The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research. Since February 2006, NASA's mission statement has been to "pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research." On September 14, 2011, NASA announced that it had selected the design of a new Space Launch System that it said would take the agency's astronauts farther into space than ever before and provide the cornerstone for future human space exploration efforts by the U.S. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The agency became operational on October 1, 1958. U.S. space exploration efforts have since been led by NASA, including the Apollo moon-landing missions, the Skylab space station, and later the Space Shuttle. Currently, NASA is supporting the International Space Station and is overseeing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and Commercial Crew vehicles.
Orion parachutes chalk up another test success in Arizona
The parachute system for Orion, America's spacecraft that will carry humans to deep space, deployed as planned after being dropped from an altitude of 6.6 miles on July 12, at the U.S. Army Proving Ground in Yuma, Arizona. ...
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NASA debuts online toolkit to promote commercial use of satellite data
While NASA's policy of free and open remote-sensing data has long benefited the scientific community, other government agencies and nonprofit organizations, it has significant untapped potential for commercialization. NASA's ...
Team creates high-fidelity images of Sun's atmosphere
In 1610, Galileo redesigned the telescope and discovered Jupiter's four largest moons. Nearly 400 years later, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope used its powerful optics to look deep into space—enabling scientists to pin down ...
Ferocious Ferguson fire in California threatens Mariposa—again
One year ago today residents of Mariposa, California, the largest town bordering Yosemite National Park, were evacuated due to the threat of the Detwiler Fire. Although thate fire burned thousands of acres and scorched ...
Image: Jamming with the 'spiders' from Mars
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, acquired May 13, 2018 during winter at the South Pole of Mars, shows a carbon dioxide ice cap covering the region and as the sun returns in the spring, "spiders" begin to ...
NASA Juno data indicate another possible volcano on Jupiter moon Io
Data collected by NASA's Juno spacecraft using its Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument point to a new heat source close to the south pole of Io that could indicate a previously undiscovered volcano on the small ...
'X'-ploring the Eagle Nebula and 'Pillars of Creation'
The Eagle Nebula, also known as Messier 16, contains the young star cluster NGC 6611. It also the site of the spectacular star-forming region known as the Pillars of Creation, which is located in the southern portion of the ...
NASA's TESS spacecraft continues testing prior to first observations
After a successful launch on April 18, 2018, NASA's newest planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, is currently undergoing a series of commissioning tests before it begins searching for planets. The TESS ...
Image: Nevada's Martin Fire largest in U.S.
The Martin Fire near the small Northern Nevada town of Paradise Valley erupted on July 05, 2018. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Between Thursday and today, July 09, 2018, the fire has exploded in size and ...
ICESat-2 lasers pass final ground test
On June 23, ICESat-2 engineers at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California successfully finished the final ground-based test of the lasers, which are part of the satellite's sole instrument called the Advanced Topographic ...
