The NACA and NASA

In the USA, aircraft development as well as aeronautical research languished after 1910. On March 3, 1915, an act of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was created by Congress.

The committee immediately noted that a single advisory group of 12 members was not sufficient to breathe life into U.S. Aeronautics. Their insight is apparent in the letter of submittal for the 1^st annual report of the NACA in 1915.

On July 29, 1958, by another act of Congress (Public Law 85-568), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was born. At this same moment, the NACA came to an end. Its programs, people and facilities were instantly transferred to NASA, lock, stock, and barrel. However, NASA was a larger organization than just the old NACA.

Reference: Introduction to flight by John D. Andreson, Jr.