Nasa
by Krysta Cardinale“Space Exploration at its Finest”
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was born on October 1, 1958. This was due in part to advance the study of human space flight, aeronautics, space science and space applications through scientific research and technological development, but largely in response to a fledgling U.S. space program that was quickly being surpassed by the Soviet Union.
NASA: History of its Beginnings
At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I. Sputnik I was the world's first man-made satellite in 1957. At the time, the U.S. lagged behind with the nearly 50-year-old National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), and its failure to be the first nation in space. The United States was also coupled with Cold War fears that Sputnik spelled a threat to American security, and technological superiority. This led the U.S. Congress to motion for rapid action to remedy the situation.
The result was the signing of the National Aeronautics and Space Act in July 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This established NASA as the successor to NACA. NASA history began when it became operational three months later. It consisted of four labs and a mere 8,000 former NACA employees, who immediately began working on other options for putting humans in space.
NASA's initial vision was, "To improve life here, extend life to there, and to find life beyond." This has withstood the organization's development from a burgeoning offshoot of NACA to one of the most powerful and advanced space agencies on the planet. Its mission, "To understand and protect our home planet; to explore the universe and search for life and to inspire the next generation of explorers" has also remained steadfast, as has NASA's resolve to stand by and support it.
Since much of NASA's existence can be owed to Cold War pressure to flex its technological muscles in the face of its political adversary, its first high profile space program had to be big. That large-scale endeavor for NASA history came in the form of Project Mercury. Project Mercury was one of the first tests to determine if humans could survive in space. Mercury produced the first American in space when astronaut Alan B. Shephard piloted NASA space shuttle, Freedom 7, on a 15-minute suborbital flight on May 5, 1961. The first American to orbit the earth came a year later when John Glenn headed the five-hour Friendship 7 flight on February 20, 1962.
NASA Space Shuttles and Missions
Once Mercury had proven that humans could survive in space, the subsequent missions of its successor, Project Gemini began to examine the feasibility of previously unimaginable ideas. Such ideas included docking with other vehicles in space, gathering medical data on the effects of weightlessness on humans, and landing a man on the moon. President John F. Kennedy's assertion in 1961 that America would see one of its own on the moon before the end of the decade was the shot that set off the race for the latter.
Project Apollo began NASA's vying to land a human on the moon. It would take 11 Apollo space missions before the project reached its zenith on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first astronauts to set foot on the lunar surface. This prompted Armstrong to make his famous quote, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." And he was right. By the end of the Apollo space program in December 1972, not one, but 12 Americans had been to the moon and back.
After conquering the moon, NASA’s history seemed to fumble for direction a little during the 1970s. The Cold War rivalry for space domination between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R had lost some of its intensity, and the lunar landing had ostensibly satiated people's appetite for all things space-related. Public interest in space exploration was waning and so was federal funding for NASA. The Vietnam War had taken precedence and budget cuts forced the early retirement of the Apollo program. Though 20 missions were planned, Apollo 17 was the last one executed.
In light of budget cuts and funding difficulties for its missions, NASA used the down time to initiate a series of test projects that renewed its technological strengths. This led to the NASA Space Shuttle program, initiated in 1981, with the launch of the Shuttle Columbia. At the program's core is the construction of the International Space Station, a joint U.S.-Russia endeavor designed to improve life on earth and to extend life beyond the borders of our home planet.
The NASA Space Shuttle program helped spearhead a renewed public interest in NASA and space exploration. Though the Challenger explosion of 1986 proved to be a stumbling block that NASA had to struggle to overcome, it has proven itself capable of remaining on the cutting edge of aeronautics research. It continued experiments in aerodynamics, wind shear, and other matters including wind tunnels, flight testing and computer simulations. It has gone on to launch scientific probes like the Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft that have further explored the moon, the planets and the rest of the solar system. NASA space shuttles have succeeded in exploring Mars, and continue to be responsible for civilian and military aerospace research. The milestone Hubble Telescope, launched by the shuttle program in 1990 has returned fascinating images of space and our galaxy to an awed public on earth.
NASA in the Future
On January 14, 2004, President George W. Bush announced a new plan for NASA’s space shuttle programs and its future. Bush named the plan the “Vision for Space Exploration.” In this plan, man will return to the moon by 2018. During this outposts and test beds will be established for future missions. The “Crew Exploration Vehicle” will replace the NASA space shuttle by 2014. It will be able to dock with the ISS and leave Earth’s orbit. Bush’s plan was uneasy for Congress to accept completely, but agreed to provide “start-up” funds for the first year.
Since its beginnings, NASA has turned space exploration from just a pipe dream of science fiction enthusiasts to a real fact of life. Through research and the efforts of the brave men and women who risked the unknown to bring the universe a little closer to home for the rest of us, space is no longer the metaphysical mystery it once was. In the nearly 50 years since it was founded, NASA has proven over and over that our world, though immense to us, is but a tiny blue blip on the universal radar. Through scientific and aerospace advancements, NASA has helped bring the universe closer to us and show us that we are, in fact, not alone
