Waubonsee Community College

The birth of NASA, the work of the space task group, America's first true space pioneers, Manfred "Dutch" von Ehrenfried

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 335-336) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

The birth of NASA

bibliography

930996818

Manfred "Dutch" von Ehrenfried

the work of the space task group, America's first true space pioneers

"This is the story of the work of the original NASA space pioneers; men and women who were suddenly organized in 1958 from the then National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) into the Space Task Group. A relatively small group, they developed the initial mission concept plans and procedures for the U. S. space program. Then they boldly built hardware and facilities to accomplish those missions. The group existed only three years before they were transferred to the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, in 1962, but their organization left a large mark on what would follow. Von Ehrenfried's personal experience with the STG at Langley uniquely positions him to describe the way the group was structured and how it reacted to the new demands of a post-Sputnik era. He artfully analyzes how the growing space program was managed and what techniques enabled it to develop so quickly from an operations perspective. The result is a fascinating window into history, amply backed up by first person documentation and interviews." -- Publisher's description

pt. I. Setting the stage -- 1. Introduction -- 2. The Sputnik reaction -- 3. The president -- A secret conference with the president -- The press conference opening remarks -- The president's remarks -- Dr. Killian's secret memorandum -- 4. The National Security Council -- 5. The Congress -- 6. The Department of Defense and other agencies -- Advanced Research Projects Agency -- Army Ballistic Missile Agency -- U.S. Air Force -- Department of State -- pt. II. Creating the space team -- 7. Creation of the Space Task Group -- NACA : from aeronautics to astronautics -- The core team -- Lewis -- Goddard -- Ames -- Wallops Island -- The High speed Flight Station -- White Sands Missile Range -- Arnold Engineering -- Marshall Space Flight Center -- 8. The AVRO Canadians -- 9. The STG organization -- The directive -- Staff offices -- Flight Systems Division -- Operations Division -- Engineering and Contracts Division -- 10. Representatives and contractors -- Military -- STG contractors -- Mercury Control Center contractors -- 11. The need for more people -- Langley support to Project Mercury -- STG hiring -- 12. The end of the Space Task Group -- 13. Some key project Mercury decisions and lessons learned -- Management -- Engineering -- Operations -- Scientific -- Medical -- pt. III. Achievements -- 14. Facilities created for Project Mercury -- Mercury Control Center -- Bermuda Control Center -- Mercury/Manned Space Flight Network -- Mercury procedures trainers -- 15. Mission designs and concepts -- Mission rules -- Operational procedures -- Simulations -- Spacecraft design -- Launch vehicle designs -- Mercury full pressure suit -- Mission analysis and trajectory planning -- 16. The impact of NASA and the STG on history -- Organizational excellence -- Mercury Mission accomplished -- Future programs -- Technology transfer -- National pride -- Generational impact -- Appendix 1. STG organization lists, charts, and manning -- Appendix 2. Biographies -- Appendix 3. STG technology -- Appendix 4. Some photos -- Appendix 5. Quotes -- Appendix 6. Stories and trivia -- Appendix 7.: Author's STG experience