What NASA Stands For And What The Organization Actually Does

Outer space has piqued humans' interests for thousands of years. One of the earliest observations recorded dates back to about 1600 B.C.: a bronze Nebra sky disk that depicts the Sun, crescent moon, and stars. With continued curiosity about what lies beyond Earth, the age of discovery really picked up speed with the founding of NASA, which stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

NASA is a government agency with 20 test and research facilities and visitor centers across multiple states. With a combined workforce of more than 18,000 people and government contractors, the agency's mission is to study the unknown in air and space. NASA leads in various types of Earth science exploration — but also the Sun and planets as well as the larger universe, making discoveries via radio telescopes, rovers, probes, and other spacecraft. For instance, it launched the James Webb Space Telescope in 2021 to orbit the Sun and aid astronomers around the world with their discoveries, such as finding water in an unexpected place beyond Earth. Meanwhile, the agency operates and conducts its own experiments on the International Space Station and plans to return to the moon with the Artemis campaign.

On top of that, NASA investigates cutting-edge avenues to advance aeronautics and technologies that will benefit humanity. It shares everything that it learns and even helps teachers prepare aspiring astronauts, engineers, and scientists. Supporting on-hands learning, the agency inspires students to learn more by allowing them to get involved in NASA missions.

Founded in 1958, NASA wasn't actually the first space program in the United States. The military had programs across its Air Force, Army, and Navy divisions, and the competition between them ran hot. However, President Dwight D. Eisenhower felt that the military should be separate from civil research and development, so he signed into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, which created NASA to oversee non-military space activities. Another reason for the agency's creation was to keep up with other countries after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957.

Taking the good with the bad regarding space exploration, NASA has achieved many accomplishments since it was established. Project Mercury was its first program to send astronauts into space to test humans' survival. It included six manned flights between 1961 and 1963. As part of Project Apollo, Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon in 1969, alongside astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

But that was far from the end. NASA deployed its first space station called Skylab in 1973, which was a stepping stone for the launch of the ISS in 1993 through a partnership of 15 nations. In the meantime, the agency had accomplished its first orbital flight in a reusable spacecraft — the first success of the Space Shuttle Program. Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has made more than 1.3 million universe observations. Then, NASA and SpaceX, a private aerospace company, teamed up to complete the first commercial resupply for the crew living on the ISS in 2012.