Home » Full Forms » Organizational full forms

What is the full form of NASA?

By Anushree Goswami Last updated : April 20, 2024

NASA is an abbreviation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It is an independent agency of the USA government that works for the civilian space program as well as for aeronautics, scientific discovery, Earth and aerospace research.

On 1st October 1958, it was founded by the National Aeronautics and Space Act by president Dwight D. Eisenhower. It operates and deals with the development of passive applications in space science and is responsible for the U.S. science and technology that deals with space exploration and airplanes. The head office of NASA is situated in Washington, and it has 10 NASA centers all over the United States. It also has 7 NASA workplaces for testing and studying Earth and space.

NASA History

In 1989, NASA introduced the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, which is also known as a Space Grant. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs are NASA's programs to fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies.

As of July 2019, Jim Bridenstine is the 13th administrator of NASA and James W. Morhard is the 14th Deputy Administrator of NASA.

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_insignia

NASA Vision

To discover and develop knowledge for the advantage of humanity.

Classification of NASA's work

• Aeronautics: It is in charge of the growth and advancement of highly developed aviation technologies.
• Human Exploration and Operations: It operates and deals with the administration of manned space missions, international space station as well as operations associated with launching facilities, space transportation, and space communications for both manned and robotic exploration programs.
• Science: It deals with the programs created for understanding the source, foundation, arrangement, progression, and future of the Earth, the solar system, and the universe.
• Space Technology: It deals with the growth and advancement of space science and exploration technologies.

Space Flight Programs

NASA has carried out both manned and unmanned space flight programs.

1) Manned Space Programs:

Following given below are some of NASA's major manned space programs:

• X-15 Rocket Plane: (1959-1968)
• Project Mercury: (1959-1963)
• Project Gemini: (1961-1966)
• Project Apollo: (1961-1972): Apollo was one of the most expensive NASA scientific programs ever.
• Skylab: (1965-1979)
• Space Shuttle Program: (1972-2011) etc.

2) Unmanned Space Programs:

Following given below are some of the significant unmanned space programs:

• Explorer 1: The first US unmanned satellite.
• Viking 1: The first successful landing on Mars in 1976.
• Pioneer 10: First spacecraft to visit Jupiter
• Pioneer 11: First spacecraft to visit Saturn
• Voyager 2: the first spacecraft to visit Uranus and Neptune etc.