NASA

American  

[nas-uh] / ˈnæs ə /

noun

1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration: the federal agency that institutes and administers the civilian programs of the U.S. government that deal with aeronautical research and the development of launch vehicles and spacecraft.

---

NASA British  

/ ˈnæsə /

acronym

1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

---

Usage

What is NASA? NASA is short for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a civilian agency of the United States government that specializes in space exploration and research about flight and aircraft. Aeronautics is the science of flight. Although NASA is most known for space travel and research, it also researches things like supersonic flight, energy-efficient aircraft, and drones. Over the years, NASA has advanced space exploration and made many contributions to science. Its notable programs and missions have included astronaut moon landings, Mars rovers, satellites around planets, and interstellar telescopes. One of NASA’s earliest and most famous programs was the Apollo program, which put the first person on the moon on July 20, 1969. NASA runs numerous missions and programs at its facilities across the United States.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

NASA

A spokesperson for Freedom 250, the President Trump-aligned group that planned events for the 250th celebration, referred questions about the flyover to NASA.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

The massive tremors probably damaged or destroyed 58,870 buildings, according to an initial assessment of satellite data from NASA.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Isaacman indicated that JPL could come under scrutiny even before he took over NASA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

That resumption of flights will likely be welcome for NASA, which is leaning on Blue Origin to carry out its own lunar ambitions.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026

Some done by me, some done remotely by NASA.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir