Images of shuttle launches and earthrise over the rim of the moon are iconic representations of American strength, technical capacity, and the future of humankind. Yet, the agency responsible for these images, NASA, finds itself chronically underfunded, buffeted by changes in externally defined direction, and currently without a clear next mission. This raises questions about the place of the agency in American space science and engineering. Here NASA’s relations with its aerospace contractors are explored to uncover its changing roles vis-à-vis industry, from directive to adaptive to facilitative, and the impact of these contracting relations on agency program definition.