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NASA, A 16-Billion-Dollar-A-Year Space Research Giant
Cape Canaveral (AFP) Jul 10, 2005 NASA, the US government's famed space agency, is a research giant with an annual budget in excess of 16 billion dollars, created at the height of the Cold War's space race. Its stated goal is to advance US scientific, security and economic interests through its space exploration program. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was established on October 1, 1958, as the United States struggled to catch up with the Soviet Union, which the previous year had launched Sputnik 1, the world's first man-made satellite. Today, more than 19,000 people work for the agency, which is headquartered in Washington and has 10 centers across the United States. An additional 40,000 people work for NASA as contractors. NASA's installations include the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, the launching pad for the space shuttle, and the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, which houses the manned spacecraft mission control center. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Pasadena, California builds and operates most of NASA's unmanned spacecraft, including missions to Mars, comets and the outer reaches of the solar system. In addition to its Apollo lunar missions and its space shuttle program, which helped build the International Space Station, NASA has led key scientific missions, including launching the Hubble Space Telescope, whose groundbreaking images helped explain some of the mysteries of the universe. NASA is headed by scientist Michael Griffin, who was picked by President George W. Bush to slash spending by an agency many view as too costly. Its stated mission is to "protect our home planet, to explore the universe and search for life, and to inspire the next generation of explorers." The agency suffered a major setback when the Space Shuttle Columbia burst into flames upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003, killing all seven astronauts on board and grounding the shuttle fleet. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
NASA Refines Design For Crew Exploration Vehicle
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 12, 2006NASA's Constellation Program is making progress toward selecting a prime contractor to design, develop and build the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), America's first new human spacecraft in 30 years. |
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