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LIBRARY  OF 
WELLES  LEY  COLLEGE 


PURCHASED  FROM 
LIBRARY  FUNDS 


AERONAUTICS 

and 

ASTRONAUTICS 


An  American  Chronology 

of  Science  and  Technology  in  the 

Exploration  o£  Space 

1915-1960 


by  Eugene  M.  Emme,  NASA  Historian 

Foreword  by  Hugh  L.  Dryden,  Deputy  Administrator 


NATIONAL  AERONAUTICS  AND  SPACE  ADMINISTRATION  •  1961 


For  sale  by  the  Superintendent  of  Documents,  U.S.  Government  Printing  Office 
Washington  25,  D.C.     -     Price  $1.75 


Ur 


^S. 


TL 


FOREWORD 

THE  NATIONAL  AERONAUTICS  AND  SPACE  ADMINISTRATION  is  charged  by 

Congress  with  the  responsibility  for  conducting  the  U.S.  civilian 
program  for  the  exploration  and  scientific  investigation  of  space,  as 
well  as  for  the  peaceful  utilization  of  space  for  the  benefit  of  all  man- 
kind. It  also  is  responsible  for  the  conduct  of  aeronautical  research. 
NASA  is  scarcely  two  years  old,  having  come  into  being  on  October  1, 
1958. 

SPACE  EXPLORATION  is  an  exciting  and  an  important  part  of  the  total 
challenge  presented  to  mankind  in  these  last  decades  of  the  20th  cen- 
tury. With  its  brief  history,  NASA  is  quite  aware  that  man's  effort 
to  navigate  in  space  has  considerable  background.  NASA's  organiza- 
tional nucleus  was  the  National  Advisory  Committee  for  Aeronautics 
which  spearheaded  aeronautic  research  and  development  for  43  years. 
Many  of  NASA's  programs,  facilities,  and  personnel  have  come  from 
activities  long  associated  with  pioneering  developments  in  rocketry 
and  the  space  sciences. 

RESEARCH  AND  DEVELOPMENT  in  the  couqucst  of  space  in  the  United 
States  has  involved  scientists,  engineers,  civil  and  military  activities  in 
Government,  universities,  and  industry.  Liquid-fuel  rocket  propul- 
sion, as  is  well  known,  was  first  demonstrated  in  the  laboratory  and  in 
flight  by  Prof.  Robert  H.  Goddard  of  Clark  University.  Rocket 
propulsion  then  came  to  worldwide  notice  in  the  German  V-2,  while 
subsequent  ballistic  missile  development  provided  the  propulsion  mak- 
ing possible  earth  satellites  and  space  probes.  NASA's  mission  is  one 
of  joining  all  governmental  agencies,  the  academic  conTmunity,  and 
industry  in  a  national  program  for  the  peaceful  conquest  of  space  for 
the  benefit  of  all  mankind. 

man's  exploration  of  three-dimensional  space  above  the  surface  of 
the  earth,  first  in  and  now  beyond  the  life-giving  atmosphere,  has 
been  a  dramatic  experience.  In  the  scientific  era  in  which  we  live, 
fundamental  knowledge  will  determine  our  destiny  more  than  ever 
before  in  human  history.  Exploration  of  space  has  provided  im- 
portant tools  and  new  impetus  in  our  scientific  quest  for  knowledge 
concerning  the  true  nature  of  matter,  time,  motion,  and  even  life 
processes.  We  are  learning  hard  data  about  many  extraterrestrial 
realities  for  the  first  time.    Unpredictable  benefits  for  men  on  earth 

III 


seem  inevitably  to  result  from  developing  the  technology  to  explore 
and  to  learn  on  the  newly  available  frontier  of  space.  Technological 
progress  spurts  on. 

