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  |headquarters = Washington, D.C.
  |coordinates = {{Coord|38|52|59|N|77|0|59|W|type:landmark_region:US-DC|display=inline}}
+ |motto = ''Exploring the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all'' <ref>{{cite web|title=Our Missions and Values|url=https://www.nasa.gov/careers/our-mission-and-values|access-date=October 6, 2022|publisher=nasa.gov}}</ref>
- |motto = ''For the Benefit of All''<ref name="motto">{{cite web |url=http://www.lightmillennium.org/2004_newyear/gokoglu_nasa_stands_forall.html |title=NASA stands 'for the benefit of all.'—Interview with NASA's Dr. Süleyman Gokoglu |access-date=September 17, 2018 |website=The Light Millennium |date=2007 |author=Lale Tayla |author2=Figen Bingul |name-list-style=amp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012193203/http://lightmillennium.org/2004_newyear/gokoglu_nasa_stands_forall.html |archive-date=October 12, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>
  |employees = 17,960 (2022)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wicn.nssc.nasa.gov/c10/cgi-bin/cognosisapi.dll?b_action=powerPlayService&m_encoding=UTF-8&BZ=1AAABgNNr_f942m2PQWuDQBCF%7E8yOaS9hdlTUgwd1DRHamEahZ6NjCTFuUFOaf981KYTSzu7wHm__gV2ryJdFme%7ESTIXjpAfO1BMQHSShS5TK2I89x%7ENXsYt24AfKd4Mg8mLHMM%7EWvJtGu2S9jcp1CLSqdT9xPxnX6q7hAdwYHOyrE4OtFttBt4eOgTC57HlcgKsMea7qY%7EXBv9F3PRxbPdQz%7ELM245YqkmWSbzZpUmZGotc0%7EAe14rewRRQSEaVEIQQKFwWhmI8QUdcZOD2dO31lHgGDvDeBukxXI0DtPP0yP2m4MfaFq082kADygWwDsATaAwX3QD4C8afk7c7m%7EqBbP_obQJNj2A%3D%3D |title=Workforce Profile |publisher=NASA |access-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811051531/https://wicn.nssc.nasa.gov/c10/cgi-bin/cognosisapi.dll?b_action=powerPlayService&m_encoding=UTF-8&BZ=1AAABgNNr_f942m2PQWuDQBCF~8yOaS9hdlTUgwd1DRHamEahZ6NjCTFuUFOaf981KYTSzu7wHm__gV2ryJdFme~STIXjpAfO1BMQHSShS5TK2I89x~NXsYt24AfKd4Mg8mLHMM~WvJtGu2S9jcp1CLSqdT9xPxnX6q7hAdwYHOyrE4OtFttBt4eOgTC57HlcgKsMea7qY~XBv9F3PRxbPdQz~LM245YqkmWSbzZpUmZGotc0~Ae14rewRRQSEaVEIQQKFwWhmI8QUdcZOD2dO31lHgGDvDeBukxXI0DtPP0yP2m4MfaFq082kADygWwDsATaAwX3QD4C8afk7c7m~qBbP_obQJNj2A%3D%3D |url-status=live }}</ref>
  |budget = {{increase}} {{US$|24.041&nbsp;billion|link=yes}} (2022)<ref>{{Cite web |title=NASA's FY 2022 Budget |url=https://www.planetary.org/space-policy/nasas-fy-2022-budget |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528194457/https://www.planetary.org/space-policy/nasas-fy-2022-budget |archive-date=28 May 2021 |access-date=June 28, 2022 |website=[[The Planetary Society]]}}</ref>
 ===Budget===
-NASA budget requests are developed by NASA and approved by the administration prior to submission to the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]]. Authorized budgets are those that have been included in enacted appropriations bills that are approved by both houses of Congress and enacted into law by the U.S. President.<ref>{{cite web|title=Budget of the U.S. Government |url=https://www.usa.gov/budget|work=us.gov |access-date=September 6, 2022 }}</ref>
+NASA budget requests are developed by NASA and approved by the administration prior to submission to the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]]. Authorized budgets are those that have been included in enacted appropriations bills that are approved by both houses of Congress and enacted into law by the U.S. president.<ref>{{cite web|title=Budget of the U.S. Government |url=https://www.usa.gov/budget|work=us.gov |access-date=September 6, 2022 }}</ref>
 NASA fiscal year budget requests and authorized budgets are provided below.
 {{Main|Creation of NASA}}
 <section begin=CONASA/>
-[[File:NASA 60th- How It All Began.webm|thumb|<div align="center">Short documentary about NASA</div>]]
+[[File:NASA 60th- How It All Began.webm|thumb|<div align="center">Short 2018 documentary about NASA produced for its 60th anniversary</div>]]
 Beginning in 1946, the [[National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics]] (NACA) began experimenting with [[rocket plane]]s such as the supersonic [[Bell X-1]].<ref name="NACASupersonic">{{cite web |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20100025896_2010028361.pdf |title=The NACA, NASA, and the Supersonic-Hypersonic Frontier |access-date=September 30, 2011 |publisher=NASA |archive-date=June 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618015305/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20100025896.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In the early 1950s, there was challenge to launch an artificial satellite for the [[International Geophysical Year]] (1957–1958). An effort for this was the American [[Project Vanguard]]. After the [[Soviet space program]]'s launch of the world's first artificial [[satellite]] (''[[Sputnik 1]]'') on October 4, 1957, the attention of the United States turned toward its own fledgling space efforts. The [[United States Congress|US Congress]], alarmed by the perceived threat to national security and technological leadership (known as the "[[Sputnik crisis]]"), urged immediate and swift action; President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] counseled more deliberate measures. The result was a consensus that the White House forged among key interest groups, including scientists committed to basic research; the Pentagon which had to match the Soviet military achievement; corporate America looking for new business; and a strong new trend in public opinion looking up to space exploration.<ref>Roger D. Launius, "Eisenhower, Sputnik, and the Creation of NASA." ''Prologue-Quarterly of the National Archives'' 28.2 (1996): 127–143.</ref>
 The first administrator was Dr. [[T. Keith Glennan]], appointed by President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. During his term (1958–1961) he brought together the disparate projects in American space development research.<ref name="glennan_biography">{{cite web |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Biographies/glennan.html |title=T. Keith Glennan biography |publisher=NASA |date=August 4, 2006 |access-date=July 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214234112/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Biographies/glennan.html |archive-date=February 14, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
-The third administrator, [[James E. Webb]] (1961–1968), appointed by President [[John F. Kennedy]], was a Democrat who first publicly served under President [[Harry S. Truman]]. In order to implement the [[Apollo program]] to achieve Kennedy's Moon landing goal by the end of the 1960s, Webb directed major management restructuring and facility expansion, establishing the Houston Manned Spacecraft (Johnson) Center and the Florida Launch Operations (Kennedy) Center. Capitalizing on Kennedy's legacy, President [[Lyndon Johnson]] kept continuity with the Apollo program by keeping Webb on when he succeeded Kennedy in November 1963. But Webb resigned in October 1968 before Apollo achieved its goal.
+The third administrator, [[James E. Webb]] (1961–1968), appointed by President [[John F. Kennedy]], was a Democrat who first publicly served under President [[Harry S. Truman]]. In order to implement the [[Apollo program]] to achieve Kennedy's Moon landing goal by the end of the 1960s, Webb directed major management restructuring and facility expansion, establishing the Houston Manned Spacecraft (Johnson) Center and the Florida Launch Operations (Kennedy) Center. Capitalizing on Kennedy's legacy, President [[Lyndon Johnson]] kept continuity with the Apollo program by keeping Webb on when he succeeded Kennedy in November 1963. But Webb resigned in October 1968 before Apollo achieved its goal.<ref>{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Christian|title=James Webb and NASA's Reach For The Moon|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/09/24/james-webb-and-nasas-reach-for-the-moon/253a284e-bdd9-480f-ae0b-19a96ca7d961/|date=September 24, 1981|access-date=October 4, 2022|publisher=Washington Post}}</ref>
 [[James C. Fletcher]] supervised early planning of the [[Space Shuttle program]] during his first term as administrator under President Nixon.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Heppenheimer, T.A. |author-link1=T.A. Heppenheimer |title=SP4221 The Space Shuttle Decision: NASA's Search for a Reusable Space Vehicle |date=1999 |publisher=NASA History Office |location=Washington D.C. |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4221/sp4221.htm |chapter-url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4221/ch6.htm |access-date=September 11, 2020 |chapter=Chapter 6. Economics and the Shuttle |archive-date=April 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410133154/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4221/sp4221.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> He was appointed for a second term as administrator from May 1986 through April 1989 by President [[Ronald Reagan]] to help the agency recover from the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster]].<ref>{{cite news|title=James Fletcher, served twice as head of NASA|work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram|date=December 23, 1991|access-date=August 23, 2020|url=https://newspapers.com/clip/57877707/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|archive-date=February 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205001152/https://newspapers.com/clip/57877707/james-fletcher-nasa-administrator/|url-status=live}}</ref>
-Three former astronauts served as NASA administrators: [[Charles Bolden]], (2009–2017);<ref name="confirmed">{{Cite press release |url=https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQ_09-165_Bolden_and_Garver.html |title=Bolden and Garver Confirmed by U.S. Senate |date=July 15, 2009 |first=Michael |last=Cabbage |publisher=NASA |access-date=July 16, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028210341/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQ_09-165_Bolden_and_Garver.html |archive-date=October 28, 2009 }}</ref> [[Richard H. Truly]] (1989–1992);<ref>{{cite news|title=Truly Named NASA Chief|work=ap news|date=April 12, 1989|access-date=September 6, 2022|url=https://apnews.com/article/ea1987df32816fe0733c5a4b93439b6a|via=apnews.com}}</ref> and [[Frederick D. Gregory]] (acting, 2005).
