Since 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been responsible for the U.S. government's exploration of space. It also became a primary force in fueling Americans' passionate interest in space. In the years since its founding, NASA has had some spectacular successes and some dramatic failures.

The need for NASA grew out of the Cold War (1947-91; see entry under 1940s—The Way We Lived in volume 3), the intense rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. The political competition between these two superpowers moved into space in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite (see entry under 1950s—The Way We Lived in volume 3), Sputnik. The Soviets also launched the first man into space and the first man to orbit the Earth. NASA launched Alan Shepard (1923–1998), the first American in space, in May 1961. In February...