What is NASA? What does NASA Do? – Brief History of NASA

What is NASA? In today’s article, we are going to discuss the history of NASAWhat does NASA Do? where NASA is located, and all the important information related to NASA.


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Hopefully, you will understand the complete information about NASA clearly. 



What is NASA
What is NASA?



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The sun-moon and the black space of billions of shining stars have deeply fascinated all the people of the world, and from the indomitable curiosity of man for space, they have crossed over to the infinite universe.


The first space exploration began in 1609 when the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei first used the earliest version of the telescope.


He was the first person on earth to observe the sky with a telescope. Therefore, he is considered to be the first discoverer of astronomy.


Then, in the 1920s, a Belgian priest named Lemaitre first introduced the idea of ​​the universe to the public.


He was the first consultant to the legendary Big-Bang theoryIn this theory, he said that the universe is made up of a single primitive atom.


Therefore, it can be said that space research is nothing new.


Subsequently, after numerous studies, the first human race was able to successfully travel to space in 1961 at the hands of Yuri Gagarin.


From this epoch-making event in human history began the study of astronomy in a universally accepted and definite way.


And, the brightest and most well-known name in the world of astronomy is NASA.



The main topic of discussion in our article today is what is this NASA?



What is NASA? 


NASA is actually the short form of the English word for an astrological organization. The full meaning of this NASA term is “National Aeronautics and Space Administration”.


It is an independent space research institute in the United States.


The institute conducts various researches and discoveries in the science of space and aviation.



What is the definition of NASA?


NASA’s main definition is “National Aeronautics and Space Administration“.



What does NASA do?


The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is America’s civil space program, world-renowned for its leadership in space exploration.


The agency has about 20 centers across the United States and only one national laboratory in space.


The main task of the organization is to study the Earth, its climate, the sun, and the entire universe, including the solar system.


In addition to aeronautics, the company also conducts research, exploration, scientific experimentation, and the development of aerospace, including electrical conduction and supersonic flight.


The organization provides funding for the development of space technology that will benefit life on Earth in the future.


At present, the agency employs about 18,000 civilians.


In addition, NASA works with several other US contractors, academia, and international and commercial partners for the benefit of humanity, as well as for the exploration and advancement of knowledge.



When was NASA founded?


NASA began its journey on October 1, 1958, as part of the United States Government.


Currently, the agency is responsible for U.S. science and technology, which is directly related to space research.



Where is NASA located?


NASA‘s headquartered in Washington, DC. NASA has about 20 centers across the United States



Why was NASA created? A Brief History of NASA


In the run-up to World War I, technological advances in other countries became a major concern for the United States government.


This setback could have led to economic difficulties in the United States as well as economic and possibly military losses.


Although they flew the first aircraft in 1903, at the beginning of World War I in 1914, American aviation technology lagged far behind European aviation technology.


For this reason, the then government and the president created a new federal agency in 1915 to improve technological research in the United States, which would report directly to the president as an independent government agency.


This body was called the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) or NACA.


Naka then conducted aeronautical research for about 40 years, which later became the new aerospace industry.


Which successfully managed the 20th century US economy.


In the 1950s, pilots were moving experimental vehicles like the X-15 at much faster speeds than ever before and at much higher altitudes in space.


After that, Nakar engineers started thinking about sending people into space.


In the early 1950s, in the geographical year (1957-1958), he was tasked with building an artificial satellite on the Nakar.


However, within days of receiving the project, the Soviet Union succeeded in launching the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik, in 1957.


Hugh Dryden, head of the NACA, planned a project called “A National Research Program for Space Technology” after the then US government announced a swift decision on the satellite.


It said that scientific research should be subordinated to the National Civilian Agency for strong research activities and rapid improvement on the path to space conquest.


As a result of this plan, NASA emerged in 1958 as a more powerful space research organization than NACA.


Since its inception, the agency has been responsible for most of the space exploration in the United States.


President of the Ohio Case Institute of Technology T. Keith Glennon became NASA’s first administrator.


Hugh Dryden, director of the NACA, first served as the agency’s deputy administrator.


Robert Gilruth, a veteran of NACA who led the Space Task Group and the Mercury program, later continued his work as director of NASA‘s Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center) in Houston.



Some great achievements by NASA


Although Russia’s name is inscribed on the world’s first sent satellite, NASA has been able to take its name to the number one spot in the world of space exploration, thanks to its one successful space mission after another.


Some of the best of these achievements are discussed in this article-



1. America’s first successful satellite: Explorer 1


When the Nakar Jet Propulsion Laboratory came under NASA after the launch of Sputnik in 1957, it built America’s first satellite, Explorer 1, in just three months.


The satellite was sent to provide scientists with accurate information about cosmic rays in Earth’s orbit.


This artificial satellite changed our perception of the Earth’s atmosphere forever.


The amount of activity it collected and sent to scientists about the workings of cosmic rays in space was significantly less than they expected.


Since then, physicist James Van Allen speculated that an unknown radiation belt was behind the decrease in cosmic ray activity from Explorer 1.


Perhaps, because the satellite passed through that unknown radiation belt, it was not able to accurately measure the number of cosmic rays.


So, the scientists sent another satellite and the data sent by that satellite showed that Van Allen’s guess was correct.



2. Hubble Space Telescope


Before 1990, it was not possible to get a picture of space without a ground-based light satellite.


It was not possible to get a clear picture of the space from the telescope in the chest of this earth due to the clouds, steam, water, and various cosmic rays of the earth.


So NASA built the Hubble Telescope satellite to get a clear picture of space.


Which has been able to send clear images of any part of the universe directly from space to Earth.


NASA teamed up with the European Space Agency in the mid-1970s to build the telescope. The telescope is named after the popular astronomer Edwin Hubble.


The telescope has made millions of astronomical observations and has been able to send images of more than 40,000 different space objects.


The Hubble Telescope still provides a clear, mesmerizing picture of the universe.


More than 15,000 scientific papers have been compiled based on the data provided by the telescope.


Currently, NASA has launched another advanced telescope satellite, capable of transmitting colorful and unimaginably beautiful images of space with X-ray rays instead of light.





3. Chandra X-ray Observatory


In 1999, NASA launched the most sensitive telescope built in many years. This telescope is capable of capturing scenes that are impossible for ordinary telescopes.


For example, in a fraction of the time when space particles disappear into a black hole, the Chandra X-ray Observatory can take that picture as well.


An X-ray telescope is much different and more powerful than a normal optical telescope.


Because X-ray observatories use high-energy particles instead of light, these telescopes are much more sensitive and faster than other instruments.


And because of the Earth’s own magnetic shield, it is not possible to detect X-ray rays from other parts of the universe.


Therefore, when it comes to space research, scientists have to rely solely on powerful telescopes like the Chandra Observatory.


So far the Chandra X-ray Observatory has sent clear images of supernova remnants, stellar explosions, and supermassive black holes.


These images are helping scientists to discover the mystery of dark matter. Earlier in the decade, this X-ray telescope detected low-energy X-rays from Pluto.



4. Curiosity Rover-Mars Explorer


NASA has been sending robotic rovers since 1970 to study Mars or the red planet.


Sojourner was the company’s first robotic rover. However, currently, the most popular and successful robotic rover is Curiosity.


Since it is nuclear-powered, the device has been able to orbit Mars for about 9 years. Curiosity rovers have wheels and are adept at spinning on the ground.


It orbits in various places on the surface of Mars. This rover helps scientists understand what different parts of the planet are made of.


Mars is made up of many different types of rocks, and each rock is made up of a mixture of chemicals.


These rovers study different chemicals in each rock and travel around different areas.


These chemicals can give scientists some idea of ​​the environment there, from which they can understand why the rock is changing over time.


This Curiosity rover is so smart that it even has its own Twitter account.



5. Parker Solar Probe: Traveling around the Sun’s atmosphere


NASA‘s Parker Solar Probe has been zooming through the inner solar system for the past three years to get closer to the Sun.


With the help of this device, scientists are trying to find out why solar wind is being created.


This solar wind is like a wave of charged particles, which are constantly flowing from the sun to the earth and causing damage to the earth in various ways.



6. Apollo 11: The first man to land on the moon


Although there is a lot of talk about buying land on the moon these days, NASA is credited with getting people to the moon for the first time.


After many failed attempts to build this Apollo lunar spacecraft, Apollo 11 carries good luck to NASA.


It was their mission to send their superheroes to the moon.


Neil Armstrong first landed on the moon in 1969 as part of NASA’s greatest success mission. NASA is always busy with various new cosmic research.


There are many such small and big discoveries, about which NASA‘s contribution to this world is undeniable.



What is the current research of NASA?


Recently, NASA plans to build two missions to Venus by 2030. They found a biosynthetic gas called phosphine near Venus.


So, they are eager to find out more about Venus.


One of their missions is to observe the atmosphere of Venus and the other is to map the terrain of that planet from orbit.


In addition, NASA is conducting various experiments on black holes, dark matter, and the Sun.





Conclusion


What is NASA or what is the work of NASA, and if you like our article written about the history of NASA, you must share the article on social media?

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