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DECEMBER1960

NATIONALAERONAUTICSAND SPACEADMINISTRATION
MSFC Historical Monograph No. 1

HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF THE GEORGE C. MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER

by

David S. Akens

MSFC Historian

Historical Office

Office of Management Services

George C. Marshall Space Flight Center

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMTNISTRATION

Huntsville, Alabama

December 1960
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-ii-
FOREWORD

The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the latest complex to

join the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Although NASA

as a governmental agency is young, it is composed of many research and

development organizations whose roots go deep into the history of rocket

propulsion and missile technology. We at Huntsville are proud of the

contributions our scientists and engineers have made in apply_g their

missile _owledge and e_erience to the development and advancement of

astronautics.

We hope that this volume will help acq_int ot_rs with the historical beginning and traditions of the Marshall Space Flight Center. Like

rocket_ itself, the late Genera] of the Army G_orge C. Mars_ll was

first reco_ized in _r but later achieved world stature and lasting

fame as a man of peace. Our gro_ was once a part of the U. S. Army's

famed Army Ballistic Missile Agency at the Redstone Arsenal; now our

responsibilities have been tu_ed away from the military and focused on

the fascinating problems of the e_loration and scientific investigation

of space. Our present responsibilities at Huntsville in the e_loration

and scientific investigation of space inspire us to continued hard work

as we make our c_tribution to the greater history ahead for the entire

NASA organization. Our missions here _ Huntsville inspire us to work

even more diligently as we make our contributions to the future history

of _n's conquest of the solar s_..

Wether yon Braun

Director

-iii-
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter

E

E1

EEI

EV

V

VE

Foreword ....................

Table of Contents ...............

Table of Ellustrations .............

Table of Appendices ..............

Preface ....................

Historical Highlights .............

Prior to Redstone Arsenal ...........

At Redstone Arsenal ..............

The Army Ballistic Missile Agency .......

The Transfer to NASA ..............

Organization and Missions ...........

Appendices ...................

Pa_a 

iii

iv

v

vi

vii

1

23

36

41

67

81

94

-iv-
TABLE OF ILLUSTRATIONS

J

Pa e

Dedication of George C. Marshall

Space Flight Center ............. Frontispiece

Flight of V-2 at White Sands ............ 31

Explorer I ..................... 46

Fourth U. S.-IGY Space Probe ............ 53

Famous Monkey Able ................. 55

Explorer VII .................... 57

Saturn Booster at Redstone Arsenal ......... 59

Saturn at the Test Stand .............. 62

Static Firing of Saturn Booster ........... 64

Palaemon ...................... 66

ABMA Scientists ................... 70

ABMA Organization Chart ............... 72

Transfer of Development Operations

Division to MSFC .................. 82

MSFC Organization Chart ............... 84

Project Mercury ................... 88

President Eisenhower Tours Plant Area ........ 90

Responsible Officials in Formation of MSFC ..... 93

_ -v-
TABLE OF APPENDICES

Ae

B_

C.

D.

Ee

F°

Memorandum for the President, "Responsibility and Organization for

Certain Space Activities"

Agreement Between the Department of the Army and NASA on the

Objectives and Guidelines for the Implementation of the

Presidential Decision to Transfer a Portion of ABMA to NASA

Army-NASA Transfer Plan

George C. Marshall Space Flight Center: Functions of Divisions and

Launch Operations Directorate

Message of Welcome Extended President Dwight D. Eisenhower by

Honorable John Patterson, Governor of Alabama

Remarks by President Eisenhower at the Dedication of the George C.

Marshall Space Flight Center

-vi-
PREFACE

The development of rocket propulsion and the writing of history both

go back into antiquity. Rocketry began centuries ago as a weapon of war.

The recording of history antedates Thucydides. The art and science of

rocketry and of history seem to have some methodological similarities.

Both are called "scientific" in that they are both constrained by the

dictates of objectivity and the application of proved knowledge. The

recording and analysis of history needs to be as accurate and reliable

as the science and technology of rocketry itself.

The historical background involving ideas, hardware, people, and

facilities at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is one of

general interest to all Americans. It is to many an important story.

It spans three decades, beginning in Germany, transferring to North

America, and now extending to the Universe itself. It is a history

featuring such earthly landmarks as Peene_dnde, Fort Bliss, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, White Sands, Redstone Arsenal, and the Army Ballistic

Missile Agency, the antecedents of what is now George C. Marshall Space

Flight Center. Its future history will be concerned with the Moon and

nearby planets.

This first historical monograph concludes with the official

dedication of MSFC by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It seems axiomatic

that some points in this record my be subject to differing interpretations to some readers. All human beings are historians to greater or

lesser degree. Also, many points in this history involve intimate

-vii-
memories of people in MSFC, and thus are subject to minute analysis.

Thus, this volume is documented. The author assumes responsibility for

the selectivity and authority of the documents utilized, and would suggest

that footnotes are worthwhile stepping stones for the stimulated or

curious reader.

In the final analysis, if this history is read and creates interest,

it will serve a worthy purpose. For knowledge and curiosity are indivisible: the same curious mind that,looks to the future is also well

informed about the past.

In the preparation of this manuscript the indispensible efforts of

Dr. Eugene M. Erm_e, NASA Historian, and Helen T. Wells, Editorial Clerk

in the MSFC Historical Office, are gratefully acknowledged, as well as

the support of many past and present colleagues in A]_IA and MSFC. Not

all can be mentioned here, but the following must be named, first from

AOMC: Lieutenant Colonel J. E. Aber, Control Office; James L. Daniels,

Jr., Research and Development Operations; James H. Draughon, Control

Office; James M. Grimwood, Historical Division; Helen Brents Joiner,

Historical Office; Robert A. Smith, III, Control Office; and Walter

Wiesman, Personnel Office.

Special thanks within HSFC go to John Bensko, Research Projects

Division; Foster Haley, Public Information Office; J. R. McMenemy,

Office of Management Services; T. F. Morring, Saturn Systems Office;

D. M. Morris, Office of the Director; Erich Neubert, Office of the

Director; Frederick I. Ordway, III, Space Systems Information Branch;

-viii-
Robert Purdie, Test Division; and V. C. Sorensen, Office of Management

Services.

The offices of the various programs at Marshall Space Flight Center

have reviewed and approved sections concerning their activities.

Sizable portions of this history have been read and approved by the

Center's Office of Deputy Director for Research and Development, Office

of Deputy Director for Administration, Office of the Chief of Management

Services, Office of Space Systems Information Branch, as well as the

offices of Research and Development and the Historical Division of the

Army Ballistic Missile Agency. Other portions have been reviewed and

accepted by the Center Public Information Office, the Missile Test

Facility Branch of the Test Division, and the offices of Deputy Director

for Agena and for Centaur.

D. S. A.

-ix-
CHAPTERI: HISTORICALHIGHLIGHTS

This chapter chronicles major events antedating the establishment

of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center. The selection of

historical highlights is always arbitrary to a certain extent. Even a

long list of events cannot ever be fully definitive. MSFC, however, has

long historical roots, and many of the accomplishments of its leading

personnel as well as their contributions to other programs are rather

well known.

Although some of the personnel of MSFC have participated in rocketry

since the early 1930's, this chronology begins with the impetus provided

in World War II, both in the United States and abroad. Other references

will cover the period prior to World War II.

-i-
July 1

October

1939

Rocket Research Project was formed under Dr. Theodore

von K_rm_n at Cal Tech. This project became the

nucleus of the nation's first center devoted to

the research and development of propulsion systems.

German scientists successfully fired and recovered

A-5 development rockets with gyroscopic controls

and parachutes, attaining altitude of 71⁄2 miles and

a range of II miles.

July

July

October 6

NovemberDecember

During 1941

1941

First successful U. S. jet-assisted take-off accomplished in an Ercoupe at March Field by Lt. Homer

A. Boushey, with pressed powder--propellant JATO

rockets developed by Cal Tech.

Navy initiated development of Mousetrap, shipbased

7.2-inch mortar-fired bomb which became first USN

rocket placed into fleet action, in May 1942.

Redstone Ordnance Plant was activated at Huntsville,

Alabama.

- Russians used AA rockets against Luftwaffe aircraft

in defense of Moscow and air-to-air rockets on

their Stormovik 11-4 fighters.

- Project ORDCIT began at California Institute of

Technology under the direction of Dr. von K_rm_n.

April 7--24

June 13

October 3

1942

- Douglas A-20A completed 44 successive take-offs using

liquid propellant JATO, developed by Cal Tech's

Frank S. Malina.

- First test of the German A-4 (V-2) rocket at

Peenem'_nde was unsuccessful.

- First successful launch and flight of the 51⁄2-ton

German V-2 at Peenem'_nde traveled 120 miles.

-2-
February 26

May-June

July

August 17-18

September

November

1943

Redstone Ordnance Plant at Huntsville, Alabama, was

redesignated Redstone Arsenal.

Germans operationally test-fired 750 V-2's from

Blizna, Poland, launching as many as i0 a day.

Serious training of units for field employment of

V-2 began at Peenem_nde. In January 1944, operational command of V-2 operations was given to

Gen. Richard Metz, leaving Gen. Dornberger in charge

of V-2 development.

Royal Air Force attacked Germany's Peenem_nde Rocket

Research Center, causing heavy damage and delaying

V-weapon program by weeks or months.

German production of A-4's (V-2's) for research purposes reached approximately 20 rockets per month.

Theodore von K_rm_n of JPL submitted proposal to Army

Ordnance for developing long-range surface-tosurface missiles.

February

May 31

June 13

June 22

September 8

November i

1944

Army Ordnance and AAF initiated development of surfaceto-air high-altitude supersonic guided missile,

which subsequently became XSAM-A-7 Nike I.

- First launching of the experimental VB-7 vertical

bomb, incorporating television.

- The first German V-l's were launched from France against

England, with four of the eleven striking London.

- U. S. Army Ordnance awarded to California Institute of

Technology a contract for research and engineering on

long-range rockets and their launching equipment.

- First German V-2's fell on England.

- Cal Tech's Rocket Research Center was reorganized and

renamed the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

-3-
1944

(continued)

November

December 1-16

December

- Army Ordnance initiated Hermes program for research

and development of ballistic missiles.

- Twenty-four Private-A rockets were test-fired at

Camp Irwin, California.

- Army Ordnance made plans under the Hermes program to

study the German V-2 missile.

January 24

January 31

February 8

February 20

March

April 1-13

April

June 25

1945

Germans successfully launched A-9, a winged prototype

of the first ICl_i (the A-10) designed to reach

North America. A-9 reached a peak altitude of

nearly 50 miles and a maximum speed of 2,700 m.p.h.

- U. S. Army Office of Chief of Ordnance (OCO) authorized

Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. to begin study on

an anti-aircraft missile system, the Nike.

- U. S. Army Corps of Engineers issued Real Estate

Directive 4279 to acquire land for a rocket proving

ground in the Fort Bliss, New Mexico, area.

- The Secretary of War approved Ordnance plans for the

establishment of the White Sands Proving Ground (WSPG),

New Mexico.

- Project Paperclip to recruit German missile scientists

was initiated in the Pentagon.

- Seventeen rounds of Private-F rockets were fired at

Hueco Range, Fort Bliss, Texas.

At time of German collapse, more than 20,000 V-weapons,

V-l's and V-2's, had been fired. Although figures

vary, best estimate is that 1,115 V-2 ballistic

rockets had been successfully fired against England

and 1,675 against continental targets.

- Construction began at White Sands Proving Ground.

-4-
1945

(continued)

July 4

July 9

July i0

July 13

August

September 20

September 26

September 27

October ii

October

December i0

Baby Wac rocket, one-fifth scale model of Wac Corporal

proposal, flight tested at Camp Irwin by JPL.

WSPG was established as a Class IV activity under the

control of the Army's Chief of Ordnance.

- Blockhouse construction began at White Sands Proving

Ground.

- White Sands Proving Ground was activated.

Components for approximately i00 V-2 ballistic missiles

were shipped from Germany to White Sands Proving

Ground.

- Wernher von Braun and six other key German rocket

scientists arrived in the United States, under Project

Paperclip.

- An altitude of 431⁄2 miles was reached by the first Wac

Corporal, whose booster was a modified Tiny Tim

rocket. This was the first U. S. liquid-propellant

rocket developed with government funds.

- The first firing of a Wac dun_ny (Round I) occurred at

WSPG.

- First firing of a full Wac Corporal (Wac-A) at WSPG

attained an altitude of 235,000 feet.

Secretary of War Patterson approved plan to bring top

German scientists to U. S. to aid military research

and development.

Fifty-five German specialists arrived at Fort Bliss,

Texas, and White Sands Proving Ground, where they

were joined by the first seven specialists headed

by Wernher yon Braun.

-5-
1946

January 16

January

Mmrch O

March 15

March 22

April I

May 8

June 14

June 28

September 17

September 26

U. S. upper atmosphere research program was initiated

with captured German V-2 rockets. A V-2 panel of

representatives of various interested agencies was

created, and a total of more than 60 V-2's were

fired before the supply ran out.

First missile launched aL Naval Air Facility, Point

Mugu, California, was a KVW-I Loon, USN name for

AAF KIFW-I robot bomb modeled on the German V-I.

The Department of the Interior issued to the War

Department a permit authorizing use of White Sands

National Monument area as an "experimental bombing

1!

range.

V-2 No. 1 was static fired at WSPG.

First American rocket to escape earth's atmosphere

(the Wac) reached 50-mile height after launch from

WSPG.

Bell Aircraft Corp. contracted with the AAF to produce

a 100-mile guided missile, later designated the

Rascal.

Chief of Naval Operations directed BuAer to make

preliminary investigation af _arth satellite vehicle,

such an investigation to "contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of guided missiles,

cormnunications, meteorology, and other technical

fields with military applications."

The U. S. Navy established the U. S. Naval Ordnance

Missile Test Center at WSPG.

First V-2 rocket fully instrumented by NRL for upperair research was launched from WSPG and attained a

height of 67 miles.

WSPG static tested the motor and propellant equipment

for the Nike R&/) System.

WSPG first test-fired an experimental booster for the

Nike R&/) System.

-6-
1946

(c ont inued)

October 24

December 5

December 17

V-2 rocket No. 13 carried a camera which took motion

pictures of the earth at approximately 65 miles

altitude. The coverage wa_ an estimated 40,000

square miles.

V-2 No. 16 at WSPG impacted a record-breaking IIi.I

miles from point of firing.

WSPG fired V-2 No. 17, first night firing of a V-2 in

the United States. The flight was successful, the

V-2 reaching, a record-making altitude of 116 miles.

1947

January 23

February 17

February 17

February 20

May 22

May 29

- Telemetry operated successfully for the first time in

a V-2 firing.

- Final test firing of Tiny Tim booster occurred at WSPG.

- A Wac Corporal (Wac B) attained an_titude of 240,000

feet at WSPG.

V-2 No. 20 was first of a series of flights known as

"Blossom Project," requested by the Air Material

Conmmnd for purposes of testing ejection of a canister and recovery by parachute. The flight also

tested fruit flies and various types of seeds exposed

to cosmic rays of the upper atmosphere.

The first Corporal E round was fired at WSPG. This

was the first launching of a surface-to-surface

guided missile guided by radar ground-control.

A modified V-2 landed 11⁄2 miles south of Juarez, Mexico,

narrowly missing an ammunition dump maintained by a

mining company, and the result was new safety measures

at WSPG. The malfunction occurred because the modified V-2 carried four Ramjet intake nozzles around

the nose cone, and this caused the coasting.

-7-
1947

(continued)

June 20

September 6

Army Ordnance established the Bumper project for

development of a two-stage missile (German V-2 and

modified Wac Corporal).

Army Ordnance cooperated with the Navy in an experimental firing of a V-2 from the deck of the

U. S. S. Midway.

1948

March 18

May 13

June Ii

July 26

September 15

September 16

V-2 Upper Atmosphere Research Panel, representing all

U. S. interested agencies, was renamed the Upper

Atmosphere Rocket Resemrch Panel.

A Bumper=Wac fired at WSPG was the first two-stage

rocket to be launched in the Western Hemisphere.

WSPG made the first of a series of V-2 launches known

as "Albert," named after the monkey used in the first

flight. Indications were that the monkey died of

suffocation.

Two separate rockets fired from White Sands, one a

V-2 which reached an altitude of 60.3 miles, the

other a Navy Aerobee which reached an altitude of

70 miles, carried cameras which photographed the

curvature of the earth.

Committee on Guided Missiles of the Research and

Development Board approved recommendation that Army

Hermes project "be given the task of providing the

National Military Establishment with a continuing

analysis of the long-range rocket problem as an

expansion of their task on an Earth Satellite

Vehicle."

WSPG became a Class II activity by authority of

Department of the Army General Order 59.

-8-
1949

February 24

June 6

October 28

December 12

Bumper-Wac No. 5 sent its upper stage to a height of

approximately 244 miles and a speed of 5,510 miles

per hour, the greatest velocity and altitude yet

reached by a man-made object.

- Albert II was the second V-2 flight carrying a live

monkey, the monkey dying on impact.

The Secretary of the Army approved the transfer to

Huntsville, Alabama, of WSPG rocket scientists and

their equipment.

Albert IV was the last monkey sent aloft in a series

of V-2 tests at WSPG. The successful flight indicated

no ill effects on monkey Albert until his death on

impact of the V-2.

1950

March 21

April i

May 3

May 19

June 28

June

July i

The U. S. Army Adjutamt General ordered transfer of

the missile personnel headed by Wernher yon Braun

from White Sands to Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.

- The German missile personnel headed by Dr. von Braun

were moved from WSPG to Redstone Arsenal,

Alabama.

- The Honest John system was initiated by Army Ordnance.

- The first Hermes A-I test rocket was fired at WSPG.

- The last firing of 52 V-2's fired at WSPG and Florida

Missile Testing Range.

VfR, the German Rocket Society disestablished by Hitler

in 1933, passed resolution calling for international

conference of all astronautical societies.

The Lacrosse surface-to-surface guided missile project,

begun by Naval Ordnance in 1947, was transferred to

the Department of the Army by Joint Chiefs of Staff.

-9-
1950

(continued)

July 24

July 29

August 31

October 26

December

Bumper No. 8, a German V-2 with a 700-pound Army-JPL

Wac Corporal, was fired from Long-Range Proving

Ground at Cape Canaveral; the first-stage V-2

climbed I0 miles, separated from the second-stage

Corporal which traveled 15 more miles. This was the

first missile launch from Cape Canaveral.

The Bumper No. 7, consisting of a V-2 first stage and

Wac Corporal second stage, reached the highest velocity (Mach 9) attained by a man-made object to that

date. The firing took place at Long-Range Proving

Ground, Florida, the second launch at the Cape.

V-2 No. 51 carried the last of five Aero-Medical

Laboratory experiments. The first four of these

experiments, known as the Albert series, had carried

anaesthetized monkeys. This last flight carried a

non-anaesthetized mouse photographed by a camera.

The film survived the impact, though the mouse did

not.

- The Army contracted with Douglas Aircraft Company for

design, development, fabrication, and flight testing

of rockets having Honest John specifications.

Construction started at Grand Bahama Island for the

first tracking station on the Florida Missile Test

Range, later the Atlantic Missile Range.

1 9 5 1

January 16

May 16

Air Force established Project M_X-1593 (Project Atlas),

study phase for an intercontinental missile. Contract

was given Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft on January 23.

An Army Field Forces Board report called for a surfaceto-air missile system featuring "homing-all-the-way"

guidance; Project Hawk was the result of this report.

-i0-
1951

(continued)

June 22

June 30

August 7

September 20

October i0

October 29

October 31

JPL fired the first of a series of 3,544 Loki missiles

at WSPG, the program ending after September 1955

with a record of the most rounds fired in ten years

at WSPG.

- Army contract with General Electric terminated, after

67 rockets were assembled and tested at WSPG.

A Navy Viking 7 rocket set an altitude record for

single-stage rockets, climbing to 136 miles and

reaching a _peed of 4,100 m.p.h., at White Sands.

USAF made first successful recovery of animals from a

rocket flight when a monkey and ii mice survived an

Aerobee flight to an altitude of 236,000 feet.

WSPG fired the Corporal E No. ii, which has existed

since then as the basic configuration of the Corporal

tactical missile.

Firing of sixty-sixth V-2 at White Sands Proving Ground

concluded U. S. use of these German missiles in

upper-atmosphere rocket research.

Responsibility for Hermes II activity was transferred

to the Ordnance Guided Missile Center at Redstone

Arsenal, with Hermes II redesignated the RVA-A-3

test vehicle.

1952

February 15

February 25

March

- Flight Determination Laboratory was established at

WSPG.

Nike I (the tactical Nike) was first test-fired at

WSPG, although the Nike Firing Program had started

in mid-summer 1946.

f

- Theodore von Karman was named Chairman of NATO's

Advisory Group for Aeronautical Research and

Development.

-Ii-
1952

(continued)

July 22 - First production-line Nike made successful flight.

1953

June 5

August 20

- A missile was fired from the underground launcher

installation constructed by the Army Corps of

Engineers at WSPG.

- The first successful firing of the Army's Redstone

missile was achieved by Redstone Arsenal (RSA)

personnel at Cape Canaveral.

1954

February 12

August 17

August 24

October

December 31

- The Aerophysics Development Corp. agreed to fabricate

equipment for the Dart program, under the technical

supervision of Redstone Arsenal.

° The first firing of a Lacrosse "Group A" missile was

conducted at WSPG.

- The first flight test of the Dart was conducted at

WSPG.

NRL Aerobee fired at White Sands took photographs at

i00 mile-altitude, first picture taken of complete

hurricane, off the Texas Gulf coast.

U. S. Army Ordnance terminated the Hermes Project,

during which there was development of the highest

performance liquid-fuel rocket in the U. S. to that

date; development of the largest solid propellant

rocket motor flown to that date; and development of

the first stabilized platform inertial guidance

system with air bearing gyros and accelerometers

for ballistic missiles.

-12-
1955

June 29

July 29

August 16

September 9

October 2

November 8

December i

- The first successful test-firing of Nike B was made

at WSPG.

President Eisenhower endorsed USNC-IGY earth satellite

proposal and the White House announced that "the

President has approved plans by this country for

going ahead with the launching of small, unmanned,

earth-circling satellites as part of the U. S.

participation in the International Geophysical Year

which takes place between July 1957 and December

1958. Scientific responsibility was assumed by the

National Academy of Sciences, fiscal responsibility

by the National Science Foundation, and responsibility

for logistic and technical support by the Department

of Defense."

- The first Hawk missile was fired at WSPG.

DOD Advisory Group known as Stewart Committee recommended that proposed Navy satellite program utilizing

Viking and Aerobee-Hi rockets for satellite development proceed, with Chairman Homer J. Stewart submitting a dissenting minority report. The DOD

Policy Council endorsed the majority recommendation.

Designated Project Vanguard, this tri-service program

was placed under Navy management and DOD monitorship. Objectives of Project Vanguard were: to

develop and procure a satellite launching vehicle;

to place at least one satellite in orbit around the

earth during the IGY; to accomplish one scientific

experiment; and to track flight.

- National Academy of Sciences' IGY Committee established

Technical Panel for the Earth Satellite Program,

with Richard E. Porter as Chairman, to plan the

scientific aspects of the program.

Secretary of Defense approved Jupiter and Thor IP,_M

programs, the first based on experience gained by

Redstone Arsenal team from V-2 and Redstone, the

latter on experience gained from Atlas program.

- The President assigned highest priority to ICI_4 and

Thor and Jupiter IRIS4 programs.

-13-
1956

February i

March 14

April 23

August 8

September 20

December 8

Army Ballistic Missile Agency (A_4A) was activated.

ABMA's nucleus was Redstone Arsenal's Guided

Missile Development Division.

- ASMA launched the first Jupiter A (modified Army

Redstone missile) at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Army informed the OSD that a Jupiter missile could be

fired in an effort to orbit a small satellite in

January 1957.

Largest U. S. test stand for rocket motors was completed

at Redstone Arsenal, slated for Jupiter IRBM.

A Jupiter C missile attained an altitude of 680 miles

and a range of more than 3,300 miles.

First test rocket in the U. S.-IGY satellite program,

a one-stage NRL Viking, attained an altitude of

126 miles and a speed of 4,000 m.p.h. The rocket

carried a "minitrack" radio transmitter which was

ejected at 50 miles and tracked.

1957

May 31

August g

The 1500-mile Jupiter was fired successfully at

Atlantic Missile Range. This was the Army's first

successful launching of an IRBM for this distance.

A Jupiter C, launched by the Army at Cape Canaveral,

attained an altitude of 600 miles and a range of

over _,300 miles. Recovery of the scaled-down

nose cone marked the first recovery of an object

from outer space.

