NASA

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
A civilian agency formed in 1958 to coordinate and direct the whole of aeronautical and space research in the USA. Its headquarters are in Washington, DC. As well as collaborating with industry and universities, NASA also maintains and develops its own installations. Among the latter are the Ames Research Center, California; the Goddard Space Flight Center, near Washington, DC; the Houston Manned Space Flight Center, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratories.