NASA

Sure, there are plenty of astronomers working on Hubble. But there are also thousands of craftspeople, designers, engineers and others who keep the Hubble's show running smoothly. They do very different jobs, but they share the experience of working somewhere quite out-of-t The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, pronounced /ˈnæsə/) is an Executive Branch agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's civilian space program and aeronautics and aerospace research. Since February 2006, NASA's self-described mission statement is to "pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research."[4] NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The agency became operational on October 1, 1958.[5][6] NASA has led U.S. efforts for space exploration since, including the Apollo moon-landing missions, the Skylab space station, and later the Space Shuttle. Currently, NASA is supporting the International Space Station and has been developing the manned Orion spacecraft. NASA science is focused on better understanding Earth through the Earth Observing System,[7] advancing heliophysics through the efforts of the Science Mission Directorate's Heliophysics Research Program,[8] exploring bodies throughout the Solar System with advanced robotic missions such as New Horizons,[9] and researching astrophysics topics, such as the Big Bang, through the Great Observatories and associated programs.[10] NASA shares data with various national and international organizations such as from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite. he-ordinary. Women have made huge contributions to astronomy, despite the fact that the science has always been dominated by men. Hear a few stories from the trenches. It takes more than astronomers to keep Hubble up and running. Meet just a few of the artists, engineers, craftspeople who contribute to the telescope's story. Meet "the great synthesizer," whose observations proved that the universe is expanding, and laid the groundwork for the Big Bang theory.