NASA was established in 1958 in response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik. It led early spaceflight missions like Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo, which landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. NASA developed the Space Shuttle program in the 1980s and helped build the International Space Station beginning in 1998. NASA conducts aeronautics research and collaborates with international partners on projects exploring Earth science, the solar system, and enabling commercial space activities.