Everything You Need to Know
NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA was started in 1958 as part of the United States government. NASA is in charge of U.S. science and technology that has to do with airplanes or space.
NASA does a lot of different things. NASA makes satellites. The satellites help scientists learn more about Earth. NASA sends probes into space. NASA scientists study things in the solar system, and even farther away. A new program will send humans to the moon, Mars, and beyond. People at NASA work on ways to make air travel better for everyone on Earth, too. People also share the things they learn with others. This can make life on Earth better.
NASA headquarters is in Washington, D.C. There are ten NASA centers all over the United States. There are also seven test and research facilities. More than 18,000 people work for NASA! Being an astronaut is probably the best-known NASA profession, but they make up only a small portion of the workforce. A lot of engineers and scientists work at NASA. People have other jobs, too, such as secretaries, writers, lawyers, and even teachers.
From its start, NASA began to plan for human spaceflight. The Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs helped NASA learn about flying in space. This led to the first human landing on the moon in 1969. Right now, NASA is working to finish the International Space Station. Space probes have visited every planet in the solar system. Scientists have looked far into space using telescopes. NASA aslo helps develop and test new aircraft. Some of the airplanes have set new records. NASA works to make air travel faster and safer.
Sources: http://www.nasa.gov
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