What is Nasa: Definition and 299 Discussions

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research.NASA was established in 1958, succeeding the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The new agency was to have a distinctly civilian orientation, encouraging peaceful applications in space science. Since its establishment, most US space exploration efforts have been led by NASA, including the Apollo Moon landing missions, the Skylab space station, and later the Space Shuttle. NASA is supporting the International Space Station and is overseeing the development of the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System, and Commercial Crew vehicles. The agency is also responsible for the Launch Services Program, which provides oversight of launch operations and countdown management for uncrewed NASA launches.
NASA's science is focused on better understanding Earth through the Earth Observing System; advancing heliophysics through the efforts of the Science Mission Directorate's Heliophysics Research Program; exploring bodies throughout the Solar System with advanced robotic spacecraft such as New Horizons; and researching astrophysics topics, such as the Big Bang, through the Great Observatories and associated programs.

View More On Wikipedia.org
  1. W

    NASA Possible Water Plumes Detected on Jupiter's Moon Europa

    for those interested: http://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-s-holding-a-press-conference-about-surprising-activity-on-europa-on-monday Any speculations as to what they will announce? I was thinking plumes like on Enceladus but then I realized they've already been seen on Europa. So my guess it'll be...
  2. the potato one

    Have You Served as PI or Co-PI on a Federally Funded Project?

    "Are you currently serving (or have previously served) as PI, PD, Co-PI, or Co-PD on any federally funded project?" Hey, y'all! I'm applying for a grad school fellowship, and I'm not sure how to answer this question. Would this include being an NSF REU fellow, or not? I believe not, but I want...
  3. collinsmark

    NASA NASA discovers new exoplanet (The Onion, funny)

    http://www.theonion.com/article/nasa-discovers-distant-planet-located-outside-fund-53595 "WASHINGTON—Noting that the celestial body lies within the habitable zone of its parent star and could potentially harbor liquid water, NASA officials announced at a press conference Thursday they have...
  4. Kay Mc

    How satisfying is working for NASA?

    Its always been a dream of mine to work for NASA but so many people (whether they've worked for them or not), have said that it takes so long to work towards and it isn't even that satisfying of a job...
  5. Lars Hansen

    B Voyager 1: How Long Can We Communicate?

    For how long will we still be able to communicate with the amazing Voyager 1?
  6. D H

    Insights Your Software is Never Perfect - Comments

    d-h submitted a new PF Insights post Your Software is Never Perfect Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.
  7. mfb

    NASA NASA: 1284 more planets from Kepler

    Source: NASA to Announce Latest Kepler Discoveries During Media Teleconference Livestream Time conversion reference: this post was posted at 7:45 pm EDT. My guess: various roughly Earth-sized exoplanets around dwarf stars, probably at least one in the habitable zone. Edit: More than 1000...
  8. Newtonfalls

    Make Water Behave Like In Space -- Video

    Hi, just came across a video on CNN showing how to make water behave like it would in space: <link to video deleted> My question about that video is: what height do i need to get a free fall time of 10 sec? best regards
  9. X

    How do I get a chemistry job in NASA?

    Getting into NASA would be my greatest achievement. Presently, I am a chemistry graduating student. Do I need to study something to get qualified there? (I am not a US citizen)
  10. RooksAndBooks

    Possible Evidence of a New 9th Planet

    Caltech astronomers have published evidence recently of a possible new planet. You can read about the full story here. I have also submitted a video on what NASA says about it. What do you guys think? I think it'd be cool to see a new ninth planet come out. Also, I wonder what it will be named...
  11. tesselate

    James Webb space telescope and fundamental physics

    Does JWST has any significance in fundamental physics research? What kind of questions would we get answers to?
  12. S

    Why is NASA and curiosity still looking for water evidence?

    So I always see in the news that the curiosity rover or some NASA study of previous data discovered evidence of water like its actually news. Wasn't it shown a decade ago that there is conclusive evidence that lots of water existed on mars? I don't get why they're still spending so much time...
  13. dlgoff

    NASA NASA Spies Lightsaber in Space

    This is really amazing. Can you imagine just how long these jets are? image compliments of http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/sciencefair/2015/12/17/nasa-spies-lightsaber-space/77478854/
  14. DaveC426913

    NASA NASA to make next Mars announcement today

    http://www.iflscience.com/space/nasa-announce-key-findings-fate-martian-atmosphere I think 'huge' may be a gross overstatement. I think they're going to announce how recently Mars' atmo was thick and how soon it will be gone, and that's about it.
  15. vinicius0197

    Pathways for MechE in aerospace

    Hi everyone! I'm at the end of the second semester in an mechanical engineering undergraduate course. I love spacecraft s, rocketry, aircraft and all that aerospace stuff, so I'm decided that, so long I finish my undergraduate, I'm going to pursue a major in aerospace (maybe something related...
  16. S

    Get a Job w/NASA: Transfer or Mechanical BS?

    Hi everyone I am currently a freshman in college planning on applying to the School of Engineering next fall. I want to be an Astronautical Engineer but my school doesn't even have Aerospace so I was planning on doing Mechanical. I would like to work for NASA as an Astronaut but I would also be...
  17. mfb

    NASA NASA to Announce Mars Mystery Liquid water today

    That's the title of the NASA press release (I added the date). 8 a.m. PDT = 3 p.m. UCT = 5 p.m. CEST (Central European Summer Time) The panel includes an expert for the HiRISE experiment, a high-resolution telescope in Mars orbit. Whatever they have, apparently images of some area are highly...
  18. R

    Rocket: Learn Rocket Science for NASA Student Launch Initiative

    Hi! So I'm a college student and I was looking at trying to get together a group to compete in NASA's student launch initiative. However I don't really know anything about rocketry and don't know where to start. I'm currently studying mechanical engineering and planning on emphasizing in...
  19. S

    Non-US Nationals: NASA Job Opportunities in Astronomy

    I am not a US national but I'm really interested to graduate in Astronomy and work with NASA. So I've heard a lot of rumours that non US nationals cannot get job in NASA. Is it true.? If yes then which of the other space agencies offer job to outsiders (someone not national of that country)
  20. Bumpeh

    I want to work with NASA Spacecraft like Voyager

    So, I did a little searching around on these forums before I posted this, and I do see lots of threads about working for NASA but not something about my specific situation. I'm currently attending a college working on my AA. After that, I'm probably going to transfer to a University, where I'll...
  21. Dr.Physics

    NASA What can we learn from a year-long Mars isolation experiment in Hawaii?

    I am very interested in the Astronautical area of science; however I am still in high school so I don't get a lot of time to read up on the latest news about this future mission. This is why I am eager to be filled in on the latest news about the mission. I am looking to know about the...
  22. R

    I am a dentist student & is interested in working in NASA

    I am for second year of dental & is interested in working in NASA . so please help me ?
  23. quantumfunction

    How many Hubble Spheres are in the universe?

    From what I understand, our Hubble's sphere is just relative to Earth and has a diameter of 93 billion light years putting the edge of the observable universe at 46-47 billion light years away. So every object in space will essentially have it's own Hubble's sphere and objects near the edge of...
  24. DaveC426913

    NASA New Earth-sister Kepler 452b announced by NASA

    http://www.nasa.gov/keplerbriefing0723 As I type this, NASA is announcing discovery of a new planet Kepler 452b that is - small and (probably) rocky like Earth - orbits a G2 star - is in the star's habitable zone This is the first candidate that meets all three criteria. (Most Earth-twins so...
  25. P

    Orbital Rendezvous and Mission Control Involvement

    Can someone please give a step by step explanation of an orbital rendezvous by a spacecraft for a target that is orbiting the body it launched from? And if possible, can you explain how mission control is involved and what part computers play? When the RCS is active is it changing the...
  26. JoelN

    NASA Didn't NASA find worms on Mars ?

    I think I am going crazy because i could have sworn i remember a press conference with NASA displaying rocks from Mars with worm fossils in them. and this was about 12-10 years ago. Any reference to this on the internet seems to have been wiped out...Am i crazy?
  27. GiantSheeps

    Is a warp drive possible? How long until we develop one?

    Is a warp drive actually possible to create? If so, how long until we can develop one? Is it at all possible that they could be developed during our lifetimes? I'm asking because of this article...
  28. Jimster41

    NASA NASA Movie of trip through star cluster

    I'm guessing folks have seen this... but if not. Pretty awesome. I have the annual Astronomy Magazine Calendar, and it never get's old. But this is a step up. Probably a better site for the vid...
  29. Puma

    NASA Interest thread: Nasa warps space time

    Not kidding http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/04/nasa-may-have-accidentally-developed-a-warp-drive/ Astounding, is it true?
  30. EternusVia

    Does the space industry hire mathematicians?

    Hi all, I'm currently an applied mathematics student in my third year, and I plan to attend graduate school for pure or applied math. Physics and engineering deeply interest me, so I'm naturally drawn to the aerospace industry. Dazzling leaders like NASA and SpaceX are truly inspiring, and it...
  31. Greg Bernhardt

    NASA: We'll find signs of alien life by 2025

    I'm getting some popcorn! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/08/nasa-alien-life_n_7023134.html
  32. jim mcnamara

    NASA pictures of dark matter collisions

    http://www.nasa.gov/press/2015/march/nasa-s-hubble-chandra-find-clues-that-may-help-identify-dark-matter/index.html The take away seems to be that some ideas about dark matter may have problems. The possibilities checklist of dark matter interactions has been shortened. There are some really...
  33. Evanish

    NASA An idea for a Pu-238 replacement for NASA space missions

    So I was reading this article about http://www.wired.com/2013/09/plutonium-238-problem/all/ and it got me thinking about possible substitutes. This is what I came up with. You make thin sheets of beryllium mixed with some kind of alpha particle emitter. You also make thin sheets of some...
  34. Spinnor

    NASA Rock ignites at 45,000mph over PA, NASA video, why flare up?

