Student Scholarship
Document Type
Research Paper
Abstract
The document explores the historical emergence and administrative development of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration following the 1957 launch of the Soviet Sputnik satellite. This event revealed a significant gap in United States space capabilities and triggered a national security crisis, leading to intense political pressure on the Eisenhower administration to form a centralized space agency. Prior to 1958, American space efforts were fragmented across the armed services and the National Advisory Committee for Astronautics, which lacked the authority to manage large-scale orbital projects.
The legislative process for the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 was characterized by rapid action and jurisdictional debates between the House and Senate. Congressional leaders, particularly Lyndon B. Johnson and John McCormack, played pivotal roles in shaping the bill to ensure civilian control over space exploration while maintaining provisions for military requirements. The resulting Act transformed the research-oriented National Advisory Committee for Astronautics into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, granting it broad powers to coordinate national space policy, manage large-scale industrial contracts, and pursue peaceful international cooperation.
Following its establishment, the agency faced complex organizational challenges, including the integration of various military projects and the transfer of facilities like the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The transition from a research body to an operational agency required new management techniques and increased budgetary oversight by the Executive Office of the President. By the mid-1960s, the agency's primary focus shifted toward the Apollo program and the national goal of a lunar landing. The document concludes that while the agency successfully established a framework for space exploration, there remains a persistent need for long-range planning and more active participation from the social science community to refine national space policy.
Research Highlights
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The Problem: The United States lacked a firm, integrated national space program and a centralized civilian agency to respond to the scientific and psychological challenge posed by the 1957 Soviet launch of Sputnik.
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The Method: This research project analyzes the political emergence and administrative evolution of NASA through interviews with key officials, examination of 1958 Congressional documents, and review of NASA archival materials.
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Quantitative Finding: One per cent of the U.S. Gross National Product was expended on space research and development by 1964; the NASA budget grew to a $5.2 billion appropriation for Fiscal Year 1965; NASA membership exceeded 24,000 personnel within its first two years.
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Qualitative Finding: The NASA Act of 1958 established a civilian-led agency to ensure the peaceful utilization of space while providing for mandatory coordination with the Department of Defense through the National Aeronautics and Space Council.
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Finding: The transition from the National Advisory Committee for Astronautics (NACA) to NASA involved the large-scale transfer of military projects, such as Project Vanguard and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and a shift toward extensive industrial contracting for hardware like the Mercury and Apollo programs.
Publication Date
1-1966
Recommended Citation
Malurkar, Vicky S., "The National Aeronautics and Space Administration: The Politics Behind Its Emergence and Its Role in the Federal Government's Policy Making Apparatus" (1966). Student Scholarship. 136.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/student-research-papers/136
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