-14-
1957

(continued)

October 4

November 3

November 8

November 15

December 17

- Sputnik I, the first earth satellite, was launched by

the U. S. S. R. and remained in orbit until January

4, 1958.

- Sputnik II, carrying a dog named Laika, was launched

by the U. S. S. R. The satellite remained in orbit

until April 14, 1958.

° The Secretary of Defense directed the Army to prepare

to attempt two satellite launchings in March 1958.

- ABACA was authorized to obligate $3.5 million for the

scientific satellite project.

First successful firing of USAF Atlas IC_M, the missile

landing in the target area after a flight of some

500 miles, on the 54th anniversary of the Wright

brothers' first flight.

1958

January 4

January 12

January 17

January 31

February 6

- Sputnik I reentered the atmosphere and disintegrated.

President Eisenhower, in answering the December i0,

1957, letter of Soviet Premier Nikolai A. Bulganin

regarding a summit conference and disarmament,

proposed that the Soviet Union and the United States

"agree that outer space should be used only for

peaceful purposes."

First launch of Navy Polaris test vehicle occurred

at Cape Canaveral.

Explorer I, the Free World's first earth satellite,

was placed in orbit by a Juno I (modified Jupiter C),

its payload discovering the radiation belt identified

by Dr. James A. Van Allen.

The Senate passed S. Res. 256, creating a Special

Committee on Space and Astronautics to frame legislation for a national program of space exploration.

-15-
1958

(continued)

February 7

February 14

March 5

March 26

May I

May 18

July 17

July 26

July 29

August 15

Department of Defense established the Advanced Research

Projects Agency (ARPA), responsible for the nation's

outer space program.

"Basic Objectives of a Continuing Program of Scientific

Research in Outer Space," a report by the Technical

Panel on the Earth Satellite Program of the National

Academy of Sciences IGY Committee, was published.

The report proposed a program of space research

extending beyond the IGY.

- Ex_lorer II failed to orbit due to failure of last

stage to ignite, a joint ABMA-JPL project.

The Army's Juno I (modified Jupiter C) successfully

launched into orbit the third U. S. earth satellite,

Explorer III.

Scientific findings from two Explore_ satellites disclosed an unexpected band of high-intensity radiation extending from 600 miles above the earth to

possibly an 8,000-mile altitude. The radiation,

which was described by Dr. James A. Van Allen as

"i,000 times as intense as could be attributed to

cosmic rays," was believed to come from ionized gas.

Jupiter Missile No. 5, from Patrick Air Force Base at

12:05 a.m.E.S.T., launched America's first tactical

type re-entry nose cone.

The first completely guided Jupiter IRBM was flight

tested from Cape Canaveral Missile Test Annex at

4:05 a.m.E.S.T.

- The Amy's Juno I (modified Jupiter C) successfully

launched into orbit the Explorer IV satellite.

- _resident Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics

and Space Act, redefining the U. S. space program.

- AB;_A was ordered to begin work on a 11⁄2 million-poundthrust booster for the multi-stage vehicle program,

later named Project Saturn, the project authorized

and financed by ARPA.

-16-
1958

(continued)

August 24

September 25

September

October 1

October II

October

November 6

November 8

December 3

Explorer V was successfully launched with a

Jupiter C; all stages fired, but orbit was not

achieved because of collision of parts of booster

with instrument compartment.

Dr. T. Keith Glennan, NASA Administrator, announced

the activation of NASA as of October i, 1958.

Saturn design studies were authorized to proceed at

Redstone Arsenal, for development of 11⁄2 millionpound-thrust, clustered-engine first stage.

The Navy's Project Vanguard and 400 Naval Research

Laboratory scientists were assigned to NASA on its

first day of operation. Also transferred to NASA

from the Department of Defense were lunar probes,

satellite projects, and engine development research

programs.

Pioneer I, U. S.-IGY space probe under direction of

NASA and with the AFB_4D as executive agent, was

launched from Cape Canaveral by a Thor-Able-I

booster. Traveling 70,700 miles before returning to

earth, the probe determined radial extent of the

Great Radiation Belt, made first observations of

earth's and interplanetary magnetic field, and made

the first measurements of micrometeorite density in

interplanetary space.

Air Force awarded contract to Pratt and Whitney for

Centaur vehicle with hydrogen-burning chamber based

on research of Lewis Research Center between 1953 and

1957. Centaur Project later was transferred to NASA.

Army completed Redstone testing with a perfect 250-

mile shot.

Second U. S.-IGY space prc_e under NASA with Air Force

as executive agent was Pioneer II. Third and fourth

stages failed to separate.

President Eisenhower ordered the transfer of JPL, its

functions and facilities, to NASA.

-17-
1958

(continued)

December 6 Pioneer III, launched by AI_IA-JPL under NASA direction,

reached an altitude of 63,580 miles and discovered

a second Van Allen radiatfon belt.

December 13

December 19

Monkey Gordo traveled into outer space in the nose cone

of a Jupiter missile. Although searchers failed to

recover Che cone and its passenger, telemetry furnished valuable bio-medical information.

- President Eisenhower's Christmas message, beamed from

Project Score satellite in orbit, was the first

voice beamed in from space.

1959

January 2

January 8

February 28

March 3

April 2

U. S. S. R. launched Lunik I into a solar orbit, with

a total weight of a reported 3,245 pounds. Lunik I,

called Mechta (dream) by the Russians, was the first

man-made object placed in orbit around the sun.

NASA requested from the Army eight Redstone-type vehicles

to be used in support of Project Mercury.

Discoverer I, satellite of 1,450 pounds, was successfully

launched into polar orbit by USAF Thor-Hustler booster

from Pacific Missile Range.

Pioneer IV, launched by a Juno II, was the second Armyconducted NASA lunar probe. The missile passed within 37,000 miles of the moon before placing Pioneer IV

into orbit around the sun. Cor_nunications were

maintained with Pioneer IV for a record-making distance of 406,620 miles.

Seven astronauts were selected for Project Mercury,

after a series of the most rigorous physical and

mental tests ever given to U. S. test pilots.

-18-
1959

(continued)

April 13

April 27

During April

May 26

May 28

June 5

September 9

September 12

September 18

October 4

Discoverer II satellite successfully placed into polar

orbit by Thor-Agena A booster, but capsule ejection

malfunctioned causing it to impact in the vicinity

of Spitzbergen on April 14 instead of in the vicinity

of Hawaii. It was the first vehicle known to have

been placed in a polar orbit and was the first

attempt to recover an object from orbit.

DX priority (highest national priority rating) was

assigned to Project Mercury.

The Tiros meteorological satellite program was transferred from the Department of Defense to the

responsibility of NASA for the National Meteorological

Satellite Program. At the same time, a Joint

Meteorological Satellite Advisory Committee was

established.

- ABMA static fired a single H-I Saturn engine.

Monkeys Able and Baker, passengers in a Jupiter nose

cone, were the first primates recovered alive from

a flight into outer space.

- Construction began at Cape Canaveral for the Saturn.

First launch of operational Air Force Atlas ICBM from

Vandenberg Air Force Base was successful, and second

Atlas ICBM was fired from AMR the same day.

Russia's Lunik II, launched with a total payload

weight of 858.4 pounds, became the first man-made

object to hit the moon (September 13). This

launching coincided with the visit of Premier

Nikita Krushchev to the United States.

Vanguard III, sixth U. S.-IGY satellite, successfully

injected into orbit, marking the end of Vanguard

launching activities.

- Lunik III, Russia's translunar earth satellite, began

photographing trip around the moon.

-19-
1959

(con tinued)

October 8

October 13

October 21

November 2

November 18

Pioneer IV reached first aphelion (estimated

107,951,000 miles) in its orbit around the sun at

8:00 p.m.E.S.T. Since launch on March 3,

Pioneer IV was tracked by JPL's Goldstone tracking

station to 407,000 miles from earth.

Explorer VII, launched by the Army's Juno II, was

placed in orbit around the earth. The 911⁄2-pound

satellite relayed more information from outer

space than had any other U. S. satellite to date.

President Eisenhower announced his decision to transfer

a portion of A_MA's personnel, facilities, and

missions to NASA,

President Eisenhower announced his intention to

transfer the Saturn project from the Army to NASA

monitorship.

- NASA assumed technical direction of the Saturn project

pending its formal transfer from the Army.

1960

January 14

March ii

March 15

President Eisenhower directed the transfer of Al_IA's

Development Operations Division and its spacerelated missions to NASA.

Pioneer V, NASA space probe, successfully launched by

Thor Able-4, began its historic flight to measure

radiation and magnetic fields in space, and to

communicate over great distances.

The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA's

Huntsville Facility, was so named by Executive

Order of President Eisenhower.

-20-
1960

(continued)

March 28

April 6

April 29

May 17

May 26

June 3

June 8

June 14

June 15

July i

static fired two of the Saturn booster's eight

engines. The successful firing lasted for 8

seconds.

- _ successfully static fired four of the Saturn's

engines for 7 seconds.

conducted the first static firing of all eight

engines of the Saturn booster. The successful

test lasted for 8 seconds.

Second full-scale static firing of the Saturn booster's

cluster of eight Thor-Jupiter type engines lasted

for 24 seconds and generated more than 1.3 million

pounds of thrust.

- All eight engines of the Saturn first stage were fired

on the test stand at Huntsville for 35 seconds,

the longest static firing to date.

Complete eight-engine static firing of Saturn was

successfully conducted for 75 seconds.

The Saturn booster's cluster, capable of producing

11⁄2 million pounds of thrust, was static fired for

ii0 seconds.

NASA announced the formation of its Launch Operations

Directorate (LOD), headed by Dr. Kurt Debus of

MSFC.

Saturn static test firing of 121 seconds was

successful.

Formal transfer ceremonies at Huntsville, Alabama,

officially opened NASA's George C. Marshall Space

Flight Center.

-21-
19601

(continued)

August 19

August 21

September 8

November 3

December 19

- Sputnik V, weighing 5 tons and carrying 2 dogs, was

launched into orbit around the earth.

U. S. S. R. announced safe recovery of biologic payload of Sputnik V after 17 orbits, and reported that

the two canine passengers were in excellent physical

condition.

President Eisenhower and Mrs. George C. Marshall formally dedicated the George C. Marshall Space Flight

Center and toured facilities.

Explorer VIII, launched by MSFC at Cape Canaveral, was

placed in orbit around the earth by a Juno II rocket.

The 90-pound satellite's payload began the most

extensive measurements of the ionosphere ever

attempted. MSFC prepared the payload, and designed

and developed the Juno II vehicle; GSFC originated

and built the scientific experiments; JPL provided

the vehicle's 3-stage upper assembly.

A modified Redstone launched the one-ton Mercury

capsule 135 miles high and 235 miles down range on

the AMR. The space capsule was recovered "in

excellent condition" about 50 minutes after firing.

i. The NASA Historian in Headquarters is currently finalizing a

detailed chronology on Aeronautics and Astronau_ 1915-1960, which

will help place MSFC's chronology in broader historical context.

-22-
CHAPTER II: PRIOR TO REDSTONE ARSENAL

American research in rocketry extends back several decades.

In 1914 Robert Hutchings Goddard received a United States patent

for a rocket using liquid and solid fuels, and another patent for

a multistage rocket for reaching high altitudes. Between 1914 and

1917 Goddard received seventy patents on rockets and rocket apparatus. And, on March 16, 1926, a Goddard rocket flew 184 feet in

2.5 seconds at Worcester, Massachusetts. This was history's

i

first liquid fuel rocket flight. Worcester became the Kitty Hawk

of rocketry.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The first organized rocket research and development group

in the United States was called Project ORDCIT (Ordnance-California

2

Institute of Technology). This project began in 1936 at Cal Tech,

I. See E. M. Emme, Robert H. Goddard: World Rocket Pioneer,

NASA Historical Report No. i, July 1960, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

2. By April 15, 1945, Cal Tech had fired more than 24

"Private A" and "Private F" rockets. Two were dummies, for testing

the launcher and boosters. Rocket Development Div., R&D Service,

Office, Chief of Ordnance (OCO), Ordnance_ Guided _$$ile

Mar. 13, 1947, Chap. IV, Army Rocket and Guided Missile

Agency (ARGMA) Tech. Lib. files.

-23-
when Dr. Theodore von K_rm_n led a small group of scientists interested

in design fundamentals of a high altitude sounding rocket. This preceded the formation, on July i, 1939, of the Rocket Research Project

under Dr. von K_m_n, the Project becoming the nucleus of the nation's

first center devoted to the research and development of propulsion systems.

It was reorganized on November i, 1944, and renamed the Jet Propulsion

3

Laboratory (JPL). This work led to the first mass-produced American

4

rocket-assisted take-off unit (JATO). It was followed by authorization

from Major General G. M. Barnes to proceed also with a high altitude

rocket project at Cal Tech. This was in 1944, and the rocket projects

5

under this authorization became known _fficially as Project ORDCIT.

Origins of Pro_ect Paperclip

By this time, the outcome of World War II was growing clear, and

U. S. Army officials began advocating the exploitation of German scientific knowledge. Germany's V-I and V-2 weapons were among the spectacular

6

innovations of the War. As Major General H. N. Toftoy stated, in

3. JPL is presently active in the NASA lunar program.

4. JATO = Jet Assisted Take-Off.

5. Maj. R. B. Staver, Th____eFuture of Ordnance i__nnJet-Propulsion,

Army Ord. Dept., Dec. 17, 1945, p. 8, ARGMA Tech. Lib. files. Maj.

Stayer added: "The writer can speak with some knowledge of the facts as

it was he, who in December 1943, first recommended to General Barnes

and Colonel Ritchie that the ORDCIT project be undertaken. Under the

circumstances it appeared logical at that time."

6. For review of German V-2 rocket development, see the following:

Joseph W. Angell, "Guided Missiles Could Have Won," Atlantic Monthly,

Dec. 1951 and Jan. 1952; Walter Dornberger, V-2--Schuss ins Weltall

(American ed. V-2), New York, 1954; Kenneth W. Gatland, Project Satellite

(contributions by Dr. Wernher von Braun), New York, 1958; Daniel Lang,

"Reporter At Large," New Yorker magazine, Apr. 21, 1951; Willy Ley,

Rockets_ Missilesm and SDace Travel, New York, 1951; and Peter Van

S1ingerland, "How We Let The Missile Secrets Get Away," Look magazine,

Feb. 4, 1958.

-24-
describing American reaction to enemy rocket skill during World War II:

"There is no quicker way to stimulate use of a new weapon than to dis7

cover it in use by the enemy." Major General H. J. Knerr, U. S.

Strategic Air Forces, early recommended to Lieutenant General Carl

Spaatz, USSTAF, that the "AAF make full use of the established German

Technical facilities and personnel before they were destroyed or dis8

organized."

Knerr also discussed the subject of exploiting German technical

know-how with the Honorable Robert A. Lovett, Assistant Secretary of

War for Air, during Lovett's first visit to the European Theater early

in 1945. Knerr strongly advocated to Lovett that the U. S. begin immediate exploitation of knowledge and experience of the German scientists,

and allow them to bring their families with them to the United States,

"not only for the mental stability it would give the men to know they

were safe. . but to prevent. . their being taken hostage in the

scientists' absence. ''9

7. Maj. Gen. Toftoy, "Army Missile Development," Army Information

Digest, Vol. ii, Dec. 1956, p. I0.

8. Center for the rocket facilities and personnel was historically

famous Peene_nde, occupied in April 1937 by Dr. Wernher von Braun and

his rocket associates. Peene_nde also included the German Air Force

(Luftwaffe) and the Army (Wehrmacht); the V-I "buzz-bomb" and the V-2

rocket originated there. In August 1943 Peene_dnde suffered 815

casualties from a Royal Air Force raid, yet mass production of the A-4

(V-2) began in October 1943. Within 12 months, A-4 launchings were

85 percent successful, with a total of 3,300 tactical units launched by

the end of World War II.

9. Interview with Maj. Gen. Knerr, Sec. Gen., Air Board, Hq, AAF,

Apr. 24, 1947, cited in Harriet Buyer and Edna Jensen, History of AAF

Participation in Proiect Paperclip, May 1945--March 1947, Aug. 1948,

p. 5, Research Studies Institute, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

-25-
Those were difficult days of crucial Allied bargaining amid some

distrust, conditioned also by U. S. desire that Soviet Russia intervene

against the Japanese in the Pacific Theater.

It was on April 26, 1945, that the Joint Chiefs of Staff issued

Order 1067, directing General Eisenhower to "preserve from destruction

and take under your control records, plans, documents, papers, files

and scientific, industrial and other information and data belonging to

I0

. . Germanorganizations engaged in milit_y research."

Foremost amongthe individuals who closely supervised the rocket amd

Ii missile features of Project Paperclip was the then Colonel H. N. Toftoy.

As Army project officer for Paperclip, Toftoy called Washington from

Europe in May 1945 to request immediate transfer to this country of some

300 Germanrocket scientists and technicians. He received no answer,

so he flew to Washington to personally expedite action. There he

succeeded in gaining approval by the Secretary of War for the transfer

of 127 Germanscientists and technicians to the U. S. Little wonder

that, in later years, General Toftoy becamepopularly knownas '_r.

Missile ."

Working closely with Colonel Toftoy on Project Paperclip was Major

JamesP. Hamill of OrdnanceTechnical Intelligence. Not only did

Colonel Toftoy and Major Hamill pursue the objectives of Project Paperclip tothe letter, but they also let nothing of technical value escape

i0. As quoted in Van Slingerland, "How We Let The Missile Secrets

Get Away," Look, Feb. 4, 1958, p. 23.

Ii. "Men of the Missile Command," Army Information Digest, Oct.

1958, p. 61.

-26-
their attention. They succeeded, for example, in acquiring technical

data from the NordhausenV-2 Plant just prior to its physical seizure

by the Russian Army. Major Hamill has said:

Weknew about the Nordhausenplant long before we took

it. The written orders I received indicated that Nordhausenwas to be in the Russian zone and that all plans

and equipment were to be left for the Soviet. These

orders originated at a very high level. Unofficially

and off the record I was told to remove as muchmaterial

as I could, without making it obvious that we had looted

the place.12

One result of Project Paperclip was that approximately 130 of

Germany's top scientists, after interrogation and background investigations by intelligence officials, were offered six-month contracts to

13

cometo the United States. The U. S. promised to provide housing for

the families remaining in Germanyuntil arrangements could be made to

bring them overseas at a later date.

One hundred nearly-complete V-2's were brought to the United States

by transports, together with a large collection of plans, manuals, and

other documents. Three hundred boxcar loads of material went from

14 Nordhausen to Antwerp, thence to the United States.

12. Maj. Hamill, as quoted by Peter Van Slingerland, "HowWeLet

The Missile Secrets Get Away," Look, p. 23.

13. These contracts had a renewal option for an additional six

months. Later the scientists were given 5-year contracts, but the

government ruled that these were unlawful, and so one-year contracts

succeeded the six-month contracts.

14. In June 1945, while evacuating remaining scientists and families

(24 hours before the Russians arrived), the U. S. found five trunks filled

with Dr. Dornberger's notes, hidden in abandonedsalt mines. Later, one

of the Germanspecialists said: "We probably got a complete set of

plans, but the Russians probably got a nearly complete set, too. You

know, with things like plans, you always makecopies." Before leaving

Nordhausen, U. S. forces debated blowing up the plant, but since they

lacked the authority, they felt forced to leave it for Russian capture

a few hours later. Dr. Dornberger said someof the machine tools left

-27-
The first seven membersof the GermanV-2 specialists from Peenem_nde, headed by Wernher von Braun, arrived in this country at Fort

15

Strong, Massachusetts, on September20, 1945. The Army then transported them to the AberdeenProving Ground, Maryland. Their first task

was to help process Germanguided missile documentscaptured in Europe.

Witb the help of these Germanspecialists, Aberdeen collated, translated,

evaluated, and catalogued many tons of reports, charts, and drawings.

The Germanspecialists, often at a glance, were able to classify a document as important or trivial. These menwere working with documentswhich

they themselves wrote or helped to compile. On Decemberi0, 1945, fiftyfive Germanspecialists arrived at Fort Bliss, Texas, and White Sands

Proving Ground, to be joined by the first seven specialists at the con16

clusion of the Aberdeen project.

At White Sands

From the beginning the von Braun group worked closely with General

Electric and Army Ordnance personnel at White Sands. In this way German

know-how passed rapidly on to Americans, and after approximately 15 months

17

the entire von Braun group transferred from White Sands to Fort Bliss.

in Nordhausen were unique in the world, and estimated that the plans for

the A-9/A-10 may have helped 15 to 20 percent in building the Sputniks.

Peter Van Slingerland, "How We Let The Missile Secrets Get Away," Look,

p. 23.

15. These first seven were Wernher von Braun, Krich W. Neubert,

Theodor A. Poppel, August Schulze, Eberhard Rees, Wilhelm Jungert, and

Walter Schwidetzky. Hq., U. S. Forces, European Theater, TO, Sept. 15,

1945, KCRC files, Kansas City, Mo.

16. Interview with Walter Wiesman, Communication Advisor, AOMC,

Nov. 15, 1960.

17. Interview with Erich W. Neubert, Asso. Dep. Dir. for R&/),

MSFC, Dec. i, 1960.

-28-
Under Project Paperclip, as a whole, there were 1,136 Germansand

Austrians in the United States on May 18, 1948; 492 of these were specialists, and 644 were dependents. Of the 492 specialists, 177 were with the

Army, 205 with the Air Force, 72 with the Navy, and 38 with the Department

18

of Con_nercebut under Army custody. The largest single group of

specialists was associated with the Air Force and the second largest with

19

the Army--146 at Wright Field, and 121 at Fort Bliss.

White SandsProving Ground, in addition to having top personnel from

Peenemundeas well as 300 freight carloads of V-2 components, proved an

ideal testing range. A flat, isolated desert area, about 125 by 40 miles,

the range had the world's mos¢mmssive building to that date--the firing

site blockhouse. Blockhouse construction began on July i0, 1945. When

completed, its concrete walls were ten feet thick, and its roof had a

maximumthickness of 27 feet. The blockhouse was built to withstand the

impact of a rocket at 2,000 m.p.h. WSPGwas to be the U. S. Center for

rocket deve±opme_ for half a decade.

Early in 1946White Sands readied its first V-2's for launching from

American soil. The planned schedule called for firing about two V-2's

L

18. Volume II, Appendix to History of USAF Participation In

Pro_ect Paperclip, Aug. 1948, final 3 pages of Appendix, "Paperclip

Strength Report," Research Studies Institute.

19. "At Fort Bliss, however, was a cohesive group, representing

most of top echelon at Peenen_nde." Interview with Walter Wiesman,

A_IA, Oct. 13, 1958. Wiesman, one of the Germans, was at Fort Bliss in

1948. '_ost of Peenem_nde's top echelon came to the U. S. Army, rather

than elsewhere," further explains Col. W. J. Durrenberger, "because the

U. S. Army desired the 'whole team,' and because of Colonel Toftoy's

ability to get along with people." Interview with Col. Durrenberger,

AOMC, Oct. 27, 1958.

-29-
a month. V-2 No. i was fired as a static test at White Sands on March 14,

20

1946. Thus was begunwhat involved 52 V-2 firings from White Sands

Proving Ground and Florida Missile Testing Range, until the last one was

fired on June 28, 1950. The V-2 performed well: Rocket No. 17, on

December17, 1946, reached the highest altitude in Project Hermes, 116

21

miles; No. 16, on December5, 1946, the longest range, Iii.i miles.

From these early firings, Army Ordnancepersonnel learned to handle and

fire large ballistic missiles, and to develop basic design knowledge for

future rockets and ground support equipment for military application.

Meanwhile, Project ORDCITalso continued to function at White Sands.

In addition to the "Private" rockets mentioned earlier, Project ORDCIT

included the development of the "Corporal" and "Wac Corporal" rockets,

which were to earn their own place in history. Their history, as of

March 31, 1947, could be summarizedas follows:

Corporal. Fabrication and testing of. the components of

the No. i prototype of this missile are being pushed to

enable the first round to be fired in May of this year.

The critical components continue to be the tanks. The

first unit of telemetering equipment for the missile has

been completed and is now being calibrated. Sixty-three

(63) motor and vane test runs have been made, the last

test being of the motor which will be used in the Number

i missile.

