# Canonical recap data for NASA Established (1958)
# Source: https://recap.at/1958/nasa-established
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: nasa-established
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1958/nasa-established"
title: NASA Established
aliases:
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Space Race
- Post-Sputnik Response
subtitle: Creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration formalized America's space program and commenced the Apollo-era dominance in lunar exploration.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1958-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1958
decade: 1950
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the United States' civil space program and for research in aeronautics and space. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NASA operates ten field centers across the U.S. and is organized into three missi
summaryLong: "The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the United States' civil space program and for research in aeronautics and space. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NASA operates ten field centers across the U.S. and is organized into three mission directorates: Human Spaceflight, Research and Technology, and Science. Established in 1958 amid the Space Race, NASA succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to give the U.S. space program a distinct civilian orientation focused on peaceful applications. Since then, it has led most American spaceflight programs, including Project Mercury, Project Gemini, the Apollo program, Skylab, the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station (ISS) and the ongoing multi-national Artemis program."
lede: On July 29, 1958, President Eisenhower signed legislation creating NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The agency was born from Cold War urgency—the Soviet Union had launched Sputnik months earlier—and tasked with pursuing American space exploration and aeronautics research. NASA would become the instrument through which the U.S. competed for space supremacy and, eventually, put humans on the moon.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/NASA_seal.svg/1280px-NASA_seal.svg.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "NASA"
importance: 86
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Founding Date
  value: July 29, 1958
- label: Signing President
  value: Dwight D. Eisenhower
- label: Legislation
  value: National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958
- label: Initial Budget
  value: $100 million (1958)
- label: First Administrator
  value: T. Keith Glennan
- label: Headquarters Location
  value: Washington, D.C.
- label: Days After Sputnik Launch
  value: 294 days (October 4, 1957 to July 29, 1958)
- label: Field Centers at Launch
  value: 3 (NACA facilities repurposed)
timeline:
- date: 1957-10-04
  title: Soviet Sputnik 1 Launch
  description: The USSR successfully launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, shocking the American public and triggering national security concerns.
- date: 1958-01-31
  title: Explorer 1 Launch
  description: The U.S. launches its first satellite, Explorer 1, carrying instruments that discover the Van Allen radiation belts.
- date: 1958-07-29
  title: NASA Established
  description: President Eisenhower signs the National Aeronautics and Space Act, officially creating NASA as a civilian space agency.
- date: 1958-10-01
  title: NASA Begins Operations
  description: NASA officially begins operations with T. Keith Glennan as its first administrator, absorbing the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).
- date: 1961-05-05
  title: Mercury-Redstone 3
  description: Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space aboard a Mercury capsule, responding to Soviet Yuri Gagarin's orbital flight from April 12, 1961.
- date: 1962-02-20
  title: Mercury-Atlas 6
  description: John Glenn orbits Earth three times, becoming the first American to achieve orbital spaceflight.
- date: 1969-07-20
  title: Apollo 11 Moon Landing
  description: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land on the moon, fulfilling President Kennedy's 1961 goal of landing humans on the lunar surface before decade's end.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA"
  title: NASA
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: NASA's creation marked the moment the U.S. formally institutionalized space exploration as a civilian enterprise, shifting it from military domain into a government agency open to scientific collaboration. The agency became a defining symbol of American technological ambition and Cold War competition, fundamentally shaping how nations approach space, science funding, and long-term research infrastructure.
categories:
- tech-launch
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- tech_launch
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- governance
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: NASA established July 1958. Eisenhower creates civilian space agency in response to Soviet Sputnik.
wikidataQid: Q23548
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: President Eisenhower Signs Bill Creating National Space Agency
  publishedAt: 1958-07-30
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - President Eisenhower formally established NASA as a civilian space authority, shifting American space efforts from military control to a unified civilian program aimed at peaceful exploration and scientific research.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Times of London
  publisherSlug: the-times-of-london
  headline: America Sets Up Space Authority in Answer to Soviet Challenge
  publishedAt: 1958-08-01
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Britain's leading newspaper noted that NASA's creation represented Washington's determined response to Sputnik, establishing civilian machinery to compete with Soviet advances in space technology.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Time Magazine
  publisherSlug: time-magazine
  headline: "To the Moon: America's New Space Agency Takes Flight"
  publishedAt: 1958-08-11
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Time's analysis characterized NASA as America's bold institutional gamble to harness scientific talent and federal resources for space exploration, separating civilian aspirations from defense imperatives.
  significance: 80
  type: magazine
  region: United States
- publisher: Associated Press
  publisherSlug: associated-press
  headline: New Space Agency Opens Doors with Sweeping Mission
  publishedAt: 1958-10-01
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The AP reported NASA officially commenced operations with headquarters in Washington and a mandate spanning aeronautics research, satellite development, and long-range space exploration programs.
  significance: 75
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260609142552/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-09
  label: NASA
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA"
