5 cool facts about NASA


NASA is one of the coolest organizations on Earth, and they operate at the forefront of space exploration and scientific discovery. Let’s be honest, the whole idea of space travel is pretty rad, and we’re willing to bet that when you were a kid, you knew at least one kid who wanted to be an astronaut.

There’s a good chance you probably know a little about NASA already, but we’re also willing to bet that there are plenty of things you don’t know as well. There are tons of cool things to learn about NASA, and these are 5 of the most awesome ones.

Photo: NASA

1. The Russians are responsible for NASA (kinda)

It’s no secret that the US and the Soviet Union were embroiled in a battle for supremacy stretching all the way from the ‘60s all the way through until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. And it was the fact that the USSR launched the first artificial satellite in 1957 that led to President Eisenhower creating NASA a year later. When Kennedy took to the White House in the ‘60s, NASA began the Space Race.

2. They use lots of gold foil

Gold foil has been used extensively by NASA for a long time, due to the amount of advantages it can provide. It has a high heat capacity and works very well for reflecting light, and it doesn’t tarnish or oxidize. This makes it the perfect choice because of how cost-effective it is. It might seem a waste of money, but in reality, gold foil is actually essential for what NASA uses it for.

3. They sent animals into space

There are a lot of things that have led to this point in the game for NASA, and they are perhaps the leading body for space exploration in the world. However, back in the day, NASA had to work up to the great achievements it has since made. Before sending a man into space, NASA first experimented by sending animals into space. The company has sent up everything from mammals to birds to frogs, and none fared too well.

Photo: NASA

4. NASA invented a ‘space pen’

Back in the day, there was talk of NASA inventing a ‘Space Pen’ which would be able to write upside down in zero gravity. The pen, officially known as the Fisher Space Pen, would write upside down in space and was a step up from the pencils the Russians were seemingly happy with. NASA began work on this pen in the 1960s and was reported to have spent a large amount of money (millions of dollars) creating it.

5. They pay people to do nothing

The rigors of space travel very often involve astronauts having to spend a lot of time doing nothing, and this can take its toll on the mind and body. So NASA commissions people to spend up to 70 days lying in bed and doing literally nothing so they can study the effects, and come up with ways of keeping them healthy.

There are a lot of amazing things to learn about NASA, and it is one of the best and most important agencies in the world. You need to think about how successful NASA has been, and you should look at the different ways in which NASA is changing the world, and what future experiments that will be working toward.

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