The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the primary civilian space agency of the United States. Founded in 1958, NASA has more than 18,000 employees nationwide and an annual budget of $25B.
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Since 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has led humanity’s exploration of space—from the Moon landings to space telescopes—driving scientific discovery and inspiring generations. Watch 1440’s breakdown of the world’s leading space agency.
Despite the US starting the Space Race behind the Soviet Union, which had put a cosmonaut into space in 1961, the successful landing of Apollo 11 on the moon in 1969 was seen as a defining victory for America.
Established in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has taken humanity from the Moon to deep space. This article marks 60 years of exploration with a tour through NASA’s most consequential and awe-inducing moments.
On the night of July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped down the lunar module's ladder onto the moon's surface. The broadcast was watched by an estimated 650 million people—about a fifth of the then global population.
Created by Congress under the National Aeronautics and Space Act, NASA officially began in 1958, building on earlier aviation research and positioning the US to compete in the Space Race and lead global space exploration.
After decades of dormancy, NASA and SpaceX hope the Artemis program will provide opportunities for lunar resource extraction. Countries like India, China, and the UAE have also shown interest in developing future lunar economies.
Using NASA's next-generation megarocket, the Space Launch System, Artemis I will take an uncrewed spacecraft on a 42-day journey around the moon. Subsequent missions plan to land the first woman on the lunar surface.
On Sept. 12, 1962, President John F. Kennedy set forth this argument for the effort to land humans on the moon’s surface, casting the Apollo mission in terms of historic human ambitions.
This podcast series explores Apollo 11 through firsthand stories from the engineers, mission controllers, and astronauts who made the moon landing possible, culminating in 13 minutes of NASA archive audio leading up to the landing.
On July 17, 1975, American and Soviet astronauts docked their spacecraft during the Apollo–Soyuz mission, symbolically ending the Space Race and marking the first joint spaceflight between Cold War rivals.
Since our ancient human relatives began using stone tools to perform tasks, humans have harnessed scientific knowledge and new technologies to expand the boundaries of our understanding of the natural world. From quantum computing and microplastics to artificial intelligence and memory, explore these topics and more with our concise yet informative overviews and expert-curated resources.