National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the government
department responsible for the United States of America's space program and
long-term general aerospace research.

NASA's predecessor was the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics
(NACA), which was formed in 1915 to promote aeronautical research and
development in the United States. In 1959, the department was reorganized
and given control of the space program, which had previously been undertaken
separately by different branches of the military.

Some of its most notable achievements are sending the first men to the moon
in 1969, the ongoing space shuttle program, contributions to the
international space station, and the launching of various space probes and
satellites. Its activities have led to a wealth of scientific discoveries,
many of which have led to important military and commercial applications. In
recent years, its strategy has begun to shift from pursuing a few high-cost
projects, to pursuing a number of smaller and lower-cost projects ("faster,
better, cheaper"), including the use of unmanned rockets, probes and robots.

NASA space missions

   * Manned space missions
        o Mercury program
        o Gemini program
        o Apollo program
        o Skylab
        o Space Shuttle
        o International Space Station

   * Unmanned space missions
        o Mariner program
        o Surveyor program
        o Viking program
        o Voyager program
        o Mars Pathfinder
        o COBE

NASA has also collaborated with the ESA on some missions:

   * Hubble Space Telescope
   * Ulysses

Field installations

There are 12 NASA field installations:

   * John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida
   * Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
   * Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California
   * Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
   * Jet Propulsion Laboratory, near Pasadena, California
   * Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
   * Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
   * Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio
   * George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
   * Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, Louisiana
   * John C. Stennis Space Center, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
   * Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia

Related legislation

   * 1958 - National Aeronautics and Space Administration PL 85-568 (passed
     on July 29)
   * 1961 - Apollo mission funding PL 87-98 A
   * 1970 - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Research and
     Development Act PL 91-119
   * 1984 - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act
     PL 98-361
   * 1988 - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act
     PL 100-685

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