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 begins building nuclear-powered Dragonfly drone for 2028 launch to Saturn moon Titan
Dragonfly will explore the giant Saturn moon Titan by air, helping scientists learn about the proto-ingredients of life on the satellite's hazy surface.
How risky is the Artemis 2 astronaut launch to the moon? NASA would rather not say
NASA's Artemis 2 mission, which will launch astronauts to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, comes with undeniable risk. But quantifying that risk is a tall order.
NASA says its Artemis 2 moon rocket is all fixed up. It could launch astronauts to the moon on April 1
NASA has completed the Artemis 2 flight readiness review and plans to launch the historic moon mission as soon as April 1.
NASA project leader blames next-generation X-ray telescope cancellation on agency mismanagement
NASA is canceling the AXIS X-ray space telescope mission concept, saying it failed to meet key requirements. But the project leader thinks there's another reason.
Will Artemis 2 launch toward the moon next month? Watch NASA's mission update today
NASA will give an update about its Artemis 2 moon launch plans today (March 12), and you can watch it live.
Incoming! 1,300-pound NASA satellite crashes back to Earth over eastern Pacific Ocean
NASA's Van Allen Probe A crashed to Earth on Wednesday morning (March 11) after nearly 14 years in orbit, according to the space agency. Most of the spacecraft likely burned up in the atmosphere.
NASA's DART planetary defense mission reveals asteroids hurling 'cosmic snowballs' at each other
New images from NASA's DART asteroid-smashing mission show space rocks exchanging material in a slow process that reshapes their surfaces over millions of years.
NASA just picked a new upper stage for its SLS moon rocket amid Artemis shakeup
NASA has wasted no time in selecting the vehicle that will replace the upper stage on its new plans for a standardized Space Launch System rocket.
