On this day in history, July 29, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, sending the United States boldly into territory no man had gone before.
This act established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The act was a direct response to the Soviet Union’s successful launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, in October 1957.
This achievement raised fears in the United States and Western Europe that control of the last borders would be handed over to the Soviet Union.
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Those fears, however real, did not last long.
The founding of NASA established American dominance in space and ushered in an era of exploration unmatched in human history.
President Eisenhower, Hugh Dryden, and T. Keith Grennan, August 19, 1958. Eisenhower (center) swears in Dr. T. Keith Grennan (right) as NASA’s first Administrator and Dr. Hugh Dryden (left) as Deputy Administrator. NASA was established to conduct civilian research into space flight and aeronautics. (Artist NASA) (Heritage Space/Heritage Images via Getty Images)
NASA quickly built on the success of each with the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs.
On July 20, 1969, NASA experienced one of its greatest moments in history when Apollo 11 landed American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, just 11 years after Eisenhower signed the Space Act.
The first manned moon landing was a uniquely American achievement that still amazes us today.
No human has set foot on the moon since the Apollo program ended in 1972.
Apollo 17 Commander Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan salutes the American flag on the Moon during an extravehicular activity (EVA) on NASA’s final lunar landing mission. Behind the flag is the Lunar Module Challenger in the background to the left, and behind him is the Lunar Rover Vehicle (LRV). Cernan was the last human to walk on the Moon with the completion of the Apollo program. (Heritage Space/Heritage Images via Getty Images)
The creation of NASA added to the list of Eisenhower’s greatest accomplishments as first a general and then a president, making him one of the most important figures in American history.
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As Supreme Allied Commander in World War II, Eisenhower skillfully assembled a coalition of American, British, and French leaders despite their clashing egos and contradictory personal and national objectives.
Just before boarding his plane to take part in the initial assault on the European continent, General Eisenhower gave his British paratroopers the order: “Total victory, nothing less.” (U.S. Army Signal Corps photo via The Associated Press)
He led the invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944, known as D-Day, the Normandy landings, arguably the greatest logistical and military feat in human history.
And he led the complete defeat and military collapse of Nazi Germany less than three and a half years after America entered the war.
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His two terms as president (1953-1961) were a period of unprecedented peace, prosperity, and global dominance for the United States.
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Most notably, he ended America’s involvement in the Korean War in 1953, created the United States Interstate Highway System in 1956, and signed the Civil Rights Act in 1957.
Then, in 1958, he launched a bold new era for humanity, this time the exploration of space.