+Four former astronauts have served as NASA administrators: [[Charles Bolden]], (2009–2017);<ref name="confirmed">{{Cite press release |url=https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQ_09-165_Bolden_and_Garver.html |title=Bolden and Garver Confirmed by U.S. Senate |date=July 15, 2009 |first=Michael |last=Cabbage |publisher=NASA |access-date=July 16, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028210341/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQ_09-165_Bolden_and_Garver.html |archive-date=October 28, 2009 }}</ref> [[Richard H. Truly]] (1989–1992);<ref>{{cite news|title=Truly Named NASA Chief|work=ap news|date=April 12, 1989|access-date=September 6, 2022|url=https://apnews.com/article/ea1987df32816fe0733c5a4b93439b6a|via=apnews.com}}</ref> [[Frederick D. Gregory]] (acting, 2005); and [[Bill Nelson]] (2021–present).<ref>{{cite news|title=Senate confirms former Florida Sen. Bill Nelson to lead NASA|url=https://apnews.com/article/politics-bill-nelson-florida-business-bills-8ff8e26d4cb76f81d9cc5da3e96cb149|date=April 29, 2021|access-date=October 4, 2022|publisher=AP News}}</ref>
 Though space exploration is ostensibly non-partisan, a new administrator is frequently chosen when the Presidency changes to or from the ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] or [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]) political party. Notable exceptions to this have been:
 | footer      = View of [[Langley Research Center|LaRC]] (left) and its research aircraft (right)
 }}
-[[Langley Research Center]] (LaRC), located in [[Hampton, Virginia|Hampton]], Virginia. LaRC focuses on aeronautical research, though the [[Apollo Lunar Module|Apollo lunar lander]] was flight-tested at the facility and a number of high-profile space missions have been planned and designed on-site. Established in 1917  by the [[National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics]], the Center currently devotes two-thirds of its programs to [[aeronautics]], and the rest to [[outer space|space]].<ref>{{cite news |date=January 5, 2017|access-date=September 8, 2022 |last=Rothman |first=Lily |title=What to Know About the Real Research Lab From Hidden Figures |url=https://time.com/4602996/hidden-figures-langley/ |work=time.com}}</ref> LaRC researchers use more than 40 [[wind tunnel]]s to study improved aircraft and [[spacecraft]] safety, performance, and efficiency. Both Langley Field and the Langley Laboratory are named for aviation pioneer [[Samuel Pierpont Langley]].<ref name="vp110905">{{cite news |first=Diane |last=Tennant |work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]] |title=What's in a name? NASA Langley Research Center |url=http://hamptonroads.com/2011/09/whats-name-nasa-langley-research-center |date=September 5, 2011 |access-date=September 5, 2011}}</ref> LaRC was the original home of the [[Space Task Group]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Swenson Jr. |first1=Lloyd S. |last2=Grimwood |first2=James M. |last3=Alexander |first3=Charles C. |title=This New Ocean, SP-4201 |publisher=NASA |chapter-url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4201/ch12-3.htm |access-date=July 24, 2019 |chapter=Space Task Group Gets a New Home and Name |archive-date=July 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714122047/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4201/ch12-3.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
+[[Langley Research Center]] (LaRC), located in [[Hampton, Virginia|Hampton]], Virginia. LaRC focuses on aeronautical research, though the [[Apollo Lunar Module|Apollo lunar lander]] was flight-tested at the facility and a number of high-profile space missions have been planned and designed on-site. Established in 1917 by the [[National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics]], the center currently devotes two-thirds of its programs to [[aeronautics]], and the rest to [[outer space|space]].<ref>{{cite news |date=January 5, 2017|access-date=September 8, 2022 |last=Rothman |first=Lily |title=What to Know About the Real Research Lab From Hidden Figures |url=https://time.com/4602996/hidden-figures-langley/ |work=time.com}}</ref> LaRC researchers use more than 40 [[wind tunnel]]s to study improved aircraft and [[spacecraft]] safety, performance, and efficiency. Both Langley Field and the Langley Laboratory are named for aviation pioneer [[Samuel Pierpont Langley]].<ref name="vp110905">{{cite news |first=Diane |last=Tennant |work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]] |title=What's in a name? NASA Langley Research Center |url=http://hamptonroads.com/2011/09/whats-name-nasa-langley-research-center |date=September 5, 2011 |access-date=September 5, 2011}}</ref> LaRC was the original home of the [[Space Task Group]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Swenson Jr. |first1=Lloyd S. |last2=Grimwood |first2=James M. |last3=Alexander |first3=Charles C. |title=This New Ocean, SP-4201 |publisher=NASA |chapter-url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4201/ch12-3.htm |access-date=July 24, 2019 |chapter=Space Task Group Gets a New Home and Name |archive-date=July 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714122047/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4201/ch12-3.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
 {{Multiple image
 | total_width = 320
 | footer      = View of [[George C. Marshall Space Flight Center|MSFC]] test stands (left) and Saturn V stage assembly at [[Michoud Assembly Facility|MAF]] (right)
 }}
-[[George C. Marshall Space Flight Center]] (MSFC), located on the [[Redstone Arsenal]] near Huntsville, Alabama, is one of NASA's largest centers. MSFC is where the [[Saturn V]] rocket and Skylab were developed.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dunn |first=Marcia |title=Rocket City, Alabama: Space history and an eye on the future |url=https://apnews.com/article/north-america-ap-top-news-mars-huntsville-moons-d4c8b31ad3d245d8b5a71b2b4eaa9a21 |date=August 6, 2018 |access-date=September 8, 2022|work=ap news}}</ref> Marshall is NASA's lead center for [[International Space Station]] (ISS) design and assembly; payloads and related crew training; and was the lead for [[Space Shuttle]] propulsion and its external tank.<ref>{{cite web |last=Fentress |first=Steve |title=NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center: A hub for historic and modern-day rocket power |url=https://www.space.com/marshall-space-flight-center.html |date=July 6, 2021 |access-date=September 8, 2022 |work=space.com}}</ref> From December 1959, it contained the Launch Operations Directorate, which moved to Florida to become the Launch Operations Center on July 1, 1962.<ref name="NASAMSFC_Fact_sheet">{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/pdf/159998main_MSFC_Fact_sheet.pdf |title=MSFC_Fact_sheet |access-date=October 1, 2011 |publisher=NASA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025125133/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/pdf/159998main_MSFC_Fact_sheet.pdf |archive-date=October 25, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> The MSFC was named in honor of [[General of the Army (United States)|General]] [[George Marshall|George C. Marshall]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Marshall Space Flight Center, ca. 1960s|url=http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/m-6352|access-date=2021-09-14|website=Encyclopedia of Alabama|language=en}}</ref> The center also operates the [[Michoud Assembly Facility|Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF)]] in New Orleans, Louisiana for  the manufacture and assembly of critical hardware components for space systems.<ref>{{cite news |last=Haines |first=Matt |title=New Orleans' NASA Michoud Facility Is The History And Future Of Space Exploration |url=https://www.verylocal.com/new-orleans-nasa-michoud-facility-is-the-history-and-future-of-space-exploration/12514/ |date=November 14, 2019 |access-date=September 7, 2022 |work=verylocal.com}}</ref>
+[[George C. Marshall Space Flight Center]] (MSFC), located on the [[Redstone Arsenal]] near Huntsville, Alabama, is one of NASA's largest centers. MSFC is where the [[Saturn V]] rocket and Skylab were developed.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dunn |first=Marcia |title=Rocket City, Alabama: Space history and an eye on the future |url=https://apnews.com/article/north-america-ap-top-news-mars-huntsville-moons-d4c8b31ad3d245d8b5a71b2b4eaa9a21 |date=August 6, 2018 |access-date=September 8, 2022|work=ap news}}</ref> Marshall is NASA's lead center for [[International Space Station]] (ISS) design and assembly; payloads and related crew training; and was the lead for [[Space Shuttle]] propulsion and its external tank.<ref>{{cite web |last=Fentress |first=Steve |title=NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center: A hub for historic and modern-day rocket power |url=https://www.space.com/marshall-space-flight-center.html |date=July 6, 2021 |access-date=September 8, 2022 |work=space.com}}</ref> From December 1959, it contained the Launch Operations Directorate, which moved to Florida to become the Launch Operations Center on July 1, 1962.<ref name="NASAMSFC_Fact_sheet">{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/pdf/159998main_MSFC_Fact_sheet.pdf |title=MSFC_Fact_sheet |access-date=October 1, 2011 |publisher=NASA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025125133/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/pdf/159998main_MSFC_Fact_sheet.pdf |archive-date=October 25, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> The MSFC was named in honor of [[General of the Army (United States)|General]] [[George Marshall|George C. Marshall]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Marshall Space Flight Center, ca. 1960s|url=http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/m-6352|access-date=2021-09-14|website=Encyclopedia of Alabama|language=en}}</ref> The center also operates the [[Michoud Assembly Facility|Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF)]] in New Orleans, Louisiana for the manufacture and assembly of critical hardware components for space systems.<ref>{{cite news |last=Haines |first=Matt |title=New Orleans' NASA Michoud Facility Is The History And Future Of Space Exploration |url=https://www.verylocal.com/new-orleans-nasa-michoud-facility-is-the-history-and-future-of-space-exploration/12514/ |date=November 14, 2019 |access-date=September 7, 2022 |work=verylocal.com}}</ref>
 ==== Built by NASA ====
 | footer      = View of the SLS exiting the [[Vehicle Assembly Building|VAB]] (left) and aerial view of the [[Vehicle Assembly Building|VAB]] and [[Launch Complex 39]] (right)
 }}