SPECTACULAR  and  exciting  events  in  aerospace  affairs  have  generally 
been  rather  well  publicized  and  widely  noted,  at  least  after  the  achieve- 
ment of  the  Wright  brothers  became  known.  Behind  the  well-known 
milestones  of  practical  flight,  however,  have  been  less  publicized 
achievements  in  scientific  research  and  engineering  development  mak- 
ing such  progress  possible.  This  volume  helps  to  provide  a  fuller 
appreciation  of  events  and  activities  already  behind  us.  Perspective 
on  the  ever-quickening  pace  of  events,  provided  by  this  chronology, 
helps  provide  some  insight  into  the  meaning  of  the  events  of  tomorrow. 
The  inevitability  and  swift  pace  of  technical  change,  for  example, 
can  be  more  clearly  appreciated. 

FREE  PEOPLES  everywhere  must  retain  a  reliable  perspective  from  which 
to  discern  better  the  future  scientific,  social,  economic,  political,  and 
strategic  consequences  of  dynamic  advances  now  underway.  Obviously 
the  manner  of  the  impact  of  technology  upon  society  in  the  future  will 
partly  result  from  the  broadest  possible  appreciation  of  its  full 
significance. 

Hugh  L.  Dryden,  Deputy  Administrator^ 
National  Aeronautics  and /Space  Administration. 

December  16, 1960 


IV 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Foreword  by  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Drydeii,  Deputy  Administrator  .    .  iii 

Abbreviations vi 

Preface ix 

PART  I 

From   the   Founding    of   NACA    to    the    Dawn    of  the 

Space  Age,  January  1915-October  1957 1 

PART  II 

The  First  Three  Years  of  the  Space  Age,  October  1957- 

December  1960 89 

Appendices: 

A.  Chronicle  of  Earth  Satellites  and  Space  Probes    ...  139 

B.  Chronicle  of  World  Airplane  Records 153 

C.  Chronicle  of  Select  Balloon  Flights,  1927-60     ....  161 

D.  Select  Awards  and  Honors  in  Aeronautics  and  Astro- 
nautics       167 

E.  Membership  of  the  NACA,  1915-58 201 

Select  Bibliography 207 

Subject  and  Name  Index 213 


ABBREVIATIONS 


AA — Antiaircraft 

A  AC— Army  Air  Corps  (USA) 

AACB — Aeronautics     and     Astronautics 

Coordinating   Board    (NASA-DOD) 
AAF — Army  Air  Forces  (USx\) 
ABMA — Army  Ballistic  Missile  Agency 
AEC — Atomic  Energy  Commission 
AF— U.S.  Air  Force 
AFA — Air  Force  Association 
AFB — Air  Force  Base 
AFBMD — Ballistic       Missile       Division 

(USAF) 
AFMTC— Missile  Test  Center  (USAF) 
AMAL — Aviation    Medical    Acceleration 

Laboratory  (USN) 
AMC— Air  Materiel  Command    (USAF) 
AMR — Atlantic    Missile    Range     (Cape 

Canaveral,  Florida) 
ANP — Aircraft,  nuclear  powered 
ARC — Ames  Research  Center  (NASA) 
ARDC;; — Air  Research  and  Development 

Command  (USAF) 
ARPA — Advanced      Research      Projects 

Agency  (DOD) 
ARS — American  Rocket  Society 

BMEWS— Ballistic  Missile  Early  Warn- 
ing System 
BuAer — Bureau  of  Aeronautics    (USN) 
BuOrd— Bureau   of  Ordnance    (USN) 

CAA — Civil  Aeronautics  Authority  (or 
Administration) 

Cal  Tech — California  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology 

ONET — French  Telecommunications  Es- 
tablishment 

COSPAR — Committee  on  Space  Research 
(International  Council  of  Scientific 
Unions) 

C/S— Chief  of  Staff 

CSAGI — International  Special  Commit- 
tee for  the  IGY 

DEW — Distant     Early     Warning     Line 

(DOD) 
DOD — Department  of  Defense 

FAA — Federal  Aviation  Agency 
FAI — Federation    A^ronautique    Inter- 
nationale 


FNRS — Federation  Nationale  Researche 

Scientifique  (Belgian) 
FRC— Flight  Research  Center   (NASA) 
FY— Fiscal  Year 

GPO — Government  Printing  Office 
GSFC— Goddard    Space    Flight    Center 
(NASA) 

lAF — International  Astronautical  Fed- 
eration 

IAS — Institute  of  the  Aeronautical  (now 
Aerospace)  Sciences 

ICAO — International  Civil  Aviation  Or- 
ganization 

ICBM — Intercontinental  Ballistic  Missile 
(DOD) 

IGY — International  Geophysical  Year 

IRBM — Intermediate  Range  Ballistic 
Missile  (DOD) 

JANTAB — Joint  Army  and  Navy  Techni- 
cal Aeronautical  Board 
JATO— Jet-assisted  takeoff 
JCS— Joint  Chiefs  of  Staff  (DOD) 
JNW — Joint  Committee  on  New  Weapons 

and  Equipment  (OSRD) 
JPL — Jet  PropuLsion  Laboratory  (NASA- 

Cal  Tech) 
JRDB — Joint  Research  and  Development 
Board  (USA-USN) 

LaRC — Langley         Research         Center 

(NASA) 
LMAL— Langley  Memorial  Aeronautical 

Laboratory  (NACA,  pre-1948) 
LOD — Launch     Operations     Directorate 

(NASA) 
LRC! — Lewis  Research  Center  (NASA) 

MC— Medical  Corps  (USN,  USAF) 
MIT — Massachusetts  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology 
MSEC— Marshall    Space    Flight    Center 

(NASA) 

NAA — National  Aeronautic  Association 
NACA — National  Advisory  Committee  for 

Aeronautics 
NAS — Naval  Air  Station 
NASA — National  Aeronautics  and  Space 

Administration 


VI 


NATO— North  Atlantic  Treaty  Organi- 
zation 

NDRC — National  Defense  Research  Com- 
mittee 

NERV — Nuclear  Emulsion  Recovery 
Vehicle 

NIH— National  Institutes  of  Health 

NOL — Naval  Ordnance  Laboratory 
(USN) 

NRL — Naval  Research  Laboratory 
(USN) 

NSF — National  Science  Foundation 

OSD— Office  of  the  Secretary  of  Defense 
OSRD— Office  of  Scientific  Research  and 
Development 

I'ARD — Pilotless  Aircraft  Research  Divi- 
sion, Langley  Aeronautical  Labora- 
tory (NACA) 

PMR — Pacific  Missile  Range  (Point 
:\Iugu,  Calif.) 

RAF— Royal  Air  Force  (Britain) 
RCA— Radio  Corp.  of  America 
RCAF — Royal  Canadian  Air  Force 
R&D — Research  and  Development 
RDB — Research  and  Development  Board 

(DOD) 
RFC— Royal  Flying  Corps.  (Britain) 

SAC— Strategic  Air  Command  (USAF) 
SAGE — Semiautomatic  Ground  Environ- 
ment System  (USAF) 


SAM — School  of  Aviation  Medicine 
(AAF,  USAF,  USN) 

SER— SNAP  Experimental  Reactor 
(AEC) 

SPACETRACK— National  Space  Surveil- 
lance Control  Center  (USAF) 

SPASUR— Space  Surveillance  Detection 
Net  (USN) 

STG— Space  Task  Group   (NASA) 

STOL— Short  takeoff  and  landing  air- 
craft 

SUI — State  University  of  Iowa  (Iowa 
City) 

UN — United  Nations  Organization 

USA— United  States  Army 

US  AAF— U.S.  Army  Air  Forces 

USAF— U.S.  Air  Force 

USAS— U.S.  Air  Service  (USA) 

USIA — U.S.  Information  Agency 

USMC— U.S.  Marine  Corps 

USN— U.S.  Navy 

USNC— U.S.  National  Committee  (IGY) 

VfR — German  Society  for  Space  Travel 
(Verein  fuer  Raumschiffahrt) 

VTOL— Vertical  takeoff  and  landing 
(aircraft) 

WADC — Wright  Air  Development  Center 

(ARDC) 
WDD — Western    Development    Division 

(ARDC) 
WOO — Western         Operations         Office 

(NASA) 
W SPG— White  Sands  Proving  Ground 


VII 


PREFACE 


FOR  CENTURIES  flight  was  demonstrated  in  nature  by  birds,  winged 
insects,  bats,  and  some  squirrels.  Men  remained  earthbound.  The 
20th  century  witnessed  the  birth  of  practical  aviation  and  the  pro- 
found impact  which  flight  increasingly  imposed  upon  the  ways  of 
mankind.  The  world  has  been  shrunk  in  time-distance  relationships 
by  the  ever-increasing  speed,  range,  and  utility  of  aircraft.  States- 
men, scientists,  artists,  businessmen,  and  tourists  acquired  global 
wings.  The  art  and  science  of  war  was  revolutionized  by  airpower 
and  military  missilry.  While  aeronautical  progress  provided  atmos- 
pheric stepping-stones,  developments  in  rocket  propulsion  provided 
the  means  of  placing  manmade  objects  in  space  beyond  the  earth's 
atmosphere  and  effective  gravitational  force. 

In  the  past  three  years,  artificial  satellites  have  been  placed  into  or- 
bit around  the  Earth  and  the  Sun.  Man  is  destined  to  follow  his  in- 
strumented vehicles  into  space.  By  means  of  space  vehicles,  satellites, 
rocket-powered  aircraft,  and  high-altitude  balloons,  the  cataract  of 
the  earth's  atmosphere  has  been  removed  for  the  first  time  from  the 
eyes  of  scientists  studying  the  universe.  Revolutionary  insight  into 
physical  and  life  science  disciplines  is  afforded  by  investigation  and 
study  of  the  unearthly  environment  of  space.  This  is  the  basic  promise 
implicit  in  the  potentialities  of  the  scientific  frontier  in  our  time. 
Unforeseeable  as  well  as  predictable  benefits  for  society  on  earth 
seem  inevitable  as  a  consequence  of  space  exploration.  Man's  conquest 
of  space  presents  a  dramatic  challenge.  But  we  should  be  mindful  of 
its  historical  evolution  and  its  broadest  implications. 


SCOPE  OF  THE  CHRONOLOGY 

This  volume  is  largely  a  response  to  repeated  requests  for  basic  his- 
torical information.  It  is  intended  to  serve  as  a  ready  informational 
reference,  one  from  whence  more  detailed  historical  analysis  should 
proceed. 

Perspective  on  the  dynamic  pace  of  science  and  technology  in  aero- 
nautics and  astronautics  is  also  served  by  a  chronicle  of  events  over 
the  years.  Behind  the  major  milestones  in  man's  conquest  of  space 
are  many  not- well-known  events.    Much  more  historical  analysis  and 


IX 


detail  seemb  required  to  document  and  to  assess  the  full  history  of  re- 
search and  development  in  aviation,  rocketry,  space  flight,  and  their 
related  fields.  Spectacular  events  are  but  the  final  manifestation  of 
the  ideas,  concern,  and  labor  of  many  persons  and  institutions  involved 
in  scientific  research,  engineering  development,  finance,  organization, 
management,  and  operations.  With  regard  to  space  vehicles,  the 
reader  need  not  be  reminded  that  the  development  of  military  missiles 
was  a  major  factor  in  advancing  the  technology  of  rocket  propulsion, 
a  historical  parallel  to  the  first  major  application  of  aeronautics  to 
hmnan  affairs  during  World  War  I.  Yet  the  broad-based  scientific 
conquest  of  space  inlierently  possesses  great  consequences  for  society. 
Military  applications  of  space  technology  in  the  United  States  are 
clearly  the  responsibility  of  the  Department  of  Defense  and  the  mili- 
tary services  and  not  that  of  NASA.  It  seemed  pertinent  to  include 
major  developmental  aspects  of  military  technological  efforts  in  this 
volume. 

The  scope  of  this  chronology  is  defined  in  accordance  with  the  fol- 
lowing criteria : 

•  Emphasize  scientific  research  and  engineering  development  in  aero- 
nautics and  astronautics  as  well  as  their  related  fields. 

•  Demonstrate  historic  use  of  aircraft,  rockets,  balloons,  and  space- 
craft as  tools  of  scientific  research. 

•  Specialize  upon  U.S.  efforts  with  inclusion  of  sufficient  items  on  gen- 
eral historical  events  and  foreign  progress  to  retain  an  undistorted 
historical  context. 

•  Illustrate  practical  exploitation  of  technological  progress  in  aero- 
nautics and  astronautics. 

•  Exploit  generally  available  source  materials  to  insure  widest  and 
early  utilization  of  the  material  compiled. 

Some  readers  may  criticize  the  selection  of  events.  They  may  also  be 
unappreciative  of  the  fact  that  calendar-located  events  are  not  all  of 
equal  historical  significance  and  do  not  necessarily  appear  in  sequential  , 
order.  Brevity  and  other  necessary  limitations  also  imposed  certain 
format  requirements.  A  detailed  index  has  been  prepared  to  enhance 
reference  utility  as  well  as  topical  integration ;  while  a  select  bibliog- 
raphy serves  as  a  launching  pad  for  the  stimulated  reader. 


SOURCES  AND  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

Debts  were  accumulated  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume.    It  is  not 
feasible  to  list  all  indispensable  contributors  in  NASA's  Headquarters 


and  Centers,  in  other  governmental  agencies,  or  in  the  academic  and 
historical  community.  The  following,  however,  must  be  named  for 
their  particularly  helpful  counsel  and  assistance :  Mr.  Harold  Andrews 
(USN)  ;  Mr.  David  S.  Akens  (Marshall  Space  Flight  Center) ;  Mr. 
Joseph  W.  Angell  (USAF)  ;  Miss  Grace  Bogart  (NASA  Technical 
Library)  ;  INIr.  Walter  T,  Bonney  (Aerospace  Corp.)  ;  Dr.  Paul  Davis 
(AFAMC) ;  Mr.  Paul  E.  Garber  (National  Air  Museum)  ;  Dr.  Murray 
Green  (USAF)  ;  Dr.  Richard  G.  Hewlett  ( AEC)  ;  Mr.  Milton  Lehman 
(Goddard  biographer) ;  Prof.  W.  Ross  Livingston  (State  University 
of  Iowa)  ;  Mr.  Marvin  W.  McFarland  (Science  and  Technology,  Li- 
brary of  Congress)  ;  Mr.  Donald  R.  :McVeigh  (ARDC)  ;  ^Ir.  Robert 
W.  Mulac  (LaRC)  ;  Mr.  Lee  Pearson  (USN)  ;  Mr.  Robert  L.  Perry 
(AFWADD)  ;  Dr.  Nathan  Reingold  (Yale  University)  ;  Dr.  Alfred 
Rockefeller  ( AFBMD)  ;  Cdr.  Malcolm  D.  Ross  (USNR) ;  Dr.  Charles 
Sheldon  (House  Committee  on  Science  and  Astronautics)  ;  Dr.  Wil- 
fred J.  Smith  (Office  for  U.N.  Conference,  NASxi)  ;  Mr.  Raymond 
Snodgrass  (Army  Ordnance)  ;  Mr.  John  C.  Truesdale  (National 
Academy  of  Sciences)  ;  Prof.  James  A.  Van  Allen  (State  University 
of  Iowa) ;  and  Dr.  John  F.  Victory  (formerly  Executive  Secretary 
of  the  NACA).  Mrs.  Anna  Shade  ably  managed  the  varied  and  diffi- 
cult chores  of  preparing  the  manuscript  with  able  assistance  of  dedi- 
cated NASA  typists.  The  responsibility  for  the  organization  and 
contents  of  this  volmne,  however,  remains  solely  that  of  the  compiler. 
Additional  suggestions  and  comments  will  be  gratefully  received 
from  any  reader  at  any  time.  The  depth  of  the  historical  process  must 
inevitably  be  extended.  Comments  should  be  directed  to  the  NASA 
Historian. 

E.  M.  E. 
January  13,  1961. 


XI 


PART  ONE 


From  the  Founding  of  NACA  to 
the  Dawn  of  the  Space  Age 

JANUARY  1915-OCTOBER  1957 


THE  ruLL  HISTORY  of  mail's  exploration  of  space  might  logically  begin 
with  the  legend  of  Icarus,  or  with  the  flight  of  the  Wright  brothers 
in  1903,  or  more  appropriately  with  their  wind  tunnel  experiments 
conducted  at  Dayton  between  September  and  December  1901.  Or,  it 
could  begin  with  the  notebooks  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  the  laws  of 
Johannes  Kepler,  not  to  mention  the  contributions  of  the  Montgolfier 
brothers,  Sir  George  Cayley,  Otto  Lilienthal,  Octave  Chanute,  or 
Count  von  Zeppelin. 

Regarding  the  early  interest  of  governments,  as  such,  in  the  promo- 
tion and  exploitation  of  aeronautics,  a  chronology  could  start  with  the 
specifications  laid  down  by  the  U.S.  War  Department  for  a  military 
"flying  machine"  in  1907.  Two  years  later,  the  United  States  became 
the  first  nation  in  the  world  to  possess  a  military  airplane,  the  "Wright 
Flyer."  When  the  international  conflict  erupted  in  the  1914-18  war 
in  Europe,  however,  the  relative  plight  of  U.S.  aviation  as  compared 
to  war-stimulated  technical  progress  abroad,  was  clearly  self-evident. 

This  U.S.  chronology  begins  with  the  year  in  which  the  National 
Advisory  Committee  for  Aeronautics  was  created.  There  was  also 
geometric  buildup  of  U.S.  military  and  naval  aviation  as  involve- 
ment in  military  conflict  approached.  Wartime  progress  in  aero- 
nautics was  subsequently  applied  to  the  pursuits  of  peace.  Rocket 
development  was  also  to  be  stimulated  in  parallel  fashion  at  a  later 
date  when  military  missile  development  created  the  propulsion  neces- 
sary for  the  scientific  exploration  of  space. 

As  is  clearly  self-evident,  events  in  the  history  of  scientific  research 
and  technical  development  are  not  isolated  from  organizational,  po- 
litical, military,  or  other  general  events,  which  are  occasionally  cited 
to  remind  the  reader  of  the  broader  historical  context.  A  chronology 
is,  after  all,  but  a  mere  recital  of  known  calendar-located  events  and 
equal  significance  cannot  be  accorded  all  events  listed  in  sequence. 


1915 


Jamiary  15:  New  official  American  one- 
man  duration  record  of  8  liours  53  min- 
utes set  I)y  Lt.  B.  Q.  Jones  in  a  Martin 
tractor  biplane  at  San  Diego,  Calif. 

:    First   transcontinental   telephone 

conversation,  New  York  to  San  Francisco, 
by  Alexander  Graham  Bell  and  Thomas 
A.  Watson. 

Jannary  19-20:  First  German  aerial 
bombing  of  Britain,  by  two  Zeppelins, 
thereby  opening  up  a  new  era  in  the  ex- 
ploitation of  aeronautics.  During  World 
War  I,  a  total  of  56  tons  of  aerial  bombs 
was  di-opped  on  London  and  214  tons  on 
the  rest  of  Britain. 

During  January:  First  air-to-air  combat, 
German  airman  killed  by  rifle  fire  from 
Allied  aircraft.  In  February  a  machine- 
gun  mounted  on  a  French  aircraft,  Lieu- 
tenant Garros  as  pilot,  first  shot  down  a 
German  aircraft. 

February  24:  Macy  automatic  pilot  tests 
were  begun  at  San  Diego,  Calif. 

During  Fchruary-March :  Anthony  H.  G. 
Fokker  perfected  synchronizing  gear  to 
allow  machineguu  to  be  fired  through  ro- 
tating propeller. 

