60 Amazing NASA Facts | Inverse

October is NASA's Birthday!

On October 1, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was born, approved into existence by then-president Dwight D. Eisenhower. Now, NASA is more than just an organization that throws things and people into space. It’s a beloved symbol of American achievement, international collaboration, and human ingenuity with a rich, often weird history that now spans six decades.

To celebrate NASA’s 60th anniversary, Inverse picked 60 little-known anecdotes to tell from its storied past. Here’s to celebrating the agency’s 120th in 2078 (hopefully by then we’ll be toasting on Mars)!

#space

60. #NASA became operational on October 1, 1958, one year after the Soviets launched the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1.

59. #NASA doesn’t allow regular cookies or bread on the International Space Station. (That’s how you get ants.)

58. The first flag on the moon fell about 10 seconds after being planted due to exhaust from the Eagle lunar module.

57. Everyone knows the phrase “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” but Neil Armstrong didn’t come up with it on the spot when he landed on the moon. NASA had a long discussion about what Armstrong’s first words would be.

56. Today, NASA has one-tenth the proportion of the federal budget it had during the Apollo missions.

55. The Planetary Defense arm of NASA is currently trying to figure out protection from asteroids.

54. It’s illegal for NASA to collaborate with China.

53. For every dollar NASA receives, it returns $7 to $21 back to the American public with its Technology Transfer Program, which brought us memory foam, MRI tech, and cell phone cameras.

52. NASA’s 2019 budget is $19.9 billion.

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About #Inverse

Inverse sparks curiosity about the future. We explore the science of anything, innovations that shape tomorrow, and ideas that stretch our minds. Our goal is to motivate the next generation to build a better world.