-[[John F. Kennedy Space Center]] (KSC), located west of [[Cape Canaveral Space Force Station]] in Florida, is one of the best known NASA facilities. Named the "Launch Operations Center" at its creation on July 1, 1962, it was renamed in honor of the late US president on November 29, 1963,<ref>{{cite web | title = The National Archives, Lyndon B. Johnson Executive Order 11129 | url = https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/1963-johnson.html | access-date = April 26, 2010 | archive-date = July 19, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190719110148/https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/1963-johnson.html | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="KSC Story">{{cite web|title=Kennedy Space Center Story|url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/history/story/kscstory.html|publisher=NASA|access-date=November 5, 2015|date=1991|archive-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520011616/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/history/story/kscstory.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. KSC continues to manage and operate uncrewed rocket launch facilities for America's civil space program from three pads at Cape Canaveral. Its [[Vehicle Assembly Building]] (VAB) is the fourth-largest structure in the world by volume<ref>{{cite web|last=Beattie|first=Rich|title=World's Biggest Buildings|url=http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/worlds-biggest-buildings/11|access-date=December 6, 2015|date=December 20, 2011|archive-date=November 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103220847/http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/worlds-biggest-buildings/11|url-status=live}}</ref> and was the largest when completed in 1965.<ref name="congressional record Sep 8, 2004">{{cite journal|title=Senate|journal=Congressional Record|date=September 8, 2004|page=17598}}</ref> A total of 13,100 people worked at the center as of 2011. Approximately 2,100 <!--2010. Didn't put this to avoid reader confusion--->are employees of the federal government; the rest are contractors.<ref name="jdean">{{cite news|last=Dean|first=James|title=NASA budget woes leads to layoffs|url=http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20110317/AGENCY01/103170305/|access-date=August 21, 2011|newspaper=[[Federal Times]]|date=March 17, 2011|archive-date=January 2, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102161525/http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20110317/AGENCY01/103170305/|url-status=live}}</ref>
+[[John F. Kennedy Space Center]] (KSC), located west of [[Cape Canaveral Space Force Station]] in Florida, is one of the best known NASA facilities. Named the "Launch Operations Center" at its creation on July 1, 1962, it was renamed in honor of the late US president on November 29, 1963,<ref>{{cite web | title = The National Archives, Lyndon B. Johnson Executive Order 11129 | url = https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/1963-johnson.html | access-date = April 26, 2010 | archive-date = July 19, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190719110148/https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/1963-johnson.html | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="KSC Story">{{cite web|title=Kennedy Space Center Story|url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/history/story/kscstory.html|publisher=NASA|access-date=November 5, 2015|date=1991|archive-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520011616/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/history/story/kscstory.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. KSC continues to manage and operate uncrewed rocket launch facilities for America's civil space program from three pads at Cape Canaveral. Its [[Vehicle Assembly Building]] (VAB) is the fourth-largest structure in the world by volume<ref>{{cite web|last=Beattie|first=Rich|title=World's Biggest Buildings|url=http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/worlds-biggest-buildings/11|access-date=December 6, 2015|date=December 20, 2011|archive-date=November 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103220847/http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/worlds-biggest-buildings/11|url-status=live}}</ref> and was the largest when completed in 1965.<ref name="congressional record Sep 8, 2004">{{cite journal|title=Senate|journal=Congressional Record|date=September 8, 2004|page=17598}}</ref> A total of 10,733 people worked at the center as of September 2021. Approximately 2,140 are employees of the federal government; the rest are contractors.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kennedy Space Center Annual Report (2021)|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/fy21_annual_report_508.pdf|date=November 2021|access-date=October 4, 2022|publisher=nasa.gov}}</ref>
-=== Past spaceflight programs ===
+=== Past human spaceflight programs ===
 ==== X-15 (1954<!-- RfP of the program initiated in 1954, see below -->–1968) ====
 In 1958, NASA formed an engineering group, the [[Space Task Group]], to manage their [[human spaceflight]] programs under the direction of [[Robert Gilruth]]. Their earliest programs were conducted under the pressure of the [[Cold War]] competition between the US and the Soviet Union. NASA inherited the US Air Force's [[Man in Space Soonest]] program, which considered many crewed spacecraft designs ranging from rocket planes like the X-15, to small ballistic [[space capsule]]s.<ref name="Project1969">[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/prot7969.htm Encyclopedia Astronautica, Project 7969] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011131311/http://astronautix.com/craft/prot7969.htm |date=October 11, 2011}}, retrieved October 17, 2011</ref> By 1958, the space plane concepts were eliminated in favor of the ballistic capsule,<ref>[http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/history/mercury/mercury-overview.htm NASA, Project Mercury Overview] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603211738/http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/history/mercury/mercury-overview.htm |date=June 3, 2013}}, retrieved October 17, 2011</ref> and NASA renamed it [[Project Mercury]]. The [[Mercury Seven|first seven astronauts]] were selected among candidates from the Navy, Air Force and Marine test pilot programs. On May 5, 1961, astronaut [[Alan Shepard]] became the first American in space aboard a capsule he named ''[[Mercury-Redstone 3|Freedom&nbsp;7]]'', launched on a [[Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle|Redstone booster]] on a 15-minute [[ballistics|ballistic]] (suborbital) flight.<ref name="ShepardsRide">{{Cite book |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/toc.htm |title=This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury |format=url |chapter=11-4 Shepard's Ride |chapter-url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4201/ch11-4.htm |publisher=NASA |website=Published as NASA Special Publication-4201 in the NASA History Series |first1=Loyd S. |last1=Swenson Jr. |first2=James M. |last2=Grimwood |first3=Charles C. |last3=Alexander |editor1-first=David |editor1-last=Woods |editor2-first=Chris |editor2-last=Gamble |access-date=July 14, 2009 |date=1989 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090713233748/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/toc.htm |archive-date=July 13, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[John Glenn]] became the first American to be launched into [[orbit]], on an [[Atlas LV-3B|Atlas launch vehicle]] on February 20, 1962, aboard [[Mercury-Atlas 6|''Friendship&nbsp;7'']].<ref name="AnAmericaninOrbit">{{Cite book |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/toc.htm |title=This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury |format=url |chapter=13-4 An American in Orbit |chapter-url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/ch13-4.htm |publisher=NASA |website=Published as NASA Special Publication-4201 in the NASA History Series |first1=Loyd S. |last1=Swenson Jr. |first2=James M. |last2=Grimwood |first3=Charles C. |last3=Alexander |editor1-first=David |editor1-last=Woods |editor2-first=Chris |editor2-last=Gamble |access-date=July 14, 2009 |date=1989 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090713233748/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/toc.htm |archive-date=July 13, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> Glenn completed three orbits, after which three more orbital flights were made, culminating in [[Gordon Cooper|L. Gordon Cooper]]'s 22-orbit flight ''[[Mercury-Atlas 9|Faith 7]]'', May 15–16, 1963.<ref name="NASAManned">{{cite web |publisher=NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mercury/missions/manned_flights.html |title=Mercury Manned Flights Summary |access-date=October 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916001228/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mercury/missions/manned_flights.html |archive-date=September 16, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Katherine Johnson]], [[Mary Jackson (engineer)|Mary Jackson]], and [[Dorothy Vaughan]] were three of the [[human computers]] doing calculations on trajectories during the Space Race.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography|title=Katherine Johnson Biography|last=Loff|first=Sarah|date=November 22, 2016|website=NASA|access-date=March 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331103455/https://www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography/|archive-date=March 31, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/content/mary-jackson-biography|title=Mary Jackson Biography|last=Loff|first=Sarah|date=November 22, 2016|website=NASA|access-date=March 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120155710/https://www.nasa.gov/content/mary-jackson-biography|archive-date=January 20, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/content/dorothy-vaughan-biography|title=Dorothy Vaughan Biography|last=Loff|first=Sarah|date=November 22, 2016|website=NASA|access-date=March 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130144413/https://www.nasa.gov/content/dorothy-vaughan-biography/|archive-date=November 30, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Johnson was well known for doing trajectory calculations for John Glenn's mission in 1962, where she was running the same equations by hand that were being run on the computer.<ref name=":1" />
-Mercury's competition from the [[Soviet Union]] (USSR) was the single-pilot [[Vostok programme|Vostok]] spacecraft. They sent the first man in space, cosmonaut [[Yuri Gagarin]], into a single Earth orbit aboard [[Vostok 1]] in April 1961, one month before Shepard's flight.<ref name="NASAGagarin">{{cite web |publisher=NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/gagarin/gagarin.html |title=NASA history, Gagarin |access-date=October 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025035327/http://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/gagarin/gagarin.html |archive-date=October 25, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> In August 1962, they achieved an almost four-day record flight with [[Andriyan Nikolayev]] aboard [[Vostok 3]], and also conducted a concurrent [[Vostok 4]] mission carrying [[Pavel Popovich]].
