HowStuffWorks "How NASA Works"

[http://www.howstuffworks.com/] SUBSCRIBE Adventure Animals Auto Culture Entertainment Health Home & Garden Lifestyle Money Science Tech Video Shows Quizzes Engineering Environmental Science Forces of Nature Innovation Life Science Military Physical Science Dictionary Science Vs. Myth Space Transportation Home / Science / Space / Spaceflight More Stuff Like This 10 Scientific Words You're Probably Using Wrong 10 False Science Facts Everyone Knows Puzzle: Nerve Cell How NASA Works by Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. Page 1 Introduction to How NASA Works 2 NASA's Research Programs 3 Project Mercury and Other NASA Projects 4 Skylab and Beyond Space Exploration Image Gallery Image courtesy NASA President John F. Kennedy addresses a joint session of the Congress in an historic speech on May 25, 1961. See more space exploration images . …I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish… - President John F. Kennedy, "Special Message to the Congress on Urgent National Needs," May 25, 1961 ­With these words, President John F. Kennedy challenged a fledgling, three-year-old government agency to accomplish one of the greatest achievements of mankind. That agency was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In its 55-year history, NASA has placed men on the moon, established a space station in Earth orbit, explored most of the planets in our solar system , and gazed into the depths of the universe. These accomplishments are just the beginnings of America's space program. With the passage of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, Congress created NASA to research problems in flight, both within and outside the Earth's atmosphere and to ensure that United States' space activities were peaceful and beneficial to mankind. NASA's mission is to pioneer space exploration, make scientific discoveries and conduct aeronautical research. But how does NASA fit into the federal government? In this article, we will examine what NASA does, what it has accomplished, how it is organized and what it intends to do in the future. Image courtesy NASA A Saturn V booster lifts off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center NASA is an independent civilian space agency under the executive branch, created by Congress to help execute policy or provide special services (other independent agencies include the Central Intelligence Agency , the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Science Foundation). Although NASA is not a cabinet-level organization like the Department of Defense, its administrator gets nominated by the President and must be confirmed by the Senate. Presidents can set policies/directions for the agency. Here are some examples: 1961- President John F. Kennedy directed NASA to land men on the moon by 1970 1972 - President Richard M. Nixon instructed NASA to develop the space shuttle 1984 - President Ronald Reagan called on NASA to develop a space station "in a decade" 1989 - President George H.W. Bush proposed to send humans to Mars 2004 - President George W. Bush directed NASA develop a new space vehicle by 2008 (now called Orion, see How the Crew Exploration Vehicle Works ) and focus human space activities on exploration Up Next Astronaut Quiz How the Space Shuttle Works Curiosity Project: Apollo Mission Pictures Like all other government agencies and departments, NASA proposes an annual budget, which gets incorporated into the President's annual budget and submitted to Congress. Congress debates and appropriates funds to NASA through legislation (appropriations bills). NASA's success in carrying out its mission and achieving presidential directives is highly dependent upon funding from Congress. For example, the Mars exploration program proposed by President George H.W. Bush met enormous resistance in Congress because it was deemed to be too expensive ($500 billion over 20 to 30 years). Congress did not fund the program and the proposal failed. Next, let's look at what NASA has accomplished since its inception.­ Print Cite This! Close Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks article: Freudenrich, Ph.D., Craig. "How NASA Works" 11 June 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. 14 August 2014. Citation & Date Feedback Page 1 Introduction to How NASA Works 2 NASA's Research Programs 3 Project Mercury and Other NASA Projects 4 Skylab and Beyond 5 NASA's Infrastructure 6 NASA's Mission Support 7 NASA Administrator's Office 8 NASA Research Centers More To Explore All Things Science 10 Incredible Wind Power Facts 10 Remarkable Exoplanets Fact or Fiction: Earthquakes Top 10 Things That Women Invented Strange, Spooky, Scary: The Supernatural Quiz Watch 100 Greatest Discoveries videos » You Might Also Like How Planet Hunting Works Don't worry. We still love you, Earth, but we've been wondering about the possibility of life on other worlds for centuries, and now we have the tools to do some exploring. What have astronomers found so far? How much food and water do you need for a one-year stay on Mars? If you spent a year on Mars, you would need to take more food and water than you could possibly carry. But if you had to go, how much would be enough? Popular Articles What's more important, water on the moon or on Mars? Did NASA win the space race? Why are there dozens of dead animals floating in space? Most Popular Most Watched Most Popular 10 Reasons Why Tesla Is a Scientific God Strange, Spooky, Scary: The Supernatural Quiz 10 Heaviest Objects Mankind Has Ever Moved How Hydraulic Machines Work 10 Correlations That Are Not Causations Most Watched How to Make (Almost) Everything Understanding Bridges How do they do it? Why aren't the keys on my computer in alphabetical order? The Most Important Things So Far, Seriously Don't Miss Stuff You Should Know: Demystifying Your World Stuff Mom Never Told You: All Things Women and Gender Stuff You Missed in History Class: Fact or Fiction? CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS HOWSTUFFWORKS NEWSLETTER THE LATEST AND GREATEST SUBSCRIBE HOWSTUFFWORKS Adventure Animals Auto Culture Entertainment Health Home & Garden Lifestyle Money Science Tech MORE STUFF Blogs HSW Tools RSS Maps Podcasts Quizzes Newsletters Video HSW Brazil HSW China STUFF WEBSITES BrainStuff CarStuff Fw:Thinking Stuff Mom Never Told You Stuff of Genius Stuff They Don't Want You to Know Stuff to Blow Your Mind Stuff You Missed in History Class Stuff You Should Know CUSTOMER SERVICE Advertising Contact Us Help CORPORATE About Us Careers @ HSW Privacy Policy Visitor Agreement TAKE US WITH YOU FOLLOW US Copyright © 1998-2014 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace LLC