NASA Full form is National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA is a US government agency that is responsible for the science and technology dealing with the civilian space program as well as aeronautics, scientific discovery, and aerospace research. This article, i.e. the full form of NASA, consists of the mission of NASA, programs led by the agency, career opportunities, and recent developments in the agency.
NASA Full-Form | National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA, distinctly oriented towards in-depth space exploration, was established in 1958. The President of the US nominates the agency’s leader, the Administrator of NASA. The first administrator was Dr. T.Keith Glennan, appointed by then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Jim Bridenstine is the present administrator of NASA.
The elements of NASA’s mission
- Indulge in flight research and technology integration to revolutionize aviation and pioneer aerospace technology.
- Conduct airborne remote sensing and science mission
- Endorse space exploration concepts.
- Provide support to operations of the international space station for NASA and the nation.
Efforts led by NASA
Some of the programs conducted by NASA includes- Mercury program (the first human spaceflight program into the Earth orbit), the Gemini program, Apollo Program (first human brought to the moon), Skylab (first American space station ), Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (first joint US-Soviet space flight), Shuttle-Mir Program (collaborative space program between the US and Russia), International Space Station(artificial satellite in low Earth orbit).
Since 1958, NASA has accomplished the ventures of more than 250 robotic and 24 human spacecraft into space.
Robotic missions
Earth-related missions-
- Biosatellites 1, 2, and 3.
- Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE)
- Echo 1 and 2
- High Energy Astronomy Observatory program
- Infrared Astronomical Satellite
- Jason 1, 2, and 3
- Landsat Program
- Artemis
Exploration of the moon
- Clementine,
- Moon Mineralogy Mapper – an instrument for ISRO’s Chandrayaan-1
- Pioneer Program
- Ranger Program
- Surveyor Program
Exploration of Mars
- Mariner program
- Mars Exploration Rovers
- Mars Pathfinder
- Mars Polar Lander
- Mars Scout Program
- Viking Program
Asteroidal Exploration
- New Millennium Program
- New Frontiers Program
- Stardust. Etc.
Exploration of other planets
- Cassini-Huygens – Saturn and its moon
- Galileo- Jupiter and its moon
- Magellan- Venus Radar Mapper
- Mariner Program- Venus
- MESSENGER –first to orbit Mercury
- New Horizons- Pluto and its moon
- Voyager 1- Jupiter, Saturn
- Voyager 2- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Solar explorations
- Parker Solar Probe
- Genesis
- Solar Maximum Mission, etc
Some of the current projects of NASA are
- The Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft- The rocket and crew vessel to transport a small crew to Mars.
- Asteroid Redirect Mission- Explore the surface of asteroids by rerouting it to orbit around the moon and train astronauts for Mars.
- Lunar base- It will provide the crews with a pit stop for prolonged travel and will assist in generating rocket fuel from hydrogen by mining the moon’s polar ice caps.
- NexSS- The Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) is made up of Earth and planetary scientists and physicists from leading American universities, working in partnership with NASA, searching for aliens.
- Europa Mission- The plan involves sending a craft to Jupiter for conducting a flyby mission.
A Career in NASA
NASA, the world’s leader in space and aeronautics, always seeks outstanding scientists, engineers, and other talented professionals to carry forward the great discovery process that its mission demands. Jobs in NASA generally require a bachelor’s degree or higher degree with major study in a specialized field. Job positions include fields such as accounting, aerospace engineering, biology, computer engineering, Meteorology, Budget Analyst, Administrative Specialist, etc.
NASA also conducts NASA Pathways Programs which comprises of three components- Internship program, the Recent Graduates Program, and the Presidential Management Fellows
Like the US, several countries have their space agency, viz- the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA), the Russian Federal Space Agency(Roscosmos or RFSA), and the China National Space Administration.
Conclusion
NASA Full form is National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It is a US government agency that is responsible for the science and technology dealing with the civilian space program as well as aeronautics, scientific discovery, and aerospace research.
Here we have explained NASA full form in detail.
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