+Mercury's competition from the [[Soviet Union]] (USSR) was the single-pilot [[Vostok programme|Vostok]] spacecraft. They sent the first man in space, cosmonaut [[Yuri Gagarin]], into a single Earth orbit aboard [[Vostok 1]] in April 1961, one month before Shepard's flight.<ref name="NASAGagarin">{{cite web |publisher=NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/gagarin/gagarin.html |title=NASA history, Gagarin |access-date=October 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025035327/http://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/gagarin/gagarin.html |archive-date=October 25, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> In August 1962, they achieved an almost four-day record flight with [[Andriyan Nikolayev]] aboard [[Vostok 3]], and also conducted a concurrent [[Vostok 4]] mission carrying [[Pavel Popovich]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Joint flight of Vostok-3 and Vostok-4|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/vostok3.html|date=December 1, 2020|access-date=October 1, 2022|publisher=russianspaceweb.com}}</ref>
 ==== Gemini (1961–1966) ====
 Based on studies to grow the Mercury spacecraft capabilities to long-duration flights, developing [[space rendezvous]] techniques, and precision Earth landing, Project Gemini was started as a two-man program in 1961 to overcome the Soviets' lead and to support the planned Apollo crewed lunar landing program, adding [[extravehicular activity]] (EVA) and [[space rendezvous|rendezvous]] and [[docking and berthing of spacecraft|docking]] to its objectives. The first crewed Gemini flight, [[Gemini 3]], was flown by [[Gus Grissom]] and [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]] on March 23, 1965.<ref name="TheLastHurdle">{{cite book |author=Barton C. Hacker |author2=James M. Grimwood |title=On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113132344/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm |archive-date=January 13, 2010 |url-status=live |format=url |access-date=July 14, 2009 |date=December 31, 2002 |publisher=NASA |isbn=978-0-16-067157-9 |chapter=10-1 The Last Hurdle |chapter-url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/ch10-1.htm}}</ref> Nine missions followed in 1965 and 1966, demonstrating an endurance mission of nearly fourteen days, rendezvous, docking, and practical EVA, and gathering medical data on the effects of weightlessness on humans.<ref name="PlansforGemini3">{{cite book |author=Barton C. Hacker |author2=James M. Grimwood |title=On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113132344/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm |archive-date=January 13, 2010 |url-status=live |access-date=July 14, 2009 |date=December 31, 2002 |publisher=NASA |isbn=978-0-16-067157-9 |chapter=12-5 Two Weeks in a Spacecraft |chapter-url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/ch12-5.htm}}</ref><ref name="AnAlternativeTarget">{{cite book |author=Barton C. Hacker |author2=James M. Grimwood |title=On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113132344/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm |archive-date=January 13, 2010 |url-status=live |access-date=July 14, 2009 |date=December 31, 2002 |publisher=NASA |isbn=978-0-16-067157-9 |chapter=13-3 An Alternative Target |chapter-url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/ch13-3.htm}}</ref>
-Under the direction of [[Premier of the Soviet Union|Soviet Premier]] [[Nikita Khrushchev]], the USSR competed with Gemini by converting their Vostok spacecraft into a two- or three-man [[Voskhod (spacecraft)|Voskhod]]. They succeeded in launching two crewed flights before Gemini's first flight, achieving a three-cosmonaut flight in 1964 and the first EVA in 1965. After this, the program was canceled, and Gemini caught up while spacecraft designer [[Sergei Korolev]] developed the [[Soyuz (spacecraft)|Soyuz spacecraft]], their answer to Apollo.
+Under the direction of [[Premier of the Soviet Union|Soviet Premier]] [[Nikita Khrushchev]], the USSR competed with Gemini by converting their Vostok spacecraft into a two- or three-man [[Voskhod (spacecraft)|Voskhod]]. They succeeded in launching two crewed flights before Gemini's first flight, achieving a three-cosmonaut flight in 1964 and the first EVA in 1965.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mann|first=Adam|title=Voskhod program: The Soviet Union's first crewed space program
+|url=https://www.space.com/voskhod-program.html|date=October 1, 2020|access-date=October 2, 2022|publisher=space.com}}</ref> After this, the program was canceled, and Gemini caught up while spacecraft designer [[Sergei Korolev]] developed the [[Soyuz (spacecraft)|Soyuz spacecraft]], their answer to Apollo.
