NASA

space exploration · science · rockets · discovery

Born during Space Race. NASA was created in 1958 when the United States wanted to catch up in the competition to explore space. It took over from an older aviation group to give America its own dedicated space program.

Headquartered in DC. NASA's main office is in Washington, D.C., but the agency runs ten different field centers across the United States. Each center specializes in different kinds of space work, from building rockets to studying planets.

Sent humans to the moon. NASA ran the famous Apollo program that put astronauts on the moon between 1969 and 1972. This was one of humanity's greatest adventures and remains one of NASA's most famous achievements.

Explores with robots too. When astronauts can't go somewhere, NASA sends robotic spacecraft and rovers to investigate. These machines have explored Mars, visited asteroids, and sent back stunning pictures from far across our solar system.

Works with other countries. NASA now partners with other nations on big projects like the International Space Station, where astronauts from different countries live and work together in orbit.