TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the U.S. Congress passed a law establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a non-military civilian agency responsible for coordinating American activities in space, on July 29, 1958.
Sejak itu NASA telah mensponsori ekspedisi luar angkasa, baik manusia maupun mekanik, yang telah menghasilkan informasi penting tentang tata surya dan alam semesta. NASA juga telah meluncurkan banyak satelit yang mengorbit bumi yang telah berperan dalam segala hal mulai dari prakiraan cuaca, navigasi hingga komunikasi global.
Dilansir dari laman history.com, NASA diciptakan dalam rangka menanggapi Uni Soviet yang pada 4 Oktober 1957 meluncurkan satelit pertama, Sputnik I. Satelit seukuran bola basket seberat 183 pon itu mengorbit bumi selama 98 menit. Peluncuran ini membuat Amerika terkejut dan memicu kekhawatiran bahwa Soviet mungkin juga mampu mengirim rudal dengan senjata nuklir dari Eropa ke Amerika.
Amerika Serikat yang sudah terlanjur bangga menjadi yang terdepan dalam teknologi kemudian malu dan segera merespons tindakan Uni Sovyet tersebut dengan membuat NASA yang menandakan dimulainya perlombaan ruang angkasa antara AS dan Soviet.
In December 1957, America attempted to launch its own satellite, called Vanguard, but it exploded shortly after liftoff. On January 31, 1958, the US launch was improved with Explorer I, the first US satellite to successfully orbit the earth. In July of that year, Congress passed legislation formally establishing NASA from the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics and other government agencies, and affirming the nation’s commitment to winning the space race.
In May 1961, President John F. Kennedy declared that America should put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. On July 20, 1969, NASA’s Apollo 11 mission achieved that goal and made history when astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon, famously declaring “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
NASA has continued to make great progress in space exploration since the first moonwalk, including playing a major role in the construction of the International Space Station. However, NASA also experiences tragic times, such as the disaster that killed the crew space shuttle Challenger in 1986 and space shuttle Columbia in 2003.
NAUFAL RIDHWAN ALY
Read: NASA Makes Settlement Agreement on the Moon with 8 Countries
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