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
Latest about NASA
SpaceX's next astronaut launch for NASA is officially on for Feb. 11 as FAA clears Falcon 9 rocket to fly again
The FAA has cleared the Falcon 9 rocket to return to flight, freeing NASA and SpaceX to target Feb. 11 for the launch of the Crew-12 astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
James Webb Space Telescope finds precursors to 'building blocks of life' in nearby galaxy
"We found an unexpected chemical complexity, with abundances far higher than predicted by current theoretical models."
NASA space telescope sees interstellar visitor comet 3I/ATLAS flare up while exiting the solar system
New infrared observations reveal that the rare interstellar visitor known as comet 3I/ATLAS has dramatically brightened during its farewell tour of the solar system.
When will SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket return to flight after 4 upper-stage issues in 19 months?
For the fourth time in the last 19 months, the upper stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket experienced a problem during a mission. How long will the vehicle be grounded this time?
On this day in space: Feb. 6, 1971: Astronauts play golf on the moon
On Feb. 6, 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Al Shepard became the first person to hit a golf ball on the moon.
NASA chief flies over Artemis 2 moon rocket | Space photo of the day for Feb. 5, 2025
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman took Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for a ride over the Artemis 2 launch pad recently.
James Webb Space Telescope's view of 800,000 galaxies paints a detailed picture of dark matter
Astronomers used James Webb Space Telescope data to determine the density of the universe's most mysterious "stuff."
Watch dead neutron stars smash together in new NASA supercomputer simulation
"We studied the last several orbits before the merger, when the entwined magnetic fields undergo rapid and dramatic changes, and modeled potentially observable high-energy signals."