 ==== Apollo (1960–1972) ====
 The U.S. public's perception of the Soviet lead in the Space Race (by putting the first man into space) motivated President [[John F. Kennedy]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Decision to Go to the Moon: President John F. Kennedy's May 25, 1961 Speech before Congress|url=https://history.nasa.gov/moondec.html|access-date=June 3, 2020|website=history.nasa.gov|archive-date=May 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523060729/https://history.nasa.gov/moondec.html|url-status=live}}</ref> to ask the Congress on May 25, 1961, to commit the federal government to a program to land a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s, which effectively launched the [[Apollo program]].<ref>{{YouTube|TUXuV7XbZvU|John F. Kennedy "Landing a man on the Moon" Address to Congress}}, speech</ref>
-Apollo was one of the most expensive American scientific programs ever. It cost more than $20&nbsp;billion in 1960s dollars<ref name="Butts">{{cite web |last1=Butts |first1=Glenn |last2=Linton |first2=Kent |title=The Joint Confidence Level Paradox: A History of Denial, 2009 NASA Cost Symposium |date=April 28, 2009 |pages=25–26 |url=https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/nexgen/Nexgen_Downloads/Butts_NASA's_Joint_Cost-Schedule_Paradox_-_A_History_of_Denial.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026132859/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/nexgen/Nexgen_Downloads/Butts_NASA%27s_Joint_Cost-Schedule_Paradox_-_A_History_of_Denial.pdf |archive-date=October 26, 2011 |access-date=December 23, 2021 }}</ref> or an estimated ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|170000000000|2005|r=2}}}} in present-day US dollars.{{Inflation-fn|US}} (In comparison, the [[Manhattan Project]] cost roughly ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|2000000000|1945|r=2}}}}, accounting for inflation.){{Inflation-fn|US}}<ref name="harv">{{cite book |last=Nichols |first=Kenneth David |author-link=Kenneth Nichols |title=The Road to Trinity: A Personal Account of How America's Nuclear Policies Were Made, pp 34–35 |location=New York |publisher=William Morrow and Company |date=1987 |isbn=978-0-688-06910-0 |oclc=15223648 }}</ref> The Apollo program used the newly-developed [[Saturn I]] and [[Saturn V]] rockets, which were far larger than the repurposed ICBMs of the previous Mercury and Gemini programs.<ref name="AstroSat5">{{cite web |title=Saturn V |url=http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/saturnv.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007153222/http://astronautix.com/lvs/saturnv.htm |archive-date=October 7, 2011 |access-date=October 13, 2011 |publisher=Encyclopedia Astronautica}}</ref> They were used to launch the Apollo spacecraft, consisting of the [[Apollo command and service module|Command and Service Module]] (CSM) and the [[Apollo Lunar Module|Lunar Module]] (LM). The CSM ferried astronauts from Earth to Moon orbit and back, while the Lunar Module would land them on the Moon itself.{{refn|group=note|The descent stage of the LM stayed on the Moon after landing, while the ascent stage brought the two astronauts back to the CSM and then was discarded in lunar orbit.}}
+Apollo was one of the most expensive American scientific programs ever. It cost more than $20&nbsp;billion in 1960s dollars<ref name="Butts">{{cite web |last1=Butts |first1=Glenn |last2=Linton |first2=Kent |title=The Joint Confidence Level Paradox: A History of Denial, 2009 NASA Cost Symposium |date=April 28, 2009 |pages=25–26 |url=https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/nexgen/Nexgen_Downloads/Butts_NASA's_Joint_Cost-Schedule_Paradox_-_A_History_of_Denial.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026132859/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/nexgen/Nexgen_Downloads/Butts_NASA%27s_Joint_Cost-Schedule_Paradox_-_A_History_of_Denial.pdf |archive-date=October 26, 2011 |access-date=December 23, 2021 }}</ref> or an estimated ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|170000000000|2005|r=2}}}} in present-day US dollars.{{Inflation-fn|US}} (In comparison, the [[Manhattan Project]] cost roughly ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|2000000000|1945|r=2}}}}, accounting for inflation.){{Inflation-fn|US}}<ref name="harv">{{cite book |last=Nichols |first=Kenneth David |author-link=Kenneth Nichols |title=The Road to Trinity: A Personal Account of How America's Nuclear Policies Were Made, pp 34–35 |location=New York |publisher=William Morrow and Company |date=1987 |isbn=978-0-688-06910-0 |oclc=15223648 }}</ref> The Apollo program used the newly developed [[Saturn I]] and [[Saturn V]] rockets, which were far larger than the repurposed ICBMs of the previous Mercury and Gemini programs.<ref name="AstroSat5">{{cite web |title=Saturn V |url=http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/saturnv.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007153222/http://astronautix.com/lvs/saturnv.htm |archive-date=October 7, 2011 |access-date=October 13, 2011 |publisher=Encyclopedia Astronautica}}</ref> They were used to launch the Apollo spacecraft, consisting of the [[Apollo command and service module|Command and Service Module]] (CSM) and the [[Apollo Lunar Module|Lunar Module]] (LM). The CSM ferried astronauts from Earth to Moon orbit and back, while the Lunar Module would land them on the Moon itself.{{refn|group=note|The descent stage of the LM stayed on the Moon after landing, while the ascent stage brought the two astronauts back to the CSM and then was discarded in lunar orbit.}}
 The planned first crew of 3 astronauts were killed due to a fire during a 1967 preflight test for the Apollo 204 mission (later renamed [[Apollo 1]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Apollo 1 |url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo1.html |website=NASA |date=March 16, 2015 |access-date=16 May 2022 |archive-date=February 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203185822/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The second crewed mission, [[Apollo 8]], brought astronauts for the first time in a flight around the Moon in December 1968.<ref name="NASAApol8">{{cite web |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch11-6.html |title=Apollo 8: The First Lunar Voyage |publisher=NASA |access-date=October 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027194659/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch11-6.html |archive-date=October 27, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Shortly before, the Soviets had sent an uncrewed spacecraft around the Moon.<ref name="Siddiqi">{{cite book |last=Siddiqi |first=Asif A. |title=The Soviet Space Race with Apollo |pages=654–656 |date=2003 |publisher=Gainesville: University Press of Florida |isbn=978-0-8130-2628-2}}</ref> The next two missions ([[Apollo 9]] and [[Apollo 10]]) practiced rendezvous and docking maneuvers required to conduct the Moon landing.<ref name="NasaApollo9">{{cite web |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch12-5.html |title=Apollo 9: Earth Orbital trials |publisher=NASA |access-date=October 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027200206/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch12-5.html |archive-date=October 27, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NASAApollo10">{{cite web |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch12-7.html |title=Apollo 10: The Dress Rehearsal |publisher=NASA |access-date=October 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027193342/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch12-7.html |archive-date=October 27, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
-The [[Apollo 11]] mission, launched in July 1969, landed the first humans on the Moon. Astronauts [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[Buzz Aldrin]] walked on the lunar surface, conducting [[Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package|experiments]] and [[Sample-return mission|sample collection]], while [[Michael Collins (astronaut)|Michael Collins]] orbited above in the CSM.<ref name="NasaApollo11">{{cite web |title=The First Landing |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch14-4.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027234250/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch14-4.html |archive-date=October 27, 2011 |access-date=October 13, 2011 |publisher=NASA}}</ref> Six subsequent Apollo missions (12 through 17) were launched; five of them were successful, while one ([[Apollo 13]]) was aborted after an in-flight emergency nearly killed the astronauts. Throughout these seven Apollo spaceflights, twelve men walked on the Moon. These missions returned a wealth of scientific data and {{convert|381.7|kg|lb}} of lunar samples. Topics covered by experiments performed included [[soil mechanics]], [[meteoroid]]s, [[seismology]], [[Heat transfer|heat flow]], [[Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment|lunar ranging]], [[magnetic field]]s, and [[solar wind]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Chaikin |first=Andrew |title=A Man on the Moon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CuXqumwrH6gC |date=March 16, 1998 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-14-027201-7 |access-date=September 28, 2020 |archive-date=December 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216143814/https://books.google.com/books?id=CuXqumwrH6gC |url-status=live }}</ref>{{page needed|date=July 2020}} The Moon landing marked the end of the space race; and as a gesture, Armstrong mentioned mankind when he stepped down on the Moon.<ref>[http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/324100.html The Phrase Finder:] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924171813/http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/324100.html |date=September 24, 2011}}'' ... a giant leap for mankind'', retrieved October 1, 2011</ref>
+The [[Apollo 11]] mission, launched in July 1969, landed the first humans on the Moon. Astronauts [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[Buzz Aldrin]] walked on the lunar surface, conducting [[Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package|experiments]] and [[Sample-return mission|sample collection]], while [[Michael Collins (astronaut)|Michael Collins]] orbited above in the CSM.<ref name="NasaApollo11">{{cite web |title=The First Landing |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch14-4.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027234250/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch14-4.html |archive-date=October 27, 2011 |access-date=October 13, 2011 |publisher=NASA}}</ref> Six subsequent Apollo missions (12 through 17) were launched; five of them were successful, while one ([[Apollo 13]]) was aborted after an in-flight emergency nearly killed the astronauts. Throughout these seven Apollo spaceflights, twelve men walked on the Moon. These missions returned a wealth of scientific data and {{convert|381.7|kg|lb}} of lunar samples. Topics covered by experiments performed included [[soil mechanics]], [[meteoroid]]s, [[seismology]], [[Heat transfer|heat flow]], [[Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment|lunar ranging]], [[magnetic field]]s, and [[solar wind]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Arriclucea|first=Eva|title=Case Study Report: Apollo Project (US)|url=https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/mission_oriented_r_and_i_policies_case_study_report_apollo_project-us.pdf|ISBN=978-92-79-80155-6
+|doi=10.2777/568253|page=10|date=January 2018|access-date=October 2, 2022|publisher=European Commission}}</ref> The Moon landing marked the end of the space race; and as a gesture, Armstrong mentioned mankind when he stepped down on the Moon.<ref>[http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/324100.html The Phrase Finder:] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924171813/http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/324100.html |date=September 24, 2011}}'' ... a giant leap for mankind'', retrieved October 1, 2011</ref>
+On July 3, 1969, the Soviets suffered a major setback on their moon program when the rocket known as the N-1 had exploded in a fireball at its launch site at Baikonur in Kazakhstan, destroying one of two launch pads. Each of the first four launches of N-1 resulted in failure before the end of the first stage flight effectively denying the Soviet Union the capacity to deliver the systems required for a crewed lunar landing.<ref>{{cite web|first=Asif|last=Siddiqi|title=Why the Soviets Lost the Moon Race|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/apollo-why-the-soviets-lost-180972229/|date=June 2019|access-date=October 2, 2022|publisher=Smithsonian Magazine}}</ref>
 Apollo set major [[List of space exploration milestones, 1957–1969|milestones]] in human spaceflight. It stands alone in sending crewed missions beyond [[low Earth orbit]], and landing humans on another [[celestial body]].<ref>[https://history.nasa.gov/ap11ann/missions.htm 30th Anniversary of Apollo 11, Manned Apollo Missions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220232013/https://history.nasa.gov/ap11ann/missions.htm |date=February 20, 2011}}. NASA, 1999.</ref> [[Apollo 8]] was the first crewed spacecraft to orbit another celestial body, while [[Apollo 17]] marked the last moonwalk and the last crewed mission beyond [[low Earth orbit]]. The program spurred advances in many areas of technology peripheral to rocketry and crewed spaceflight, including [[avionics]], telecommunications, and computers. Apollo sparked interest in many fields of engineering and left many physical facilities and machines developed for the program as landmarks. Many objects and artifacts from the program are on display at various locations throughout the world, notably at the [[National Air and Space Museum|Smithsonian's Air and Space Museums]].
