Tonight, I called on Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton to back meaningful gun safety reforms. It doesn't matter who you support in this race—meaningful gun reform is something we should all fight for. Read my full remarks here: http://omly.us/1jID6LR

Tonight, I called on Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton to back meaningful gun safety reforms. It doesn't matter who you support in this race—meaningful gun reform is something we should all fight for. Read my full remarks here: http://omly.us/1jID6LR

NASA becomes operational, October 1, 1958

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) began managing the United States space exploration program on October 1, 1958.

NASA's stated vision is: To reach for new heights and reveal the unknown so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind.

When NASA became operational, it replaced the US National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) agency. NACA had been founded in 1915 to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research.

NACA had been experimenting with rocket planes such as the Bell X-2 in the 1950s. However, when the Soviets launched the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, on October 4, 1957, the attention of the United States turned toward its own space efforts.