Wac Corporal. Firings of the booster unit for the Wac

Corporal con_nenced at White Sands Proving Ground in

September 1945, with the first complete missile being

20. Ordnance Department Guided Missile Program, Chap. VII-3.

21. Final Report_ Pro_ect Hern_es I V-2 Missile ProEram, General

Electric Report No. R52 AO510, Sept. 1952, cited in Willy Ley, Rockets_

Missiles, and S_pace Travel, p. 460. The highest flying V-2, however,

was not Rocket 17 (116 miles); it was TF-I fired on Aug. 22, 1951 (which

reached 133 miles),

-30-
FLIGHT OF V-2 AT WHITE SANDS

A Firing in 1946

-31-
fired in October 1945. A total of seventeen (17) of

the booster rocket units, some with and some without

dummy Wac Corporal missiles, have been fired. Firing

of the last three missiles was conducted by the Ist AAA

Guided Missile Battalion. Initial development tests

are now considered to be complete. Twenty-five (25) of

the missiles are to be made for the Signal Corps, and

an additional fourteen (14) are to be constructed for

further ORDCIT test requirements. Preparation of drawings for this production is now under way at Douglas

Aircraft Company. 22

On February 17, 1947, a Wac Corporal attained an altitude of 240,000

23

feet. However, the most historic achievement of the Wac Corporal

occurred on February 24, 1949, when Bumper-Wac No. 5 sent its upper stage

to a height of approximately 250 miles and a speed of 5,510 miles per

hour. This was the highest velocity and altitude yet reached by a mnmade object.

The Bumper-Wac had resulted from the basic need to confirm theories

and provide necessary data on multi-stage rocket flight. This included:

(i) the separation and ignition of the second-stage rocket in highly

rarefied air; (2) the stability of a second-stage rocket launched at

extremely high velocities and altitudes; (3) the aerodynamic effects at

high Mach numbers obtainable in no other way at that time.

The Bumper-Wac consisted of a V-2 first stage with its nose modified

to accommodate a Wac Corporal. This represented the combined efforts of

all Army Ordnance personnel including the German engineers, JPL, Douglas

Aircraft, and General Electric. The first full-powered flight was

22. Ordnance Department Guided Missile ProKram, Chap. IV-3.

The "Corporal" was so named because it would go higher than the "Private."

23. Ordnance Department Guided Missile Program, Chap. IV-3. Also

see Development & Testin_ of Rockets & Missiles at White Sands Proving

Ground, 1945.--1955 , Oct. I, 1959, p. 55, AOMC Hist. Off. files.

-32-
entirely successful. It was thus that Army Ordnance efforts resulted in

the launching of a man-madeobject beyond the earth's atmosphere. This

historic flight lasted 12 minutes and necessitated a directional correction of several miles to adjust for the earth's rotation.

On September6, 1947, the Army Ordnance team cooperated with the

Navy in an experimental firing of a V-2 from the deck of the U. S. S.

Midway. The rocket, not originally designed to acconm_odate a ship's

rolling motion at launching, took off in an erratic manner; nevertheless,

the firing proved that a large ballistic missile could be launched from

the deck of a ship. This event took place, as will be recalled, while

the B-36 controversy raged in Washington. The difficulty of handling

liquid oxygen fuel did encourage Navy examination and use of solid propellants, first in the sounding rocket program of the Naval Research Laboratory. This later bore results in the Polaris program.

Back at White Sands, success was not achieved without difficulties.

One V-2, for example, failed to fly on its pre-set flight path and passed

directly over E1 Paso, Texas, and over Juarez, Mexico, where a fiesta was

in progress. Fortunately, this errant missile impacted on a barren hill.

White Sands operations were in=nediately halted pending the instituting

of a complex and effective range safety system. The system consisted

essentially of a combination of radar tracking with automatic plotting

boards, precise and continuous electronic impact prediction, backed up by

24

visual observation through a sky screen on which safety limits appeared.

24. Maj. Gen. Toftoy, "Army Missile Development," Army Information

Di_est, pp. 25-27.

-33-
The U. S. V-2 program conducted at White SandsProving Ground, both

an Army and Navy venture with Germanassistance, contributed much to the

rapid postwar progress in the missile field.

The Proving Ground's first history has this to say of Navy cooperation:

In the fall of 1945, the Chief of Ordnance _had/ invited

the Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance of the Navy, through

the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, to participate

in the activities at White Sands Proving Ground. This

invitation was very favorably received in the Navy and,

as a result, the Bureau of Ordnance and Bureau of Aeronautics jointly accepted and made available funds from

both bureaus to augment the facilities at the Proving

Ground. The concept of this acceptance and augmentation

was definitely to avoid duplication and to provide additional facilities so that the potential value of the

Proving Ground, for all military services, was greatly

enhanced. 25

Personnel at White Sands fired many V-2's and other rockets in collaboration with scientific institutions seeking data on the upper atmosphere

26

and the effects of cosmic radiation. This phase became so obviously

important that the Naval Research Laboratory developed its Viking rocket

to continue its sounding work with the large rockets after the supply

of V-2's was exhausted.

These early days at White Sands Proving Ground were indeed historic.

Some records achieved at White Sands lasted several years, such as the

February 24 Wac Corporal flight. Yet, as we look back, it is not the

individual achievements that come to mind first. More important is the

25. History of Activities_ _White Sands Proving Ground_ Las Cruces_

Ne_..wwMexicoj _ July 1945--31 December 1952, p. 30, COO Hist. Br. files.

26. See Homer Z. Newell, Jr., ed., Sounding Rockets, New York,

McGraw Hill, 1959.

-34-
fact that the United States immediately after World War II began to move

firmly into outer space. Without White Sands, or its counterpart, the

Explorers and Pioneers of this past decademight still be on the drawing

board.

-35-
CHAPTER III: AT REDSTONE ARSENAL

By 1950 the Army's missile program required a central location and

improved facilities. At this point, Fort Bliss Research and Development

had performed its originai mission of firing V-2's (A-4's), of initiating

studies on long-range rocket-propelled missiles of all types, and of

assisting the Army, Navy, and industrial organizations engaged in rocket

I

or guided missile research. The search for better physical facilities

for an expanding program led to Huntsville, Alabama.

Redstone Arsenal

In September 1949 Fort Bliss officials inspected Huntsville Arsenal,

2

which had been an Army Chemical Corps installation. They proposed the

transfer to Huntsville of the White Sands rocket scientists and their

equipment. The Secretary of the Army approved this recommendation on

3

October 28, 1949. By November 1950, 500 mil%tary personnel, 130 German

scientists, 180 General Electric contractor personnel, and 120 Civil

Service employees moved from Fort Bliss to Redstone. They brought their

4

scientific equipment for research and development of rockets with them.

I. The original mission is stated in Memo, Asst. Chief of Ordnance

(Army) to CO, R&_ Service Sub-Office, Ft. Bliss, KCRC, Kansas City, Mo.

2. Huntsville Arsenal was a $70,000,000 Chemical Corps installation

constructed during WW II. Inactivated later, the area became part of

Redstone Arsenal. ARG_A Historical Su_aarv, Oct. 21, 1958, ARGMA Hist.

Off. files.

3. Executive Office Diary, April 1950, Redstone Arsenal Hist.

files, in ARG_A Historical Summary, p. 8.

4. ARG_A Historical Summary, p. 9.

-36-
Army Ordnance had determined by 1951 that its surface-to-surface

military requirements should be met by a family of large ballistic

missiles consisting of Corporal, HermesA-3, and a proposed Redstone

missile. These were to be weaponsof three different ranges and firepower.

Later, two missiles satisfied Army requirements when funds became

extremely short, and so the Army terminated the Hermesprogram. Postwar developments of new and greatly improved solid-propellant rockets

at JPL and Redstone Arsenal gradually placed solid propellants in a

competitive position with liquid propellants for use as military missiles,

both as to performance and to weaponsize. First flight tests of a

large, solid-propellant motor were made in the HermesRV-A-IO test

5

vehicle.

The Army Ordnancegroup, before arriving at RedstoneArsenal, was

6

the first in history to "send an object outside the earth's atmosphere."

This success occurred at White SandsProving Ground with the flight of the

WacCorporal on February 24, 1949. This altitude record stood for over

eight years.

After coming to Redstone Arsenal and while working on the Army

Ordnance family of battlefield long-range missiles, the rockat developers

recognized the great significance of applying rocket propulsion to space

flight. In 1953 Wernher yon Braun, then Chief, Guided Missile Develop5. See Maj. Gen. H. N. Toftoy, "Army Missile Development," Arm_

Information Digest, Vol. Ii, Dec. 1956, pp. 31-32.

6. JPL Report, No. 20-100, Mar. 17, 1958, p. 55, AB_A Tech. Doc.

Div. files.

-37-
7

ment Division, OML, prepared a detailed proposal for orbiting an earth

satellite. Entitled "A MinimumSatellite Vehicle BasedUpon Components

Available From Missile Developmentof the Army OrdnanceCorps," this

engineering plan suggested that the Army Ordnancecould launch an earth

satellite with rocket hardware then available, namely the fast-developing

8

Redstone missile. Such belief on the part of the Army Ordnance led to

a further suggestion that the launching of a scientific earth satellite

9

should be a joint undertaking with the Navy. The result of this was

Project Orbiter, a joint Army-Navyconcept for launching an earth

i0 satellite.

By 1955, however, the Air Force and the Naval Research Laboratories

began formulating their own proposals for orbiting satellites, proposals

ii supported by detailed theoretical statistics. These proposals, as

7. OML= OrdnanceMissile Laboratory, located at Redstone Arsenal.

8. Special Rpt. RP-I, "Project Orbiter," by Robert W. Seese,

DevelopmentOperations Division (DOD), Sept. 14, 1956, p. 7, MSFCHist.

Off. files.

9. Previously, in 1954, the Army expressed desire that the Navy and

Air Force join it in a mutual satellite program, the Navy initially to

provide tracking stations at sea. The original concept was to orbit a

5-pound, inert slug about 2 feet in diameter, using a 4-stage rocket with

a Redstone booster and clustered Loki rockets. The Navy agreed, but the

Air Force declined such a program because of interest primarily in longrange studies of heavier satellites. SeeLtr., Chief, GMDD,Ord. Msl.

Lab., RSA, to Chief, Aeromedical Br., Air R&DConmmnd,no subj., Dec. 23,

1954, _ Hist. Div. files.

i0. This project, estimated to cost $17,700,000, actually used a

half million dollars only, such moneypaying for preliminary design and

engineering work, and somehardware experimentation on components. U.S.

Senate, Comm.on ArmedServices, Inquiry Into Satellite and Missile Pro-

_rams, Part IS, Washington, GPO, 1958, p. 1699.

ii. The full history of the U. S. IC_I_, IR_M, and scientific earth

satellite development between 1953 and 1958 awaits definitive documentation. There is, for example, no documented and available history of

Project Vanguard, as well as the various ballistic missile programs. A

recent general work with a Redstone Arsenal setting is the book by Maj.

Gen. J. B. Medaris (ret.), entitled Countdown for Decision, New York,

Putnam, 1960.

-38-
comparedto the original Army concept, required development of new main

12

components to produce an instrumented satellite vehicle system. With

these proposals, the in terservice problem of the urgent missile programs

as well as differing satellite proposals cameto a head in Washington.

The Honorable Donald A. Quarles, then Assistant Secretary of Defense

for Research and Development, appointed a scientific panel, the Ad Hoc

Advisory Group on Special Capabilities, to study the various satellite

proposals. Headedby Dr. HomerJ. Stewart, the panel recommendedthat an

active earth satellite project was feasible, and decided in favor of the

proposed NRLVanguard satellite program. The panel's decision was not

13

unanimous, Chairman Stewart heading a minority report.

In August 1955 the Department of Defense R&DPolicy Council approved

14 the recommendationsof the Ad Hoc Committee. Several days after the

Council recommendations,Major General Leslie E. Simon, Assistant Chief

of (Army) Ordnance for R&D,wrote to the Assistant Secretary of Defense

for R&D,pointing out what he considered errors of fact and reasoning in

15 selecting the Vanguard program instead of Project Orbiter. This effort

12. Report of the Ad Hoc Advisory Gr_ on Special Capabilities,

Off. of Asst. Sec. of Defense (OASD), Washington, Aug. 1955, Appendix,

pp. A-l--B-l, A_A Cont. Off. files.

13. Report of the Ad Noc Advisory Group on Special Capabilities,

pp. i-17, MSFC Hist. Off. files. The complete story behind this decision

must await future historians.

14. "Project Orbiter," Sept. 14, 1956, p. 7. Also, Report of the

Ad Hoc Grou_ on Special Capabilities.

15. Memo from Asst. Chief of Ord. to Asst. Sec. of Defense, R&D,

Aug. 15, 1955, "Scientific Satellite Program'; report, "Comments on a

Few Statements Contained i_ Majority Response to Minority Statement in

Ad Hoc Committee Advisory Group Report," Aug. 17, 1955; and report,

GMDD, OML, RSA, "Comments on Project Slug," Aug. 17, 1955. All in

A_A Hist. Div. files.

-39-
failed, however, and the Vanguard program for the U. S. earth satellite

under the International Geophysical Year program continued. Project

16

Orbiter was shelved at Huntsville.

Project Orbiter plans at Huntsville were not, however, discarded or

forgotten. Designs and hardware were utilized in the missile program

for testing re-entry nose cones. It was quickly evident that "the same

engineering design and the preliminary hardware work that had been done

with this half million dollars under Project Orbiter could now be put to

use," Major General John B. Medaris told a Senate investigating cormnittee.

The General added:

Project Orbiter envisioned a four-stage missile,

the first being the Redstone booster liquid, and

the second, third, and fourth b!ing clustered

solid-propellant rockets .... _Loading the fourth

stag_7 with sand instead of powder. . . would give

a test of the multiple-stage rocket for use in testing the nose cone and in recovering one.... The

result was the firing in September_f 1926 of the

famousor infamous Missile 27. ._wh_c__h/ described

a ballistic trajectory of about 3,330 miles in

range, and, of course, in doing so achieved an

altitude of about 600 miles. 17

To manyat Huntsville, it seemeddestined that their missile

efforts would inevitably lead to space flight.

16. No attempt has been made to untangle the various and sometimes

heated opinions regarding the satellite decisions, particularly after

Sputnik I was launched on October 4, 1957. The basic chronology, however,

deserves inclusion here.

17. U. S. Senate, Cormn. on Armed Services, Inquiry Into Satellite

and Missile Programs, p. 1700.

-40-
CHAPTERIV" ARMYBALLISTICMISSILEAGENCY

As the feasibility of ballistic missiles in national defense became

clearly evident, so glso did the need for increased and centralized

facilities. On February i, 1956, the Army established the Army Ballistic

I

Missile Agency (A_IA) at Redstone Arsenal. The new organization integrated the Guided Missile DevelopmentDivision and the RedstoneMissile

mission into one organization. Even more important, the Secretary of the

Army, through the Chief of Ordnance, delegated to A_;_Aunparalled authority in the development and procurement fields. In so doing he delegated

.practically every authority in the development and

procurement fields which could be delegated by the

Secretary under the provisions of law and Department of

Defense regulations. In effect, this. . virtually

eliminated delay except. . . in securing fund_ and

approvals from the Department of Defense levels. 2

Moreover, "top Army experts" were transferred by the Army to ABMA,to

assure a high calibre of work as well as a close liaison between the

Agency (producer) and the military requirements specialists (user).

Esprit de corps becameABMA'strademark. Cormnonplaceremarks of official

visitors were, "There seems to be a sense of mission here," and, "People

,,3 4

are in a hurry. The race for ballistic missiles was on.

I. Dept. of the Army, Gen. Orders No. 68, Dec. 22, 1955, p. i,

MSFCHist. Off. files.

2. History of Army Ballistic Missile AEency, I February--30 June

1956, A_MA Hist. Div., Nov. 1956, p. ix, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

3. In 1958 Secretary of the Army Wilbur H. Brucker visited AHMA.

He stated that he found an "unusual" sense of urgency at A_IA.

4. For an interesting discussion of _ research and development

in rockets, see Department of Defense Appropriations for 1958, Par___tI__I,

Subcomm. of the Comm. on Appropriations, Washington, GPO, 1957, p. 1508.

This Subcommittee asked Dr. von Braun what he expected to learn from

-41-
Meanwhile, the group's_Redstone missiles were earning the

newspapers' sobriquet of "old faithful," for their developmental performance at CapeCanaveral. The lessons of White Sandsand even Peenemunde

were being applied to great advantage.

The mission of the Army Ballistic Missile Agencywas established in

an OrdnanceCorps Order of January 19, 1956. This order assigned to

AI_A the responsibility for research and development of the Redstone

5

Missile Program and the Intermediate RangeBallistic Missile Program.

While military missile development proceeded, space flight thoughts

were yet alive at Huntsville. In May 1956 the Special Assistant for

Guided Missiles, Secretary of Defense, refused a request by the Assistant

6

Secretary of Defense for R&D,presented originally by ABMA, for approval

of A_MA's Jupiter C re-entry test vehicle as an alternate to Project

Vanguard. In writing to the Chief of Staff for R&/), Department

of the Army, the Special Assistant stated that "without any indications

of serious difficulties in the Vanguard program no plans or preparations

should be initiated for using any part of the Jupiter or Redstone program

7

for scientific satellites."

going to the moon. In answering, von Braun quoted Faraday, who was

asked about his research on electrical induction. "What is the purpose

of a newborn baby? We find out in time." Department of Defense Appropriations for 1958, p. 1525.

5. Ord. Corps Order 3-56, OCO, Dept. of the Army, "Mission of Army

Ballistic Missile Agency (A_MA), Effective i February 1956," Jan. 19,

1956, pp. i and 2. See also AOMC Gen. Order No. 62, '_4ission of Army

Ballistic Missile Agency," Aug. 26, 1959. Both in MSFC Hist. Off. files.

6. Presentation t__oAd }{o_.__qc Study Group on Special Capabilities,

Apr. 23, 1956, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

7. Letter, Dep. Asst. Sec., Off. of the Asst. Sec. of Defense, to

Lt. Gen. James M. Gavin, Chief, R&D, "Army Capabilities for Scientific

Satellite," May 15, 1956, A_MA Hist. Div. files. For interesting sidelights on this and other space developments, see Lt. Gen. James M. Gavin,

War and Peace in the _ A_e, Harper, 1958.

_ _ -42-
Technical information from ABMA'smissile programs went continuously

and routinely to the VanguardProject. On January 29, 1957, the Chief

of Research and Development, Department of the Army, requested ABMAto

supply information on use of the Jupiter C missile as an earth satellite

8

launcher. On February i, 1957, AB_IAanswered that the Army vehicle

could accommodatethe instrumentation of the Vanguard scientific payload

9

but not the satellite itself. In April 1957 AB_IAproposed to the Chief

of R&D,Department of the Army, that it orbit, as a backup for Vanguard,

six satellites with Jupiter C-type laumch vehicles, each satellite weighing about 17 pounds. This plan called for orbiting the first satellite

not later than September1957, and the second one by the end of Calendar

I0 Year 1957, the total program costing about 18 million dollars. On

May 7, 1957, R&D,Department of the Army, reiterated that there was no

plan at present for having ABMAbac_ up Project Vanguard. And, on June

21, 1957, General A. P. O'Meara visited AI_IAwith instructions from the

Department of Defense that AB_IA'smission was not concerned with earth

II satellites.

OnAugust _, 1957, a Jupiter C, launched from CapeCanaveral, attained

12

an altitude of 6_0 miles and a range of over J,300 miles.

8. TT, Dom_n.Gen., AB;_A,to Chief of R&D, Dept. of the Army, Jan.

31, 1957, _ Cont. Off. files.

9. TT, Comm. Gen., ABMA, to Chief of RND, Dept. of the Army, Feb.

I, 1957, AB;_A Cont. Off. files.

I0. Memo for Record, Plans Br., Cont. Off., ABMA, "Project 618,"

Apr. 24, 1957, Cont. Off. files. Also, Cont. Off. report, "Project 618

Program--Budget Requirements," Apr. 9, 1957.

Ii. Memo for Record, Dep. Chief, R&D, "Conversation with Gen.

Medaris at RSA, 21 June 1957," June 22, 1957, ABMA Hist. Div. files.

12. "ABMA 'Firsts'," Undated Report, A_MA Hist. Div., MSFC Hist.

Off. files.

-43-
After Russia's successful Sputnik I launching on October 4, 1957,

Secretary of the Army Brucker wrote the Secretary of Defense, again offering the services of ABMA in orbiting a satellite:

The first Jupiter C attained an altitude of 650 miles

and a range of over 3,300 miles. We have already

proven the three most difficul! stages of a fourstage s_tellite vehicle.. ._Army Ordnance would

require/ four months from a decision date to the first

launching of a missile designed to place a satellite

in orbit. Over the period of a year the Army would

be prepared to launch up to six such vehicles. We

would require a total of $12,752,000 of non-Army funds

for this purpose.

Secretary Brucker added that prior to the first launch of a Jupiter

satellite the Army could point out, if desirable for psychological purposes, "that we have already three satellite test vehicles (the Jupiter

C's fired in the Jupiter program)." He stated further that the Army

"would continue to cooperate with regard to the scientific instrumentation

presently planned for Vanguard. ''13

The Secretary of Defense responded by requesting the Army to restudy

its proposal for 3upporting Vanguard. Secretary Brucker answered that

"we recommend the launching of a Jupiter C satellite in February and

another in April. These would give us the basic knowledge which would

help us to place a Vanguard sphere in orbit in June." To give added

assurance he suggested that plans include a fourth satellite in orbit in

September 1958. The four-satellite project, known as Project 416, included

orbiting of Vanguard instrumentation, the program costing an estimated

14

$16.2 million.

13. Memo, Sec. of the Army to Sec. of Defense, "Soviet Satellite,"

Oct. 7, 1957, A_4A Hist. Div. files.

14. Memo, Sec. of the Army to Sec. of Defense, "Army Support of

Vanguard Program," Oct. 23, 1957, AEMA Cont. Off. files.

-44-
At a meeting on October 25, 1957, the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on

Special Capabilities, headed by ChairmanHomerJ. Stewart, unanimously

endorsed Project 416.

The Secretary of Defense, on November8, directed the Army to prepare to attempt two satellite launchings during March 1958. On November

15 15, 1957, A_.A was authorized to obligate $3.5 million for this purpose.

A few days later Secretary Brucker recon_nendedto the Secretary of Defense

that the Army launch the first satellite on January 30, 1958, in order

to makemodifications, if necessary, for the one to be launched on

March 6, 1958. This plan would provide the most assurance for a successful launching of a satellite by the March 1958 date announcedby the

16

President. The Department of Defense readily agreed. AB_[Anow had a

green light to apply rocketry to space flight.

Space Flights Under ABMA

The immediate post-Sputnik weeks were of an unprecedented nature in

American history. This was no surprise to American rocket specialists.

Russia had orbited Sputnik I; the U. S. had orbited nothing. The eyes of

the entire world were now on U. S. rocketry scientists.

Yet the accomplishments of 1958 and 1959 were to demonstrate basic

competence and broad-based nature of American scientific application of

rocketry in spite of Soviet "spectaculars" and propaganda. In this

effort, AEMA made its contribution.

15. Satellite Information Notebook, ABMA Cont. Off., Mar. 1958,

Tab H, ABMA Cont. Off. files.

16. Memo, Sec. of the Army to Sec. of Defense, "Scientific Satellite

Program," Nov. 20, 1957, A_A Hist. Div. files.

-45-
EXPLORER I

Final preparation on launching night of first U. S. satellite, January 31,

1958. Insert shows close-up of satellite atop the Jupiter C.

-46-
First, within four months after Sputnik I, AH_A's Jupiter C No. 29,

on January 31, 1958, sent Explorer I into orbit, after bad weather postponed launching on January 29 and 30. Special fuel, Ul_H-Deta, raised

the engine thrust from a normal 78,000 to 83,000 pounds.

Called Explorer I upon its successful launching from Cape Canaveral

at 10:48 p.m.E.S.T., the 30.8-pound satellite, including instruments,

was a U. S. contribution to the International Geophysical Year. At 220

miles altitude, lowest point of orbit, the satellite reached a velocity

of 18,500 miles per hour. At apogee, 1,700 miles altitude, there was a

17

velocity of 15,400 miles per hour.

For scientific purposes the satellite carried a cosmic ray measuring

device, a gauge for determining cosmic dust, thermometers, and telemetry

equipment consisting of Microlock and Minitrack transmitters. One transmitter battery had a life expectancy of two weeks; the other transmitter

had two months expectancy. Estimates of the life expectancy of the

18

satellite were as low as i0 years and as high as 20.

After the success with Explorer I, Jupiter C No. 26 was fired for

the purpose of orbiting Explorer II. This orbiting failed. Lift-off

was normal at 1:28 p.m.E.S.T., March 5, 1958, and the vehicle closely

followed the predicted trajectory as indicated by optical, DOVAP, BeatBeat, and radar tracking. Proper altitude was maintained and second

and third stage ignition occurred.

17. "Firing Test Report Jupiter C Missile 29," ABMA Development

Operations Division (DOD), Mar. 24, 1958, AI_A Hist. Div. files.

18. "Artificial Earth Satellite 1958 - Alpha," ABMA Dev. Oper. Div.,

Feb. 26, 1958. Also, "Aeroballistic Evaluation Test Flight Jupiter C 26,"

Dept. of the Army Memo No. 321, Mar. I, 1958. Both in ABMA Hist. Div.

files.

-47-
The missile was to place an 18.83-pound instrument payload in orbit

around the Earth as a contribution to the International Geophysical Year.

The scientific instruments included in the payload were: (i) Cosmic ray

counter of the State University of Iowa; (2) Erosion gauges to determine

the cosmic dust for the Air Force Cambridge Research Center; (3) Thermometer for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory; (4) Microlock instrumentation

for tracking by microlock doppler; and (5) Antennae for telemetering of

19

scientific data using minitrack instrumentation.

The first stage performed satisfactorily, LOX fuel-depletion occurring

approximately 7 seconds before the predicted cutoff time of 149.1 seconds.

However, the electronic tracking system indicated the proper velocity of

stage one was not obtained.

Ignition of the second stage occurred at 390.41 seconds of flight

time; 394.4 seconds had been predicted. The fourth stage did not fire,

causing the satellite to fall. The Army's second satellite attempt thus

20

ended in failure.

Explorer I was successful, Explorer II was not. On March

21

26, 1958, Jupiter C No. 24 placed Explorer III in orbit. It rose

from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 12:38 p.m.E.S.T., and it also carried

experiments as a part of the International Geophysical Year. The

missile carried aloft an 18.53-pound scientific payload.

19. "Jupiter C Missile RS-26, Thermal Environment Analysis System

Report," Rpt. No. DSD-TM-4-58, A_4A/S&M Lab., 23 May 1958, ABMA Hist.

Div. files.

20. Dept. of the Army Tech. Note No. 108, Aeroballistics Lab.,

Flight Eval. Br., Apr. 2, 1958, _ Hist. Div. files.

21. Jupiter C-24 was a "standby replacement" for Jupiter C-26.

-48-
Electronic tracking and telemetry records indicated a satisfactory

launching, except that Explorer III orbited with greater eccentricity

22

than predicted.

Explorer III had the same type of carrier vehicle as Explorer I.

Its instrumentation, however, included a miniature tape recorder not on

the first satellite. This recorder made it possible to collect radiation

information throughout the entire orbit, and then return the information

to earth upon signal as the satellite passed over ground stations.

Explorer lll's battery-powered transmitters had a life expectancy of

about two months.

The tremendous sweep of Explorer lll's somewhat eccentric orbit, from

117 to 1,740 miles above earth, made it "splendid for cosmic ray research. ''23

Explorer lll's perigee was the closest to earth of any satellite, U. S.

or Russian, orbited to date. The satellite out-lasted its two-month

batteries, thus furnishing all the data planned.

During its lifetime the satellite s_ng closer to earth at the rate

of several hundred feet a day. By early June both transmitters ceased

to function reliably; but scientists had learned that cosmic radiation

at higher altitudes was considerably more intense than anticipated. They

also learned that atmosphere density was several times greater than that

predicted in pre-satellite calculations. As for temperature, scientists

22. TT, Dir., MFL, PAFB, to Comm. Gen., A_MA, Mar. 29, 1958, "Data

Report on Flight Test of Jupiter C Missile 24 (Explorer III)," ABMA Hist.

Div. files.

23. Dr. James A. Van Allen, as quoted in Redstone Rocket, Apr. 9,

1958.

-49-
discovered that man can control space vehicle temperature within limits

acceptable for human survival.

During this era of satellite orbiting, there was an important

achievement in the return of objects sent into outer space. Jupiter

Missile 5 launched America's first tactical type re-entry nose cone from

Cape Canaveral, at 12:05 a.m.E.S.T., May 18, 1958. Less than five

24

hours later, the Navy recovered the nose cone from the sea.

Jupiter Missile 5 was followed by the first completely guided

Jupiter IRBM to be flight tested. This missile, Jupiter Missile 6,

rose from Cape Canaveral at 4:05 a.m. on July 17, 1958. Ignition,

lift-off, programming, and cutoff were normal. The flight marked the

second successful flight test of a full-scale nose cone. The recovery

of the nose cone occurred one and one-half hours after the missile left

25

the Cape.

Four months to the day after Explorer III, Explorer IV went into

orbit, July 26, 1958. Sent into orbit from Cape Canaveral, Explorer IV's

instrumentation was oriented toward measuring effects of nuclear

explosion at high altitudes. Explorer IV carried four radiation counters,

as compared to the single counters in Explorers I and III; it thus could

24. History of _ I Jan.--30 June 1958, A_4A Hist. Div., p. 74,

MSFC Hist. Off. files.

25. History of AI_, I Jul.--31 Dec. 1958, ABMA Hist. Div., p. 21,

MSFC Hist. Off. files.

-50-
provide many times the accurate counting rate. As with Explorers I and

III, the State universfty of Iowa designed and supplied the radiation

detectors.

Becauseof the extra radiation counters in Explorer IV, it could

not carry a tape recorder, as in Explorer III, nor the micrometeorite and

temperature experiments of Explorers I and III. As it was, both Explorers

26

IV and V carried unusually heavy instrumentation. To have it cover most

of the earth's surface, the scientists also increased the incline toward

27

the equator of Explorer IV's orbital plane (and planned the same for V).

The first lunar flight attempt by the A_MA group was with a modified

28

Jupiter Missile ii (Juno II), fired from Cape Canaveral at 12:44 a.m.

E.S.T., December 6, 1958. However, the attempted lunar probe with

Pioneer III was unsuccessful, Jupiter ii failing to attain escape velocity after cutoff occurred approximately 3.7 seconds too soon. Malfunction of the fuel depletion switch probably caused the early cutoff.

26. Dr. Wernher von Braun, "The Explorers," Speech before International Astronautical Federation, Amsterdam, Aug. 25-30, 1958, p. 8,

in Army Ordnance Satellite program, A_ Hist. Monograph, Nov. i, 1958,

p. 69, M_FC Hist. Off. files.

27. Interview with Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, Dir., Research Projects

Lab., A_, Nov. 5, 1958.

28. Juno II was now a NASA project. It will be remembered that the

Juno program began under ARPA Order 1-58. Then, on October 9, 1958,

nine days after the establishment of NASA, NASA issued Order HS-I for

continuation of work begun under ARPA Order 1-58. This work included

the development and firing of one Juno I space vehicle with the mission

of placing a 12-foot diameter sphere into orbit around the earth, the

development and firing of two Juno II space vehicles to carry lunar

probes into space, the development and firing of one Juno II vehicle to

place a scientific payload in orbit around the earth, and the preparation

of one Juno II vehicle as a backup for the above lunar p_obe and earth

satellite programs. NASA Order HS-4, issued on October 9, 1958, was

issued for continuation of work begun under ARPA Order 12-59. This work

included the development and firing of one Juno II vehicle to place a

100-foot inflatable sphere into orbit. A£_4C, Satellite _ Space Program

Progress Report for NASA, Nov. 18, 1958, p. i, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

-51-
Pioneer III did go farther into outer space than any other previous

probe by the ABMA group. It traveled 66,654 miles toward the moon, and

was a successful test of the four-stage Juno II vehicle in the main power

phase. Also tested successfully was the guidance system and the heat

29

protecting shroud for the upper stages.

The group's final important firing of 1958 was Jupiter Missile 13.

This missile flew from Cape Canaveral at 3:58 a.m.E.S.T, on December 13.

Its nose cone traveled on course to its target, while telemetry equipment

tested the cone's live passenger Gordo, a South American squirrel monkey.

Though searchers failed to recover the cone and its passenger, telemetry

furnished invaluable information about live reaction to rapidly accelerated

flight, weightlessness, and other biological factors concerned with flight

30

up to and back from outer space. An important test was a recording of

the monkey's heart beat as the animal rode to outer space and returned

31

to earth, a taped recording in much demand by scientific groups.

ABMA's next big firing, an important one, came early in 1959. A_IA

launched Juno II Missile 14 at the Atlantic Missile Range, 12:11 a.m.

E.S.T. on March 3. This was NASA's fourth space probe and it was the

second Army missile to launch a NASA lunar probe experiment. The missile

placed Pioneer IV on a trajectory which carried past the moon and into

orbit around the sun, to become the first U. S. solar satellite.

29. Progress Report on NASA Programs, Nov.--Dec. 1958, Jan. 15,

1959, pp. 1-2, AB_A Cont. Off. files.

30. Jupiter Progress Report for December 1958, Jan. 8, 1959, pp. io

2, AI_4A Hist. Div. files.

31. The recording created interest at the NASA-_C Presentation,

Jan. 6-8, 1959. See Memo for Record, ABMA Cont. Off., "Trip Report by

Col. Drewry Concerning NASA-_C Presentation," Jan. 13, 1959, ABMA Hist.

Div. files.

-52-
PIONEERIV SPACEPROBE

A Juno II rocket is ready to send Pioneer IV on its way to the sun.

-53-
postponed firing from the first scheduled date because of the

weather, and from the second scheduled date of March 1-2 because of payload power supply difficulties. The Agency launched the satellite on

March 3, with no holds.

Juno II 14's mission involved an escape guidance experiment and a

determination of the Pioneer IV trajectory in its path toward the moon.

The JPL payload carried a cosmic ray counter, a trackable beacon, and an

optical device for determining location in space relative to the moon.

The conical portion of the shroud separated by means of explosive

bolts and springs, 12 seconds after the top section had separated from

the booster. By ii:00 a.m. the satellite had a velocity of 6,162 m.p.h.,

32

and had traveled 84,800 miles. By 9:15 a.m° on March 5, the satellite

had a velocity of 3,960 m.p.h, and had traveled 406,620 miles. The

33

Goldstone tracking station lost contact with the probe at that time.

Contact was momentarily regained at 9:24 a.m. No further contact with

34

Pioneer IV was expected.

After launching a solar satellite, the group then sent into, and

recovered from, outer space the first primate passenger. Jupiter Missile

18 left Cape Canaveral at 2:35 a.m.E.S.T, on May 28, 1959. In the nose

cone were an American-born Rhesus monkey, Able, and a squirrel monkey,

Baker, as well as yeast, corn, mustard seeds, fruit-fly larvae, human

32. Satellite & a____9_ S Program Progress Report for NAS____A,Feb. 15,

1959, pp. 2-3, ABMA Hist. D1v. files.

33. Radio contact with Pioneer IV for 406,620 miles established a

communications record.

34. "_ News for You," Mar. 3, 1959, ABMA Hist. Div. files.

-54-
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-55-
blood, mold spore, and fish eggs.

The nose cone impacted on the pre-selected target and was aboard the

recovery ship approximately 90 minutes after liftoff. Able and Baker

were alive. This first successful recovery of primates after flight

into outer space provided information to be used in studying the possible

effects of rocket flight to be expected upon human performance, such as

the psychological effects of noise, acceleration, deceleration, vibration,

rotation, and gravity-free state. The bio-medical experiments were supervised by the Surgeon General's Office, Department of the Army, and the

Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in support of the NASA Space Program.

Accumulated during the flight was a great deal of bio-astronautical

data pertaining to the effect of rocket flight upon primates, and of

35

cosmic radiation upon lower forms of animal life.

A_IA next launched the complex Explorer VII satellite, its last

historic satellite orbiting before joining NASA. The group had scheduled

Juno II Vehicle 19A for launching in September 1959; however, debris from

36

the explosion of Jupiter Missile 23 on September 16 damaged 19A.

Juno II 19A successfully placed a 91.5-pound scientific earth

satellite, Explorer VII, in orbit on October 13, 1959. The vehicle rose

from Cape Canaveral at 10:31 a.m.E.S.T, on the appointed date. All

satellite experiments functioned satisfactorily, with the first stage

35. "Control Office Historical Report, i Jan.--30 Jun. 1959," A_MA

Cont. Off., p. 2, ABMA Hist. Div. files. The Able-Baker capsule was

officially accepted by the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C.,

at a ceremony on November 17, 1960.

36. Vehicle 19A, consisting of four stages, had the mission of

carrying a back-up payload of the Juno II Vehicle 16 type.

-56-
EXPLORER VII

On October 13, 1959, Juno II 19A launched Explorer VII, a 91.5-pound

satellite.

-57-
flight, main cutoff, and separation occurring as intended. Injection of

37

Explorer VII into orbit occurred at 3:39 p.m.E.S.T.

The group's responsibility for this firing included a real-time

determination of upper stage and payload performance with the primary

mission of making a quick calculation of orbital parameters. This task

was accomplished.

Explorer VII continues to circle the earth every hour and forty-one

minutes sending back valuable radiation and weather information. The

extremeties of the satellite's orbital coverage are 50 degrees latitude

38

North and South, covering much of the earth's surface.

But whereas the Explorer program thus far was in terms of pounds,

a new program was emphasizing the lifting of tons into outer space. This

was the important new U. S. Saturn program. By early 1957, ABMA designers

had been considering the possibility of a large, clustered-engine first

stage for a space vehicle. In December 1957 A_4A submitted to the

Department of Defense a "Proposal for a National Integrated Missile and

Space Vehicle Development Program." This historic document suggested

39

the need for a booster of 1.5 million-pound thrust. On August 15 ARPA

initiated the Saturn program by authorizing a space booster of 1.5

40

million pounds thrust. ABMA responded with a clustering of eight H-I

37. Satellite _ Space Program Progress Report for NASA, Nov. 6,

1959, pp. 3-4, AI_4A Hist. Div. files.

38. DF, Director ABMA/S&M Lab. to Director, ABMA/DOD, "Missions

and Features of Jupiter Missile AM-19A," Sept. 24, 1959, p. i, AJlV,A

Hist. Div. files.

39. ARPA, the Advanced Research Projects Agency, directed the

space programs of the Department of Defense.

40. ARPA Order 14-59, Aug. 15, 1958, Dir. of ARPA to CG, AOMC,

p. I, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

-58-
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-59-
liquid propellant engines built essentially from existing Jupiter and

Thor engine components. Foremost among alternate proposals to the eightengine concept was a concept for clustering four E-I engines. This concept lost out because of the estimated cost of completing the E-I engine

development, and because of the time the development would require. By

using the H-I engine, an improved version of the S-3 Jupiter and Thor

engine, ARPA could furnish the nation a quick, relatively inexpensive,

reliable booster capable of lifting into orbit or outward for space

travel a multi-ton payload.

On November 21, 1958, the Director of ARPA and the Commanding General

of AOMC signed a "Memorandum of Agreement" outlining part of the research

41

and development schedule for the Saturn booster. This was followed by

an ARPA supplement to its original August 15, 1958, order, the supplement authorizing, in addition to the original booster of 1.5 million42

pound-thrust, the development of a multi-stage vehicle.

ARPA Order 47-59, dated December Ii, 1958, authorized AOMC to design,

construct, and modify the ABMA Captive Test Tower as well as determine

design requirements for Saturn launch facilities. Later that month ARPA

authorized AOMC to conduct design studies of various vehicle configura43

tions incorporating the Saturn booster as first stage. On March 17,

1959, A_4A submitted to ARPA a Saturn system study, which recommended

41. History of Armz Ballistic Missile A_ency, i Jul.--31 Dec. 1958,

p. 50, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

42. Quarterly ProRress Report on ARPA Orders 14-59 & 47-59_ fo____r

Firs_____!tQuarter CY 1959, Apr. 7, 1959, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

43. ARPA Order 14-59, Amendment No. 3, Dir. of ARPA to CG, AOMC,

p. i, A_A Cont. Off. files.

-60-
that either the Atlas or Titan rocket be used as second stage of the

Saturn vehicle. ARPA responded with a decision to use a modified Titan

for the second stage and a Centaur for the third stage. However, ARPA

subsequently ordered AOMC to suspend all expenditures relating to stage

44

diameter of the modified Titan.

On December 7, 1959, ARPA authorized ABMA to make an engineering

study of a Saturn configuration consisting of four hydrogen-oxygen engines

as second stage and two hydrogen-oxygen engines (modified Centaur) as

third stage. This version of the Saturn vehicle became known as the C-I.

A decision on the Saturn configuration was reached with the December

15 report from the Silverstein Committee ("Saturn Vehicle Team"). This

long-range report recommended that the Saturn vehicle utilize hydrogenoxygen upper stages. Initial vehicles would be the C-I configuration;

advanced vehicles would incorporate a new high thrust hydrogen-oxygen

45

engine.

The long-range Saturn program developed into a program for several

configurations, each one a logical follow-on to the previous version.

Initial plans called for the first Saturn configuration to consist of:

I. The booster unit made up of a cluster of eight conventional

liquid fueled rocket engines, each developing 188,000 pounds of thrust,

or an overall thrust of about 1,500,000 pounds.

44. Proiect Saturn: Development and Funding Plan FY - 1961,

Jul. I, 1960, p. 2, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

45. Project Saturn: Development and Funding Plan FY - 1961, p. 2.

-61-
/

SATURN AT THE TEST STAND

A mockup of the Saturn's tail section is iffted into place at AI_'s

Test Stand.

-62-
2. The second stage would be powered by four liquid hydrogen-fueled

engines of 20,000 pounds thrust each. A contract for the development of

the second stage was awarded to Douglas Aircraft. Subsequent to the

award, the engine thrust level was reduced to 17,500 pounds.

3. The third stage would be a modified Centaur powered by two

liquid hydrogen-fueled engines identical to those of the second stage.

For satellite missions, this configuration, standing about 180 feet

tall, would orbit payloads of from 23,000 to 25,000 pounds, depending

upon the altitude desired.

On January 14 AI_[A began construction of a static test stand for

the Saturn booster. This test stand, 177 feet high, was under construction during all of 1959. On January 4, 1960, A]_[A installed in the test

stand a mock-up of the Saturn booster. The purpose of this mock-up

installation was to determine how the actual booster would fit into the

stand and to test methods for servicing the booster. On February i, 1960,

the mock-up was removed, and with installation of the booster the following static firings occurred:

No. of Engines Date (1960) Duration

ist 2 engines March 28 8 seconds

2nd 4 engines April 6 7 seconds

3rd 8 engines April 29 8 seconds

4th 8 engines May 17 24 seconds

5th 8 engines May 26 35 seconds

6th 8 engines June 3 75 seconds

7th 8 engines June 8 ii0 seconds

8th 8 engines June 15 121 seconds

-63-
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On July 20, 1960, work began on a new static test stand, a "Dynamic

Test Stand," located several hundred feet from the stand that accommodated

the booster for the above firings. Completion date for this new stand

is approximately February 1961. Its 204 feet will accommodate the full

three-stage Saturn vehicle. The engines will not be "hot fired" in this

stand. Instead, its purpose is to accommodate a three-stage Saturn so

that personnel can test vibrations, stage matings, firing procedures,

etc. The prime objective of these tests is the dynamic behavior of the

entire vehicle under launch hold down and simulated free flight conditions. The final stages with payload will also be tested.

From Huntsville the assembled Saturn first stage, too large for truck

or available aircraft, will be transported by barge to Cape Canaveral.

At Cape Canaveral it will find awaiting it an entire launch complex

46

dominated by the 310-foot Service Structure.

The important Saturn program offered a fitting challenge to the ABMA

group that transferred to NASA on July i, 1960. Behind part of this group

was space experience that extended back thirty years. During the past

two years, Explorer I was orbited under critical conditions. Explorer

VII, the last Explorer before transfer of the group to NASA, was highly

complex. In between were successful flights of live primate passengers,

the orbiting of lunar and solar satellites, and the refinement of the

ablation principle for returning objects from outer space. If experience

was the proper index, their future would be interesting indeed.

46. The above Saturn information is from an October 28, 1960,

interview with Robert Purdie, Operations & Control, MSFC Test Div.; and

a November 30 interview with R. E. Lindstrom and Stan R. Reinartz,

Saturn Systems Off., MSFC.

-65-
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-66-
CHAPTER V: THE TRANSFER TO NASA

Background

Early in 1958 President Eisenhower's Science Advisory Committee and

the President's Advisory Committee on Governmental Organization had recommended the establishment of a civilian agency to direct non-military

space activities. On April 2, 1958, President Eisenhower, in a special

message to Congress, stated that "aeronautical and space science activities

sponsored by the United States Ahould7 be conducted under the direction

of a civilian agency except for those projects primarily associated with

i

military requirements." Congress therefore passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, signed into law by President Eisenhower on July 29,

1958.

The National Aeronautics and Space Act established the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), making it responsible for

2

conducting scientific exploration of outer space for peaceful purposes.

i. U. S. House of Representatives, Eleventh Report by the Cor_nittee

on Governmental Operations, Sept. 2, 1959, p. 141, ABMA Tech. Doc. Div.

2. Although a civilian agency, NASA would maintain liaison with the

Department of Defense. The Act established a National Aeronautical and

Space Council consisting of: The President, the Secretaries of State and

Defense, the Administrator of NASA, the Chairman of the AEC, one other

government member, and not more than three members from civilian life.

The Act also established a Civilian-Military Liaison Committee, through

which the Administration and the Department of Defense would advise and

consult with each other on aeronautical and space activities. The Act

established, for the Committee, a chairman, appointed by the President;

one or more representatiyes from the Department of Defense; one or more

representatives from each of the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air

Force; and representatives from NASA equalling in number the representatives from the military departments. See Public Law 85-568, National

Aeronautics and S_pace Act, July 29, 1958, Sections 201 and 204.

-67-
OnSeptember25, 1958, Dr. T. Keith Glennan, NASAAdministrator, announced

3

the activation of NASAas of October i, 1958.

The National Aeronautics and SpaceAct, as passed by Congress and

approved by the President, gave the President of the United States the

authority to transfer to the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration

any functions (including powers, duties,

activities, facilities, and parts of functions)

of any other department or agency of the United

States, or of any officer or organizational entity

thereof, which relate primarily to the functions,

powers, and duties of the /National Aeronautics and

--4 Space/ Administration ....

President Eisenhower exercised this authority on October I, 1958,

when he transferred to NASA the responsibility for several space and

rocket engine projects, including the Navy's Project Vanguard. The President again exercised this authority on December 3, 1958, when he directed

the transfer to NASA of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the

California Institute of Technology.

Also on December 3, 1958, NASA and the Department of the Army agreed

5

to make the resources of the Army Ordnance Missile Conmmnd (AOMC)

3. Dr. T. Keith Glennan, A Proclamation, Sept. 25, 1958, in 44th

Annual Report of the National Advisory Conlnittee for Aeronautics, 1958

_Final Report), p. 115, MSFC Hist. Off. files. NASA initially was comprised of the 43-year-old National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics

(NACA), consisting of approximately 8,000 personnel and 5 laboratories.

NACA's facilities became NASA's Wallops Island Station (Virginia) and

four Research Centers: Langley (Hampton), Lewis (Cleveland), Ames

(Moffett Field), and the Flight Research Center (Edwards AFB).

4. PL 85-568, July 29, 1958, Section 302(a).

5. AOMC, with Headquarters at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, had four

subordinate agencies: White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; Army Rocket

& Guided Missile Agency, Redstone Arsenal; Army Ballistic Missile Agency,

Redstone Arsenal; and Redstone Arsenal (Agency), operating in support

areas for the other elements of the Conmmnd.

-68-
responsive to the needs of NASA's civilian space activities, provided

that assignments from NASA were considered as "additional" to the Command's

essential military requirements. This Agreement gave the Con_nanding

General of AOMC full authority "to utilize the resources of his Command.

for the accomplishment of assigned NASA projects. ''6

The Decision to Transfer

On October 21, 1959, President Eisenhower announced his decision

regarding the Army Ballistic Missile Agency's Development Operations

Division as follows:

To strengthen the national space effort and

provide for America's changing requirements in

this field, I have concluded that the Army

Ballistic Missile Agency can best serve the national

interest as an integral part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration .... As part of

this action, the development of "super-booster"

special vehicle will be consolidated in the aeronautical and space administration under the immediate direction of this team. I have directed

that this program be vigorously pressed forward.

The specific plan and details involved in this

transfer, including provision for continuation of

military missile programs now assigned to A_MA,

will be ready to lay before the Congress when it

reconvenes. 7

On this same date NASA Administrator Dr. T. Keith Glennan stated:

6. "Cooperative Agreement on the Army Ordnance Missile Command between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of the Army, Dec. 3, 1958, pp. 1-2, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

7. President Eisenhower, Statement, Oct. 21, 1959, in TT, AOMC

Central files. A_A's Development Op@rations Division (DOD) was composed of i0 laboratories: Aeroballistics, Computation, Fabrication &

Assembly Engineering, Guidance & Control, Missile Firing, Research

Projects, Structures & Mechanics, Systems Analysis & Reliability, Test,

and Systems Support Equipment Laboratories.

