NASA is the space agency run by the United States to oversee American space exploration, research and technology. NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was founded in 1958 as a civilian agency for U.S. space exploration. Prior to 1958, the agency's progenitor was known as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. NASA develops, builds and launches missions to study the Earth, moon and sun, as well as the entire solar system and beyond. The agency has its headquarters in Washington D.C., with major centers in Florida (the Kennedy Space Center for launches) and Houston (the Johnson Space Center, home of the astronaut corps). Other centers are spread across the country for scientific research, test flights and spacecraft manufacturing. NASA's current chief is Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who is leading the agency's mission of returning astronauts to the moon and sending them on to Mars. See the latest NASA news.
Related Topics: Apollo Program, China Space Program, Incredible Space Tech, International Space Station, Interstellar Travel
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Latest about NASA
Astronaut Chris Hadfield explores murder in space in new Cold War space thriller 'Final Orbit' (exclusive)
Hadfield's 'Kaz' Zemeckis returns for this third entry in the bestselling author's 'The Apollo Murders' series
VIPER lives! Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin will land ice-hunting NASA rover on the moon in 2027
NASA's ice-hunting VIPER moon rover has officially come back from the dead: Blue Origin will land the wheeled robot on the lunar surface in 2027, the agency announced today (Sept. 19).
'Apollo 13' launches back into IMAX theaters Sept. 19 for 30th anniversary
Director Ron Howard's 1995 space rescue thriller lives on with a special anniversary edition for one week only starting Sept. 19.
'God of Chaos' asteroid Apophis will fly by Earth in April 2029 — and these 3 space probes will be watching
A trio of missions are on track to intercept and study the famous near-Earth asteroid Apophis during its close encounter with our planet in April 2029.
Where are all the 'hot Neptune' exoplanets? Orbital chaos may have booted them out
A new program has discovered chaos in a nearby planetary system, which could explain the existence of a phenomenon astronomers call the hot-Neptunian desert.
'It was the realization of a dream that we had chased for decades.' Powerful cosmic winds around neutron star reveal secrets of monster black holes
Mysteriously powerful cosmic winds around neutron star may be 'game-changer' for understanding monster black holes
We've officially found 6,000 exoplanets, NASA says: 'We're entering the next great chapter of exploration'
"There's one we haven't found — a planet just like ours. At least, not yet."
Will the International Space Station be replaced before its fiery death in 2030?
NASA plans to send the ISS into Earth's atmosphere in 2030, and it has no plans for a replacement — at least, not directly.
