While at NASA, Newell drafted the first national plan for unmanned exploration of the moon and planets, developed NASA's procedure for scientific experiment selection, and was responsible for NASA's university programs. His influence peaked in the 1963-1967 period, when his Office of Space Science and Applications (OSSA) operated effectively as a nearly independent space program, not only selecting experiments and contracting for satellites and space probes but also contracting for launch vehicles and acting as the "executive agent" for space launch for other U.S. and allied agencies. The first civil weather, communications, and earth resources satellites date from this period.