"The Birth of NASA-The Diary of T. Keith Glennan" tells the story of the critical formative months of the new agency. The Introduction describes the background of T. Keith Glennan, the first NASA Administrator. After the Introduction, the book continues with Glennan's recollections of NASA from his appointment until the end of 1959. The 13 chapters are written in a diary format covering month-by-months his activities until he left the position in 1961. A Postscript, written in 1963, gives his views on the space program after he left office. A Biographical Appendix gives short sketches of...

(Introduction by G. M. Low) On July 20, 1969, man first set foot on another planet. This "giant leap for mankind'' represented one of the greatest engineering achievements of all time. This article and the others in this document describe and discuss some of the varied tasks behind this achievement. We will limit ourselves to those tasks that were the direct responsibility of the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center: spacecraft development, mission design and mission planning, flight crew operations, and flight operations. We will describe spacecraft design principles, the all-important spacecraft...

This manual was prepared to provide the astronaut with a single source reference as to the characteristics and functions of the SA-503 launch vehicle and the AS-503 manned flight mission. A revision to the manual, incorporating the latest released data on the vehicle and mission, will be released approximately 30 days prior to the scheduled launch date. The manual provides general mission and performance data, emergency detection system information, a description of each stage and the IU, and a general discussion of ground support facilities, equipment, and mission control. A bibliography...

For centuries flight was demonstrated in nature by birds, winged insects, bats, and some squirrels. Men remained earthbound. The 20th century witnessed the birth of practical aviation and the profound impact which flight increasingly imposed upon the ways of mankind. The world has been shrunk in time-distance relationships by the ever-increasing speed, range, and utility of aircraft. Statesmen, scientists, artists, businessmen, and tourists acquired global wings. The art and science of war was revolutionized by airpower and military missilry. While aeronautical progress provided atmospheric...

A chronicle of scientific and technological events in the exploration of space offers useful perspective. To those of us engaged in these activities, it provides an inventory of the crowded kaleidoscope of swift-moving domestic and foreign events. To others interested in space exploration, it helps provide a sense of pace and a clearer awareness of genuine achievements as well as greater things to come. Events of 1961 are mingled with the past and the future. The groundwork of this year's milestones was laid several years ago. The scientific discoveries of Explorers IX, X, and XII; the...

The National Aeronautics; and Space Act defined the national effort in the exploration of space-the largest, most complex research and development effort ever undertaken. It also provided for the continuation of the long tradition of research in aeronautics begun under the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. During the past five years, an immense effort has been set in motion. That this effort has borne fruit is evidenced by the events of the years since the passage of the Act, some of which are recorded in the pages that follow. These events constitute at least a partial record of...

The year 1964, the seventh of the space age, was a year of achievement, especially in space science. It was also a building year in which many components and techniques basic to manned flight capability were proved out. Because of the foundations laid in 1964, we can proceed with more sureness toward the long-duration manned missions, culminating with the moon landing, scheduled for the coming years. The dramatic flight of RANGER VII leads the list of accomplishments. Before crashing into the moon, the satellite snapped more than 4,000 photographs of its surface. Many of the pictures were of...

The 50th anniversary of NASA on 1 October 2008 found an agency in the midst of deep transition. In the closing year of the presidency of George W. Bush, only a month before the presidential election and in the midst of a worldwide economic crisis, the Agency was implementing a new Vision for Space Exploration intended to return humans to the Moon, to proceed onward to Mars, and to study the cosmos beyond. All of this was to be done not with new funding, but by ramping down the Space Shuttle Program that had been the centerpiece of human spaceflight for three decades and ramping up a new...

This chronology is designed to collect in preliminary form pertinent information on aeronautical and space affairs. Future historical research and narratives will of course deepen the process of documentation and enrich perspective on the high velocity of contemporary science and technology, as well as their impact and implications. The volume was prepared from open public sources to provide a reference for future historians and other analysts, scholars, students, and writers. Its detailed index was intended to provide ready access to most specialized needs. The year 1965 recounted by this...

At the opening of the tenth year in the era of man's mobility in outer space, we can look back on 1966 as offering convincing evidence that the United States had gained great competence. This evidence included: five orbital space flights by ten Gemini astronauts; four lunar missions undertaking the orbiting of and soft landing on the moon; numerous contributions to scientific knowledge by unmanned spacecraft and sounding rockets; and further demonstrations of the practical utility of operational space systems, including weather and communications satellites. During 1966, a record 100 American...