ARCturus

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is a space organization under the federal government of the United States. It was established in 1958 on the basis of its predecessor NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) established in 1915.

The launching of the first satellite in 1957 ignited the need for NASA. In addition to developing satellites, the activities in the early years included the development of launchers in four large laboratories. NASA’s first research programmes tried to solve problems on a manned spaceflight. The development activities were boosted by the rivalry between two mighty states, both aiming at conquering the space: which one of them comes first and has better equipment for the conquest. The planning and implementation of a manned spaceflight was a huge step forward. Some animals were sent in capsules into the neighbouring space in order to test and gain information on how a human being would survive in a zero gravity circumstances. During the years of race, both successes and failures were on the list. The greatest achievement was, no doubt, the landing on the Moon and the first step of astronaut Neil Armstrong on the surface of the Moon in 1969.

The major purpose for NASA is to further develop the space research and spaceflights. There have been many new goals for development activities after the flights to the Moon, e.g. space shuttles, building and maintaining the international space station ISS and planning new manned flights to the Moon. In recent years, there have been speculations on possibilities to fly to an asteroid or to Mars.

NASA co-operates with schools and universities. Materials and valid information for schools can be found on the NASA websites, under the link Education. NASA also arranges excursions to the students in its various centers. Moreover, the organization allocates so-called research hours to the schools. The students are allowed to contact NASA on the Internet and use their space telescope in order to make their own on-line observations of objects far in space. This is an option that has earlier only been possible on the basis of a more profound partnership, of which there is a good example: the town-twinning scheme.

In the picture, there is a mini model of a satellite, prepared by students in the 6^th grade (picture IH, Finland).

www.nasa.gov/

 

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