1958 (Cont.)
July 29
The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 was signed into a law by President Eisenhower.[1]
July 30
By using the development model of the Mercury contour couch designed by Maxime A. Faget and associates, Carter C. Collins withstood a 20g load on the centrifuge at Johnsville, Pennsylvania. This test proved that the reentry accelerations of manned space flight could be withstood.[2]
July 31
Republic Aviation representatives briefed NACA Headquarters personnel on the man-in-space studies in which the company had been engaged since the first of the year. They envisioned a four-stage solid launch-vehicle system and a lifting reentry vehicle, which was termed a sled. The vehicle was to be of triangular shape with a 75° leading-edge sweep. Aerodynamic and reaction controls would be available to the pilot. For the launch vehicle, Republic proposed a Minuteman first stage, a Polaris first stage, a Minuteman upper stage, and a Jumbo rocket fourth stage. Other details relative to reentry and recovery were included in the briefing.[3]
During the Month of July
The initial concept of the use of a tractor rocket for an escape device was suggested by Maxime A. Faget—an idea which developed into the Mercury escape rocket. (see fig. 1.)[4]
August 1
Dr. Hugh L. Dryden, NACA Director, presented a program on the technology of manned space flight vehicles to the Select Committees of Congress on Astronautics and Space Exploration.[5]
August 8
A memorandum from the Secretary of the Army to the Secretary of Defense recommended Project Adam for a manned space flight program. This plan proposed a ballistic suborbital flight using existing Redstone hardware as a national political-psychological demonstration. This memo proposed that funds in the amount of $9 million and $2.5 million for fiscal years 1959 and 1960, respectively, be approved for program execution.[6][7]
- ↑ Public Law 85-568, 85th Congress, H.R. 12575, subject: National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, July 29, 1958.
- ↑ Information supplied by Maxime A. Faget, Assistant Director for Engineering and Development, MSC.
- ↑ Memo, Hugh M. Heaneberry, NACA Lewis, to the files, subject: Briefing by Republic Aviation Representatives on Man-in-Space Studies, Aug. 5, 1958.
- ↑ Information supplied by Maxime A. Faget, July 9, 1963.
- ↑ House Report No. 671, Project Mercury, Second Interim Report, 87th Congress, 1st Session (June 29, 1961), p. 8.
- ↑ House Rpt. 1228, 86th Cong., 2d Sess., p. 3
- ↑ David S. Akens, History of Marshall Space Flight Center, July 1-Dec. 31, 1960, Appendix B, "Mercury-Redstone Chronology," p. 3. Hereinafter cited as Akens, History of MSFC, Mercury-Redstone Chronology.
