Page 282 - Inventions - A Visual Encyclopedia (DK - Smithsonian)

Space agencies

Space agencies have been at the forefront of space exploration and
technological innovation since the dawn of the space age in the

1950s. These government or internationally funded organizations set
long-term goals, develop the equipment needed (often alongside

commercial businesses), train astronauts, manage the missions,
and encourage new ways of using space and space technology.
SPACE

WHAT IS NASA?
Illustration of The US National Aeronautics and Space
ESA’s two Galileo
navigation satellites Administration (NASA) was founded in
detaching from 1958 and given overarching control of
Soyuz upper stage many different laboratories and facilities
in 2014
working on the American space program.
Its success in putting Apollo astronauts on
the moon by 1969 encouraged other
EUROPE’S SPACE AGENCY countries to create their own agencies.
The European Space Agency (ESA) was
founded in 1975 from a merger of two earlier
organizations. Its Ariane rocket series is now
21-ft (6.5-m)
on its sixth generation, and the agency has mirror designed to
launched increasingly ambitious space probes capture infrared
radiation
and satellites, as well as contributing to the
International Space Station.

WORKING TOGETHER
Space agencies frequently collaborate to pool
funding and expertise for major projects. ESA James
has contributed to the NASA-led Hubble and Webb Space
James Webb Space Telescopes, while Japan’s Telescope
JAXA and Russia’s Roskosmos agencies are
also frequent NASA partners.

SPACE AGENCIES TIMELINE
1958 1959 1961

NASA is established in NASA launches its first President John F. Kennedy
order to counter the Pioneer space probes into (right) tasks NASA with
Russian lead in satellite near-Earth space. Throughout landing a crewed mission
and space technology. the 1960s, space probe missions on the moon, a goal which
become more ambitious. is achieved in July 1969.

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