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
NASA's Parker Solar Probe captures solar wind doing a 'U-turn'
NASA's Parker Solar Probe captured solar material looping back to the sun, revealing how it recycles magnetic energy and shapes future solar storms.
NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is still silent at Mars — and apparently is spinning, too
NASA still hasn't heard from its MAVEN Mars orbiter, and the spacecraft appears to be spinning in an odd way as well.
On this day in space! Dec. 16, 1962: NASA launches 1st meteoroids mission Explorer 16
On Dec. 16, 1962, NASA launched the Explorer 16 spacecraft to study micrometeoroids near Earth.
James Webb Space Telescope could illuminate dark matter in a way scientists didn't realize
Smooth filaments stretching for many light-years, seen by the powerful space telescope, could indicate what the right "recipe" is for dark matter.
James Webb Space Telescope finds 1st evidence of 'dinosaur-like' stars in the early universe
"A bit like dinosaurs on Earth — they were enormous and primitive. And they had short lives, living for just a quarter of a million years."
NASA tests drones in Death Valley | Space photo of the day for Dec. 15, 2025
To develop more robust next-generation aerial explorers, NASA's Mars Exploration program is turning to drones.
A spider-like scar haunts Jupiter's moon Europa — and scientists think they know why
A strange, spider-like scar on Jupiter's icy moon Europa may mark where salty water once surged up through its fractured crust.
NASA's Chandra telescope uses 'X-arithmetic' to reveal how black holes shape galaxy clusters (images)
A novel "X-arithmetic" technique reveals how black holes shape the universe's largest structures.
