National aeronautics and space administration (nasa): background, issues, bibliography

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is that rare bureaucratic creation, an organization admired and respected by most people. Created in 1958 following the Russian launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, NASA oversees commercial space programs and research on space, the Solar System and the Universe.

PART I: Description, Mission, History, Issues, PART II: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration'' FY2000 Budget and FY2000-FY2002 Authorization: Description and Analysis, NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Space Launch Vehicles: Government Activities, Commercial Competition, and Satellite Exports, Space Stations, Military Space Activities: Highlights of the Rumsfeld Commission Report and Key Organization and Management Issues, Commonly Used Acronyms and Program Names in the Space Program, Space Launch Vehicles: Development of New U.S. Systems, An Overview of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, PART III: Bibliography, Index