What does the letter 'S' stand for in 'NASA'?

The story behind the answer

The "S" in NASA stands for Space. NASA is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. agency responsible for civil space exploration and research in flight within Earth’s atmosphere (aeronautics) and beyond it (space).

Created in 1958 during the Space Race, NASA has led landmark missions—from Apollo Moon landings and the Shuttle era to Mars rovers, the James Webb Space Telescope, and the planned Artemis lunar return. To remember the name, think: N-A-S-A = National, Aeronautics, Space, Administration. Or picture a rocket leaving Earth: aeronautics covers the air; once it breaks free, you’re in NASA’s “S” domain—Space.