SPACE Q AND A Q What does NASA do A NASA is the U S agency responsible for science and technology related to air and space
A young Neil Armstrong is dressed in his marching band uniform
Mad for model planes Armstrong loved designing and building model planes as a child because it taught him about the science of aviation He was always more interested in reading model aircraft magazines than in the science fiction comics that many American boys enjoyed in the 1950s
SENDING MEN TO THE MOON While Armstrong tested rocket-powered aircraft on Earth the Soviet Union sent the first rocket into space The 1957 launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik 1 stunned the Americans It meant the Soviets had the technology to fire a long range missile into the United States This triggered the competition between the two nations that became known as the Space Race In 1958 the Americans launched their own satellite Explorer 1 into space The Soviets responded in 1961 by sending the first man into space Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1 This news was a terrible blow for the U S space program Once again the Soviets had trumped the Americans
