Created by the National Aeronautics and Space Act in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the United States government that pioneers the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research. NASA also provides important data from its satellite missions to prevent and mitigate the consequences of a natural disaster. NASA focuses on space aviation, exploration, aeronautics, science, engineering, technology, government, robotics, software, and hardware.