The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the U.S. government agency responsible for the nation's civilian space exploration, aeronautics, and scientific research. Established in 1958, NASA has led numerous missions to explore space, understand Earth’s climate, and develop aeronautical advancements. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., it has multiple research centers and is known for pioneering projects like the Apollo Moon missions, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Mars Rover expeditions, and the ongoing Artemis program aimed at returning humans to the Moon and eventually reaching Mars.

NASA is actively involved in several international partnerships, notably with the European Space Agency (ESA), Russian Roscosmos, and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The International Space Station (ISS), a collaborative project involving NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, JAXA, and CSA, serves as a microgravity and space research laboratory. NASA's upcoming projects include the Mars Sample Return mission, ongoing work on the James Webb Space Telescope, and ambitious plans for deep space exploration through the Artemis Moon missions.

In October 2024, an old video of Sunita Williams returning from space went viral, falsely suggesting it was her latest return from the International Space Station (ISS). However,

BOOM fact-checked the claim and clarified that Sunita Williams had been on the ISS since June 2024 along with fellow astronaut Barry Wilmore. Initially planned as a 10-day mission, their stay was extended until February 2025 due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner test flight.