-69-
-70-
The President's action further clarifies the

management organization of the nation's space

program with NASA now assuming responsibility

for the development of space booster vehicle

systems of high thrust--the field of dominant

8

interest to the personnel of the DOD of AHMA ....

The President's October 21 decision to transfer _'s Development

Operations Division meant that concurrent with the transfer NASA would

acquire total responsibility for the Saturn project. Following the

President's decision, and while the actual transfer was under p_eparation,

NASA assumed technical direction of the project. This assumption was

authorized by a November 1959 agreement between NASA and the Department

9

of Defense. Meanwhile, ARPA continued its business management, pending

i0

the transfer of the Huntsville facilities.

On the day after President Eisenhower's October 21 announcement,

Dr. Glennan and other NASA officials met with Army officials at Redstone

Arsenal, Alabama. The group discussed the transfer of the Development

Operations Division. During this visit Dr. Glennan and his party held

meetings with an AOMC-_ staff management group, with the Development

Operations Division laboratory directors, and with a larger group of key

DOD personnel. Dr. Glennan emphasized the fact that the primary mission

of the proposed NASA group would be the development of the program for a

ii

large space vehicle system.

8. Dr. T. Keith Glennan, Statement, Oct. 21, 1959, in TT, AOMC

Central files.

9. Memorandum of Understanding, NASA Asso. Dir. and Dept. of Defense

Dir. of Defense Research & Engineering, Nov. 18, 1959, MSFC Hist. Off.

files.

i0. U. S. Senate, Comm. on Aeronautical and Space Sciences, NASA

Authorization Subcomm_., Hearin_ on House Joint Resolution 567, Feb. 18,

1960, Testimony ot Dr. Glennan, p. 26.

ii. Memo for Record, Lt. Col. Glenn Crane, Special Asst._to CG,

AOMC, "Summary Notes of Dr. Glennan's Visit to AOMC on 21 _si_/ October

1959," Oct. 24, 1959, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

-71-
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-72-
On October 30, 1959, NASA and the Department of Defense jointly

recommended to President Eisenhower that the transfer include. .

personnel and such facil_ties and equipment which

are pres!ntly assigned _to the Development Operations

Division/ and required for the future use of NASA.

and such other personnel, facilities and equipment

for administrative and technical support of the transferred activity as may be agreed upon..

The detailed implementation of the actions proposed

will be accomplished through the subsequent negotiation of cooperative a_reements between the Department

of Defense and NASA. I_

On November 18 the Secretary of the Army and the Administrator of

NASA signed an agreement establishing guidelines for the transfer. This

agreement called for selection and appointment of a principal negotiator

from the Army and from NASA. For NASA the principal negotiator would be

the Director of Business Administration, and for the Army he would be

the Deputy Chief of Ordnance. The principal negotiators would establish

subordinate study or negotiation teams. It was agreed that a draft trans13

fer plan would be submitted to President Eisenhower by December 15.

In compliance with the provisions of the October 30 NASA-Department

of Defense agreement, AOMC established a project task force. The task

force members, under the direction of Colonel Calvin A. Heath, Chief,

12. Memorandum for the President, "Responsibility and Organization

for Certain Space Activities," Oct. 21, 1959, signed by Dr. Glennan

(NASA) and Sec. Gates (OSD) Oct. 30, 1959, approved by the President

Nov. 2, 1959, pp. 1-2, Appendix A.

13. "Agreement Between the Department of the Army and NASA On The

Objectives and Guidelines for the Implementation Of The Presidential

Decision to Transfer A Portion of ABMA to NASA," Sections D & E, Nov. 16,

1959, signed by Dr. Glennan (NASA) and Sec. Brucker (Army) Nov. 18, 1959,

Appendix B.

-73-
AOMCControl Office, were responsible for working directly with the NASA

representatives headedby Mr. Albert F. Siepert, NASADirector of

Business Administration. The AOMCTask Force memberscould exchange

information and discuss problems relative to the transfer but could not

14

makefinal decisions or commitments.

The NASARepresentatives and the AOMCTask Force membersdiscussed

problems in the following areas: facilities and real estate (both

Huntsville and CapeCanaveral); personnel (civilian, military, and contractor); services; equipment, stocks, and supplies; timing and funding;

15 and policies and procedures for selecting personnel to be transferred.

On December6 the Army-NASAnegotiators drafted an initial plan for

the transfer to NASAof the DevelopmentOperations Division and various

Army supporting areas. The NASAAdministrator, the Secretary of the

Army, and the Acting Secretary of Defense reviewed the Transfer Plan and

16

approved it with only slight modification. As approved, this Plan

provided NASAwith a "substantially independent operating research and

development organization and capability," meanwhile assuring "the cont inued performance by the Army of it's _si_/ mission." The Plan also

provided for "the continuance of service by the Army of the transferred

group and. . for retention by the Army of capability for continuing

14. Memo,Gen. Barclay (Acting Dep. Comm.Gen., AOMC)to Army

Project Officers and Task Force Memberset al., "Establishment of A

Project Task Force to Study ProposedTransfer of Functions and/or Organizations to NASA,"Nov. 3, 1959, MSFCHist. Off. files.

15. Memorandumof Transmittal, "NASADiscussion Papers Related to

the Transfer. . .," Nov. 24, 1959, MSFCHist. Off. files.

16. The Army-NASA Transfer Plan_n, dated Dec. ii, 1959, was signed by

Administrator Glennan (NASA) on Dec. 17, by Sec. Brucker (Army) on Dec.

16, and by Acting Sec. Douglas (Defense) on Dec. 16, 1959. See Appendix

C.

-74-
weaponssystem management." Fundamental to the plan was "a concept of

phasing of operations and responsibility• . . to prevent dislocation or

17 disruption of ongoing programs.

As scheduled by November18 agreement, NASAHeadquarters and the

Department of the Army Headquarters forwarded the approved plan to the

Executive Office of the White House. On January 14, 1960, President

Eisenhower submitted to Congress a plan for the transfer of the DODto

18

NASA. In urging Congress to accept the Plan, the President referred to

NASA'sresponsibility for developing high thrust space vehicles, and

stated:

• . I have concluded that it is in the best

interest of the Nation. to provide NASAwith

an organization capable of and equipped for

developing and operating large space vehicle

boosters and conducting related research. This

can be done by transferring to NASAthe Development Operations Division of the ABMAand certain

supporting personnel. At the sametime it is

recognized that the Army must continue to discharge its responsibilities for the development

of missile systems. The transfer plan forwarded

herewith is designed to accomplish these purposes..

19

The Plan would be effective automatically within 60 days, unless formally

20 disfavored by Congressional resolution.

17. Army-NASA Transfer Plan, Dec. ii, 1959, "Sunmmry and Concepts,"

p. i, Appendix C.

18. See previously cited announcement of the President's decision

to order the transfer, October 21, 1959.

19. President Eisenhower, Exec. Order 10793, Jan. 14, 1960, MSFC

Hist. Off. files.

20. "Transfer Plan: Making Certain Transfers from the Department

of Defense to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,"

transmitted by the President and delivered to Congress Jan. 14, 1960,

Sec. 3. See also PL 85-568, Jul. 29, 1958, Sec. 302(a).

-75-
In the interests of expediting the transfer by removing "any unnecessary obstacles or delaying factors in the prosecution of. ./_ational

space science and exploration/ programs," the House of Representatives

resolved on February 8 that the President's transfer plan take effect

21

immediately. Nevertheless, hearings on the House Joint Resolution conducted by the NASA Authorization Subconlnittee of the Senate Cormnittee on

Aeronautical and Space Sciences failed to produce Senate action. Accordingly, the President's January 14 Transfer Plan automatically became

effective after 60 days, on March 14, 1960.

On March 14 the Saturn program's unexpended and unobligated funds for

fiscal year 1960 were transferred to NASA. This funding transfer was a

further step toward NASA's assuming full responsibility for Project

Saturn on July I. Although the NASA facility was established on March

14, AI_A's Development Operations Division did not formally transfer to

NASA until July i. In the interim, NASA's Mr. Delmar Morris was delegated

the authority normally given the head of a NASA field installation. Mr.

Morris would serve as Deputy Director for Administration under Dr. Wernher

22

yon Braun, Director, upon the transfer of July i.

21. U. S. House of Representatives, Joint Resolution 567, Feb. 8,

1960.

It is significant that Secretary Brucker (Army) expressed the following views: "Since the apparent purpose of House Joint Resolution 567

is to give early congressional approval to the transfer plan submitted

by the President and since it is not intended to interfer _si_/ by forced

acceleration with the orderly transition planned for July I, 1960, the

Department of the Army, on behalf of the Department of Defense, expresses

no objection to the adoption of the resolution." Letter, to Congressman

Overton Brooks, Chairman, Comm. on Science & Astronautics, Feb. 4, 1960,

in Hearin_ on H. J. Res. 567, Feb. 18, 1960, p. 3.

22. Dr. Glennan, NASA Administrator, "Establishment of NASA Huntsville

Fability," NASA Circular No. 57, Mar. 14, 1960, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

-76-
On March 15, 1960, President Eisenhower issued an Executive Order

which formally named the Huntsville facilities being transferred to

NASA:

Whereas, these facilities are destined to play a

major role in man's conquest of outer space and

its utilization for peaceful purposes for the

benefit of all mankind; and.

Whereas, the late General of the Army George C.

Marshall devoted his life to the service of his

country and to the advancement of the cause of

peace throughout the world:

Now, therefore, by virtue of the authority vested

in me as the President of the United States, I

hereby designate the facilities of the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration at Huntsville,

Alabama, as the George C. Marshall Space Flight

Center; and such facilities whall h_eafter be

known and referred to by that name.

Implementin_ the Transfer

Transfer problems too detailed for the December ii Transfer Plan itself were solved by "cooperative agreements" on the levels of the specific

problems. On December i0 NASA and AOMC announced the assignment of individuals responsible for preparing cooperative agreements in the areas

24

outlined in the Transfer Plan.

NASA and AOMC continued negotiations to reach agreement on implementing the various aspects of the transfer as well as on establishing

23. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Exec. Order 10870, Mar. 15,

1960, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

24. "Army-NASA Transfer: Assignment of Responsibility for Preparation of Implementation Plans," Dec. la, 1959, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

-77-
methods of operation as of July i. For example, on April 4, 1960, NASA

and the Army agreed upon the direction of construction projects (primarily

in support of Project Saturn) to transfer from AOMCto NASA.25 And, on

May 31, the Deputy Director for Administration, Marshall SpaceFlight

Center (MSFC),and the Commander,Army Ballistic Missile Agency, signed

26

a Files Transfer Procedure.

MSFCand AOMCnegotiators prepared a draft operating agreement on

27

June I0. OnAugust 16 the Deputy Director for Administration, MSFC,

and the CormnandingGeneral, AOMC,signed this agreement delineating working relationships between MSFCand AOMC. By the terms of this agreement,

AOMCwould provide to MSFCcertain administrative and logistic support

28

services, and MSFCwould provide to AOMCspecified support services.

Detailed procedures implementing this basic operating agreement were

negotiated, by affected representatives of MSFCand AOMC'sagencies in

all areas listed in the basic agreement. Many of the procedures had

been finalized before the basic operating agreementwas signed. Nevertheless, all procedures were subject to the principles agreed upon in

the August 16 document.

25. "Cooperative Agreementbetween the National Aeronautics and

SpaceAdministration and the Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army,

on Construction," Apr. 4, 1960, cited in Letter, Maj. Gen. August

Schomburg,CG,AOMC,to Dr. T. Keith Glennan, May 6, 1960, p. I, MSFC

Hist. Off. files.

26. "Files Transfer Procedure of USAOMCand Marshall Space Flight

Center," May 31, 1960, signed by Col. R. M. Hurst, COrmn.,AmW.A,and Mr.

D. M. Morris, Dep. Dir. for Admin., MSFC, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

27. DF, Col. Kaiser, Chief, Cont. Off., AOMC, to Commander, A/_4.A,

"Status of Agreements with NASA for Support of A/_," Jul. 8, 1960, p. i,

MSFC Hist. Off. files.

28. "Agreement between the U. S. Army Ordnance Missile Command, Ordnance Corps, Department of the Army and George C. Marshall Space Flight

Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration," signed by Maj.

Gen. Schomburg, C_, AOMC, and Mr. D. M. Morris, MSFC Dep. Dir. for Admin.,

Aug. 16, 1960, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

-78-
Also finalized in August was the Army-NASAagreement on use of

Redstone Arsenal land and facilities. The Agreement gave NASA99-year,

irrevocable and renewable occupancy and use of the land and facilities

of the entire "NASAComplex" as well as of certain facilities outside

the "NASAComplex. ''29

Meanwhile, on June 14 NASA announced the formation of the Launch

Operations Directorate (LOD). The nucleus of the Directorate was A1_IA's

Missile Firing Laboratory, which was a part of the Development Operations

Division. Under Dr. Kurt Debus, LOD assumed "on an expanded basis, the

functions of the NASA Atlantic Missile Range Operations Office which

initiated NASA's operations at AMR and established NASA launch operations

30

procedures."

Two more important agreements were finalized late in June. MSFC

and AOMC reached agreement on transferring procurement and contracting

functions on June 27. The two parties agreed on appropriate procedures

31

for handling the six general areas of contracting and procurement. At

the close of business June 30, 1960, MSFC assumed "responsibility,

accountability, and custody for all equipment on the property books of

the Development Operations Division and Technical Materials and Equipment Branch, _ .... " Items of equipment properly belonging to NASA,

29. "Agreement between the Department of the Army and the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration for Use of Land and Facilities at

Redstone Arsenal_ Alabama," signed by Sec. Brucker (Army) Aug. i0, 1960,

and Dr. Glennan (NASA) Aug. 15, 1960, p. I, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

30. NASA News Release 60-212, "NASA Outlines Launch Organization,"

June 14, 1960, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

31. "Procedures for the Transfer of Procurement and Contracting

Functions from US AOMC to Marshall Space Flight Center," June 27, 1960,

signed by D. M. Morris, Dep. Dir. for Admin., MSFC, June 30 and by Col.

T. W. Cooke, COFS, AOMC, June 29, 1960, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

-79-
as agreed upon, would be transferred by December31, 1960; items of

equipment properly belonging to the Army would be re-transferred by

32 December31, 1960.

By June 30 just a little more than eight months had passed since

the President's October 21, 1959, decision to establish NASAfacilities

at Huntsville. During this time NASAand the Army had jointly developed

a plan for the transfer of A_MApersonnel and facilities to NASA;

President Eisenhower had officially ordered the transfer of AI_A personnel and facilities to form the nucleus of the George C. Marshall Space

Flight Center; and NASAand AOMCnegotiations had resulted in cooperative agreements for MSFC-AOMCtransfer and operating procedures. Still

to be finalized were manyof the detailed operating agreements.

32. "Responsibility, Accountability, and Custody of Equipment,"

agreement signed by D. M. Morris, Dep. Dir. for Admin., MSFC,and T. W.

Cooke, COFS,AOMC,June 30, 1960, MSFCHist. Off. files.

-80-
CHAPTERVI: ORGANIZATIONANDMISSION

Introduction

The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center I officially began operations on July I, 1960. On that date Major General August Schomburg,

Commanding General, AOMC, formally transferred the agreed-upon missions,

personnel, and facilities to Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director of NASA's

Center, in a ceremony in front of the MSFC-AHMA joint headquarters.

MSFC has fourteen staff and project offices: Agena and Centaur

Systems, Chief Counsel, Financial Management, Future Projects, Management Services, Operations Analysis, Patent Counsel, Procurement and

Contracts, Public Information, Reliability, Technical Program Coordina2

tion, Technical Services, Saturn Systems, and Weapons Systems.

3

The Center has nine segments responsible for technical functions:

Aeroballistics, Computation, Fabrication and Assembly Engineering,

Guidance and Control, Launch Operations Directorate, Quality, Research

4

Projects, Structures and Mechanics, and Test.

i. The Center is directly responsible to the NASA Office of Launch

Vehicle Programs, Major General Don R. Ostrander, Director. "The Office

of Launch Vehicle Programs is responsible for the development of the

large booster systems needed for space flight and for the supervision of

the launching operations necessary to place a satellite or space probe

in its proper trajectory." Morton J. Stoller, Asst. Dir. for Satellite

& Sounding Rocket Programs, NASA, "The U. S. National Aeronautics and

Space Administration's Space Flight Program," Sept. 12, 1960, pp. 4-5,

MSFC Hist. Off. files.

2. Initially, the Center had twelve staff and project offices.

Established later were the Patent Counsel and the Reliability Office.

3. See Appendix D for a brief description of the functions of

MSFC's segments.

4. Systems Support Equipment Division was abolished on October i,

1960, with its functions being transferred to other MSFC divisions.

Quality Division was formerly designated Systems Analysis & Reliability

Division.

-81-
-82-

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NASA's mission is to plan, direct, and conduct the non-military

aeronautical and space activities of the United States.5 The George C.

Marshall Space Flight Center supports NASA with launch'vehicle systems

6

design, development, and launching.

A large program under the responsibility of MSFC is the Saturn

Program, discussed in Chapter IV. Of top priority, the three-stage

Saturn is expected to have a 1963 payload capability of 20,000 pounds.

The Saturn C-I (first versionJ will serve in launching heavy

7

loads into outer space and into orbit around the Earth.

MSFC is also responsible for development of the Centaur launch

vehicle, for the development of the Agena B stage of the Atlas-Agena B

and Thor-Agena B boosters, and for directing the F-I single-chamber

8

engine program. T_e Center is providing the Mercury-Redstone vehicle

for NASA's Project Mercury.

Centaur. MSFC has responsibility for the Atlas-Centaur project, an

9

advanced version of an Atlas-based system. A liquid hydrogen and

liquid oxygen stage will be used on an Atlas booster in the Centaur

5. See PL 85-568, National Aeronautics and Space Ac____t,Jul. 29,

1958, Sec. 102(b) and Sec. 203(a).

6. MSFC's firing responsibility is centered in the Launch Operations Directorate (LOD), which supervises NASA launch operations at the

Atlantic and Pacific Missile Ranges.

7. M. J. Stoller, "The U. S. National Aeronautics and Space

Administration's Space F_ight Program," p. 16.

8. NASA, Third Semiannual Report to the Congress, Oct...__._.l, 1959--

March 31, 1960, Aug. 30, 1960, p. 160.

9. Dr. Wernher yon Braun, Dir., MSFC, "United States Space Carrier

Vehicle Program," Aug. 16, 1960, Presentation at the llth International

Astronautical Congress, Stockholm, Sweden, p. 4.

-83-
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vehicle.

can "be ignited in space, cut off, and refired several times in accordance

ii

with programmed instructions from the guidance system."

MSFC's contractors for the Centaur project include ConvairAstronautics Division of General Dynamics Corporation, MinneapolisHoneywell (under sub-contract to Convair) , and Pratt & Whitney Aircraft

Division of United Aircraft Corporation. Convair is developing the

Centaur vehicle; Minneapolis-Honeywell is developing the guidance system;

and Pratt & Whitney is constructing the liquid hydrogen second-stage

12

engine.

On August 20 Convair received the second ground test engine from

Pratt &Whitney. After inspection and minor corrections, the second

engine was installed on the propulsion test vehicle on September 7.

This vehicle was virtually completed and awaiting activation of the test

stand. Also on September 7 Convair placed the C-2 vehicle in hydrostatic

13

test at San Diego.

ARena B. On December 29, 1959, NASA's Director of Vehicle Development Operations established a Survey Team to "review the Agena vehicle

to determine the feasibility of utilizing this vehicle for NASA missions."

I0

The Centaur's twin liquid oxygen-liquid hydrogen rocket engines

14

i0. This Centaur will form the upper stage of the Saturn C-i

vehicle. See Stoller, "NASA's Space Plight Program," p. 13.

ii. Dr. yon Braun, "U. S. Space Carrier Vehicle Program," p. 5.

12. NASA, Third Semiannual R__eport to Congress, Aug. 30, 1960,

pp. 44-45.

13. Monthly Letter Report--Centaur Project, Hans Hueter, Dir.,

Agena & Centaur Systems Off., MSFC, to Comdr. William Schubert, NASA Hq.,

Sept. 20, 1960, pp. 1-2, MSFC Hist. Off. files.

14. NASA-Agena B Progress Report, I Jan.--31 Mar. 1960, p. I,

MSFC Hist. Off. files.

-85-
On February 15, 1960, the Team--consisting of membersfrom NASAHeadquarters, A]_4A,JPL, Goddard SpaceFlight Center, and NASA'sWestern

Operations Office--presented its recormnendationsto General Don R.

15

Ostrander. The Agena B program was approved.

Under the technical direction of MSFC,the Agena B is being developed

as the upper stage for both the Thor-Agena B and the Atlas-Agena B

vehicles. Scheduled for use in NASA'smeteorological and satellite

programs, the Thor-Agena B will be able to place a payload of over 1,500

16

pounds into a 300-mile orbit. The Air Force assigned certain of its

Thor boosters to chis program, with production of these boosters scheduled

17

to begin in May 1961.

The Atlas-Agena B vehicle will be used to transport the first series

of lunar probe spacecraft for JPL, and will also be used in communica18

tions and other satellite programs. The first Atlas-Agena B should

provide a payload capability of more than 5,500 pounds. Production of

19 the Atlas booster was scheduled to begin in October 1960.

Meanwhile, NASAhad scheduled the Agena B for the following

launchings:

Dates

July--December 1961

Launch Vehicles

Atlas-Agena B

Atlas-Agena B

Spacecraft

Ranger I

Ranger II

15. NASA-Agena B Progress Report, p. 2.

16. Dr. von Braun, "U. S. Space Carrier Vehicle Program," p. 4.

17. NASA-Agena B Progress Report, i Jun.--i Jul. 1960, p. i,

MSFC Hist. Off. files.

18. Stoller, "NASA's Space Flight Program," p. 14.

19. NASA-Agena B Progress Report, i Jun.--i Jul. 1960, p. i. For

description of Centaur & Agena, see Hans Hueter, "The Agena and Centaur

Programs," in NASA-Industry Program Plans Conference, Sept. 27-28, 1960,

Huntsville, Ala., MSFC Hist. Off. files.

-86-
January--July 1962

July--December 1962

Atlas-Agena B

Atla s-Agena B

Atlas-Agena B

Thor-Agena B

Atlas-Agena B

Thor-Agena B

Thor-Agena B

Ranger III

Topside Sounder (S-27)

Ranger IV

Nimbus I

Ranger V

Backup Vehicle

20

Nimbus II

Mercury-Redstone. Project Mercury's long-range mission is to place

a manned spacecraft into orbital flight around the earth and to safely

recover the spacecraft and its passenger. The Atlas missile is scheduled

21

to place the Mercury spacecraft in orbit.

In the fall of 1958 NASA formed a Space Task Group at Langley,

assigning to the Group the technical direction of Project Mercury. The

NASA Space Task Group included as its working members technical and

22

medical personnel from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Responsibility

for the NASA Space Task Group was transferred from Langley to Goddard

23

Space Flight Center (GSFC) in December 1959.

The entire Mercury project will place a manned spacecraft in

orbital flight around the earth, investigate man's performance capabilities and ability to survive in a true space environment, and recover

the spacecraft and the .man.safely.

20. NASA-A_ena B Progress Rep0rt _ _ Au_.--i Sept. 196__0, pp. 2-3,

MSFC Hist. Off. files.

21. U. S. Senate, Conln. on Aeronautical and Space Sciences,

"Project Mercury: Han-ln-Space Program of the National Aeronautics and

Space Administration," Rpt. No. 1014, 86th Cong., Ist Sess., Washington,

GPO, 1959, p. 24.

22. U. S. Senate, "Project Mercury," p. 6.

23. NASA, 2nd Semiannual Report to the Congress, Mar. 17, 1960,

p. 135.

-87-
PROJECT HERCURY

A Project Mercury spacecraft, with a Mercury-Redstone booster,

is readied for its flight test at Cape Canaveral.

-88-
MSFC is furnishing Mercury-Redstone vehicles for Project Mercury

ballistic flights. The Mercury-Redstone Program is a preliminary part

of the over-all Project Mercury. Mercury-Redstone flights will launch a

manned spacecraft 130 miles into space, providing a period of weightlessness in flight of five minutes--long enough to test human reaction to the

gravity-free state--in preparation for orbital flight.

