NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space administration. It is an independent agency of the US federal government that is working on civilian space programs, aeronautics and space research. Established in 1958, NASA was created at the advent of the Space Age which started in 1957 with the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik. NASA was established in 1958. NASA has led most of the US' space exploration efforts including the Apollo Moon Landing missions, the Skylab space station, and later the Space Shuttle. NASA is supporting the International Space Station and is overseeing the development of the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System, Commercial Crew vehicles, and the planned Lunar Gateway space station. The agency is also responsible for the Launch Services Program, which provides oversight of launch operations and countdown management for uncrewed NASA launches. There are four main directorates the organisation looks at. First in Aeronautics Research, that focuses on developing advanced aviation technology. Second is science, that deals with programs for understanding the origin, structure, and evolution of the universe, the solar system, and Earth. Third is Space Technology that looks at the development of space science and exploration technologies. The fourth and last one is Human Exploration and Operations, concerning the management of crewed space missions, including those to the International Space Station, as well as operations related to launch services, space transportation, and space communications for both crewed and robotic exploration programs. More