 {{image frame|align=left |total_width=120|content=[[File:Skylab_Program_Patch.png|100px]]|border=no}}
 {{Main|Skylab}}
-[[File:Skylab (SL-4).jpg|thumb|Skylab in 1974, seen from the departing [[Skylab 4]] CSM.]]
+[[File:Skylab (SL-4).jpg|thumb|[[Skylab]] in 1974, seen from the departing [[Skylab 4]] CSM.]]
 Skylab was the United States' first and only independently built [[space station]].<ref name="skylabFirst">{{Cite book |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19770020211_1977020211.pdf |title=Skylab Our First Space Station—NASA report |id=NASA-SP-400 |date=1977 |publisher=NASA |editor-first=Leland F. |editor-last=Belew |access-date=July 15, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317234819/http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19770020211_1977020211.pdf |archive-date=March 17, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> Conceived in 1965 as a workshop to be constructed in space from a spent [[Saturn IB]] upper stage, the {{convert|169950|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} station was constructed on Earth and launched on May 14, 1973, atop the first two stages of a [[Saturn V]], into a {{convert|235|nmi|km|adj=on}} orbit inclined at 50° to the equator. Damaged during launch by the loss of its thermal protection and one electricity-generating solar panel, it was repaired to functionality by its first crew. It was occupied for a total of 171 days by 3 successive crews in 1973 and 1974.<ref name="skylabFirst" /> It included a laboratory for studying the effects of [[microgravity environment|microgravity]], and a [[Apollo Telescope Mount|solar observatory]].<ref name="skylabFirst" /> NASA planned to have the in-development [[Space Shuttle]] dock with it, and elevate Skylab to a higher safe altitude, but the Shuttle was not ready for flight before Skylab's re-entry and demise on July 11, 1979.<ref name="livingandworking">Benson, Charles Dunlap and William David Compton. ''[https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4208/contents.htm Living and Working in Space: A History of Skylab] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105142105/http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4208/contents.htm |date=November 5, 2015}}''. NASA publication SP-4208.</ref>
 ==== Space Transportation System (1969–1972) ====
 {{Main|Space Transportation System}}
-In February 1969, President [[Richard Nixon]] appointed a space task group headed by Vice President [[Spiro Agnew]] to recommend human spaceflight projects beyond Apollo. The group responded in September with the Integrated Program Plan (IPP), intended to support [[space station]]s in Earth and lunar orbit, a lunar surface base, and a human Mars landing. These would be supported by replacing NASA's existing [[expendable launch system]]s with a reusable infrastructure including Earth orbit shuttles, [[space tug]]s, and a [[nuclear thermal rocket|nuclear-powered]] trans-lunar and interplanetary shuttle. Despite the enthusiastic support of Agnew and NASA Administrator [[Thomas O. Paine]], Nixon realized public enthusiasm, which translated into Congressional support, for the space program was waning as Apollo neared its climax, and vetoed most of these plans, except for the [[Space Shuttle program|Earth orbital shuttle]], and a deferred Earth space station.
+In February 1969, President [[Richard Nixon]] appointed a space task group headed by Vice President [[Spiro Agnew]] to recommend human spaceflight projects beyond Apollo. The group responded in September with the Integrated Program Plan (IPP), intended to support [[space station]]s in Earth and lunar orbit, a lunar surface base, and a human Mars landing. These would be supported by replacing NASA's existing [[expendable launch system]]s with a reusable infrastructure including Earth orbit shuttles, [[space tug]]s, and a [[nuclear thermal rocket|nuclear-powered]] trans-lunar and interplanetary shuttle. Despite the enthusiastic support of Agnew and NASA Administrator [[Thomas O. Paine]], Nixon realized public enthusiasm, which translated into Congressional support, for the space program was waning as Apollo neared its climax, and vetoed most of these plans, except for the [[Space Shuttle program|Earth orbital shuttle]], and a deferred Earth space station.<ref>{{cite web|title=50 Years Ago: After Apollo, What? Space Task Group Report to President Nixon|url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/50-years-ago-after-apollo-what-space-task-group-report-to-president-nixon|date=September 18, 2019|access-date=October 1, 2022|publisher=nasa.gov}}</ref>
 ==== Apollo-Soyuz (1972–1975) ====
 On 20 missions (1983–1998) the Space Shuttle carried [[Spacelab]], designed in cooperation with the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA). Spacelab was not designed for independent orbital flight, but remained in the Shuttle's cargo bay as the astronauts entered and left it through an [[airlock]].<ref name="AstroSpacelab">[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/spacelab.htm Encyclopedia Astronautica, Spacelab] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011094958/http://astronautix.com/craft/spacelab.htm |date=October 11, 2011}}. Retrieved October 20, 2011</ref> On June 18, 1983, [[Sally Ride]] became the first American woman in space, on board the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' [[STS-7]] mission.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.space.com/16756-sally-ride-biography.html|title=Sally Ride: First American Woman in Space|last=Spaceflight|first=Kim Ann Zimmermann 2018-01-19T02:02:00Z|website=Space.com|date=January 19, 2018|language=en|access-date=March 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308154439/https://www.space.com/16756-sally-ride-biography.html|archive-date=March 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Another famous series of missions were the [[STS-31|launch]] and later [[STS-61|successful repair]] of the [[Hubble Space Telescope]] in 1990 and 1993, respectively.<ref name="AstroHST">[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/hst.htm Encyclopedia Astronautica, HST] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011045746/http://www.astronautix.com/craft/hst.htm |date=October 11, 2011}}. Retrieved October 20, 2011</ref>
-In 1995, Russian-American interaction resumed with the [[Shuttle–Mir program|Shuttle–Mir]] missions (1995–1998). Once more an American vehicle docked with a Russian craft, this time a full-fledged space station. This cooperation has continued with Russia and the United States as two of the biggest partners in the largest space station built: the [[International Space Station]] (ISS). The strength of their cooperation on this project was even more evident when NASA began relying on Russian launch vehicles to service the ISS during the two-year grounding of the shuttle fleet following the 2003 [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster]].
+In 1995, Russian-American interaction resumed with the [[Shuttle–Mir program|Shuttle–Mir]] missions (1995–1998). Once more an American vehicle docked with a Russian craft, this time a full-fledged space station. This cooperation has continued with Russia and the United States as two of the biggest partners in the largest space station built: the [[International Space Station]] (ISS).<ref>{{cite web|title=Partnering with Russia|url=https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/exhibits/show/space4diplomacy/space4diplomacy-partnering|publisher=clintonpresidentiallibraries.us|date=January 24, 1994|access-date=October 1, 2022}}</ref> The strength of their cooperation on this project was even more evident when NASA began relying on Russian launch vehicles to service the ISS during the two-year grounding of the shuttle fleet following the 2003 [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster]].
