NASA established 59 years ago

On July 29, 1958, Congress passed legislation establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 59 years ago, a civilian agency responsible for coordinating America’s activities in space. NASA has since sponsored space expeditions, both human and mechanical, that have yielded vital information about the solar system and universe; and including putting the first man on the moon on July 20, 1969. NASA was created in response to the Soviet Union’s 1957 launch of its first satellite, Sputnik I, which orbited the Earth for 98 minutes and catching Americans by surprise sparking the start of the U.S.-Soviet space race. (History.com 07/29/17) Gulf Coast Note: The John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi is one of 10 NASA field centers in the U.S. Because of its important role in engine testing for more than five decades, Stennis is NASA's program manager for rocket propulsion testing with total responsibility for conducting and managing all NASA propulsion test programs. Stennis tested the first and second Saturn V rocket stages for NASA's Apollo Program, including those used to carry humans to the moon.