Launching the Future of Flight, The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (Origins)

The predecessor of NASA, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was founded in 1915 with the intent of being an advisory committee that would coordinate research underway elsewhere. It quickly became a leading research organization in the new field of aeronautics, pushing back the boundaries of flight until its transformation into NASA in 1958.

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Founded in 1917, Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory was the first established NACA facility, with only one wind tunnel, two hangars and an initial staff of 11 people. Flight research in the early years was humble. By the time the first wind tunnel began operations, the design was already obsolete. But the next lab influenced the shape of wings for generations to come. The variable density tunnel put Langley at the forefront of aeronautical research, becoming the prototype for subsequent pressurized wind tunnels.

Another breakthrough was the development of protective engine covers. They reduced drag while cooling the engine. An unexpected achievement that defied conventional wisdom. This accomplishment was honored in 1929 with the prestigious Collier Trophy. Langley engineers relentlessly designed cutting edge test facilities and devised practical solutions for problems encountered with flight.

By 1939, there was no more space to build, so expansion moved west. The core group of researchers at new labs across the country came from Langley. At the end of World War Two, the NACA initiated research into rockets and faster than sound flight. Human spaceflight in the United States began at Langley with the Space Task Group, which managed Project Mercury. As the first NASA research center, Langley continues to innovate in aeronautics, space technology, and science.

More than 100 years after its founding.

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