The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Most people recognize NASA as the agency responsible for putting Americans on the moon and bringing them home safely by blasting off into space with the programs Space Shuttle, sending magnificent images of planets and stars to Earth via the Hubble Telescope and of the surface of Mars via cameras on the Mars Rover. While all of these descriptions are true, NASA is responsible for many of the familiar objects Americans use in our daily lives. NASA's vision statement reads: "To reach new heights and reveal the unknown so that what we do and learn benefits all humanity" (What), and indeed all humanity benefits daily from the work of NASA. Thanks to research conducted by NASA, we are now able to filter water, use cordless power tools and cell phones, keep our homes safe with smoke detectors, straighten our teeth with invisible braces, and see clearly with eyeglass lenses scratch resistant. We will also be able to measure our baby's temperature with an ear thermometer, then go to sleep comfortably on a memory foam mattress (Conger). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent government agency, so it is not grouped under any other cabinet. , agencies or departments. Major General Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., the administrator of NASA, was appointed and reports directly to the President of the United States. “NASA headquarters is in Washington, DC. The agency has ten field centers and seven testing and research facilities located in different states across the country. More than 18,000 people work for NASA,” (Dunbar1) and many more work with the agency as contractors. Aside from the benefits we as private citizens reap from… half of the document… itedConger, Cristen. “10 NASA Inventions You Could Use Every Day.” Discovery Communications and Web. 08 April 2014. What is NASA? NASA .Dunbar, Brian. "What's next for NASA.gov?" NASAgov NP, 19 November 2012. Web. 08 April 2014 , 25 September 2013. Web. 08 April 2014. "What does NASA do?" NASA, September 2013. Web. 08 April. 2014. .