The Hill News

When Congress established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958, it was in response to the Soviet Union successfully launching Sputnik and as a means of enhancing our national security. The mission for the agency, as described in the Space Act of 1958, has actually changed little since that time other than to respond to an expanded notion of national security that comes from sustained leadership in technological excellence and global competitiveness.

Many of us remember watching the Apollo 11 moon landing in our living rooms, the first steps on the moon by Neil Armstrong, the launch of the first space shuttle, and now we witness the launch of the last space shuttle mission. These iconic images of space exploration and the men and women who have pioneered space for the past 50 years will not be forgotten.

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