On this day in 1958, Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, made a move remembered forever in aviation history. Eisenhower signed into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act in an effort to further advance America in space exploration. After the end of the second world war, Eisenhower wanted the nation to focus more so on the future. Working along with Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, both iconic politicians established the first of many steps in our nation’s interest outside earth’s atmosphere.
President Eisenhower (center) appoints Hugh Dryden and T. Keith Glennan as NASA’s first administrators.
The signing of the act transferred the powers and research from various committees, such as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), into one official organization, titled the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The organization’s sole purpose was to further advance research capabilities for America in outer space. This came after a year when Russia (America’s closest competitor) released Sputnik, the first Earth satellite, into orbit. The EDN Network elaborated more so on this anniversary last year in an article stating “it has pushed the frontiers of aeronautics for over 50 years, putting men on the moon, landing on Mars, flying the space shuttle and building the International Space Station…”
The purpose of the signed document was to establish a sense of cooperation between the U.S. and other nations, looking to expand our knowledge of the solar system, for the greater good of our species. Based on its accomplishments over these past few decades, it’s declared a “mission accomplished.” We can only look forward to what happens in the future!
