Full Form of NASA & A Brief History

Summary – Do you know what the full form of NASA is or what NASA stands for? Read on to find out all about NASA and its glorious space exploration:

At a time when Olympics must have actually dominated the social web scene, NASA pulled off a trick and stole some of the limelight. It landed Curiosity in a spectacular fashion – not to forget the live tweets sent by the rover – and literally made another comeback in space exploration.

We thought it would be a great time to look back at the institution that has been doing cutting-edge research in space exploration and astronomy.

The full-form of NASA is National Aeronautics & Space Administration. It was formed on July 29th, 1958 – about 54 years back when there was intense competition between the erstwhile Soviet Union and the United States of America in space exploration. Back then Space Race was as real as it could get and both the countries were trying to reach farther into space first.

So, when the Soviet Union put its first satellite in orbit (Sputnik I), the Americans knew it was time to roll up the sleeves and get to work fast.

President Eisenhower passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act and thus was formed NASA from what was earlier National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA); absorbing the 8000-odd employees along with several other projects and committees, research laboratories and other sub-divisions of NACA.

NASA's primary task back then was the beat the Russians in the Space Race. They had to:

• Put more satellites in orbit
• Put man in space
• See if military might could be included in space race

Over the next few months, NASA put its first satellite in orbit. The Explorer 1 became the first US Satellite launched (this was, however, before NASA was formed). However, NASA made consistent strides and put Alan Shepherd into orbit in the Freedom 7 under Project Mercury.

However, they were already beat by Yuri Gagarin of the USSR who turned out to be the first man in space.

Even at the peak time of space race, NASA pulled-off what appeared to be impossible just twenty years before July 1969. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched Apollo 11, which put the first men on moon – much before the Russians could do it.

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