Happy 50th Anniversary NASA!!!

The Birth Of NASA

It may well be argued that NASA has become the world's premier agent for exploration, carrying on in "the new ocean" of outer space a long tradition of expanding the physical and mental boundaries of humanity. Fifty years ago, however the agency that pushed the frontiers of aeronautics, took us to the moon, flew the space shuttle, built the International Space Station and revealed the secrets of the cosmos, was in its birth throes, and fundamental decisions were being made that profoundly shaped all that was to come.

NASA's top management from 1958-1960 was T. Keith Glennan, Administrator (center), Hugh L. Dryden, Deputy Administrator (left), and Richard E. Horner, Associate Administrator (right). This photo, dated March 1, 1960 and probably taken at NASA’s first Headquarters at the Dolley Madison House, also shows the new seal of NASA above Glennan.

After Congressional hearings during spring 1958, Congress passed the legislation and President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law on July 29, 1958.

It is instructive to recall the objectives for NASA that emerged in section 102 of the final Space Act:

1. The expansion of human knowledge of phenomena in the atmosphere and space;
2. The improvement of the usefulness, performance, speed, safety, and efficiency of aeronautical and space vehicles;
3. The development and operation of vehicles capable of carrying instruments, equipment, supplies, and living organisms through space;
4. The establishment of long-range studies of the potential benefits to be gained from, the opportunities for, and the problems involved in the utilization of aeronautical and space activities for peaceful and scientific purposes;
5. The preservation of the role of the United States as a leader in aeronautical and space science and technology and in the application thereof to the conduct of peaceful activities within and outside the atmosphere;
6. The making available to agencies directly concerned with national defense of discoveries that have military value or significance, and the furnishing by such agencies, to the civilian agency established to direct and control nonmilitary aeronautical and space activities, of information as to discoveries which have value or significance to that agency;
7. Cooperation by the United States with other nations and groups of nations in work done pursuant to this Act and in the peaceful application of the results thereof;
8. The most effective utilization of the scientific and engineering resources of the United States, with close cooperation among all interested agencies of the United States in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort, facilities and equipment

Way to go NASA! Congrats on a very successful 50 years and here's to 50 more!

With that said, how many of these objectives has NASA really fulfilled and to whose satisfaction?

Has it really been a great 50 years of honest space endeavors? Or has it been a dark 50 years full of deceit and disinformation?

Has NASA done it's job to satisfactory since being established, in your opinion?

I can honestly say that although there are some things that warrant investigation, I believe that NASA has done an great job and has captured my imagination ever since I was in school with the amazing photos beamed back from various spacecraft. That's how I feel. What about you?

-Dev

Another great story from Wired

Happy birthday NASA!

Hears to another hopefully eventful 50 years in space exploration!

Happy Birthday NASA


Speech.... Speech .....

come on spill the beans .... what have you really been up to for the past 50 years. Tell us whats really out there - dont sugar coat it tell us whats really there coz we are not stupid we CAN handle the truth (believe it or not) We're not all stupid, we wont try and shoot down any UFO's because we think they are demons or against god ...........

SO, come on NASA .... please talk ..... we will listen and we will all become wiser.

happy birthday! go on good working....