Since its establishment in 1958, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has spearheaded a legacy of revolutionary discoveries for mankind... from the first manned Mercury flights in 1961... to the Apollo moon missions... to today's shuttle launches. Explorations "to benefit the quality of life on earth."

"Life," said actor James Garner, "is an endless process of self-discovery."

As we explore and discover, the question remains: is there life beyond earth? The quest to find the answer is NASA's "highest priority," according to former Administrator Daniel S. Goldin, who once called space exploration his "life's passion."

The future of space exploration includes the development of giant telescopes with optical interferometry for distance and accuracy and robotic colonies to set up infrastructure on other planets.

"We want to build colonies on the moon, Mars, the moons of other planets, and even nearby asteroids," Goldin said. "We want to make space tourism and commerce routine."

Named by Defense Business as among the world's top 40 most influential leaders, the visionary Goldin headed the Agency from 1992-2001. With him, NASA reduced spending and increased productivity. For him, every cubic inch of space was filled with endless possibilities... and miracles.

"Reality provides us with facts so romantic," observed science fiction writer Jules Verne, "that imagination itself could add nothing to them."

Every cubic inch of space is a miracle!