NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It is a United States government agency that is responsible for science and technology related to air and space. NASA was created in 1958 to oversee U.S. space exploration and aeronautics research. The agency is responsible for conducting research, testing, and development to advance aeronautics, including electric propulsion and supersonic flight. NASA also develops and funds space technologies that will enable future exploration and benefit life on Earth.
NASA has 20 centers and facilities across the country, including the only National Laboratory in space. The agency studies Earth, including its climate, our Sun, and our solar system and beyond. NASA conducts scientific research, sends astronauts to space, launches satellites, and studies the universe. The agencys work includes:
- Conducting scientific research in space and on Earth
- Sending astronauts to space
- Launching satellites to study Earth and the universe
- Studying the universe with space probes
- Developing new technologies for space exploration and aeronautics research
NASAs administrator is nominated by the president and confirmed by a vote in the Senate. NASAs future will continue to be a story of human exploration, technology, and science. The agency plans to go back to the Moon to learn more about what it will take to support human exploration to Mars and beyond.
