5 Unique Facts about NASA, the Most Ambitious Space Agency in the World

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA is a space agency owned by the United States which was established for the purposes of study, research, research, and practice of space exploration. However, NASA does not only dwell on things beyond Earth because they often do studies about our planet.

There are several facts about NASA that you can know. Is it true that they are also involved in a big world conspiracy? Come on, see the article.

1. NASA was formed because America lost to the Soviet Union

Perhaps not many know that the formation of NASA was basically America’s acknowledgment of the achievements of the Soviet Union. OK, let’s go back in time, to August 1957 to be exact.

Reported by the National Cold War Exhibition, at that time the Soviet Union had successfully carried out the first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Then, 2 months later, they successfully sent the Sputnik 1 satellite into Earth orbit.

What about America? Well, NASA was only formed a year after the Soviet Union succeeded in conducting research on outer space, precisely on July 29, 1958. With all its ambitions, at that time America was still unable to send humans into space. In contrast, the Soviet Union succeeded in sending the first human–Yuri Gagarin–into Earth orbit for 108 minutes in 1961.

2. NASA retaliated against the Soviet Union by sending humans to the Moon

One of NASA’s greatest achievements is sending humans to the Moon for the first time. They did this to avenge the Soviet Union’s presumptuous achievements. How come? Yup, in 1959 to 1965, the Soviet Union again irritated the United States because they were able to send several unmanned probes far beyond Earth.

The first spacecraft that made it to the Moon was Luna 1 or Mechta, a Soviet-made drone launched in 1959. They also sent space missions to Luna 24 in 1976. Well, it wasn’t until July 20, 1969. , for the first time, humans from the United States managed to set foot on the Moon.

3. In addition to its achievements, NASA is also often accused of conspiring

Conspiracy that is often accused of NASA is the landing on the Moon. Yes, those who do not believe have accused the Moon landing of being a hoax. However, this argument can be quickly debunked. Noted on the pages of the Lunar and Planetary Institute, there is undeniably valid evidence in the form of rocks, sand, and dust from the Moon that has been studied by hundreds of scientists from around the world.

Not only that, NASA is also often accused of hiding the existence of aliens. This opinion is quite ambiguous for anyone still logically minded. In fact, until this moment no or no traces of the existence of aliens have been found. Not that life out there is nil, but science will act on facts and evidence on the ground.

4. Focusing on Planet Mars

After successfully landing humans on the Moon several times, now NASA is focusing on the Planet Mars. Yes, they have indeed successfully sent several rover or rover to explore on Mars. On its official website, NASA also provides updates or news obtained from Planet Mars.

In 1997, the first NASA rover to land on Mars was the Sojourner. Then, in 2004, they successfully sent another rover called Spirit & Opportunity. Continued in 2012, Curiosity successfully landed on the Red Planet and has provided a lot of important data. Most recently, in February 2021, the Perseverance rover was sent by NASA to Mars and is still working today.

5. A high price for NASA’s ambitions

It is clear that all of NASA’s missions and visions cost a lot of money. In fact, in some cases, there are some people who think that the space agency is just a waste of state money.

You could say that NASA is the space agency in the world that spends the most funds or research budget. They are also known to be very ambitious and there is a high price behind it.

The Britannica page reports that there have been several fatal NASA accidents that have claimed human lives. There was the Challenger disaster in 1986, where this accident killed all seven astronauts on board.

Then, the Columbia disaster that occurred in 2003 also killed seven astronauts on the mission. Apart from these two, several other disasters have caused losses to NASA, the country, and of course the world.

Regardless of the pros and cons, it must be admitted that until now, NASA is still at the forefront of research, research, and space exploration. Well, hopefully some of the facts about NASA above can open new horizons for you, huh.

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