MSFC acquired responsibility for the development of the MercuryRedstone vehicle in the July I, 1960, transfer of personnel, facilities,

and missions from A_. McDonnell Aircraft Corporation has responsibility

for the spacecraft. Goddard Space Flight Center's Space Task Group maintains technical supervision of the over-all Project Mercury.

Early in September MSFC technicians in Huntsville performed final

acceptance tests on the Mercury-Redstone No. i (MR-I), including

Redstone booster acceptance tests and booster-spacecraft electrical

compatibility tests. The vehicle successfully completed all major

24

operating requirements.

Dedication of the Center

The new 1200-acre space center at Redstone Arsenal was named the

George C. Marshall Space Flight Center by Presidential Executive Order

25

dated March 15, 1960. Six months later, President Eisenhower,

Mrs. George C. Marshall, Dr. T. Keith Glennan, Alabama Governor

24. Systems Analysis & Reliability Div., MSFC, "Final Acceptance

Test Report MR-I," Sept. 12, 1960, Rpt. No. _-M-SAR-2-60, p. ii, MSFC

Hist. Off. files.

25. See Chapter V for _ixt of Exec. Order 10870.

-89-
PRESIDENT EISENHOWER TOURS PLANT AREA

President Eisenhower and Dr. yon Braun inspect a Saturn booster

following MSFC dedication ceremonies on the morning of September 8_ 1960.

-90-
John Patterson, and many other dignitaries arrived at MSFC to participate

in the formal dedication of the $i00,000,000 Center.

General Marshall was praised by President Eisenhower as a "man of

war, yet a builder of peace. . the symbol of renewed hope for scores

of millions of suffering people through his great plan for Europe that

will forever bear his name." President Eisenhower complimented the Army

missile and space achievements at Redstone Arsenal, and pointed to the

scientists who today feel "as if Venus and Mars are more accessible to

them than a regimental headquarters was to me as a platoon con_nander

26

forty years ago."

The highlight of the ceremony was the unveiling by Mrs. Marshall and

President Eisenhower of the bust of George C. Marshall. The bust was

sculptured in 1953 by Kalervo Kallio, a we££ known Finnish sculptor.

Kallio originally modeled Marshall in clay. A plaster bust, molded

from the clay, was shipped to the sculptor's studio near Helsinki,

Finland, where the 21-inch high, 18-inch wide bust was sculptured in

red granite.

Following the ceremony, the President and other visitors toured the

MSFC plant area and, after a two-hour stay on the installation, the

President and his party departed. The people of MSFC returned to work

with renewed dedication.

Thus, a new chapter in the history of man's conquest of space is

unfolding at NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center at

J

26. See Appendix F for full text of President Eisenhower's remarks.

The remarks of Hon_ John Patterson are Appendix E.

-91-
Huntsville, Alabama. Mindful of its rich traditions and long experience,

the Center looks forward to the scientific exploration of space, which

holds great promise for the benefit of all mankind. Born in war, and

nurtured by military requirements, rocket propulsion is one of the

great technological developments offering science the meansof investigating the newly available frontier of space. In this challenging

effort, the people at Huntsville will undoubtedly continue to play a

prominant role.

-92-
-93-
A_ZNDZCZS

=94=
APPENDIX A

MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT, "RESPONSIBILITY AND ORGANIZATION

FOR CERTAIN SPACE ACTIVITIES"
October 30, 1959

MEMORANDUM FORThe President

SUBJECT: Responsibility and Organization for Certain Space

Activities

The Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of NASAhave agreed

upon, and reco_mnendto the President, certain actions designed to clarify

responsibilities, improve coordination, and enhance the National space

effort. The actions recommendedbelow are consistent with the steps

taken by the Secretary of Defense to clarify responsibilities and assignments in the field of military space applications within the Department

of Defense.

The Secretary of Defense and the Administrator have agreed upon and

recommendto the President the following actions:

A. The assignment to NASAof sole responsibility for the

development of new space booster vehicle systems of very high thrust.

Both the DODand NASAwill continue with a coordinated program for the

development of space vehicles based on the current IC_ and IRBM missiles

and growth versions of those missiles.

B. The transfer from the Department of the Army to NASA of

the Development Operations Division of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency,

including its personnel and such facilities and equipment which are

presently assigned and required for the future use of NASA at the transferred activity, and such other personnel, facilities and equipment for

administrative and technical support of the transferred activity as may

be agreed upon.

C. The provision by the Army to NASA of such administrative

services as may be agreed upon to effect a smooth transition of management and funding responsibility of the transferred activity.

The Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of NASA are in agreement on the following:

I. The Nation requires and must build at least one super booster

and responsibility for this activity should be vested in one agency.

There is, at present, no clear military requirement for super boosters,

although there is a real possibility that the future will bring military

weapons systems requirements. However, there is a definite need for

super boosters for civilian space exploration purposes, both manned and

unmanned. Accordingly, it is agreed that the responsibility for the

super booster program should be vested in NASA. It is agreed that the

reco_nendations to center this function in NASA and to transfer the

Development Operations Division of _ to NASA are independent of any

decisions on whether either or both of the super booster systems currently

under development are continued in their presently conceived form.

APPENDIX A
2. The transfer of the DevelopmentOperations Division of ABMA

shall include transfer of responsibility for Saturn, together with 1960

funds allocated for the project, and transfer to the NASA1961 budget of

such amountsas maybe approved for this project in the 1961 Department

of Defense budget.

3. In carrying out its responsibilities the NASAwill keep the

Department of Defense thoroughly and completely informed on its booster

program and will be fully responsive to specific requirements of the

Department of Defense for the development of super boosters for future

military missions as requested by the Secretary of Defense.

4. It is NASA's intent to center at the transferred activity the

bulk of its space booster vehicle systems work, including an appropriate

research and development effort, and ultimately, substantial responsibility

for NASAlaunch operations.

5. It is agreed that NASAwill provide support to the Department

of Defense and military services at the transferred activity in the same

manneras it now does at all other field centers.

6. The managementand employmentof the transferred will be the

responsibility of NASA,and no commitmentis possible with respect to

levels of staffing or funding for the operation. NASA,however, will

makeevery possible effort within its responsibilities and resources

to utilize the capabilities of the DevelopmentOperations Division of

ABMA.

7. The transfer of personnel, facilities, and equipment will be

on a nonreimbursable basis.

8. The Department of the Army will provide and maintain on a

reimbursable basis station-wide services as required by NASAwithin the

Redstone Arsenal complex.

9. NASAwill provide for continuahion, transfer, or phasing out

of military projects under way at the transferred activity as maybe

requested and to the extent funded by the Department of Defense, and

will undertake at the transferred activity such additional military

projects as maybe agreed upon by NASAand the Department of Defense.

i0. The Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, and

NASA,recognizing the value to the Nation's space program of maimtaining

at a high level the present competenceof A]_W_Awill cooperate to preserve

the continuity of the technical and administrative leadership of the

group.

- 2 -
ii. The detailed implementation of the actions proposed will be

accomplished through the subsequent negotiation of cooperative agreements between the Department of Defense and NASA.

The Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of NASAhave reached

agreementand recommendapproval of the above actions in the firm belief

that the National space effort requires a strong civilian agency and

program and a strong military space effort by the Department of Defense,

and clear lines of responsibility and authority if the U. S. is to

employ its best efforts in the exploration of outer space and to assure

the defense of the Nation.

If the President approves the recommendedactions set forth in

A, B, and C above, the Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of

NASAwill proceed immediately to form the necessary staff teams to

develop the required implementing documents.

(Signed)

T. KEr_I GL_AN

Administrator, NASA

(Signed)

THOMAS. GATES

Secretary of Defense

-3 -
APPENDIXB

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY AND NASA ON THE

OBJECTIVES AND GUIDELINES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

PRESIDENTIAL DECISION TO TRANSFER A PORTION OF AHMA TO NASA
COPY

November16, 1959

AGREEMENT

BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY AND NASA

ON THE OBJECTIVES AND GUIDELINES

FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PRESIDENTIAL DECISION

TO TRANSFER A PORTION OF ABMA TO NASA

A. Authority

National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (PL85-568, 72 Star. 426)

B. References

l• Memorandum for the President, subject: Responsibility and Organization

for Certain Space Activities, dated 21 October 1959 in behalf of the

Secretary of Defense by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and Dr.

T. Keith Glennan, Administrator of the National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

• Cooperative Agreement on the Army Ordnance Missile Command Between

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department

of the Army dated 3 December 1958.

C. Purpose

The purpose of this Agreement is to supplement the Agreement between the

Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of NASA with respect to the transfer

of a portion of ABMA to NASA and the assignment to NASA of certain responsibilities

in the space booster vehicle field to the extent these actions involve the

Department of the Army. The areas covered by this agreement are:

i. Generalized agreement on the objectives to be sought;

2. Method and procedure for conducting negotiations and arriving

at detailed agreements;

3. Timing of the required actions•

D. Policy

The Army and NASA agree and recognize that abrupt changes or other

disrupting actions which adversely affect either the ongoing military or

space programs must be avoided• The Army and NASA therefore agree to

establish as the dominant consideration, with respect to timing, funding

and pace of agreed upon actions, that there be no adverse effect on current

programs. To this end, each party will cooperate in the rendering of service

to the other, to the degree necessary to achieve this objective. Until such

time as the transfer is approved by the Congress, reference B2 will continue

in effect•

APPENDIX B
COPY

E. General Objectives

The objectives of the negotiations are to arrive at a mutually agreeable

detailed plan for implementation of the President's decision to transfer a

portion of ABMA, primarily the Development Operations Division (DOD), to

NASA. The plan is to provide for:

I. The transfer to NASA of the personnel, facilities and equipment

presently assigned to the Development Operations Division of

the Army Ballistic Missile Agency. However, NASA recognizes that

certain employees of this division are primarily engaged in the

technical supervision of contractors and monitoring or management

of military weapons systems and components. NASA further recognizes

that the Army regards the accomplishment of such functions by

the Army as essential. NASA and the Army will reach mutual agreement as to those personnel who desire to and will remain with the

Army for accomplishment of Army programs, with full recognition that

the balanced capability of DOD will not be impaired.

. The transfer to NASA of such other personnel, facilities, and equipment of the ABMA and Redstone Arsenal as agreed upon for administrative

and technical support of thetransferred activity. Insofar as

practicable, NASA and the Army will give full consideration to the

desires of individuals to remain with the Army or to transfer to

NASA.

. Identification and agreement concerning station-wide services which

can be operated more effectively and economically on a centralized

basis serving both NASA and the Army in order to avoid unnecessary

duplicate organizations. This shall include the appropriate mea_s

of assessing reimbursable costs on the users.

4. Provision for the continued detail of enlisted technical personnel

presently assigned to DOD to the extent mutually agreed upon.

° Identification and use or transfer of land required for DOD operations

as may be agreed upon. It is recognized that NASA, with respect to

its possible future needs for land, will participate as a member

of the Master Planning Board in the long range land utilization

planning of Redstone Arsenal.

. Identification and agreement on joint use of certain Redstone

Arsenal test facilities and ranges which might be needed for use

in future Army and/or NASA programs. The objective here is to

avoid building duplicate facilities wherever joint use agreements

could meet the needs.

2
COPY

F.

G.

. Identification and transfer to NASA of stocks and inventories assigned

to or purchased for DOD which would be used primarily in the perfornmnce of NASA missions. Items which would be used primarily in

the performance of Army missions will remain the property of the

Army. General purpose items and supplies will be shared as agreed

upon.

, Provision for continued funding by the Army and NASA through Fiscal

Year 1960 of their respective programs at ABMA which had been

approved prior to the Presidential decision to transfer a portion

of ABMA to NASA. NASA recognizes that Army funding in 1961 will

be related only to those specific projects, including supporting

research, it desires to place in the transferred unit.

Methods and Procedures

. The Army and NASA will each select and appoint a principal negotiator.

For the NASA, the principal negotiator is the Director of Business

Administration, and, for the Army the Deputy Chief of Ordnance.

2. The principal negotiators for theArmy and NASA will agree upon and

establish such subordinate study or negotiation teams as may be

required. These teams will recommend to the principal negotiators

an appropriate agreement for the area assigned.

. These agreements, as approved by the principal negotiators, will be

consolidated into an over-all agreement and approved through channels

in both agencies, with final concurrence from the Secretary of the

Army and the Administrator of NASA respectively.

. Subsequent to the submissionby the President to the Congress, the

principal negotiators will continue to function as long as may be

necessary to assist in the completion of planning for these

transfer arrangements.

Timin_

I. The principal negotiators will schedule the staff studies and

negotiation so as to permit submission of the necessary documents

to the Executive Office of the President by December 15, 1959. It

is recognized that detailed agreements in every area of Army-NASA

relations may not be possible in the time available; however,

agreement in meaningful principle must be reached in every major

area and work will be expedited to complete the detailed agreements

at the earliest possible date.
COPY

. It is recognized that it may be desirable to stagger the effective

dates for the transfer actions of certain personnel or supporting

service functions, in order that both organizations can make the

necessary adjustments without disruption of programs.

Date:

Washington, D. C.

/s/ T. Keith Glennan - 18 Nov. 59

T. KEITH GLENNAN

Administrator, NASA

/s/ Wilbur M, Brucke_ - _8 Nov. 59

WILBUR M. BRUCKER

Secretary of the Army

4
APPENDIXC

AI_Y-NASA TRANSFER PLAN
Ar_-NA_ Transfer Plan

Thb follOvtD8,4nny-NASA Transfer Plan to l_plement the

Pl'es£dlmtts decision of 21 October ].959 to transfer a portion

of _ to NASA has _een revieved and approved by the

undersigned.

;j_+t+_i i ̧ +:_+++,,

Secretary of the km]r' ' '

DECt (_ 1959

DEC I 6 1959

APPENDIX C
INDEX

SU_@tARY AND CONCEPTS OF ARMY-NASA TRANSFER PLAN

General Concepts ............................................... i

Personnel ....................................................... 2

Land and Facilities ............................................ 3

Equipment and Inventories ...................................... 4

Transfer Timing and Funding .................................... 4

TRANSFER TIMING AND FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS

GENERAL ................. 8..................................... 6

ARRANGEMENTS

A. Operations for FY 1960 ................................ 6

B. Operations Affectln 8 I_ 1961 ........................... 7

EQUIPMENT TRANSFER ............................................. 7

PERSONNEL

MILITARY PERSONNEL

A. Enli3ted .............................................. 7

B. Officers .............................................. 8

CIVILIAN PERSONNEL

A. General ............................................... 8

B. AOMC Complement from the Development Operations Division 9

C. NASA Complement from AOMC .............. i.............. 9

FACILITIES AND REAL ESTATE

INTRODUCTION AND TIMING ........................................ II

REDSTONE ARSENAL FACILITIES

A. Land .................................................. II

IDENTIFICATION OF FACILITIES ................................... 12

SPECIAL PROBLEM AREAS

A. Administrative Office Space ............................ 12

COMPUTATION FACILITIES ......................................... 14

SPECIAL AGREEMENTS

A Outlying Storage Structures ........................... 15

B. Chrysler-Methods Development Laboratory ............... 15

C. Joint Use Agreements .................................. 15

D. Cross-Service Agreements ............... b.............. 15

CAPE CANAVERAL FACILITIES ....................................... 16

LIST OF FACILITIES PROPOSED FOR TRANSFER TO NASA ............... 17

TRANSFER OF EQUIPMENT I OPERATING STOCKS AND SUPPLIES

GENERAL

A. Equipment ............................................. 19

B. Stocks .......................................... ....... 19

Tab E - TM&E Inventory Balances ...................... 20

EQUIPMENT ...................................................... 21

OPERATING STOCKS AND SUPPLIES .................................. 23

PROVISION OF SUPPORTING SERVICES .................................... 23

Plant Management and Maintenance ............................... 24

Equipment Management and Maintenance .......................... 27

Finance and Accounting ........................................ 27
Procurement and Contracting ..................................

Personnel Administration .....................................

Legal Services ...............................................

Security Services ............................................

Safety .......................................................

Public Information ...........................................

Technical Library and Document Services .. ....................

Communications

A. Telephone Services ...................................

B. Intercommunication Systems ..........................

C. Communication Center ................................

D. Cryptographic Service ...............................

E. Transceiver System ..................................

F. Teledata System .....................................

G. Quick Look Net ......................................

H. Facsimile Weather Map Heteorolosical Service ........

Printing and Reproduction Services ...........................

Photographic Services ........................................

Transportation Services ......................................

Office Services ..............................................

Supply Services ..............................................

Food Service .................................................

Tab A - Over-all Installation Map

Tab B - Facilities Location Map

Tab C - Outlying Storage Areas Which May Contain Items to be

Transferred to NASA

Tab D - Cape Canaveral Facility Plan

28

29

30

30

30

31

31

31

32

32

32

32

33

33

33

33

34

34

35

35

36
December 11, 1959

smtu_Y A_) CONCEPTS OF AR_-NASA TeASSFZR FLAS

In accordance with the agreement between the National Aeronautics

and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense dated

October 21, 1959_ approved by the President on November 2, 1959, and

the supplementary asrsemsnt beCween NASA and the Department of the Army

dated November 16, 1959, relatins to the transfer of the Development

Operations Division of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency to NASA, the

following transfer plan has been Jointly developed by NASA and the

Department of the Army.

General Concepts

The plan provide8 for the transfer to NASA of personnel, facilities

and equipment of the Development Operations Division and of appropriate

supporting organizations in sufficient numbers and quantities to provide

NASA with a substantially independent operating research and development

organization and capability.

The plan recognizes and provides for the continued performance by

the Army of it'8 mission. Two basic methods are used to achieve this

result. First by providing for the continuance of service to the Army

of the transferred group and second, by providing for retention by the

Army of capability for continuing weapons system management.

Fundamental to the plan is a concept of phasing operations and

responsibility in a manner calculated to prevent dislocation or disruption of ongoing programs.
Personnel

Generally, all personnel of the Development Operations Division will

be transferred to NASA. However, in order to enable the Army to maintain

a weapons systems management capability up to 350 personnel o£ the Division

will be offered an opportunity to remain with the Army. This group includes

personnel currently in the weapons system project manager offices and a

complement of representative skills from each laboratory area. The completion of Current weapons systems assignment will be accomplished using

the capabilities of the transferred group with a phasing out of NASA and

assumption by the Army as may be agreed upon.

In general, the new NASA organization at Redstone Arsenal will be

locally self-sufficient. To accomplish this and to avoid unnecessary

duplication of facilities or central service type organizations, the

plan provides for the transfer of 815 personnel in the areas of support

services provided the Development Operations Division from AOMC organization at Redstone Arsenal. This number represents about two-thirds of

the supporting staff which NASA will ultimately require and recognizes

the Army's personnel requirements to continue to carry out its continuing

mission.

The determination of numbers of personnel to be transferred from

the service support areas was based upon the following general alignment

of functions. Functions involving the management control functions such

as fiscal, budget, personnel, and planning, and functions involving

immediate service to the technical groups, such as supply, fac/lity and

equipment maintenance, and physical security, will be operated by the

NASA organ_zation. Functions relating to station-wide services such as

- 2-
foundry, perimeter security, electric, steam and water service, will be

provided the new NASA organization by the Army on a reimbursable basis.

The approximately 250 enlisted military personnel now within the

Development Operations Division will be phased out over a period of time.

In general, the unskilled group will be phased out almost immediately

and the more skilled specialties over a somewhat longer but specifically

agree# upon time span. No officer personnel would remain with the transferred organization.

Land and Facilities

The plan provides for making available to NASA a contiguous area

at Redstons Arsenal enoompasslng virtually all the facilities now used

by the Development Operations Division. It has been possible to achieve

ehls with a minimum of displacement of either Development Operations

Division or Army personnel. A few minor structures nov c_ed by DOD

outside the NASA area are Co be retained by the Army and a few structures

within the NASA area nov used by the, Army will be released to NASA.

ABNA headquarters office structure (4488 and 4484) wlll remain with

the Army but will be shared untll appropriate permanent arrangements can

be made.

Existing AOMC facilities at Cape Canaveral will, in general, be

shared by the Army and NASA to assure that the requirements of each are

met. The Pershing and Saturn complexes now under construction will be

assigned respectively to the Army and NASA.

This plan provides for the Army to grant to NASA a long-term, nonrevocable, and renewable use permit for the agreed upon Redstone Arsenal

land and facilities.

-3-
Equipment and Inventories

The plan provides for transfer to NASA or retention by the Army of

equipment and inventories as appropriate in the particular case. In general,

the plan will provide the transferred organization with equipment and

supplies it requires to maintain its capability. At the same time the plan

provides for retention by the Army of equipment related primarily to Army

weapons system and of a share of common use equipment and inventories.

Teams of NASA-Army people will effectuate this concept under agreed upon

criteria. The equipment and inventories agreed upon for transfer to NASA

will be transferred on a non-relmbursable basis.

Transfer Timln_ and FuDd_

The plan contemplates the transfer to NASA of the personnel of the

Development Operations Division effective July I, 1960. Between the time

of the Executive Order issuance and July l, 1960, a direct planning and

technical relationship will exist between NASA and the Development Operations

Division to permit sound development of transitional arrangements.

Transfer of supporting personnel would largely occur on or before

July I, 1960, as NASA builds its organization. Each service area would_

however, be dealt with on a case by case basis as NASA develops its

staffing, systems and procedures, with complete transition by January I,

1961. In general, the phasing of responsibility for a service area will

coincide with the transfer of the bulk of the personnel.

Funding of ongoing programs in 1960 will continue to flow from present

sources for the balance of 1960, except that the unobllgated funds and the

unexpended funds for major contracts in the Saturn programwill be transferred to NASA as of the date of the Executive Order.

-4-
The plan cont_latss full assumption by NASA o£ _naserlal and

funding responsibilities and functions on July 1, 1960. Effective with

1_/ 1961, NASA will obtain on a reimbursable basis, the services to be

provided by the Army. Work on military weapons systems by NASA for the

Army wIU also be on a reimbursable basis.

- 5-
TRANSFER TINING AND FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS

GENERAL

Upon promulgation of the Executive Order, NASA will initiate actions

to develop its management system at Redatone Arsenal for control on July 1

1960 of the Development Operations Division of the ABNA. This will include

supporting functions which will begin to be phased into the NASA operation

on or after July 1, 1960 from the AONC to NASA.

Until July 1, 1960, the Army, being wholly responsive to NASA on NASA

work, will continue to exercise management control of the personnel and

programs of the DOD together with all attendant services such as programing,

financial operations, and support functions.

The transfer of personnel from the Development Operations Division of

the ABNA to NASA will occur on July 1, 1960. Limited numbers of key personnel

in support areas will be transferred from the AONC to NASA between the date

of the Executive Order and July 1, 1960, as may be mutually agreed upon at

the AC_4C-NASA level. Other personnel agreed upon for transfer to NASA

in the support areas will occur on July 1, 1960, except in those areas where

such action is not feasible. Such transfers will be phased to be completed

by January 1, 1961.

ARRANGEMENTS

A. Operations for PY 1960

Effective with issuance of the Executive Order, all unobligated balances

and the unexpended balances on major contracts of ARPA-Saturu funds will be

transferred from the ARPA to NASA. NASA will issue new project orders for

such balances to AONC. However, the unexpended balances on contract purchase

orders which will be delivered and paid by June 30, 1960, will not be

transferred.

-6-
B. Operations Affecttn a FY 1961

1. NASA will assume financial responsibility for the transferred

operation.

2. NASA will reimburse the Army for supporting services that are

furnished by the Army as may be agreed upon.

3. AOMC will provide NASA with the necessary program information

which will enable NASA to include in its FY 1961 plan the

requirements for advance apportionment of funds initially to

finance AOMC work subject to reimbursement. AOMC requirements

will be placed on NASA through the issuance of orders direct

to NASA.

EQUIPMENT TRANSFER

After issuance of the Executive Order, the transfer of accountablllty

for equipment, facilltles, and inventories wlll proceed on a phased

basis as agreed upon, to be completed by January I, 1961. All such

transfers shall be on a non-relmbursable basis.

PERSONNEL

MILITARY PERSONNEL

A. Enlisted

It is agreed that enlikted personnel of the Army will be phaseO out

of Development Operations Division. This complement will total between

200 and 250 at the effective date of the transfer and can be broadly

categorized and phased out as follows:

1. Administrative and clerical persunnel will be withdrawn by

the Amy on or before July 1, 1960.

2. Technical personnel skilled in and currently performing in

military occupational specialties will be withdrawn by the

-7-
Army, and replaced by NASA as required, between July 1 and

October I, 1960.

3. Scientific and professional personnel who were drafted and

specifically placed based on academic background will remain

with the NASA until expiration of enlistment. However, those

whose term of enlistment runs beyond December 31, 1960, will

revert to Army control between July i and October I, 1960.

