National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Cultural  

1. An agency of the United States government, charged with directing civilian programs in aeronautics research and space exploration. NASA maintains several facilities, most notably the Johnson Space Center in Houston (which selects space crew personnel and is responsible for ground direction of space flights), and the launching pads at Cape Canaveral in Florida.

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Example Sentences

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, has been in the news a lot lately, outlining its strategic objectives and preparing to fly astronauts to the moon and back in just a few days.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, meanwhile, has developed e-nose technology to track astronaut health on long-distance or long-duration missions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Postal Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Public Broadcasting Service were once important and excellent institutions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

She assured officials at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that the company and agency would make it through the situation, according to Brian Hughes, who served as NASA’s chief of staff last year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 10, 2026

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which runs the United States planetary space program, is subject to frequent and unpredictable budget cuts.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan