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
Space pictures! See our space image of the day
Space.com's image of the day rounds up the most awe-inspiring space photos right here, with a new image everyday.
Dragon's-eye view: Astronaut captures amazing shots of Hurricane Milton from space (photos)
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick snapped striking photos of the powerful Hurricane Milton through the window of a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which is docked to the ISS.
Hurricane Milton forces NASA, SpaceX to delay Crew-8 astronauts' return to Earth
Hurricane Milton has pushed the return to Earth of SpaceX's Crew-8 astronaut mission for NASA to no earlier than Sunday (Oct. 13), a six-day delay at the minimum.
Ancient ruins are under threat. Here's how archaeologists are getting help from space (exclusive)
Climate change and urbanization are threatening ancient sites around the world. As archaeologists fight back, satellites are among the tools they use.
Dwarf planet Ceres once had a muddy ocean, study suggests
New computer simulations show how a now-frozen ocean of water mixed with dirt and rock could explain geological features on Ceres' surface.
Scrubbed spacewalks, Starliner stay-overs and more: NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson discusses her eventful 6 months in orbit
NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson reflected on her time in space during a post-flight press conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday (Oct. 4).
NASA's exoplanet hunter TESS spots a record-breaking 3-star system
Using NASA's exoplanet-hunting spacecraft, TESS, astronomers and citizen scientists have discovered a record-breaking system of three tightly bound stars that could fit between the sun and Mercury.
How to watch SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket launch NASA's Europa Clipper probe on Oct. 10
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch NASA's highly anticipated Europa Clipper astrobiology mission on Oct. 10, and you can watch the action live.