 The Shuttle fleet lost two orbiters and 14 astronauts in two disasters: ''[[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Challenger]]'' in 1986, and [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|''Columbia'']] in 2003.<ref name="delays1">{{Cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2008-01-07-nasawoes_N.htm |title=Shuttle delays endanger space station |access-date=July 15, 2009 |website=USA Today |first=Traci |last=Watson |date=January 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326163205/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2008-01-07-nasawoes_N.htm |archive-date=March 26, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> While the 1986 loss was mitigated by building the {{OV|105}} from replacement parts, NASA did not build another orbiter to replace the second loss.<ref name="delays1" /> NASA's Space Shuttle program had 135 missions when the program ended with the successful landing of the Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' at the Kennedy Space Center on July 21, 2011. The program spanned 30 years with 355 separate astronauts sent into space, many on multiple missions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://khitschicago.radio.com/2011/07/08/nasas-last-space-shuttle-flight-lifts-off-from-cape-canaveral/ |title=NASA's Last Space Shuttle Flight Lifts Off From Cape Canaveral |date=July 8, 2011 |publisher=KHITS Chicago |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714034602/http://khitschicago.radio.com/2011/07/08/nasas-last-space-shuttle-flight-lifts-off-from-cape-canaveral/ |archive-date=July 14, 2011}}</ref>
 NASA undertook a feasibility study in 2012 and developed the [[Asteroid Redirect Mission]] as an uncrewed mission to move a boulder-sized [[near-Earth asteroid]] (or boulder-sized chunk of a larger asteroid) into lunar orbit. The mission would demonstrate [[ion thruster]] technology, and develop techniques that could be used for [[planetary defense]] against an asteroid collision, as well as a cargo transport to Mars in support of a future human mission. The Moon-orbiting boulder might then later be visited by astronauts. The Asteroid Redirect Mission was cancelled in 2017 as part of the FY2018 NASA budget, the first one under President [[Donald Trump]].<ref name="defunded">{{cite news |last1=Jeff Foust |title=NASA closing out Asteroid Redirect Mission |url=http://spacenews.com/nasa-closing-out-asteroid-redirect-mission/ |access-date=September 9, 2017 |work=Space News |date=June 14, 2017 |archive-date=June 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20170615143924/http://spacenews.com/nasa-closing-out-asteroid-redirect-mission/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
+=== Past robotic exploration programs ===
-The Orion spacecraft conducted an uncrewed test launch on a [[Delta IV Heavy]] rocket in December 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-s-orion-flight-test-yields-critical-data-as-engineers-improve-spacecraft-for-next |title=NASA's Orion Flight Test Yields Critical Data |website=NASA |date=February 24, 2015 |access-date=April 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505200033/https://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-s-orion-flight-test-yields-critical-data-as-engineers-improve-spacecraft-for-next/ |archive-date=May 5, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
+{{Main|List of uncrewed NASA missions}}
+NASA has conducted many uncrewed and robotic spaceflight programs throughout its history. Uncrewed robotic programs launched the first American artificial [[satellite]]s into Earth orbit for scientific and [[communications satellite|communications]] purposes, and sent scientific probes to explore the planets of the Solar System, starting with [[Venus]] and [[Mars]], and including "[[Voyager program|grand tours]]" of the outer planets. More than 1,000 uncrewed missions have been designed to explore the Earth and the Solar System.<ref name="NASAHisStat">{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/pocketstats/sect%20B/Launch%20Hist.pdf |title=Launch History (Cumulative) |access-date=September 30, 2011 |publisher=NASA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019231919/http://history.nasa.gov/pocketstats/sect%20B/Launch%20Hist.pdf |archive-date=October 19, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
+====Early Efforts====
+The first US uncrewed satellite was [[Explorer 1]], which started as an ABMA/JPL project during the early part of the [[Space Race]]. It was launched in January 1958, two months after Sputnik. At the creation of NASA, the Explorer project was transferred to the agency and still continues to this day. Its missions have been focusing on the Earth and the Sun, measuring magnetic fields and the [[solar wind]], among other aspects.<ref name="NASAExp">{{cite web |url=https://explorers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ |title=NASA, Explorers program |access-date=September 20, 2011 |publisher=NASA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927012106/http://explorers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
+The Ranger missions developed technology to build and deliver robotic probes into orbit and to the vicinity of the Moon. ''[[Ranger 7]]'' successfully returned images of the Moon in July 1964, followed by two more successful missions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rangers and Surveyors to the Moon|url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/fact_sheets/rangsurv.pdf|publisher=NASA|access-date=February 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525162250/https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/fact_sheets/rangsurv.pdf|archive-date=May 25, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
+NASA also played a role in the development and delivery of early communications satellite technology to orbit. ''[[Syncom 3]]'' was the first geostationary satellite. It was an experimental geosynchronous communications satellite placed over the equator at 180 degrees longitude in the Pacific Ocean. The satellite provided live television coverage of the 1964 Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan and conducted various communications tests. Operations were turned over to the Department of Defense on January 1, 1965; Syncom 3 was to prove useful in the DoD's Vietnam communications.<ref>{{cite web|title=Syncom 3|url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1964-047A#:~:text=Syncom%203%20was%20the%20first,longitude%20in%20the%20Pacific%20Ocean.|date=April 2022|access-date=October 3, 2022|publisher=nasa.gov}}</ref> Programs like Syncom, ''[[Telstar]]'' and Applications Technology Satellites (ATS) demonstrated the utility of communications satellites and delivered early telephonic and video satellite transmission.<ref name="NASAHis6">{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4217/ch6.htm |title=NASA Experimental Communications Satellites, 1958–1995 |access-date=September 30, 2011 |publisher=NASA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804234602/http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4217/ch6.htm |archive-date=August 4, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
+====Planetary exploration====
+[[File:Kennedy Receives Mariner 2 Model.jpg|thumb|[[Bill Pickering (rocket scientist)|William H. Pickering]], (center) JPL Director, President [[John F. Kennedy]], (right). NASA Administrator [[James E. Webb]] (background) discussing the [[Mariner program]], with a model presented.]]
+The [[inner Solar System]] has been made the goal of at least four uncrewed programs. The first was [[Mariner program|Mariner]] in the 1960s and 1970s, which made multiple visits to [[Venus]] and [[Mars]] and one to [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]]. Probes launched under the Mariner program were also the first to make a planetary flyby ([[Mariner 2]]), to take the first pictures from another planet ([[Mariner 4]]), the first planetary orbiter ([[Mariner 9]]), and the first to make a [[gravity assist]] maneuver (''[[Mariner 10]]''). This is a technique where the satellite takes advantage of the gravity and velocity of planets to reach its destination.<ref name="JPL">{{cite web |url=https://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/bsf4-1.php |title=JPL, Chapter 4. Interplanetary Trajectories |access-date=September 30, 2011 |publisher=NASA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903212454/http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/bsf4-1.php |archive-date=September 3, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
+From 1966 to 1968, the ''[[Lunar Orbiter program|Lunar Orbiter]]'' and ''[[Surveyor program|Surveyor]]'' missions provided higher quality photographs and other measurements to pave the way for the crewed Apollo missions to the moon.<ref>{{cite web|id=NASA SP-4901 |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4901.pdf  |title=''NASA Unmanned Space Project Management - Surveyor and Lunar Orbiter'' |author=Kloman |year=1972}}</ref>
+The first successful landing on Mars was made by ''[[Viking 1]]'' in 1976. Twenty years later a [[Sojourner (rover)|rover]] was landed on Mars by ''[[Mars Pathfinder]]''.<ref name="PlanetSocMars">{{cite web |url=http://planetary.org/explore/topics/mars/missions.html |title=Missions to Mars |access-date=September 30, 2011 |publisher=The Planet Society |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118120636/http://planetary.org/explore/topics/mars/missions.html |archive-date=January 18, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>
+After Mars, Jupiter was first visited by ''[[Pioneer 10]]'' in 1973. More than 20 years later ''[[Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo]]'' sent a probe into the planet's atmosphere, and became the first spacecraft to orbit the planet.<ref name="PlanetSocJup">{{cite web |url=http://planetary.org/explore/topics/jupiter/missions.html |title=Missions to Jupiter |access-date=September 30, 2011 |publisher=The Planet Society |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006172102/http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/jupiter/missions.html |archive-date=October 6, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Pioneer 11]]'' became the first spacecraft to visit [[Saturn]] in 1979, with ''[[Voyager 2]]'' making the first (and so far only) visits to [[Uranus]] and [[Neptune]] in 1986 and 1989, respectively. The first spacecraft to leave the Solar System was ''Pioneer 10'' in 1983. For a time it was the most distant spacecraft, but it has since been surpassed by both ''[[Voyager 1]]'' and ''[[Voyager 2]]''.<ref name="JPLVoyager">{{cite web |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/fastfacts.html |title=JPL Voyager |access-date=September 30, 2011 |publisher=JPL |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008174443/http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/fastfacts.html |archive-date=October 8, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
+''Pioneers 10'' and ''11'' and both Voyager probes carry messages from the Earth to extraterrestrial life.<ref name="NASAPioneer10">{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2003/03_25HQ.html |title=Pioneer 10 spacecraft send last signal |access-date=September 30, 2011 |publisher=NASA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109103432/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2003/03_25HQ.html |archive-date=November 9, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="JPLGolden">{{cite web |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/goldenrec.html |title=The golden record |access-date=September 30, 2011 |publisher=JPL |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927062632/http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/goldenrec.html/ |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Communication can be difficult with deep space travel. For instance, it took about three hours for a radio signal to reach the ''New Horizons'' spacecraft when it was more than halfway to Pluto.<ref name="HeavensAbove">{{cite web |url=http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/mission/whereis_nh.php |title=New Horizon |access-date=September 30, 2011 |publisher=JHU/APL |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509015137/http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/mission/whereis_nh.php |archive-date=May 9, 2010}}</ref> Contact with ''Pioneer 10'' was lost in 2003. Both Voyager probes continue to operate as they explore the outer boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space.<ref name="NASAVoyagesBeyond">{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/whyweexplore/Why_We_25.html |title=Voyages Beyond the Solar System: The Voyager Interstellar Mission |access-date=September 30, 2011 |publisher=NASA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927224726/http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/whyweexplore/Why_We_25.html |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
+NASA continued to support ''[[in situ#Space-related|in situ]]'' exploration beyond the asteroid belt, including Pioneer and Voyager traverses into the unexplored trans-Pluto region, and [[gas giant]] orbiters ''Galileo'' (1989–2003) and ''[[Cassini–Huygens|Cassini]]'' (1997–2017) epxloring the Jovian and Saturnian systems respectively.
