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Logan Taylor

EDT 321

2/10/2013

A Brief History of NASA

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was created under the Administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower to replace the antiquated National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The act creating the program passed Congress on July 29, 1958 and NASA officially became operational on October 1, 1958.

Beginning

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Space was seen as the next frontier in the budding rivalry between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Both sides raced to put men into space with the goal being to touch down upon the moon. The United States began with missions such as Project Mercury and Project Gemini but came into it’s own with the Apollo Project, a series of manned rockets which drew ever closer to the moon. Apollo 8 was the first populated craft to orbit the moon and Apollo 11 was the mission that officially allowed the United States to win the Space Race as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men to step foot upon the surface of the moon.

Manned Space Flight Programs

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Apollo 13 was a relatively routine mission to the moon which almost became a national tragedy as the cabin heating went out, power was limited and the carbon dioxide removal system was in serious need of in flight repair. Yet, the crew survived and made it back to earth on April 17, 1970. The Real Apollo 13

Apollo 13

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The International Space Station is a habitable satellite in low-earth orbit. It is a combination of different space satellites such as the Russian Mir-2, The European Columbus and the American Freedom. Below is a chart of the participating nations and their respective space agencies. The ISS operates as a space laboratory and experiments in biology, astronomy, meteorology and physics take place. It has also been continuously inhabited for 12 years and 97 days which breaks the personal record for the Russian Mir station. More on the International Space Station

International Space Station

Country Space Administration

United States NASA

Russia Federation RKA

European Union ESA

Japan JAXA

Canada CSA

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Two unfortunate tragedies have struck the NASA family as two different space shuttles have exploded shortly after launch both in 1986 and 2003. The former was the Space Shuttle Challenger. Despite the loss of the entire crew, replacement parts were able to be salvaged from the wreckage and the Space Shuttle Endeavor rose from the ashes. Unfortunately, in 2003 after the explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia there was no rebuilding.

Tragedy Strikes

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Earth Science

Space Exploration

Heliophysics

Aeronautics

NASA

Four Facets of Modern NASA

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In 2006, NASA made plans to begin a permanent moon base as early as 2020 and by 2024 planned to have a crew on the moon to being exploiting lunar resources. However, as of 2010, President Barack Obama has cancelled the moon base program as well as the manned space flight program citing budgetary issues.

NASA’s share of the federal government’s budget has dwindled since reaching it’s highest point in 1966 at 3.3%. Currently, NASA has about .48% of the federal budget. Neil deGrasse Tyson claims that if NASA is given a penny of every tax dollar, it can awaken the nation from its doldrums. Only time will tell if he is heeded.

The Future of NASA