National Aeronautics and Space Administration

German-born champions of space exploration at Cape Canaveral,: Dr.-Ing. Kurt Heinrich Debus (1908–1983), director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, points to a television monitor in the Launch Complex 37 blockhouse during the liftoff of a Saturn 1 rocket for the SA-8 mission on 25 May 1965. To his left are Dr. Hans F. Gruene, deputy director of Launch Operations at Kennedy, Dr. Wernher Freiherr von Braun, director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and Dipl.-Ing. Dr. h. c. mult. Eberhard Friedrich Michael Rees (1908–1998), deputy director for Research and Development at Marshall. All were brought to the U.S. from Germany after World War II and each played crucial roles in America’s space program.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established on 29 July 1958 by the National Aeronautics and Space Act.

History

Established on 1 October 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) was created as a civilian agency to lead U.S. space exploration, replacing NACA. Triggered by the Soviet Union’s Sputnik launch, NASA quickly launched Project Mercury and Apollo, achieving the first claimed human moon landing in 1969.

In addition to the space program, it is also responsible for long-term civilian and military aerospace research. Since February 2006, NASA's self-described mission statement is to "pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research."

See also

• Apollo program
• European Space Agency

External links

• NASA website
• Wernher von Braun, Kurt Debus — Champions of Space Exploration (Archive)