Date-Andrew Hardy

On October 1st 1958 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration came into existence, absorbing the previous National Advisory Council or Aeronautics. NASA's impact upon the world is vastly under-appreciated. The most famous programs, such as the Project Apollo (lunar landing), the ISS, Hubble telescope, and the Mars rover, have done a tremendous amount for research and various fields for science. One of the most important elements of the scientific method is the ability to be tested again and again.
Space exploration provides fields with practical experimentation of the laws of physics and natural life. Because of exploration outside of our world, we are able to have a greater understanding of our own world. NASA has helped invent baby formula, cellphone cameras, MRI's, UV blocking sunglasses, and water filters, to name a few. As if this practical and technical application were not enough to justify the importance of NASA, there are incorporeal bonuses from the discovery of new frontiers.  That push towards the unknown is essential to the human spirit. Entire genres of media have been created because of the work of NASA. I'd even argue that a more intangible contribution can be brought to America. When children first push against what is possible and impossible, NASA stands as a shining example of the diminishment of the impossible.