Changes

[[Image:Apollo 11 Launch.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Apollo 11 launch. The small cloud midway up the rocket is due to the Low Pressure in that region as the Rocket Passes through Max Q, the maximum dynamic pressure exerted on the rocket in the launch.]]

[[Image:Apollo 11 Launch.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Apollo 11 launch. The small cloud midway up the rocket is due to the Low Pressure in that region as the Rocket Passes through Max Q, the maximum dynamic pressure exerted on the rocket in the launch.]]

The '''National Aeronautics and Space Administration''' (NASA) began in 1958. It was created by U.S. legislation for the purpose of creating a government space program for the [[United States]]. This legislation was in response to the [[Soviet Union]]'s the first man-made satellite, [[Sputnik|Sputnik I]]. According to the act NASA was to conduct research on the problems of flight in and out of the atmosphere, with and without human pilots, and to cooperate with other nations in the peaceful exploration of space. NASA is responsible for many satellites including [[Landsat]], which was a series of satellites for the collection of information on natural resources, communication satellites and weather satellites. The [[Project Apollo]] program under NASA led to several landings on the [[Moon]] from 1969-1972. It is also the designer and developer of the [[space shuttle]].

The [[United States]] '''National Aeronautics and Space Administration''' (NASA) was founded in 1958. It was created by legislation for the purpose of creating a government-backed national space program in response to the launch of [[Sputnik|Sputnik I]], the [[Soviet Union]]'s the first man-made satellite. According to the act, NASA was to conduct research on the problems of flight in and out of the atmosphere with and without human pilots, and to cooperate with other nations in the peaceful exploration of space. NASA is responsible for many satellites including [[Landsat]], which was a series of satellites for the collection of information on natural resources, communication satellites and weather satellites. The [[Project Apollo]] program under NASA led to several landings on the [[Moon]] from 1969-1972. It is also the designer and developer of the [[space shuttle]].

Today NASA has four main mission directorates,  

Today NASA has four main mission directorates,  

*'''Project Apollo ''' On May 25, 1961, President [[John F. Kennedy]] announced the goal of sending astronauts to the moon before the end of the decade. Coming just three weeks after Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space, Kennedy's bold challenge set the nation on a journey unlike any before in human history.  

*'''Project Apollo ''' On May 25, 1961, President [[John F. Kennedy]] announced the goal of sending a man to the moon before the end of the decade. Coming just three weeks after Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space, Kennedy's bold challenge set the nation on a journey unlike any before in human history.  

:Eight years of hard work by thousands of Americans came to fruition on July 20, 1969, when [[Apollo 11]] commander [[Neil Armstrong]] stepped out of the lunar module and took "one small step" in the [[Sea of Tranquility]], calling it "a giant leap for mankind."

:Eight years of hard work by thousands of Americans came to fruition on July 20, 1969, when the lunar module landed in the [[Sea of Tranquility]] and [[Apollo 11]] commander [[Neil Armstrong]] stepped onto the moon's surface with the words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

:Six of the missions -- Apollos 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 -- went on to land on the moon, studying soil mechanics, meteoroids, seismic, heat flow, lunar ranging, magnetic fields and solar wind. Apollos 7 and 9 tested spacecraft in Earth orbit; Apollo 10 orbited the moon as the dress rehearsal for the first landing. An oxygen tank explosion forced [[Apollo 13]] to scrub its landing, but the "can-do" problem solving of the crew and mission control turned the mission into a "successful failure."  

:Six of the missions -- Apollos 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 -- went on to land on the moon, studying soil mechanics, meteoroids, seismic, heat flow, lunar ranging, magnetic fields and solar wind. Apollos 7 and 9 tested spacecraft in Earth orbit; Apollo 10 orbited the moon as the dress rehearsal for the first landing. An oxygen tank explosion forced [[Apollo 13]] to scrub its landing, but the "can-do" problem solving of the crew and mission control turned the mission into a "successful failure."