The American Space Agency has a lot of promises to fulfill as it celebrates the 60th Anniversary this July.

NASA was established in 1958 by the President Dwight D. Eisenhower with the intentions of encouraging civilian-oriented applications in space science. It became operational on 1st October 1958 despite the fact that the National Aeronautics and Space Act was passed on 29th July 1958. It played an extremely vital role in space exploration as most of the efforts of the United States in this regard were led by this organization.

Apollo Moon Landing Missions, Space Shuttle Program, and International Space Station are some of its most common achievements. NASA will celebrate its 60th Anniversary coming month which will mark the beginning of a series of important milestones for this organization. Another anticipated event is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Missions which sent 12 Americans to our moon between July 1969 and December 1972.

Massive celebrations are expected and some of them have already turned into reality. The show kicked off on 31st January 2018 by remembering the launch of the first ever satellite of the United States called ‘Explorer 1’. It was launched from Cape Canaveral and helped scientists to discover the belts of charged particles which are trapped in space due to the Earth’s magnetic field. Nowadays, they are known as ‘Van Allen Belts’.

A recent tribute (1st-2nd June) to NASA by the National Symphony Orchestra Pops, under the title ‘Space, the Next Frontier’, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was also a part of these celebrations. The vision of President John F. Kennedy for technological advancement proved instrumental for space exploration. As an acknowledgement, an exhibition displaying NASA’s achievements over the last six decades was conducted at the Kennedy Center’s Hall of Nations from 27th of May to 3rd of June.

It is expected that the general public will be officially invited to become a part of the celebrations in September and October. A lot of special activities are being arranged at many locations including different NASA visitor centers but the details are yet to be announced. Contrary to that, some of the events that are already announced include the 50th Anniversary of the launch of Apollo 7. According to NASA, the design for Apollo 11 will be revealed on that day at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. NASA will actively join the celebrations at this destination in December as they will recall the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 8.

Despite the celebratory environment, the organization has made their intentions pretty clear as they aim to continue their search for extraterrestrial life. Similarly, they will keep looking for ways that might improve space exploration by eliminating the challenges of space travel. The role of Commercial Companies was also discussed as it has always been a key factor due to its economic benefits. Some of the fields that NASA will try to explore in the coming years include Aeronautics, Human Spaceflight, Universe, and Earth.

Aeronautics

NASA is working on developing cleaner and quieter Aircraft Technologies which will change the structure of Aviation. The technicians of the organization have tested the initial design model of Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) inside the Subsonic Tunnel of the Langley Research Center. This technology will reduce fuel consumption, emissions, and noise so that supersonic flights are possible over land. Similarly, NASA is also working on the prototype of the first all-electric X-plane.

Human Spaceflight

The agency is already figuring out ways for human deep space exploration and the Orion Spacecraft is a proof of their efforts. The technicians are also working on a platform that will allow the astronauts to explore the lunar surface.

Universe

The development of James Webb Space Telescope will help humanity to discover the far-off secret of our universe. It will study every phase of our universe including the formation of solar systems and their evolution. It will also assist the study of atmospheres of the Exoplanets. NASA is also working on Parker Solar Probe which will be the first satellite in the history to touch the atmosphere of our Sun.

Earth

Exploring your surroundings is necessary but you need to know about your home first. NASA will continue to study our planet to gather data about the on-going natural and man-induced changes to the water, air, and land of the Earth. A number of NASA missions like SWOT and Landsat 9 are working on improving the quality of life here on Earth.