B. Officers

Commissioned and warrant officers will not be transferred or detailed

to NASA as a part of this transfer plan.

CIVILIAN PERSONNEL

A. Genera 1

It is agreed that on July I, 1960, there will be transferred to NASA

all civilian personnel assigned to the Development Operations Division

except an agreed upon complement of those who have been asked by the Army

and who desire to remain in order that AOMC may continue its technical

management of the Amy's missile systems. An agreed upon complement of

supporting personnel from other AOMC elements at Redstone Arsenal who are

requested by and who desire to come to NASA will be transferred. In the

selection of these complements, the objective will be to determine an

equitable distribution of representative skills which will not impair the

technical capability of DOD for space missions or deprive the Army of its

ability to manage its Army missile programs.

The Army and NASA agree that there will be a requirement for training

the support personnel selected for the transfer in NASA methods and procedures. To the extent possible without critical impairment of the current

operations, the Army will release these people for limited periods to permit

-8-
them to receive _r&ining offered by NASA. Such periods may be as short as

one day and are expected not to exceed a maximum of ten days.

B. AOMC Complement from the Development Ope_ations Division

This group includes representative scientific technical, and administrative skills and capabilities which will retain competence within the Army to

monitor and evaluate ballistic missile systems development for which the Army

is responsible. The exact composition of the group as related to present

assignment of the individuals, has some degree of flexibility; however, the

general distribution of functional areas is as follows:

Functional Areas

Over-all Systems Requirements

Trajectory Analysis & Aeroballtstics

Structural Analysis

Propulsion

Guidance & Control

Static Test

Reliability

Data Reduction

Flight Test and Evaluation

Project Administration

Systems Support Equipment Lab.

C. NASA Complement from AOMC

No. of Personnel

42

20

18

13

38

22

21

12

32

100

3__ 2

35O

The NASA has stated a requirement and the Army agrees that personnel

in the numbers and functional areas listed are needed from existing Army

support organizations at Redstone Arsenal for transfer to NASA to provide

the basis for a fully operative and effective organization. In a number of

the functional areas listed, NASA must provide substantial augmentation in

addition to the strengths shown. Both parties, however, recognize that

existing Army levels of effort cannot be reduced, even temporarily, below

that resulting from the transfers indicated without adverse effects. In

-9-
agreeing to these transfers, the Army accepts the situation wherein a

significant portion of the total will create position vacancies for

which replacements will be necessary.

Functional Area

Finance and Accounting

Financial Management Office, ABMA 12

Finance and Accounting Division, RSA 23

Procurement

Industrial Division, ABMA 36

Purchasing and Contracting Division, RSA 34

Legal Activities, ABMA I

Programming and Analysis

Programs Branch, ABMAControl Office 2

Review Branch, ABMA Control Office 5

Management Services, ABMA Control Office 2

Personnel Administration

Civilian Personnel Office, ABMA 37

Civilian Personnel Office, RSA 8

Printing and Reproduction, RSA 13

Transportation

Transportation Office, Headquarters, AOMC 2

Transport,stion Division, RSA 48

Industrial Health Service, RSA 2

Industrial Safety, RSA 4

Security, RSA 45

Pictorial Services, RSA I0

Office Services (Adjutant) ABMA

Plans and Programs 3

Procedures 2

Travel Orders 1

Office Services 2

Mall and Records 13

Supply Support (TM&E) ABMA 326

PlantManagement and Mainten_nce_Post Engineer, 180

RSA

Public Information Activlties 4

No. of Personnel

815

I0
FACILITIES AND REAL ESTATE

INTRODUCTION AND TIMING

The Army has gone to great lengths to develop and construct an effective

physical plant for the work of the Development Operations Division. All

of the laboratory facilities are located in one reasonably compact group,

and not far to the south there is a similarly compact area for static

testing of liquid propulsion systems. These areas are located deep within

the center of the Arsenal Reservation, and can be reached only over access

roadways of the Arsenal. Much of the supporting managerial and housekeeping

services, moreover_ are located outside these two DOD areas and, in many

cases, scattered widely throughout the Army installation. I t is, therefore,

proposed to create for NASA an identifiable single complex of land and

improvements which_ insofar as practicable, can be controlled and maintained

independently from the Army establislunento

Unless otherwise noted, actions to implement the Executive Order with

respect to the transfer of real property would be accomplished on a phased

basis by January lp 1961o

REDSTONE ARSENAL FACILITIES

A. Land

The Army will grant a long-term, non-revocable, and renewable use

permit for the land and facilities which places full control over the

areas in the hands of NASA as shown in the Redstone Arsenal Reservation

Map (Tab A) o

The boundaries for the particular land area Co be made available

have been so drawn to create a self=contained complex which embraces the

two main operating areas of the Development Operations Division. The exact

boundaries might be changed slightly to coincide with existing surveyed

- 11 ®
plots, within the described are_ as shown on Tab B, all improvements would

be made available with the exception of the following:

Buildings 4725 and 26 - Steam Plant and Auxiliary Building

Building 4424 - Fire Station

Building 4468 - Electrical Sub-stat£on

Other unnumbered electrical sub-stations as marked on Tabs A & B

Facility 4490 - Railroad Scales

Portable Range Tower 4565 (ARGOt) to be relocated

KaJor Utillty Systems includln$ railroad tracka

4636 - hwage Lift Station

The area involved represents approximately 1200 acres of land at a total

value, including structures and equipment and inventories of approximately

$100 million, of which $14 million is located at Cape Canaveral.

It is recognized by both Army and NASA that future NASA R&D test efforts

may require additional land or safety buffer zones. It is agreed that,

consistent with the land-utilization Master Plan for the reservation,

additional real estate will be made available for such requirements after

taking into account both military and NASA needs. It is further agreed

that NASA be given representation on the Redstone Arsenal Master Planning

Board.

It is further recognized that effective use of the area made available

to NASA requires that the Army retain authority to control arterial traffic

which requires utilization of Martin, Dodd, and Rideout roads for the

convenience of both Army and NASA.

IDENTIFICATION OF FACILITIES

The specific structures to be made available to NASA within the bounded

area are listed on page 17.

SPECIAL PROBLEM AREAS

A. Administrative Office Space

Building 4488 (a three-wing, three-story ABMA headquarters building)

and 4484 (a three-story structure to the immediate north of 4488) provide

- 12 -
engineering and administrative offices space. They are used by ABMA to

house its headquarters, the DOD top staff, some DOD laboratory activities,

and contractor personnel. The two structures comprise usable space of

130,000 and 39,000 net square feet respectively, and can house up to 1300

people in #4488 and up to 435 in #4484.

Both NASA and the Army have office staffing requirements for their

missions which are in excess of any available central space which might

be shared on an equitable permanent basis. As a result, the NASA had requested occupancy of all of #4484 and five of the nine wing-floors of

#4488 (and transfer of both total facilities). The Army's offer, however,

is to provide NASA the occupancy of #4484, and not transfer either facility.

In an effort to reach Joint agreement, the Army and NASA chief negotiators have indicated their willingness to accommodate their needs on this

basis:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Buildings 4488 and 4484 will remain Army property.

NASA will assume the responsibility for new construction or

other action to solve its office "requirements without encroaching on Building 4488. It is recognized, however, that only

Building 4484 may need to remain assigned to NASA for an indefinite period.

In the interim, the Army will make available space to NASA as

follows:

(a) #4484 will be assigned entirely to NASA for an indefinite

period until NASA can make other arrangements for central

office space.

- 13 -
(b) Space in #4488, not to exceed !/ square feet

t

on the third floor will remain temvorarily assigned

to NASA until such time as NASA can make suitable other

office arrangements,

COMPUTATION FACILITIES

The DOD Comvutation Laboratory fur_Ishes Scientific compu£atlon and

administrative processing services for AOMC and ARGMA, as well as ABMA.

The structure (Building 4663) is located w£thln the complex which would be

turned over to NASA. About 65_ of the total digital computer time is now

_evoted to NASA-ARPA programs. Both the Army and NASA negotiating teams

agree that the existing Computation Laboratory is not adequate in size

to provide a significant increase in activity to meet the needs of both

organizations. It is agreed that the logical solution is to create separate

Computer Facilities at the earliest opportunity. It is proposed as a basis

of joint agreement that:

(I) The Army will assume the responsibility for new construction or

other action to acquire its own permanent facility for a separate

computer organization to service the AOMC components.

(2) NASA will agree on an indefinite, interim basis to furnish the

AOMC, AR(_aA, and ABMA scientific and data processing services on

a reimbursable basis until a separate facility is avallable.

(3) NASA will agree to provide the Army with service which is at least

equal to the level of service which prevails in the period

April - June, 1960. This service will include continued operation of a 705 computer. Such agreements will provlde for predetermined amounts of machine time for the Army in accordance

with Joint advanced program plannlng.

!/ Amount of space to be determined in subsequent negotlatlons.

- 14 -
SPECIAL AGREEMENTS

A. Outlying Storage Structures

Some of the identified structures (see Tab C) lying outside the transferred area, may contain items in storage which, under the definition for

distribution of equipment or stock inventory, would be transferred to NASA.

In such cases, the Army agrees that NASA will be permitted on an indefinite

but interim basis to retain such storage until these items can be consumed

or removed to facilities in the NASA complex. These structure_ unless

otherwise agreed, would be stagged,, where necessary, by Army personnel.

B. Chrysler-Me_hods Development Laboratory

The Army agrees that DOD personnel will be permitted continued interim

occupancy of Building 4722 (the Methods Development Laboratory) lying outside

the transferred area, with the understanding that NASA will arrange their removal before the end of CY 1960.

C. Joint Use Agreements

Certain outlying facilities will remain with the Army but will be

made available to NASA personnel on a Joint-use basis as needed:

(1) Army Test Track

(2) Antenna Test Area and Facilities

(3) Quick-Look Antenna Site on Hadkin Mountain 1/

(4) River Dock Area for Saturn purposes

(5) Jupiter Launcher Emplacement Area 2/

D. Cross-Servlce Agreements

Through appropriate agreements, the Army will provide to NASA services

in other Army facilities at Redatone Arsenal which NASA may require for its

programs. Except where otherwise agreed, the service these facilities

render NASA would be provided by Army personnel. Facilities of the types

contemplated are:

_/ It is recognized that this site may later need to be moved to accommodate

other Army construction at this location.

_/ A reciprocal Joint-use will be provided to the Army in connection with

troop training use of the quick fueling stand area.

- 15 -
(i) Army Airfield and Facilities

(2) Miscellaneous warehouses and structures !/

(3) Test Facilities and Ranges

(4) Access roads

Through appropriate agreements, NASA will make available to Army missions

as required the transferred test facilities.

CAPE CANAVERAL FACILITIES

The Army has a continuing requirement for a portion of the Army controlled launch facilities located at Cape Canaveral. NASA contrawise must

have portions of these in order to pursue its missions, in addition to

Saturn, such as Mercury and Juno.

The Army will not in the future have the same Firing Laboratory

technical capability at Cape Canaveral as it now possesses. However, it

does intend to perform its firing missions through a combination of NASA

provided Missile Firing Laboratory technical supervision coupled with

contractor personnel, who will ultimately (Pershing as an example) become

self sufficient and no longer require MFL supervision.

In light of the above, the Pad 56 complex, together with its instrumentation as well as the JPL spin test building, will be released to NASA,

since this area has been selected for Mercury Redstone shots. The Pad 26

complex will be retained by the Army. The R and D instrumentation in Pad

26 blockhouse will be transferred to NASA's Saturn blockhouse at an appropriate time, with the understanding that sufficient instrumentation remains

to conduct the Jupiter combat training launches (see Tab D).

Hangar R and Hangar D will be controlled by AOMC and NASA respectively.

Further the telemetry equipment, UDO_ and DOVAP will not be removed from

their present locations, and this instrumentation, together with other

_I/ If needed, NASA will buy from the Army any services involving explosives

storage and handling.

- 16 -
Cape Canaveral telemetry stations, will be transferred t_ NASA for use

in connection with both Army and NASA missions. An AOMC-NASA use agreement will be executed with the understanding that that equipment required

for Redstone, Jupiter, and Pershing firing not be impaired. The Army

further agrees to give unrestricted use rights of Hangar R to NASA for

Saturn test and checkout subject to non-interferences of firings required

to complete the Redstone and Jupiter firin 8 programs and further to assist

in early R and _ Pershing firings (see Tab D).

The warehouse building and other structures in the industrial complex

will pass to the control of NASA (see Tab D). However, upon equitable

division between the Army and NASA of the stocks therein limited storage

will be provided the Army by NASA until stock liquidation by the Army

occurs.

The second floor of the _ Building with its separate entrance will

remain with the Army tolthe extent now assigned as office space for weapons

systems; however, building control will pass to NASA.

The Pershing Complex will be retained under Army control.

of the Saturn complex will pass to the control of NASA.

LIST OF FACILITIES PROPOSED

FOR TRANSFER TO NASA

4306 Cafeteria 4353

4309 Engine Build Up 4354

4311 Admin., Supply, etc. 4355

4312 Security Guard 4371

4313 Rocketdyne Serv. Center 4372

4319 Oil Pump Sta. 4373

4331 Missile Sys. Engrg. 4435

4332 Environ. Test (SAAR) $4469

4334 " " " 4471

4335 Centrifuge 4472

4336 Environ. Test 4479

4350 Fuel Test Stand 4481

4351 Field Support Tng. 4482

4352 Nitrogen Mf8. Plant 4485

- 17 -

Control

Field Support Trig.

Nitrogen Str. Tank

Nitrogen Str. Tank

Shake Table, Office & Shop

Receiving Unit

Ground Support Equip. Lab.

Motor Pool Complex

PE Storage

TME-Offlce & Storage

THE-Pkg.

TME-Storage Shed

Office-Lab. (SSEL)

Woodwork Shop

Network Elect.
4487

4491

4492

4493

4494

4495

4559

4560

4561

4562

4564

4566

4567

4569

4570

4571

4572

4573

4574

4575

4576

4577

4578

4579

4580

4581

4582

4583

4584

4585

4586

4588

4589

4590

4591

4592

4593

4594

4595

4596

4597

4598

4610

4612

4613

4616

4617

4619

4620

4623

4624

4630

4631)

4632)

4633)

Office and Lab. 4634

ComputerBldg. 4635

Network Sys. Elec. 4650

Machine Shop 4658

TME-Storage 4659

PE Maintenance Shop and Storage 4663

Vac. Pump 4665

Observation Bunker Power PI. 4680

Propellent Shop Support 4681

Indus!. Water Storage (Mill. Gals.) 4682

Power Test Stand 4683

Engr. Offices (SS&E) 4684

Test Stand Boiler House 4685

Guard House 4686

Block House 4687

Observation Bunker 4688

Static Test Tower 4689

Static Test (Gantry Crane) 4690

Static Test, Fuel Disposal Pit 4691

" " Oxidizer 4692

Lig. Waste Disp. Tank 4693

" " Sand Filter 4694

" " U.G. Disposal 4702

" " Reservoir 4703

LWD Mixing Chamber 4704

Nitrogen Buster Battery 4705

NBB Compressor 4706

Components Test Lab. 4707

Comp. Test - Tank Pit 4708

" " Holding Pond S4709

" " " " 4710

Cold Callbo Test Stand 4711

CCTS - Observation 4712

Pit 4713

CCTS - Oxid. Disp. 4714

" Fuel Disp. 4715

" Holding Pond 4716

Fuel Storage 4717

SCat. Test Observ. 4718

Oxidizer Ready Storage 4720

Fuel Ready Storage - I0,000 gal. 4723

Nitrogen Ready Storage 4727

Engineering Office 4728

Engineering Development 4730

Compressor Bldg. 4732

Shop 4733

Flam. Stor. 4734

Test Unit 4735

Vac.& Compressor 4736

Accel. b Test Cell 4737

H202 Storage Shed 4738

Gas Pump Bldg. 4739

4741

T4742

4743

Gasoline Storage Tanks

Diesel Pump Bldg.

" Storage Bldg.

Guided Missile Test Shop

Guard House

Mosquito Oil Tank

Computer Bldg.

Interim Test Stand

H202 Tank

H202 Transfer Pump

Unloading Dock }{202

H202 Disposal

Nitric Acid Drum Storage

" " Disposal

LOX Tank Pit

Tool Shelter

Analine Furfuryl Drum Storage

" " Disposal

Ethyl Alcohol Tank

" " Transfer Pump

" " Disposal

Hydrocarbon Storage

" " Tool Shelter

High Pressure Test

Chem. Clng.

Hydr. Pr. & }{eat Treat.

Missile Assy. Bldg.

" " Hangar

Strut!. Fab.

Missile Assy. & Insp.

Lunch Room

Test Cell "C"

Develop. Shop

Engr. Bldg.

Storage

Cleaning & Treat. Shop

Expedo & Prod.

Pipe Fitting

Propellent Storage

Oil Storage

Safety Office

Elec. Engr.-Graphic Engr.

Supply Materials & Equip.

Research & Develop. Shop

Shed, Air Dry

Wind Tunnel & Lab.

Vacuum Tank

" Pump House

Air Dryer

Dry Air Storage Tank

It f! !t !!

TME- Sub. Store

Instr. Shop

Beryllium b Printed Circuits

Storage (GbC)

Gas Cyl. Storage

- 18 -
4744

4746

4747

4748

4749

4750

4751

4753

4754

4755

4760

Compressed Air

Instrumentation Develop.

Air Compressor

Liquid Prop. Test Stand

Test Cell "_'

High Alt. Test Facility

High Pressure Air Battery

Comb. Test #1

V. G. Water Storage

Combus. Test Block #2

Surface Treat.

TRANSFER OF EQUIPMENT, OPERATING STOCKS, AND SUPPLIES

GENERAL

A. Equipment

There are two general categories of equipment considered for transfer:

i. That equipment currently recorded in property accounts of ABMA.

The value of the property recorded on the DOD property books

approximates $45 million consisting of over I00,000 individual

items, of which approximately 35,000 items represent office

furniture and fixtures valued at $2-1/4 million.

2. That equipment assigned to Redstone Arsenal which is common or

general use in nature, such as sedans, buses, trucks, cranes,

trailers.

B. Stocks

At present there are approximately $16 million in the operating stocks

of the Technical Materials and Equipment Branch of ABMA. A tabulation of

such stocks by category as of the end of October, 1959, will be found in

Tab E.

- 19 -
Account

Number

131121

131122

131123

131124

131125

131126

131127

131128

131129

131130

131131

131132

131167

131168

1321

1431

1411

1431

1473

TM&E INVENTORY BALANCES

As of October,31j 1959

Raw Haterial

Packasin8 Material

Components & Propellants

Chemicals

Electrlcal Materials

Structural Material

Hardware

Gasollne & POL

Photo and Reproduction

Small Tools

Other Materials & Supplies

Hand Tools

Furniture & Fixtures

Non-Expendable, Non-Capitallzed

Expendable Office & Custodial Supplies

Returnable Reels & Containers

SUB-TOTAL AIF

Components

Capital Equipment in Inventory

Excess Supplies

SUB-TOTAL NON-AIF

GRAND TOTAL

Tab E

$ 2,865,584

95,008

62,873

219,810

2,430,098

103,400

2,225,682

83,775

485,369

357,393

73,073

136,332

10,809

231,300

1,000,000

17_960

$10,398,446

2,536,201

345,720

2_773j144

5,655,065

$16,053,511

- 20 -
Agreeabt- arrangements have been made fo_ _ransfer of certain portions

of both equipment and stock inventories to NASA without reimbursement.

Outlined below are the agreements on transfer of equipment and

stocks.

E_UIPMENT

Equipment is defined as non-expendable non-lnstalled items used in

or by the Development Operations Division. Such equipment recorded on

ABMAproperty books will be examined by Army-NASA teams and distributed

generally as follows:

1. Equipment which is clearly identified with space effort will be

transferred to NASA, including that obtained on ARPA programs,

provided the specific program is also transferred to NASA.

2. Equipment which can be clearly identified with, and required

for, the REDSTONE, PERSHING, and JUPITER programs will remain

with the Army, except as needed for NASA to perform Army assigned

missions on these programs.

3. That equipment, the use of which is common to I and 2 above, will

be shared on an equitable basis between NASA and Army, recognizing

that the essential capability of a transferred DOD facility will

not be impaired, and that the Army will have a continuing 8f_D

mission at Redstone Arsenal to develop and field ballistic

missile weapon systems.

Government-owned equipment in the hands of contractors now

working in Development Operations Division Laboratories will be

distributed in accordance with the above agreement.

Common use equipment on the property books of Redstone

Arsenal and utilized primarily by the DevOpDlv will be examined

by a joint NASA-Army team and those items transferred that are

required to support DevOpDiv activities. RSA items of equipment

- 21 -
utillzed by DevOpDiv on a "call" or "as required" basis will

not be transferred unless sufficient quantities of such equipment

exist to meet the needs of both agencies. In the event such

quantities of equipment do not exist the equipment will not be

transferred but rather the required services will be procured

by NASA from RSA on a reimbursable basis. The Army does not

propose to transfer any items of RSA equipment that would require

immediate replacement in order to service the Army RSA complex.

In order to minimize unncessarymovement of furniture,

unless otherwise agreed, the normal office furniture and fixtures

of an individual identified in the two complements will remain

in the custody of his present organization.

Within the limitations of 1960 funding, equipment in use by

the Development Operations Division which is rented from industrial

firms will continue to be rented by the Army. Beginning with Fiscal

Year 1961, NASA will be responsible for the rental costs of such

equipment as NASA determines there is a continuing need.

Accountability of property belonging to the USAF or USN will

be transferred to NASA in accordance with the above. Permanent

transfer arrangements with owning service will be the responsibility

of NASA.

The ABMA-controlled, Army-owned equipment in GOCO and privatelyowned plants will remain the property of the Army. It is established

Department of Defense policy that other Federal agencies may utilize

in place Department of Defense facilities and equipment on a noninterference basis.

- 22-
The Department of Defense will transfer authority from the

Department of the Army to NASA for continued utilization of

equipment under control of the National Industrial Machine Tool

Reserve required by the Development Operations Division.

OPERATING STOCKS AND SUPPLIES

Stocks and supplies in the custody of or on order for the account of

the Technical Materiala and Equipment Branch, ABMA, viii be distributed

as follows:

1. All stocks peculiar to or primarily usable for either Army or

NASA projects will be transferred to NASA or retained by the Army,

as the case may be.

2. The balance of the stocks will be shared on an agreed basis. This

agreement will take into consideration such factors as amounts on

hand, usage factors, and known requirements.

3. Stocks required by NASA to accomplish work on Army projects will

be set aside for NASA's use, as mutually agreed.

4. A review committee composed of Army and NASA representatives

shall serve for the purpose of jointly recommending stock

assigmnents in accordance with the preceding criteria.

PROVISION OF SUPPORTING SERVICES

The Agreement between the Secretary of Defense and the Administrator

of NASA signed on October 31, 1959, stated:

"The transfer from the Department of the Army to NASA . . . such

other personnel, facilities, and equipment for administrative and

technical support of the transferred activity as may be agreed upon."

- 23-
The agreement between the Depart_nent of the Army and NASA signed on

November 16, amplified thls aspect of the transfer negotiations by stating:

"Identification and agreement concerning statlon-wlde services

which can be operated more effectively and economically on a

centralized basis serving both NASA and the Army in order to

avoid unnecessary duplicate organizations. This shall include

the appropriate means of assessing reimbursable costs on the users."

In subsequent pages of this section the Joint recoanendations of

the principal Army and NASA negotiators on the provision of supporting

services are set forth. Specific arrangements are recounended to provide

supporting technical and administrative services to the Development

Operations Division following its transfer to NASA. For each functional

area of support, the following points are covered.

1. Present Nethod of Providing Supporting Services.

2. Proposed method of providing services; (a) operation by NASA,

(b) provision by the Army on a reimbursable or non-reimbursable

basis, (c) industrial contractor, (d) a combination of (a), (b),

and (c).

Plant Hana_ement and Haintenance

The Post Engineer, Redstone Arsenal, is responsible for arsenalwide utility services in the following areas:

1. Operation and maintenance of utilities including water, sewage,

electricity and steam.

2. Fire protection and prevention

3. Construction, modification, alteration, maintenance and

repair of buildings, structures, special equipment and

air conditioning and refrigeration equipment.

- 24 -
4. Maintenance and repair of roads, other surface areas,

railroads and grounds.

5. Provision of such service as custodial, insect and rodent

control, refuse and _bage collection and disposal.

6. Management, engineering and master planning on all of the

above, and in relation to real estate and land use.

Following the transfer of the Development Operations Division to

NASA, the following services will be provided by NASA:

1. Maintenance of buildings, structures, and equipment, including

special and air conditioning equipment.

2. Modifications of buildings and structures.

3. Maintenance of grounds and maintenance and repair of

secondary roads and miscellaneous surfaced areas within

the NASA c_n_lex.

4. Custodial services and refuse handling.

5. Insect and rodent control.

6. Fire prevention including inspection and training.

7. Operation and maintenance of water and steam in the static

test area.

8. Plant and facilities planning and engineering.

The Post Engineer will continue to provide the Development Operations

Division following transfer to NASA these services on a reimbursable basis:

1. Use of sanitary fill to dispose of refuse and trash.

2. Sewage service including operation, maintenance, and repair

of the sewage plants and systems serving the NASA area.

Modification, alterations, and new construction necessitated

- 25 -
solely by NASA requirements will be budgeted by NASA, with

actual work accomplished by the Amy on a reimbursable basis.

3. Industrial and domestic water. The operations, maintenance,

and repair of the water treatment plant and the entire distribution system in the NASA assigned area, will be

accomplished by the Army on a reimbursable basis with

the exception of the reservoir and the Booster Pump Station

in the Static Test Area. Modifications, alterations, or new

construction will be handled in the same manner as sewage

service.

4. Electricity through the Army's existing electrical distribution

system with alterations, modifications, and additions handled

in the same manner as other utilities.

5. Maintenance, repair, modification, and new construction of the

main arteries of the Redstone Arsenal road network. Modifications and construction of roads outside the NASA assigned area

which are necessitated by NASA requirements will be funded by

NASA with the work accomplished by the Army on a reimbursable

basis.

6. Maintenance and repair of existing railroads in the NASA area.

Modifications and new construction necessitated by NASA will

be handled in the same manner as other utility services.

7. Steam generation and distribution.

8. Fire protection.

- 26 -
Equipment Management and Maintenance

The Development Operations Division has a substantial in_house capability

to manage and maintain laboratory equipment. Management and maintenance of

specialized laboratory equipment is performed by the Field Maintenance Division

of the Redstone Arsenal and by the ARGMA Industrial Gage Laboratory and other

elements of the Army at Huntsville. Maintenance of vehicles is also performed by Redstone Arsenal. Repair of office equipment is handled by the

Redstone Arsenal Quartermaster.

Following transfer of the Development Operations Division, NASA

will maintain vehlcles, including materiel handling, equipment, office

equlpmen_ and certain internal coulninicatlons systems, such as dlctograph

and public address.

The Army will continue to provide the following services on a

reimbursable basis:

I. Calibration of mechanlcal and electronic gages and instruments.

2. Repair of such equipment as generators, welders, ground handling

equipment, electronic and communication equipment.

Finance and Accounting

The Finance and Accounting Division of Redstone Arsenal presently

provides financial and accounting services on a centralized basis to the

entire installation.

In addition, the Financial Management Office of ABMA provldes

financial management assistance and control to ABMAand the Development

Operations Division in areas of funding, operating budgets, accounting,

audit, and contract pricing.

- 27-
Following transfer of the Development Operations Division, NASA

will provide all of its own financial management services, including

counterparts of the program review and analysis functions now performed

by the Control Office of ABMA for the Development Operations Division.

Procurement and Contracting

At present two organizations located at Redstone Arsenal provide

procurement and contracting services for the Development Operations

Division:

i. The Purchasing and Contracting Office of Redstone Arsenal

which contracts for new materials, standard stock items for

inventory replenishment, new items for inventory, and items

of expendable equipment. This group purchases all items for

all organizations in the Redstone Arsenal complex that are not

obtained through the Ordnance Districts or other Government

agencies.

2. The Procurement Operations Branch of the Industrial Division of

ABMA coordinates all procurements for Development Operations

Division which are not made by the Procurement and Contracting

Office of RSA. This Branch formulates the procurement policies

and procedures of ABMA and allocates contract negotiations and

administration to the Ordnance Districts or to other Government

agencies as necessary. This group has no authority to sign

contracts.

Following transfer of the Development Operations Division, NASA will

be responsible for procurement and contracting required to support the

activities of the Development Operations Division. The phasing out of

Army responsibility will be handled in the following manner:

- 28 -
1. ABMA Industrial Division will continue to process procurement

requirements to Ordnance Districts for awarding and administration

of contracts through June 30, 1960. Funding will be cited through

the Army sub-allo_nent procedures.

Effective July 1, 1960, NASA will assume procurement responsibility of existing contracts which will continue to be administered

on a reimbursable basis by the Ordnance Districts.

Effective July 1, 1960, NASA viii negotiate and award new

contracts. Ordnance Districts will administer these contracts

on a reimbursable basis as requested by NASA.

2. The Redstone Arsenal Procurement and Contracting Office will continue to issue purchase orders and award contracts through June 30,

1960. Effective July 1, 1960, NASA will assume all purchasing

and contra_ting functions. Administration of other contracts

will be assumed by NASA as soon after July 1, 1960, as capabilities

allow.

Personnel Administration

The ABHA Personnel Office has provided Development Operations with

personnel administration services. NASA will establish its own personnel

office at Huntsville.

NASA will provide its own occupational health services after July i,

1960. These services are presently provided the Development Operations

Division by the Occupational Health Service, Redstone Arsenal. The U.S.

Army Hospital will continue to provide emergency medical services to NASA,

on an as-requlred reimbursable basis.

- 29 -
Legal Services

The Development Operations Division has received legal services from

both the legal staffs at AOHC and ABHA.

NASA will establish its own legal staff at Huntsville to handle all

new legal work after July l, 1960. The Army will be responsible for

processing pending contract claims, patent applications, and invention

disclosures.

Security Services

Redstone Arsenal provides security services for the entire installation, including the Development Operations Division. These services are

furnished by the Provost Marshal and Intelligence and Security Divisions

of the Arsenal.

Following the transfer of the Development Operations Divtsto_ NASA

will provide for: (1) stationary guard posts in the NASA area; (2) couriers

and escorts; (3) the granting or denying of personnel clearances; (4) security surveys; (5) security evaluations.

The Army will provide for the installation as a whole: (1) vehicle

registration; (2) personnel registration; (3) personnel badging and passes;

(4) perimeter and mobile patrols; (5) crime detection, prevention and

investigation outside NASA buildings but within Arsenal boundaries (6)

traffic control; and (7) visitor control. NASA will reimburse the Army

for services provided.

The Redstone Arsenal Safety Division presently provides installation

type safety services to the entire installation, including such services

for ABMA and the Development Operations Division. Following transfer of

the Development Operations Division, NASA will provide its safety services.

- 30 -
Public Inf_rrmation

Public information activities at Redstone Arsemal &r_ Carried

out by the U. S. AC_C Public Information Office.

Following the transfer, NASA will provide its own public information

functions.

Technical Library and Document Services

The Technical Documents Library of ABMAnow nrvicel the Development

Operations Division. This Library will remain • part of ABHA. The

Development Operations Division will be provided the present services from t

and access to, this Library on a nonreimbursable basis. Following the

transfer of the Development Operations Division, NASA will reimburse the

Army for special library acquisitions required by the Development Operations

Division.

Coannunications

The Post Signal Office provides the Development Operations Division

both administrative and technical communication services. Following the

transfer of the Development Operations Division to NASA those services

will be provided in the following manner:

A. Telephone Services

Local and long distance switching service will continue

to be provided the Development Operations Division when transferred to NASA. This service will be consistent with that

presently provided and will be reimbursable based upon current

regulations in effect at the time of transfer. Terminal equipment required to provide this service will remain the property

of the Army. NASA will fund for special purpose equipment

- 31-
J

w

which may be required. New installations, removal and reinstallations and rearrangement of presently installed equipments will be billed to NASA.

B. Intercommunication Systems

Upon transfer of the Development Operations Division, NASA

will assume responsibility for all intercommunications, including

arrangements for installation, repair, and maintenance services.

C. Communication Center

Upon transfer of the Development Operations Division, NASA

will assume responsibility for activating and operating its own

Communication Center. Circuits necessary for this operation will

be leased by NASA from the commercial telephone system.

D. Cryptographic Service

It is anticipated that receipt and transmission of classified

messages can be handled by the Army for NASA on a non-reimbursable

basis. However, If the volume of classified traffic processed

for NASA is such that it would require additional cryptographic

personnel or overtime work of presently assigned cryptographic

personnel, then NASA will reimburse the Army. Classified teleconference will be provided as available on a reimbursable

basis. AOMC scheduling procedures will be adhered to.

E. Transceiver System

This system is utilized solely between the Computation

Laboratory and the Missile Firing. Laboratory at Cape Canaveral.

NASA will assume responsibility for the circuit and maintenance

of the equipment. The terminal equipment will be transferred

to NASA.

- 32 -
F. Teledata System

This is a point to point system between the Missile Firing

Laboratory, located at Redstone Arsenal, and the Missile Firing

Laboratory, located at Cape Canaveral, and is used only by the

Development Operations Division. Terminal equipment will be

transferred to NASA and NASA will assume responsibility for the

circuit.

C. quick Look Net

This net is used to provide telephone and teletype facilities

between the Computation Laboratory and satellite tracking stations.

Upon transfer of the Development Operations Division to NASA the

Army will have no further requirement for this system. NASA will

assume full responsibility for activation and operation of this

net when required.

H. Facsimile Weather Nap Neteorolo_ical Service

High Altitude (SAC) facsimile weather map meteorological

service is provided to the Research Projects Laboratory of the

Development Operations Division of ABNAby the United States

Air Force and is funded by the USAF. Continued requirement for

provision of this service to NASA will be negotiated between

NASA and the USAF.

Printin_ and Reproduction Services

Redstone Arsenal provides reproduction services to the Development

Operations Division and other elements of ABHA through (1) contract

printing, (2) facilities of the Arsenal printing plant and (3) on-site

equipment supplied and operated at three of the Laboratories and the

ABNAHeadquarters.

- 33 °
Following the transfer, NASA will; (I) operate the on-slte services;

(2) contract for printing services from commercial services; (3) obtain

from the Arsenal printing facilities on a limited basis special services

such as plate-making and photostating on a reimbursable basis.

Photographic Services

The Pictorial Division of Redstons Arsenal provides the Development

Operations Division with several types of photographic services - (1)

still pictures, (2) motion pictures, (3) film library, (4) closed circuit

television equipment, maintenance, and operation and (5) maintenance

of camera and pictorial equipment. In addition, all of the Development

Operations Division Laboratories have some in-house capability for

providing their own photographic coverage including photo equipment and

photographs.

Following transfer of the Development Operations Division, NASA will

provide a complete in-house capability backed-up by contracts with

commercial firms. USA(MC will provide these services on a reimbursable

basis through FY 1961.

Transportation Services

The transportation elements of USAC_4C at Redstone provide the following

types of services in support of the Development Operations Division:

1. Transportation and traffic management services including

comnercial and military shipments of freight and passengers

and transportability service on missile weapon systems.

2. Operation and allocation of commercial type motor vehicles,

and post bus and taxi service.

3. Air transport services including operation of an airfield.

-34-
Following the transfer of the Development Operations Division, these

services will be provided in the following manner:

1. Transportation and traffic management services will be provided

by NASA.

2. Motor pool services will be provided by NASA.

3. Air support for passenger and cargo on Army-owned aircraft will

be supplied on "space available" basis at no cost to NASA. In

addition, NASA will obtain directly from counercial and other

sources additional air transportation service.

4. NASA will be allowed to land and take-off from the Army airfield

without reimbursement. Services in excess of this will be on a

reimbursable basis, e.g. emergency maintenance and refueling.

Office Services

ABMA, through the Operating Services Office, provides certain administrative type services in support of the Development Operations Division.

These include mall and records, office services, travel, and procedures

writing.

NASA will provide all these services for the Development Operations

Division following the transfer.

Supply Services

The Technical Materials and Equipment Branch, Operating Services

Office, ABMA provides In-house supply services to the Development Operations

Division. Supply services for other AOMC elements of RSA are provided by

the Consolidated Supply Division of Redstone Arsenal. Following the transfer

all of the present services provided Development Operations Division by

the Technical Materials and Equipment Branch will be handled by NASA.

The Branch will be transferred to NASA as a complete unit.

- 35 -
The Depot Division of Redstone Arsenal provides the Development

Operations Division the following services:

1. Receiving, storing, and issuing all hazardous material.

2. Fabricating explosive components.

3. Disposition of hazardous material.

4. Industrial laundry services.

All of the services are highly specialized, including the industrial

laundry service which involves decontamination of clothing for which

commercial sources are not available.

Redstone Arsenal will continue to provide these services to the

Development Operations Division on a reimbursable basis.

Redstone Arsenal provides services to the Development Operations

Division for the receipt and disposal of surplus salvage, and scrap

material. One central receipt and disposal yard is operated for the

entire installation. The Redstons Arsenal will continue to provide these

services to NASA on a reimbursable basis.

The Post Engineer operates a small high quality foundry. The

Development Operations Division obtains aluminum and other types of

castings from this foundry. This practice will be continued on a

reimbursable basis.

Food Service

The Post Exchange (administered by the Joint Army-Air Force Exchange

Service) provides cafeteria services to the Development Operations Division.

Such service includes the providing of feeding facilities such as cafeterias,

snack bars, mobile units, food-vendlngmachines, coffee carts, cigarette

machines, candy machines, and soft drink machines throughout the Development

Operations Division area.

- 36 -
Following the transfer of the Development Operations Division these

services will be provided in the following manner:

I. 1_ue Post Exchange continue to provide the aforementioned services

to NASA until July i, 1961. That NASA provide such services

after this date or earller if appropriate arrangements and funding

can be acccmpllshed.

2. All profits grem such services continue to go to the Kxchange

Service (including pro£its from vending machines) until NASA

is able to provide such services for itself.

3. That consideration will be given by NASA and Exchange Service

to the purchase by NASA o£ the cafeteria equipment, in place,

within the NASA occupied area at Redstone Arsenal.

- 37 o
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CANAVERAL

FACILITY PLAN

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APPENDIX D

GEORGE C. MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER:

FUNCTIONS OF DIVISIONS AND LAUNCH OPERATIONS DIRECTORATE
GEORGEC. MARSHALLSPACEFLIGHTCENTER

°

Functions of Divisions and Launch Operations Directorate

The Aeroballistics Division conducts research and development

activities in aeroballistics and related sciences. Such work includes

vehicle design with respect to aerodynamic parameters, control features,

loads, aerodynamic heating and external fluid properties. The laboratory

also conducts flight evaluation and performs research in aerophysics,

geophysics, and astronomy as these sciences relate to booster systems.

The Computation Division is responsible for establishing and conducting high speed digital computation, simulation, and data reduction

in the fields of space vehicle research, development, test, and flight

firing. The Division operates one of the largest centers of computation

equipment in the Free World.

The Fabrication and Assembly Engineering Division is responsible

for producing experimental model and prototype super boosters and space

vehicles. This facility has produced Redstone, Jupiter, and Saturn

rockets. It is also responsible for conducting research in and development of new technology and novel manufacturing methods and procedures

for advanced scientific application.

The Guidance and Control Division designs, develops, and does pilot

manufacturing of guidance, control, electrical network, missile-borne

tracking, measuring, telemetering and range safety devices, components,

and systems for space vehicles. The Division also designs electrical

ground support equipment for systems testing and firing, and designs

APPENDIX D
0

special test equipment associated with missile-borne guidance and

control components.

The Quality Division assures that super boosters, rocket systems,

their subsystems, components and related support equipment will perform

satisfactorily under the conditions and purposes for which they were

designed. The Division establishes and maintains a comprehensive quality

control program for rocket systems during the developmental manufacturing

and assembly phases, and assures that material accepted meets quality

levels.

The Research Projects Division is charged with initiating and

executing original and supporting scientific research in specialized

fields, and with collecting and evaluating scientific and technical

information with a view toward using it in future programs. Areas of

activity include physics and astrophysics, space environment, nuclear

physics, space thermodynamics, and electronic systems.

The Structures and Mechanics Division conducts research and development in the fields of structures, mechanics, propulsion, chemistry, and

materials as related to super boosters and space vehicles. Such work

includes design and development of airframes, propulsion systems, and

mechanical accessories; design integration of complete missile systems;

and research in the field of future rocket vehicles.

The Systems Support Equipment Division was abolished as of October

I, 1960, with its missions being transferred to other Marshall divisions.

This division had been responsible for research and development in

connection with rocket ground support and checkout equipment.

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The Test Division performs experimental and developmental testing

of super boosters and complete rocket systems and their components,

including static firings. The Division conducts research and development in rocket system testing methods and techniques, and provides

design criteria for test facilities and auxiliary equipment.

The LaunchOperations Directorate, CapeCanaveral, Florida, is

responsible for planning, coordinating, scheduling, directing and/or

executing the checkout and launching of NASAboosters and space vehicles.

It is responsible for participating in the measuring and tracking of

space vehicles, and the designing and developing of vehicle launch

facilities and accessories.

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APPENDIXE

MESSAGEOFWELCOMEEXTENDEDPRESIDENTI_FIGHT D. EISENHOWER

BY HONORABLE JOHN PATTERSON, GOVERNOR OF ALABAMA

4
MESSAGE OF WELCOME

EXTENDED PRESIDENT DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

BY

HONORABLE JOHN PATTERSON

GOVERNOR OF ALABAMA

Huntsville, Alabama, September 8, 1960

Mr. President, Senator Wiley, Dr. yon Braun, Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

As Governor, it is a great pleasure to extend official greetings

of the State of Alabama to our distinguished visitors, notably the

President of the United States. We are delighted to have you visit us

again, Mr. President, and we offer to you and your party a warm welcome.

We are also deeply honored to have Dr. Glennan and Mrs. Marshall

here with us today. Your presence adds to the significance of this

occasien, and we are extremely pleased to have both of you in Alabama.

I wish to extend to all the members of the official party the best

wishes of our citizens. On behalf of the State of Alabama, I welcome

you to our State and assure you of our warm, sincere hospitality.

We in Alabama are very proud of this great Federal installation.

It means more jobs for our people, and more money for our economy. By

virtue of its payroll, this base happens to be the largest single

employer--public or private--in our State. Due" to the economic impact

of Redstone Arsenal, the city of Huntsville more than tripled in population during the last decade. It is now Alabama's fourth largest city,

a thriving community of 72,000, and proudly boasts of its slogan

"Rocket City USA."

But more than this, we as Americans are gratified at the outstanding work being performed here, in the National interest. We are elated

to know of the amazing scientific advances in our missile program which

have already taken place at Redstone. And now we watch with the entire

Free World the development of the Saturn space project right here.

I wish to conlnend Dr. von Braun and his staff for their long string

of scientific accomplishments for our country. They have done a great

job working as a team under the guidance of the U. S. Army. Now as

their research and development facilities are formally transferred to

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, I know I join with

free people everywhere in wishing them good fortune and good luck. I

hope their discoveries and break-throughs as members of the George

C. Marshall Space Flight Center will be even more notable, and will

help in their way to keep peace in the world.

APPENDIX E
Mr. Preaident, we are delighted that you are visiting us. I wish

to thank you for being here today, and I invite you, and Dr. Glennan,

and Mrs. Marshall and the rest of our guests to come back to visit us

in the future.

Thank you.

- 2 -
APPENDIXF

REMARKSBYPRESIDENTEISENHOWERAT THEDEDICATIONOFTHE

GEORGEC. MARSHALLSPACEFLIGHTCENTER
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT EISENHOWER AT

THE DEDICATION OF THE GEORGE C.

MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, AT

HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, SEPTEMBER 8, 1960

Governor Patterson, Mrs. Marshall, Mayor Searcy, Dr. Glennan,

Dr. yon Braun, Members of the Congress, Other Distinguished Guests,

and Fellow Americans:

It is always good to come back to our Southland, this region

traditional of hospitality and friendliness. I thank you both, Mr. Governor

and Mr. Mayor, for making me feel welcome, and so much at home.

I have long looked forward to visiting this spot. I know that, for

an old foot solider, it will be a revelation to see at firsthand the efforts

here underway to probe into the mysteries of the universe millions of miles

from our earth.

Already, in brief visits with your distinguished men of rocketry, I have

made a significant discovery of my own.

I find that the leaders of the new space science feel as if Venus and Mars

are more accessible to them than a regimental headquarters was to me as a

platoon commander forty years ago.

To move conceptually, in one generation, from the hundreds of yards

that once bounded my tactical world to the unending millions of miles that

beckon these men onward, is a startling transformation.

I freely admit to sentimentality in my contemplation of these advances,

because so much of this dramatic accomplishment was pioneered by the

United States Army, which until recently was my life and my home.

Here, under Army guidance, Redstone and Jupiter and a whole family

of missiles have taken form. Here, too, was created Explorer I, America's

first earth satellite. I share with the Army its gratification in these trailblazing achievements, which have their counterparts in other services. These

achievements have thrilled the American people and won plaudits throughout

the world.

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APPENDIX F
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The momentum thus gained accelerates today under the civilian

management of the new National Aeronautics and Space Administration, guided

by Dr. Glennan, and his Deputy, Dr. Dryden. The gifted scientists, engineers

and technicians who splendidly served the Army are now eagerly developing,

for this new organization, the gigantic launch vehicle, "Saturn"

No doubt this mightyrocket system makes its presence known loudly --

possibly too loudly -- in Huntsville. But it is a significant forward step in our

conquest of space and for growth in human comprehension.

Already we have improved our understanding of matter, energy, motion

and life processes through our early efforts in space.

The characteristics of the radiation belts girdling the earth -- the true

nature of our space environment, including solar storms -- the appearance

of the earth's total cloud cover -- the feasibility of a world-wide communications

system utilizing satelhtes -- these and other space ventures have opened new

vistas of thought, understanding, and opportunity.

These, of course, are only beginnings. This past month new milestones in space exploration have been headlined throughout the world. As

the months go by we shall see many more.

Marvel as we will these technical achievements, we must not overlook

this truth:

All that we have already accomphshed, an'd all in the future that we

shall achieve, is the outgrowth not of a soulless, barren technology, nor of

a grasping state imperialism. Rather, it is the product of unrestrained

human talent and energy restlessly probing for the betterment of humanity.

We are propelled in these efforts by ingenuity and industry -- by courage to

overcome disappointment and failure -., by free-ranging imagination -- by insistence upon excellence -- with none of this imposed by fiat, none of it ordered by

a domineering bureaucracy. In this fact is proof once again that hard work,

toughness of spirit, and self-reliant enterprise are not mere catchwords of

an era dead and gone. They remain the imperatives for the fulfillment of

America' s dream.

Not pushbuttons nor electronic devices, therefore, but superlative

human qualities have brought success and fame to this place. These qualities

I mention here because they typify a distinguished American -- George

Catlett Marshall -- in whose name we carry forward this activity.

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General Marshall was supremely endowed. He was a man of war,

yet a builder of peace ....forceful and dynamic as a leader, calculating and

prudent in judgement, yet warmly regarded by his associates. He was

selfless, indeed self--effacing, yet known and admired throughout the world.

Though dominating in personal force, in action and thought he was humble

and considerate.

Northern born and Southern schooled, all-American through military

service, he ultlmately became a citizen of the world. I, of course, knew

him best during the prosecution of World War If. I found him immune to

discouragement, relentless in carrying the war to the enemy, and unsparing

of himself in his leadership of the great forces he directed. But so profound

was his devotion to the constructive works of peace -- so outspokenly was he

their advocate as Secretary of State -- that he later became the symbol of

renewed hope for scores of m111ions of suffering people through his great

Plan for Europe that will forever bear his name. He became, in consequence,

the only professional soldler ever to be honored with the Nobel Peace Pr'ize.

During his final twenty years he lived with, he counselled and influenced,

the greatest men and movements of his time. Through it all he remained

unaffected, reserved, completely disinterested in self, and dedicated to

our Nation's highest ideals.

We, participating in this brlef ceremony, agree with Sr. Winston

Churchill, that "succeeding generations must not be allowed to forget

{General Marshall's) achlevements and his example. "

There are ways to do this that General Marshall would have prized

far more than what we do here today. It is not enough that we rest with

praise of his name

But we can newly resolve to work ceaselessly, with all our hearts and

with such talents as we may posses, as did he throughout his life, for the

good of this land and its freedoms.

Thus we shall carry forward the noble mission of our Republic, ever

striving to strengthen peace, ever advancing the cause of human liberty,

ever doing our best to build a better life for all.

That is what George Marshall would wish of us today.

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In this spirit, and with deep satisfaction in having shared in this

tribute to a revered friend, I dedicate this, the George C. Marshall

Space Flight Center.

May this great Center be ever worthy of its honored name,

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