On July 29, 1958 the U.S. Congress passed legislation that established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA is a civilian agency responsible for coordinating America’s space activities. Since its inception, NASA has sponsored space expeditions that have not only yielded vital information about our solar system, but about the universe.
NASA Is Born
NASA was born out of the fraught U.S.-Soviet space race. U.S. morale tanked when the Soviet Union launched its first satellite, Sputnik I, on October 4, 1957. A mere month later, the Soviets put Sputnik II into orbit with a dog, Laika, aboard. Fearful the Soviets might also be capable of sending missile with nuclear weapons from their location to America, the U.S. hurried to respond.
Explorer I and The Goal To Put A Moon On The Moon
On January 31, 1958 the American satellite Explorer I successfully orbited Earth and six months later on July 29, The National Aeronautics and Space Act passed through Congress officially establishing NASA. In May of 1961 then President John F. Kennedy announced America’s goal of placing a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
NASA Puts The First Man On The Moon
On July 20, 1969 NASA’s Apollo 11 mission achieved that goal. It made history when American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to step foot on the moon.
In The Decades Since
Since the first moonwalk, NASA continues to make advances in space exploration. In fact, it played a major part in the construction of the International Space Station in the 1990’s. It’s launched many earth-orbiting satellites that have gone on to be instrumental in everything from weather forecasting to navigation to global communication – things most people take for granted during the 21st century.
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