The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the United States' civil space program, as well as research in aeronautics and space. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NASA operates ten field centers across the US and is organized into three mission directorates: Human Spaceflight, Research and Technology, and Scien The Ranger Program started in the 1950s as a response to Soviet lunar exploration; however, most early missions ended in failure. The Lunar Orbiter program achieved greater success, mapping the surface in preparation for Apollo landings, conducting meteoroid detection, and measuring radiation levels. The Surveyor program conducted uncrewed lunar landings and takeoffs, capturing surface and regolith observations. Despite the tragic setback caused by the Apollo 1 fire, which killed three astronauts, the lunar program proceeded. Apollo 8 was the first crewed spacecraft to leave low Earth orbit and the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon. The crew orbited the Moon ten times on December 24 and 25, 1968, before returning safely to Earth. The three Apollo 8 astronauts—Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders—were the first humans to see the Earth as a globe in space, the first to witness an Earthrise, and the first to manually photograph the far side of the Moon. The first lunar landing was achieved by Apollo 11. Commanded by Neil Armstrong alongside astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, Apollo 11 was one of the most historically significant missions in NASA's history, effectively ending the Space Race as the Soviet Union subsequently scaled back its lunar ambitions. Becoming the first human to step on the surface of the Moon, Neil Armstrong uttered his now famous words: The NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) is responsible for procurement of launch services for NASA uncrewed missions and oversight of launch integration and launch preparation activity, providing added quality and mission assurance to meet program objectives. Since 1990, NASA has purchased expendable launch vehicle launch services directly from commercial providers, whenever possible, for its scientific and applications missions. Expendable launch vehicles can accommodate all types of orbit inclinations and altitudes and are ideal vehicles for launching Earth-orbit and interplanetary missions. LSP operates from Kennedy Space Center and falls under the NASA Space Operations Mission Directorate (SOMD).