development for the conquest of space ... It is accordingly proposed that the scientific research be the responsibility of a national civilian agency ... NACA is capable, by rapid extension and expansion of its effort, of providing leadership in space technology.

While this new federal agency would conduct all non-military space activity, the

Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) was created in February 1958 to develop space technology for military application.

On July 29, 1958, Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, establishing NASA. When it began operations on October 1, 1958, NASA absorbed the 43-year-old NACA intact; its 8,000 employees, an annual budget of US$100 million, three major research laboratories (Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, Ames Aeronautical Laboratory, and Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory) and two small test facilitiesA NASA seal was approved by President Eisenhower in 1959.Elements of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency and the United States Naval Research Laboratory were incorporated into NASA. A significant contributor to NASA's entry into the Space Race with the Soviet Union was the technology from the German rocket program led by Wernher von Braun, who was now working for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA), which in turn incorporated the technology of American scientist Robert Goddard's earlier works. Earlier research efforts within the US Air Force and many of ARPA's early space programs were also transferred to NASA.In December 1958, NASA gained control of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a contractor facility operated by the California Institute of Technology

The agency's leader, NASA's administrator, is nominated by the President of the United States subject to approval of the US Senate, and reports to him or her and serves as senior space science advisor. Though space exploration is ostensibly non-partisan, the appointee usually is associated with the President's political party (Democratic or Republican), and a new administrator is usually chosen when the Presidency changes parties. The only exceptions to this have been:

Democrat Thomas O. Paine, acting administrator under Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson, stayed on while Republican Richard Nixon tried but failed to get one of his own choices to accept the job. Paine was confirmed by the Senate in March 1969 and served through September 1970.
Republican James C. Fletcher, appointed by Nixon and confirmed in April 1971, stayed through May 1977 into the term of Democrat Jimmy Carter.
Daniel Goldin was appointed by Republican George H. W. Bush and stayed through the entire administration of Democrat Bill Clinton.
Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr., associate administrator under Democrat Barack Obama, was kept on as acting administrator by Republican Donald Trump until Trump's own choice Jim Bridenstine, was confirmed in April 2018.

The first administrator was Dr. T. Keith Glennan appointed by Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower. During his term he brought together the disparate projects in American space development research.

The second administrator, James E. Webb (1961–1968), appointed by President John F. Kennedy, was a Democrat who first publicly served under President Harry S. Truman. In order to implement the Apollo program to achieve Kennedy's Moon landing goal by the end of the 1960s, Webb directed major management restructuring and facility expansion, establishing the Houston Manned Spacecraft (Johnson) Center and the Florida Launch Operations (Kennedy) Center. Capitalizing on Kennedy's legacy, President Lyndon Johnson kept continuity with the Apollo program by keeping Webb on when he succeeded Kennedy in November 1963. But Webb resigned in October 1968 before Apollo achieved its goal, and Republican President Richard M. Nixon replaced Webb with Republican Thomas O. Paine.

James Fletcher was responsible for early planning of the Space Shuttle program during his first term as administrator under President Nixon. He was appointed for a second term as administrator from May 1986 through April 1989 by President Ronald Reagan to help the agency recover from the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Former astronautCharles Bolden served as NASA's twelfth administrator from July 2009 to January 20, 2017.Bolden is one of three former astronauts who became NASA administrators, along with Richard H. Truly (served 1989–1992) and Frederick D. Gregory (acting, 2005).

The agency's administration is located at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC and provides overall guidance and direction. Except under exceptional circumstances, NASA civil service employees are required to be citizens of the United States.

NASA's ongoing investigations include in-depth surveys of Mars (Mars 2020 and InSight) and Saturn and studies of the Earth and the Sun. Other active spacecraft missions are Juno for Jupiter, New Horizons (for Jupiter, Pluto, and beyond), and Dawn for the asteroid belt. NASA continued to support in situ exploration beyond the asteroid belt, including Pioneer and Voyager traverses into the unexplored trans-Pluto region, and Gas Giant orbiters Galileo (1989–2003), Cassini (1997–2017), and Juno (2011–).

The New Horizons mission to Pluto was launched in 2006 and successfully performed a flyby of Pluto on July 14, 2015. The probe received a gravity assist from Jupiter in February 2007, examining some of Jupiter's inner moons and testing on-board instruments during the flyby. On the horizon of NASA's plans is the MAVEN spacecraft as part of the Mars Scout Program to study the atmosphere of Mars.

In 2017, President Donald Trump directed NASA to send Humans to Mars by the year 2033. Foci in general for NASA were noted as human space exploration, space science, and technology.The Europa Clipper and Mars 2020 continue to be supported for their planned schedules.

In 2018, NASA alongside with other companies including Sensor Coating Systems, Pratt & Whitney, Monitor Coating and UTRC have launched the project CAUTION (CoAtings for Ultra High Temperature detectION). This project aims to enhance the temperature range of the Thermal History Coating up to 1,500C and beyond. The final goal of this project is improving the safety of jet engines as well as increasing efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions.

The Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with Cygnus resupply spacecraft on board, launches from Pad-0A, Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman's 11th contracted cargo resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station will deliver about 7,600 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew.

Recent and planned activities include:

InSight, launched and landed on Mars in 2018
New Horizons, Kuiper belt object 486958 Arrokoth flyby on January 1, 2019
OSIRIS-REx, en route for asteroid sample return on September 24, 2023
Mars 2020 rover (planned)
Europa Clipper (planned)
Misc. Discovery Missions
Misc. Explorer Missions
New Frontier mission including New Horizons, Juno, and OSIRIS-REx
Earth Observation, Solar and Astronomical observatories
James Webb Space Telescope (planned)
Parker Solar Probe, launched August 2018
Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), launched in April 2018
Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST)

Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center

John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is one of the best-known NASA facilities. It has been the launch site for every U.S. human space flight from 1968 through 2011. Although human flights are currently on pause, KSC continues to manage and operate uncrewed rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program from three pads at the adjoining Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. NASA also operates a short-line railroad at KSC and uses special aircraft.

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas contains the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, where all flight control is managed for crewed space missions. JSC is the lead NASA center for activities regarding the International Space Station and also houses the NASA Astronaut Corps that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members for US and international space missions.
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama is the rocket development center, at which the Saturn V rocket and Skylab were developed.
Ames Research Center (ARC) at Moffett Field, in California's Silicon Valley, was founded on December 20, 1939. The center was named after Joseph Sweetman Ames, a founding member of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).
Armstrong Flight Research Center (formerly Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Facility), Edwards, California
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Jet Propulsion Laboratory complex in Pasadena, California

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) worked together with the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA), one of the agencies behind Explorer 1, the first American space mission. It is located near Pasadena, California
Langley Research Center (LaRC), founded in 1917, is the oldest of NASA's field centers, located in Hampton, Virginia. LaRC focuses primarily on aeronautical research, though the Apollo lunar lander was flight-tested at the facility and a number of high-profile space missions have been planned and designed on-site. Langley currently devotes two-thirds of its programs to aeronautics, and the rest to space.
John H. Glenn Research Center (GRC), formerly the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory, located in Brook Park, Ohio, was established in 1942 as a laboratory for aircraft engine research. John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio
John C. Stennis Space Center, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

Subordinate facilities include the Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia; the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana; the White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Deep Space Network stations in Barstow, California; Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia.

Useful Links

Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel
The ASAP reports to the NASA Administrator and Congress, and is the senior Federal advisory committee providing findings and recommendations on NASA safety matters.

Directives Library (NODIS)
A complete library for NASA Policy Directives (NPD's) and NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR's).

Environmental Management
The Environmental Management Division serves as Agency lead in assuring that NASA meets its Federal stewardship responsibilities and achieves sustainability while carrying out its primary mission of understanding and protecting our home planet, exploring the Universe and searching for life, and inspiring the next generation of explorers.

Equal Opportunity Programs
The Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity (OD & EO) helps create an environment where all persons associated with NASA are treated fairly and without any forms of unlawful discrimination in any Agency program or activity.

Human Capital Management
Keeping pace with the changing demands of NASA's work and its workforce is a primary focus of the Office of Human Resources in maintaining NASA's position as an employer of choice.

Innovative Partnerships Program
The Innovative Partnership Program (IPP) website encompasses the websites operated by NASA's national network of programs, organizations and services sponsored by and affiliated with the IPP at NASA Headquarters.

Inspector General
The NASA Office of the Inspector General serves as an independent and objective audit and investigative organization to assist NASA by performing audits and investigations.

Internal Controls and Management Systems
Efforts to improve the effectiveness, integration, and use of NASA management systems.

International and Interagency Relations
The Office of International and Interagency (OIIR) is a Mission Support Office that serves as the coordinator of all NASA international cooperative and reimbursable activities and partnerships.

Language Assistance (PDF - 500KB)
The intent of the Language Assistance Plan (LAP) is to make accessible NASA publications, Web sites, videos, etc., with the greatest public distribution. The use of the LAP is consistent with the NASA commitment to keep the American public informed of all of its programs and activities.

NASA Advisory Council (NAC)
The NAC reports to the NASA Administrator, and is the senior Federal advisory committee providing findings and recommendations on NASA programs, plans and policies.

NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC)
An Agency-wide technical resource focused on engineering excellence.

NASA History
Since its inception in 1958, NASA has accomplished many great scientific and technological feats in air and space.

NASA's Strategic Planning and Performance
NASA Strategic Management & Planning.

Office of the Chief Information Officer
NASA's Chief Information Officer is leading a significant transformation of the NASA Information Technology (IT) management model to better enable NASA’s mission by integrating people, processes, technology, and information.

Scientific & Technical Information
The Scientific & Technical Information (STI) website helps you locate, obtain, and publish NASA aerospace information and find national and international information pertinent to your research and mission.