 == Active programs ==
 Long-duration missions to the ISS are referred to as [[List of International Space Station expeditions|ISS Expeditions]]. Expedition crew members typically spend approximately six months on the ISS.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/562641main_FS-2011-ISS%20intro.pdf |title=ISS Fact sheet: FS-2011-06-009-JSC |date=2011 |publisher=NASA |access-date=September 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510171224/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/562641main_FS-2011-ISS%20intro.pdf |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The initial expedition crew size was three, temporarily decreased to two following the ''Columbia'' disaster. Since May 2009, expedition crew size has been six crew members.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/423071main_mcb_joint_stmt_020110.pdf |title=MCB Joint Statement Representing Common Views on the Future of the ISS |date=February 3, 2010 |publisher=International Space Station Multilateral Coordination Board |access-date=August 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116024323/http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/423071main_mcb_joint_stmt_020110.pdf |archive-date=November 16, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Crew size is expected to be increased to seven, the number the ISS was designed for, once the Commercial Crew Program becomes operational.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spacenews.com/civil/120620-nasa-commercial-crew-grow-iss-pop.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130105004023/http://www.spacenews.com/civil/120620-nasa-commercial-crew-grow-iss-pop.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 5, 2013 |title=Wed, 20 June, 2012 NASA Banking on Commercial Crew To Grow ISS Population |last=Leone |first=Dan |date=June 20, 2012 |publisher=Space News |access-date=September 1, 2012}}</ref> The ISS has been continuously occupied for the past {{age in years and days|November 2, 2000|sep=and}}, having exceeded the previous record held by ''[[Mir]]''; and has been visited by astronauts and cosmonauts from [[List of International Space Station visitors|15 different nations]].<ref name="10th">{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/10th_anniversary.html |title=Nations Around the World Mark 10th Anniversary of International Space Station |publisher=NASA |date=November 17, 2008 |access-date=March 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213140619/http://www.nasa.gov//mission_pages//station//main//10th_anniversary.html |archive-date=February 13, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-11/happy-anniversary-international-space-station |title=The International Space Station Has Been Continuously Inhabited for Ten Years Today |last=Boyle |first=Rebecca |date=November 11, 2010 |publisher=Popular Science |access-date=September 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318033003/http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-11/happy-anniversary-international-space-station |archive-date=March 18, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
-The station can be seen from the Earth with the naked eye and, as of {{CURRENTYEAR}}<!--It probably won't be surpassed until at least the 2030s-->, is the largest artificial satellite in Earth orbit with a mass and volume greater than that of any previous space station.<ref name="shuttlepresskit">[http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/index.htm International Space Station] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224042229/http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/index.htm |date=February 24, 2009}}, Retrieved October 20, 2011</ref> The Russian [[Soyuz (spacecraft)|Soyuz]] and American [[SpaceX Dragon 2|Dragon]] spacecraft are used to send astronauts to and from the ISS. Several uncrewed cargo spacecraft provide service to the ISS; they are the Russian [[Progress (spacecraft)|Progress spacecraft]] which has done so since 2000, the European [[Automated Transfer Vehicle]] (ATV) since 2008, the Japanese [[H-II Transfer Vehicle]] (HTV) since 2009, the (uncrewed) [[SpaceX Dragon|Dragon]] since 2012, and the American [[Cygnus (spacecraft)|Cygnus spacecraft]] since 2013. The Space Shuttle, before its retirement, was also used for cargo transfer and would often switch out expedition crew members, although it did not have the capability to remain docked for the duration of their stay. Between the retirement of the Shuttle in 2011 and the commencement of crewed Dragon flights in 2020, American astronauts exclusively used the Soyuz for crew transport to and from the ISS<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.space.com/13664-nasa-future-space-exploration-progress.html |title=U.S. Human Spaceflight Program Still Strong, NASA Chief Says |last=Chow |first=Denise |date=November 17, 2011 |publisher=Space.com |access-date=July 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625050543/http://www.space.com/13664-nasa-future-space-exploration-progress.html |archive-date=June 25, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> The highest number of people occupying the ISS has been thirteen; this occurred three times during the late Shuttle ISS assembly missions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=8112821&page=1 |title=Space Shuttle, Station Dock: 13 Astronauts Together|last=Potter|first=Ned|date=July 17, 2009|publisher=ABC News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630165148/https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=8112821&page=1 |archive-date=June 30, 2017|access-date=September 7, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
+The station can be seen from the Earth with the naked eye and, as of {{CURRENTYEAR}}<!--It probably won't be surpassed until at least the 2030s-->, is the largest artificial satellite in Earth orbit with a mass and volume greater than that of any previous space station.<ref name="shuttlepresskit">[http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/index.htm International Space Station] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224042229/http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/index.htm |date=February 24, 2009}}, Retrieved October 20, 2011</ref> The Russian [[Soyuz (spacecraft)|Soyuz]] and American [[SpaceX Dragon 2|Dragon]] spacecraft are used to send astronauts to and from the ISS. Several uncrewed cargo spacecraft provide service to the ISS; they are the Russian [[Progress (spacecraft)|Progress spacecraft]] which has done so since 2000, the European [[Automated Transfer Vehicle]] (ATV) since 2008, the Japanese [[H-II Transfer Vehicle]] (HTV) since 2009, the (uncrewed) [[SpaceX Dragon|Dragon]] since 2012, and the American [[Cygnus (spacecraft)|Cygnus spacecraft]] since 2013.<ref>{{cite news|last=de Selding|first=Peter B.|title=After Maneuvers, Final ATV Docks with Station|url=https://spacenews.com/41568after-maneuvers-final-atv-docks-with-station/|date=August 12, 2014|access-date=October 2, 2022|publisher=Space News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Clark|first=Stephen|title=HTV supply ship successfully berthed at space station|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/25/htv-supply-ship-successfully-berthed-at-space-station/|date=May 25, 2020|access-date=October 2, 2022|publisher=SpaceFlightNow.com}}</ref> The Space Shuttle, before its retirement, was also used for cargo transfer and would often switch out expedition crew members, although it did not have the capability to remain docked for the duration of their stay. Between the retirement of the Shuttle in 2011 and the commencement of crewed Dragon flights in 2020, American astronauts exclusively used the Soyuz for crew transport to and from the ISS<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.space.com/13664-nasa-future-space-exploration-progress.html |title=U.S. Human Spaceflight Program Still Strong, NASA Chief Says |last=Chow |first=Denise |date=November 17, 2011 |publisher=Space.com |access-date=July 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625050543/http://www.space.com/13664-nasa-future-space-exploration-progress.html |archive-date=June 25, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> The highest number of people occupying the ISS has been thirteen; this occurred three times during the late Shuttle ISS assembly missions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=8112821&page=1 |title=Space Shuttle, Station Dock: 13 Astronauts Together|last=Potter|first=Ned|date=July 17, 2009|publisher=ABC News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630165148/https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=8112821&page=1 |archive-date=June 30, 2017|access-date=September 7, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
-The ISS program is expected to continue to 2030,<ref>{{Cite tweet|user=SenBillNelson |last=Nelson|first=Bill|number=1075840067569139712 |date=December 20, 2018 |title=Commercial Space Company Bill Announcement|url=https://twitter.com/SenBillNelson/status/}}</ref> after which the space station will be retired and destroyed in a controlled de-orbit.
+The ISS program is expected to continue to 2030,<ref>{{Cite tweet|user=SenBillNelson |last=Nelson|first=Bill|number=1075840067569139712 |date=December 20, 2018 |title=Commercial Space Company Bill Announcement|url=https://twitter.com/SenBillNelson/status/}}</ref> after which the space station will be retired and destroyed in a controlled de-orbit.<ref>{{cite news|last=Foust|first=Jeff|title=NASA asks industry for input on ISS deorbit capabilities|url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-asks-industry-for-input-on-iss-deorbit-capabilities/|date=August 20, 2022|access-date=October 2, 2022|publisher=Space News}}</ref>

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