<Tr> <Th> Jurisdiction </Th> <Td> Federal government of the United States </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Headquarters </Th> <Td> Greenbelt, MD </Td> </Tr> <P> Goddard Space Flight Center is NASA's first, and oldest, space center . It is named after Dr. Robert H. Goddard, the father of modern rocketry . Throughout its history, the center has managed, developed, and operated many notable missions, including the Cosmic Background Explorer, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Solar Dynamics Observatory . </P> <P> On July 29, 1958, President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration . When it began operations on October 1, 1958, NASA consisted mainly of the four laboratories and some 80 employees of the government's 46 - year - old research agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). </P>

Who is the goddard space center named after