    From Google news, http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/18/meteor_explodes_over_Earth's_beaver_in_hot_nasa_video/ Simple question, if you play the video in the link above the light from the meteor flairs up into a very large ball of light. Why don't we continue to see a relatively small point...
  35. T

    In depth Mars flight trajectory studies

    Can anyone point me in the direction of any published scientific work involving the study of Earth to Mars flight trajectories? I am thinking of researching this topic for a project and I would like to know about the work that has already been done.
  36. C

    NASA My Friend thinks the moon landing was faked by NASA

    Hi I have some questions for you people. My friend believes the first moon landing was faked, among a lot of other conspiracy's apparently proven all over the internet. The purpose of this post is to question his thoughts with some logical answers to some of the questions he has asked me. One...
  37. Ignis Radiis

    Space Part 1 -- Why does NASA launch spacecraft toward the East?

    Homework Statement Okay...So why does NASA launch in the east. Is there an advantage in east from west? Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution
  38. J

    Need help on designing a conceptual HALE UAV

    Hi everyone, I am a High School student (final year) and am doing an extra-curricular project. Having complete autonomy on what we do the project on, I choose to design a High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) UAV, such as the QinetiQ Zephyr [http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/zephyr/] or...
  39. Hercuflea

    NASA NASA proposes "Cloud City" above Venus

    http://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-wants-to-build-a-floating-city-above-the-clouds-of-venus/ This is something I've been hoping they would do for a long time. Let's hope it gets approved. What are your thoughts?
  40. duhuhu

    Access to unedited photo/video archive of moon landings

    Hey guys, Lately I have been getting really really into the moon landings, and I want to take a look at some of the image archives to get a better look at what all they did and saw on the moon. Unfortunately, no mater how much I search, all I can seem to find is the same hundred or so photos...
  41. Borek

    NASA NASA - water on Mars, sediment pictures

    http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/msl/pia19074/#.VIXlXTHF98Ehttp://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/december/nasa-s-curiosity-rover-finds-clues-to-how-water-helped-shape-martian-landscape/index.html#.VIXk_zHF98G That's just perfect! (can we repost the image here? I have no time to browse the site looking for the...
  42. Greg Bernhardt

    NASA NASA: We're sending humans to Mars

    NASA Officially Announce Plans To Put Humans On Mars With Orion Space Capsule http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/12/02/orion-nasa-humans-mars_n_6255740.html "We're sending humans to Mars! Watch our #JourneytoMars briefing live today at 12pm ET: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv #Orion "
  43. L

    Question about Newton third law and NASA article

    I was confused by a NASA pdf document about flight physics. I provide quote from NASA document instructor's flight manual, flight testing Newton's laws. Document is categorized DFRC-X41-1. Did NASA use some fast-and-loose language right there? Imprecise definition of drag using Newton third...
  44. B0b-A

    Gold Fish-Eye View: YouTube Video

    youtu.be/9ZEdApyi9Vw?t=15s
  45. A

    Travel time for apollo to the moon with Kepler's thirs law

    Hi everyone, For one of my project in school, i need to calculate the travel time to the moon. To do that, I thought to use Kepler's third law which is : (2(pi) / P )2 * a3 = GM where : P : period of travel a : major semiaxes (not sure in english, but it is the half the longest radius of the...
  46. J

    Flywheel Saturation Tests: NASA Guidelines

    Are there existing tests that NASA specifies that determines the saturation point of a fly wheel? Or must the test be catered specifically to each individual flywheel? -Sorry I'm a bit of a newbie at Aersospace engineering!
  47. R

    Reaching NASA: Advice for Calcutta University Students

    What is the best way for me to reach nasa?i am doing b.sc from calcutta university,INDIA.please some one help me.
  48. C

    Is a Career in Astrophysics the Path to NASA?

    Hi, I'm a fourteen year old kid, currently studying mathematics at ANU (Australian National University every Friday after school) and in Year 9 doing Mathematics advanced extended. We don't do physics at high-school yet (late Year 9 - 10), but I heard it is basic. I do physics as a hobby at...
  49. J

    Pursuing a Career in NASA? (or related careers)

    Hi everyone. I'm making this post as a graduating senior in high-school, who's unsure of the careers that are out there for physics and astronomy, and how to pursue them. Any feedback is amazing :) Just a quick background about myself: I've always loved science, pretty much any kind other...
  50. Simfish

    NASA Research Centers and NSF funded centers

    So... NASA has 10 research facilities: "Research and test facilities: Ames Research Center · Dryden Flight Research Center · Glenn Research Center · Goddard Institute for Space Studies · Goddard Space Flight Center · Independent Verification and Validation Facility · Jet Propulsion...
Back
Top