U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958, partially in response to the Soviet Union's launch of the first artificial satellite the previous year. NASA grew out of the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA), which had been researching flight technology for more than 40 years.

 

NASA's mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. In the next 20 years, NASA will be laying the groundwork for sending humans not only beyond Earth's orbit, but further into space than they've ever been. (Source: NASA.gov / Photo: Flickr)