National Aeronautics and Space Act
Also known as: National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 · Public Law 85-568 · Act To Provide for Research into Problems of Flight Within and Outside the Earth's Atmosphere, and for Other Purposes · NASA Act of 1958
- 1The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 established NASA as a federal agency.
- 2It was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on July 29, 1958.
- 3The legislation was drafted by the United States House Select Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration.
- 4The act was a direct response to the Soviet Union's launch of the Sputnik satellite.
- 5It shifted the responsibility for space exploration from a primarily military focus to a civilian-led framework.
The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 is the United States federal statute that created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
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Legislative foundation for the creation of NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 established NASA, the agency that would go on to manage the Apollo program.
The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 is the United States federal statute that created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Act, which followed close on the heels of the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, was drafted by the United States House Select Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration and on July 29, 1958 was signed by President Eisenhower. Prior to enactment, the responsibility for space exploration was deemed primarily a military venture, in line with the Soviet model that had launched the first orbital satellite. In large measure, the Act was prompted by the lack of response by a US military infrastructure that seemed incapable of keeping up the space race.
The final meeting of the NACA, before being absorbed into NASAWikimedia Commons: File:Final_Meeting_of_NACA_-_GPN-2002-000023.jpg 115 words