National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Since 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been responsible for the U.S. government's exploration of space. It also became a primary force in fueling Americans' passionate interest in space. In the years since its founding, NASA has had some spectacular successes and some dramatic failures.

The need for NASA grew out of the Cold War (1947-91; see entry under 1940s—The Way We Lived in volume 3), the intense rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. The political competition between these two superpowers moved into space in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite (see entry under 1950s—The Way We Lived in volume 3), Sputnik. The Soviets also launched the first man into space and the first man to orbit the Earth. NASA launched Alan Shepard (1923–1998), the first American in space, in May 1961. In February 1962, John Glenn (1921–) became the first American to orbit the earth. These successes created a huge interest in space travel and made celebrities out of the first astronauts. The decision of President John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) to send a man to the moon before the 1960s ended spurred further public interest in space and an all-out effort by NASA. Although NASA suffered a huge setback when three astronauts died during a pre-liftoff fire in 1967, the agency—and the world—reached a tremendous milestone on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong (1930–) and Buzz Aldrin (1930–) became the first men to walk on the moon. Broadcast on television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3), the event held the world spellbound. More moon landings followed in the 1970s, but other than a near-disaster aboard Apollo 13, public interest decreased.

NASA suspended its manned flights in the early 1970s. It focused instead on its space laboratory, Skylab, launched in 1973, and on unmanned flights to Mars and to deep space. In 1981, NASA launched the first space shuttle, a new method of space flight that allowed astronauts to leave Earth using rockets and to land their ship like an airplane at mission's end. These reusable shuttles promised a new era in space flight. In 1986, tragedy struck the shuttle program when the space-shuttle Challenger blew up seconds after liftoff, killing all on board, including the first civilian in space, teacher Christa McAuliffe (1948-1986). Despite this setback, NASA continued launching the shuttles on a fairly regular basis into the twenty-first century.

NASA's efforts had a great impact on popular culture, as television shows and films came out to capitalize on the public's interest in space. In the 1960s, Star Trek (see entry under 1960s—TV and Radio in volume 4) and Lost in Space were popular TV series. The 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey (see entry under 1960s—Film and Theater in volume 4) directed by Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999) was among the first serious looks at space. Some films examined the NASA programs directly, including The Right Stuff (1983) and Apollo 13 (1995). NASA's main launch facility at Cape Canaveral, Florida, became a huge tourist attraction in the 1970s, giving tours and selling space souvenirs. Along with this interest, there were some who challenged the necessity of NASA's many activities that came at great financial expense. But despite this, NASA continues to direct the United States' efforts in space, keeping America's attention focused on the mysteries of space.

—Timothy Berg

For More Information

Kranz, Gene. Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.

Launius, Roger D., and Bertram Ulrich. NASA and the Exploration of Space: With Works from the NASA Art Collection. New York: Stewart, Tabori, and Chang, 1998.

McCurdy, Howard E. Inside NASA. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993.

NASA.http://www.nasa.gov/ (accessed March 21, 2002).

Wolfe, Tom. The Right Stuff. New York: Bantam Books, 1983.