NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is the United States federal government's independent space agency, established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on July 29, 1958. NASA is responsible for the US civilian space program, aeronautics research, and space science. The agency has led humanity's greatest achievements in space exploration: the Apollo lunar landings (1969–1972), the Space Shuttle program, the International Space Station, robotic missions to every planet in the solar system, and the James Webb Space Telescope. Current programs include the Artemis lunar program returning humans to the Moon, the Perseverance Mars rover, commercial crew transportation to the ISS through SpaceX and Boeing, and Earth observation satellites monitoring climate and environment. NASA's annual budget exceeds $25 billion and the agency employs approximately 18,000 civil servants at its centers across the United States.