Should note that NASA's predecessor, NACA predates the USAF, the original funding bill for NACA was actually passed in 1915, and had as a general mission to study all problems associated with aeronautics.

This also meant they were up and running even before the Army Air Service really got off the ground. So you have this body that for 40 years by the 50's had been tasked with studying aeronautical exploration, and thus trying to go higher and faster for science.

The Air Force is tasked with a combat oriented goal, it is in general a different task and not all together a smart move to put your military in control of your scientific exploration, tends to skew results and goals.

There is an interesting history behind NASA and the US Air Force. Also, DBH touched upon why having the Air Force in charge of space exploration is a bad idea, and I'd like to give a little background as to why.

If we want to truly understand why NACA (and eventually NASA) was a separate entity from the Air Force, we must first look at the leadership and strategic goals of the US military at that time. The birth of Atomic Diplomacy, which would soon give way to Nuclear Brinkmanship, fueled the Arms Race of the 1950's and 1960's, and founded the Military-Industrial complex that President Eisenhower brought to the public's attention in his farewell address in 1961. In fact, the U.S. military discovered that even the mere suggestion of a Soviet technological advancement, no matter how insignificant or outlandish, fueled public paranoia and filled the coffers of the Armed Forces. This practice became so widespread that it has since been referred to as "policy by press release" and is still an effective way to garner public support for drastic military action.

As America emerged from the end of World War 2, public paranoia turned from the Nazis and the Japanese to the Soviets. Government officials demanded leaders who could keep the Soviets in check, while the public needed leaders they could trust. The warrior spirit was rife throughout post-war America, and who better to fend off the Soviets than a war hero. The Cold War became very real in 1948 during the Berlin Blockade, and a solution was needed immediately. The right man for the job was the 20 year Air Force veteran General Curtis LeMay, who commanded several Bomb Groups and Bomber Commands during World War 2 and was instrumental in the firebombing campaigns of Japan during the final years of WW 2. General LeMay orchestrated the largest aerial resupply in history, a task which lasted over 15 months and hundreds of thousands of sorties.

In 1948, following the success of the airlift (which was still in progress up to that point) LeMay was promoted to the head of Strategic Air Command (SAC), and under his direction, the SAC transitioned from a handful of barely operational B-29's to a bomber force of over 2,000 ultra long range heavy bombers. LeMay, who was the foremost proponent of strategic pinpoint bombing as a means of Atomic Diplomacy and Nuclear Deterrence, championed the use of nuclear weapons, long range bombers ( (such as the [B-29] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress), the [B-52] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress) and for good measure, the Soviet equivalent [Tu-95] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-95).) and constant vigilance to flex America's military arm and extend her reach to Moscow's front door. Using the policy by press release to build his armada ([Bomber Gap] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomber_gap)) LeMay was able to establish round the clock, round the world patrols of nuclear armed bomber squadrons ready to strike at a moments notice ([Operation Chrome Dome] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chrome_Dome)).

Now lets turn our attention to that tiny little organization known as NACA, the predecessor of NASA. While LeMay and the Bomber Boys were walking not softly and carrying nuclear tipped sticks, NACA was playing in the sandbox, trying to push the limits of jet engines and rocket technology. NACA was also reaping the rewards of [Operation Paperclip] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip), working in conjunction with the Army Ballistic Missile Agency and their technical director, Wernher von Braun, on ballistic missile and rocket development. So while the Air Force is dumping money into their bombers, the Army is funding the Redstone Missile program for the development of vehicle platforms to deliver nuclear bombs, directed by a man who dreams of pioneering space exploration. The Navy, not to be outdone in rocket and missile research, was funding a similar program by the name of Project Vanguard.

Fast forward to 1955, when all 3 branches of the military submitted proposals to the US Department of Defense, detailing the delivery of a satellite into orbit during the International Geophysical Year. In August of that year, the DOD decided on the winning proposal and subsequent contract: the NAVY. This was due in part to the Army's unreliable tests of the Juno rocket prototype and nonexistence of an Air Force prototype (the Atlas rocket was years behind schedule). Also, the Army relied on military missiles (Juno was a modified Redstone missile) whereas the Navy used rockets with nonmilitary functions. Finally, the Navy proposal was all inclusive, whereas the Army project only described the missile platform as a vehicle for a satellite (to be designed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory) which would be tracked by the Navy.

The developmental phase of Project Vanguard went smoothly, until October 4, 1957, when Russia [catapulted] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-7_Semyorka) Sputnik 1 into orbit. Less than a month later, Sputnik 2 catapulted Laika into the cosmos, along with a payload that totaled just over 1,100 pounds. Demoralized, the Vanguard team attempted to launch their rocket (with a puny 3 pound satellite) on December 6th, which resulted in the rocket exploding on the pad. To add insult to injury, the entire scene played out on live television.

The response in the scientific, defense, and political communities was swift and desperate. The race to get an American satellite into space reached a fever pitch, which resulted in renewed efforts by the Army and their Redstone Project. Finally, on January 31, 1958, the U.S. sent it's first satellite into space, using a modified ballistic missile to throw a 31 pound satellite into orbit.

What followed was the Space Race, fueled mainly by the Arms Race (excuse the pun) to launch heavier objects farther into the cosmos. NACA was dissolved and reformed into NASA in 1958, with the sole intent of exploring space via a CIVILIAN space program. Using a civilian space program was a calculated decision by Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy, who recognized that outer space could potentially become the next Cold War battleground if the US military were given the opportunity.

Finally, I'll leave you with this: When discussing this response with one of my colleagues, he jokingly responded with "Air Force sending men to space don't make no dang sense; there ain't no air in space."