Nirmala Nataraj is a New York based writer and editor with a background in science writing-particularly cosmology, ecology, and molecular biology-and a focus on the visual and performing arts. She is the author of Earth and Space. NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration), established in 1958, is the U.S. government's agency of scientific research, technological development, and exploration in space. NASA is responsible for unique scientific and technological achievements in human space flight, aeronautics, and space science that have had widespread impacts on the world.