Defining Nasa: The Historical Debate Over The Agency's Mission

By W. D. Kay and W.D. Kay

Examines the politics behind the funding of NASA.

Most observers would point to the 1969 Apollo moon landing as the single greatest accomplishment of NASA, yet prominent scientists, engineers, and public officials were questioning the purpose of the U.S. space program, even at the height of its national popularity. Defining NASA looks at the turbulent history of the space agency and the political controversies behind its funding. W. D. Kay examines the agency's activities and behavior by taking into account not only the political climate, but also the changes in how public officials conceptualize space policy. He explores what policymakers envisioned when they created the agency in 1958, why support for the Apollo program was so strong in the 1960s only to fade away in such a relatively short period of time, what caused NASA and the space program to languish throughout most of the 1970s only to reemerge in the 1980s, and, finally, what role the agency plays today.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0791463826
• ISBN13: 9780791463826
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.3" x 8.9"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

It's the Vision Thing

NASA really began it's days in the sun with the space race with the Soviet Union. In October 1957 the Soviet Union launched the first orbiting earth satellite. This was before the United States was even scheduled to launch their first one. Then the Soviet Sputnik was so big. Then the Vanguard rocket NASA was using lifted off, went up beautifully for a few feet then beautifully went back down for several feet before blowing up. Then John Kennedy gave NASA a mission - to take a man to the moon and return him saftly to the earth. It was a beautiful time. The country was filled with pride as one accomplishment after another took us to the moon. Since then it almost seems as if NASA has been floundering. The big question has been between unmanned equipment and sending men up. Another argument centers around the entire concept of a big agency like NASA. For a cost in the $20 million range, Burt Rutan (www.scaled.com) built Space Ship One and successfully flew it into space. NASA couldn't even write a proposal to buy such a ship for $20 million. This book talks about the trouble NASA has had in defining a mission and makes a few guesses about the future.