NASA - NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration :

NASA is the U.S.A. based agency which is responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and space research. It was called the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) created by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Its main aim was to make the US a world leader in the field of Aeronautics. On 4th October, 1957 Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 1 and placed the first artificial satellite into orbit. As a consequence, NACA changed into NASA and merged NACA and various other organisations. Just one week after the formation of NASA, the first manned spaceflight program project Mercury was launched. Seven test pilots were selected to become astronauts Donald K deke Slayton, Alan B Shepard, Walter M Schirra, Virgil I Gas Grissom, John H. Glenn Jr., Leroy Gordon Cooper and Malcolm Scott Carpenter. The 7 new astronauts spent months and months undergoing rigorous testing and training and while they were being trained several monkeys took check rides in the new Mercury spacecraft. 

Meanwhile, orbiting unmanned satellites become more and more commonplace and weather watches like tie ropes found a permanent place in our daily lives by improving weather forecasting capabilities. On 12th Aug, 1960, president Eisenhower took part in the first transmission of the echo1 communication satellite. On 5th 1960, Astronaut Alan B Shepard made America’s sub orbital flight Project Mercury underway. After freedom 7 Landed President John Kennedy gave NASA an ambitious new space goal. “We choose to go to the moon in the decade and do the other things not because they are easy but Because they are hard. Because that goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills, that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one we intend to win and the other’s too. After Alan Shepard and Gas Grissom’s test flights for other American astronauts orbited the earth in a Mercury spacecraft starting with John Glenn, he was followed by 7 Astronauts by carpenter, wally Schirra and Gordan Cooper. 

As NASA geared up to respond to the lunar commitment it became clear that new management techniques for handling far-flung systems manufacture and final integration would have to be developed there also was the fact that state of the art. Electronics and computers would be pushed to the limit. In October 1968, Apollo 7 successfully orbited earth, this event was followed by Apollo 8 reaches and orbits the Moon. Finally, on 20th July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Buzz Aldrin Junior became the first and second men to ever walk on the surface of the Moon with the success of the Apollo 11 mission. Apollo 17, being the first to land a scientist, Geologist Harrison H. Schmitt, on the surface of the Moon in December of 1972. This mission has been vital to our understanding of the origin of the Moon. NASA, also developed many significant scientific probes throughout the years. 

On 2nd March, 1972 NASA launched Pioneer 10 and on 5th April 1973, Pioneer 11 was launched. They both travelled to Jupiter and Saturn. Their mission was to explore the composition of interplanetary space and the two planets. In 1975, two Viking spacecraft were launched by NASA to look for basic signs of life on Mars. In 1976, they arrived but were unable to detect any sign. On 20th August,1977 and on 5th September,1977 launched Voyage 1 and 2 craft, respectively.  Their mission was to conduct a "Grand Tour" of our solar system. In 1990, NASA launched the Hubble Space Telescope into Earth’s orbit. On the 21st August 1993 the Mars Observer, which had been planned to orbit and observe Mars, disappeared without a trace. 

On 7th November 1996, NASA launched Mars Global Explorer. This is still in orbit and has been mapping Mars since its arrival at the red planet in 1998. The Mars Pathfinder mission successfully landed on the surface of Mars in July of 1997 and explored a limited area of the planet's surface using its rover, Sojourner. The first Mars rover successfully landed and recorded data in 2012, although it seems like it’s been longer ago, as far more missions have successfully taken place on Mars since.  Still, that first mission remains highly influential as it has inspired a new one that is to take place in 2020.  Because of the success of all of these missions, NASA’s prioritization of Mars is far from over. 1996 saw the launch of the Galileo spacecraft that was developed to examine Jupiter and its moon Europa. The probe revealed tentative information that the moon might contain ice or even liquid water - a key element for the potential presence of life. In 2018, NASA celebrated its 60th anniversary, NASA technology has contributed to many items used in everyday life, from smoke detectors to medical tests.

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In 2020, NASA plans to deploy its James Webb Space Telescope to replace the aging Hubble Telescope. NASA recently published the National Space Exploration Campaign Report which highlights its intended programs and overall strategies for the next few decades. The plan aims to “revitalize and add direction to NASA’s enduring purpose to carry out human and robotic exploration missions, expanding the frontiers of human experience and scientific discovery of the natural phenomena of Earth, other worlds, and the cosmos as a whole.” - NASA. Scientific Knowledge , Global Engagement , Economic Development , Societal Improvement and Leadership and Inspiration  are the five core national drivers which will be addressed by NASA, it promised. “The call from the President and Congress for a National Space Exploration Campaign emerges at a critical point in America’s space program and its relationship to strategic issues facing the nation in space. Challenges and opportunities exist that must be addressed over the next several years.” - NASA. There are some interesting upcoming projects of NASA:

*Forward to the Moon, Mars and Beyond

*Americans in Lunar Orbit and on the Lunar Surface

*Living in Space Prepared Us for this Moment

*Vistas of Opportunity and Discovery - Mars and Beyond

*Corporate Reform - Enabling Initiatives

How these projects will be accomplished successfully, it's certainly going to be exciting to watch.