The driving force of NASA was the launch of the Sputnik on October 4, 1957. Although the United States already had its own satellite plans in place as part of the International Geophysical Year, the Russian events spurred the Space Age, and in particular gave urgency to the founding of an American national space agency. This launch spurred up about many new thoughts about new agencies and the existing ones. There were many questions related to the different fields of work such as military, aeronautical activities, and most of all, what and where certain power lies within this agency and its relationships that correspond with it. On April 2, Eisenhower sent the draft legislation to Congress establishing the "National Aeronautics and Space Agency." At the behest of Eilene Galloway, who worked for the Congressional Research Service and served as a consultant to both Senator Johnson and Congressman McCormack during the drafting of the final Space Act, the name was changed to "National Aeronautics and Space Administration," and President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law on July 29, 1958.
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