After the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, by the Soviet space program on October 4, 1957, the attention of the United States turned to its own effort towards space. The United States Congress, alarmed by a possible threat to national security and its technological leadership ("Sputnik crisis"), made a quick move, but President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his advisers advised more thoughtful measures. Several months of debate produced a consensus that a new federal agency was needed to organize civilian activities in space.
Successful launching of Sputnik I by the Soviet Union led to direct formation of NASA in America. Congress passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which created NASA in 1958. Sputnik became the first artificial satellite in the world to go to Space. The Sputnik I was a technological success with its size, caught the world attention, especially Americans who were astonished.
