FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2024-140

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (July 29, 2024) – In this edition of Fun with Maps we recognize a significant moment in space history – NASA.

AIR AND SPACE AVAILABLE FOR EVERYONE

On July 29, 1958, President Eisenhower signed the National Space and Aeronautics Act, creating NASA, which started operation on October 1 later that year.

Although the Russians had launched Sputnik in October of 1957, the US forces sprang into action and quickly caught up.  Unlike the Soviets, the US chose to use a civilian work plan to design and pilot the spacecraft.

NASA is headquartered in Washington, DC, but the most familiar site is the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas which employs over 11,000 of the agency’s 18,000 workers.  The JSC serves as the location of mission control and astronaut training.  From test grounds in California and Mississippi to engineers designing parts in Alabama and Maryland, the research for space travel spans the country.

While many people all over the country work for NASA, the most prized position is very competitive.  The latest astronaut training class had 8 positions and over 6000 applicants.

Here is Mitchell’s map of Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas from 1874.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.