NASA: A Leader in Space Exploration

Introduction

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is a U.S. government agency responsible for implementing the civilian space program. Even today, it is considered a leader in the aerospace field. Its achievements include the Apollo missions, which sent the first men to the Moon, the exploration of Mars by Curiosity, and the discoveries made by the Hubble Space Telescope. Today, NASA employs around 20,000 people in some twenty institutions, including the Goddard Space Flight Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Langley Research Center, and the Kennedy Space Center. It carries out space and aerospace exploration and research missions using a variety of means, including probes, satellites, and robotic missions. NASA also studies Earth sciences to investigate the effects of climate change.

NASA’s Turbulent Beginnings

Before NASA, it was the various branches of the U.S. military that carried out research into space exploration. However, when the USSR launched its first satellite, the USA had no choice but to set up an agency to deal with this challenge, especially since Americans were supposed to be at the forefront of space technology. NASA was created largely in reaction to the Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957.

NASA’s First Missions

NASA’s first programs were mainly concerned with spaceflight and took place during the Cold War rivalry between the USA and the USSR. The Mercury program, launched in 1958, aimed to determine whether humans could survive in space. Representatives of the U.S. military were invited to take part in NASA’s project to carry out an experimental flight of a U.S.-developed aircraft, starting in the 1950s.

NASA and the First Men on the Moon

In 1961, NASA initiated the Apollo program, designed to send the first man to the Moon and return him safely to Earth. However, the Apollo 1 mission ended tragically with the death of the astronauts when a fire broke out during a flight simulation inside the control module. As a result of this incident, several attempts were made without the crew having to return to the spacecraft.

It was President John F. Kennedy who gave NASA the goal of sending a man to the Moon by the end of the 1960s.

The initial objective of the Apollo program was achieved on July 20, 1969, with the Apollo 11 mission. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon, while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit. This mission marked a historic moment, as these astronauts were the first humans to walk on the Moon. After the United States proudly planted the American flag on the satellite’s surface, six further missions were carried out. The last mission of the Apollo program took place in December 1972, bringing twelve men to walk on the Moon.

NASA’s Competitors in 2021

Although NASA is still regarded as a leader in its field, competition has become increasingly fierce in recent years. Five years ago, NASA decided to part ways with one of its partners in the conquest of space. While the space agency had invested $1.5 billion in three different companies—Boeing, SpaceX, and Sierra Nevada Corporation—it chose to continue working with only two of these companies to generate healthy competition: SpaceX and Boeing. NASA now considers Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, to be the most competitive of all, especially following the successful docking of its Crew Dragon capsule.