National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)Space, the final frontier, is a perplexing place that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, strives to better understand. NASA's purpose is to “reach new heights and reveal the unknown so that what we do and learn benefits all humanity.” For more than fifty years, NASA has been promoting the development of new technologies that will help humanity better understand the universe in which we live. NASA has a rich and diverse history dating back more than fifty years. NASA had its origins in 1958 when, partly in response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the creation of a civilian space agency. In July of that year, the National Aeronautics and Space Act was passed and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was born. NASA had absorbed the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, gaining responsibility for researching and improving flight technology both in Earth's atmosphere and outside. The exciting day arrived on October 1, 1958, when NASA officially opened its doors. Since then, NASA has continually pushed the boundaries of space and technology by sending men to the Moon and machines to the far reaches of space. NASA has numerous centers and laboratories located throughout the country. Its headquarters is located in Washington, DC and provides guidance and direction to dozens of field centers, laboratories and research centers across the country. This leadership is provided by Charles F. Bolden Jr., the twelfth NASA administrator who assumed the position in 2009. Named in honor of Dr. Robert H. Goddard, the Goddard Space Flight Center...... half of document .... .._does_nasa_do.html>.National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA's First 50 Years: Historical Perspectives. Ed. Steven J. Dick. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Office of Communications, Historical Division, 2010. Print. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. “NASA technologies benefit our lives.” NASA technologies benefit our lives. Ed. John Jones. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, May 1, 2011. Web. November 29, 2013. United States Global Change Research Program. “U.S. Agencies Participating in the USGCRP National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA).” USGCRP Participating Agencies: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). U.S. Global Change Research Program, October 20, 2008. Web. November 29. 2013. .