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
On this day in space: Jan. 13, 1978: NASA hires first female astronauts
On January 13, 1978, NASA selected its eighth and most diverse class of astronauts yet.
Former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly sues Pentagon, Pete Hegseth over censure campaign
Former NASA astronaut and current U.S. Senator Mark Kelly is fighting back, suing the Pentagon for its plan to censure him over comments he made in a video late last year.
Experts push back against cancellation of NASA's Mars sample return project
Exploration advocates are pushing back against the planned cancellation of NASA's Mars sample return project, saying it could potentially find evidence of Red Planet life.
Will budget cuts force NASA to withdraw from Europe's next Venus mission?
"We are in constant contact with NASA."
NASA funds new tech for upcoming 'Super Hubble' to search for alien life: 'We intend to move with urgency'
The observatory will combine tech from NASA's most powerful space telescopes.
SpaceX launches NASA's Pandora exoplanet mission, 3 dozen other satellites (video)
SpaceX launched NASA's Pandora exoplanet mission and about three dozen other payloads early Sunday morning (Jan. 11) on a rideshare flight called "Twilight."
Moon fever hits DC as Artemis 2 rocket 'candle' lights up Washington Monument just 1 month before launch (photos)
The Washington Monument lit up on New Year's Eve in celebration of the Artemis 2 moon mission as well as the 250th anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence.
NASA will evacuate SpaceX Crew-11 astronauts from International Space Station on Jan. 14
The first medical evacuation in the history of the International Space Station will take place on Jan. 14, when the four astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-11 mission head home.