March  3:  The  Advisory  Committee  for 
Aeronautics  (later  the  National  Advisory 
Committee  for  Aeronautics  or  NACA) 
was  established  by  a  rider  to  the  Naval 
Appropriations  Act,  ".  .  .  to  supervise 
and  direct  the  scientific  study  of  the  prob- 
lems of  flight,  with  a  view  of  their  prac- 
tical solution."  The  sum  of  .$5,000  a 
year  was  appropriated  for  5  years.  The 
total  appropriation  for  naval  aeronautics 
was  $1  million. 

March  4."  Congress  passed  an  appropria- 
tion bill  of  .$.300,000  for  Army  aeronautics 
for  fiscal  year  191G. 

April  2:  President  Wilson  appointed  the 
first  12  members  of  the  National  Advisory 
Committee  for  Aeronautics  (NACA). 
Throughout  the  entire  history  of  the 
NACA  until  October  1958,  members  served 
without  compensation. 


April  16:  Navy  AB-2  flying  boat  success- 
fully catapulted  from  a  barge,  Lt.  P.  N. 
Bellinger  as  pilot. 

April  23:  The  Secretary  of  War  called 
the  first  meeting  of  the  NACA  in  his 
office.  Brig.  Gen.  George  P.  Scriven, 
Chief  Signal  Oflicer,  was  elected  tem- 
Iiorary  Chairman,  and  Dr.  Charles  D. 
Walcott,  Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  was  elected  first  Chairman 
of  the  important  NACA  Executive  Com- 
mittee.    (See  Appendix  E.) 

:  American  altitude  record  of  10,000 

feet  for  seaplanes  was  established  in 
Burgess-Dunne  AH-10  by  Lt.  P.  N.  Bel- 
linger over  Pensacola,  Fla. 

May  31:  First  German  Zeppelin  raid  on 
London.  British  employed  rockets  in 
their  defenses  around  London. 

June  1 :  Navy  let  first  contract  for  lighter- 
than-air  craft  in  ordering  one  nonrigid 
airship  from  Connecticut  Aircraft  (later 
the  DN-1). 

Ju7ie  8:  U.S.  Patent  Office  granted  patent 
(No.  1142754)  to  Glenn  H.  Curtiss  cover- 
ing the  arrangement  of  a  step  or  ridge 
incorporated  in  the  hull  of  flying  boats. 

During  June:  First  year  of  formal  gradu- 
ate study  in  aeronautical  engineering  was 
completed  at  MassKichusetts  Institute  of 
Technology,  and  one  master  of  science 
degree  was  awarded. 

July  7:  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Josephus 
Daniels,  in  a  letter  to  Thomas  A.  Edison 
said  that  the  Navy  required  "machinery 
and  facilities  for  utilizing  the  natural 
inventive  genius  of  Americans  to  meet 
the  new  conditions  of  warfare."  This 
letter  prompted  creation  of  Naval  Con- 
sulting Board  of  civilian  advi-sers  which 
functioned  throughout  World  War  I, 
and  which  included  in  its  organization  a 
"Committee  on  Aeronautics,  including 
Aero  Motors." 

July  10:  Naval  Aeronautic  Station,  Pen- 
sacola, tested  sextant  equipped  vpith  a 
pendulum-type  artificial  horizon  and  re- 
ported that  pendulum  type  was  unsatis- 


1915 — Continued 

factory  for  aircraft  use,  but  that  a 
sextant  with  a  gyroscopically  stabilized 
artificial  horizon  might  be  acceptable. 

August  11:  Naval  Observatory  requested 
Eastman  Kodak  to  develop  an  aerial 
camera  with  high-speed  lens  suitable  for 
photography  at  1,000  or  2,000  yards' 
altitude. 

September  1:  Congress  supplemented  ap- 
propriation of  Army  aeronautics  to 
$13,281,666  from  $300,000  of  previous 
fiscal  year. 

October  15:  Secretary  of  the  NAOA  was 
instructed  by  the  committee  to  communi- 
cate with  the  Government  departments, 
the  result  of  investigation  with  regard 
to  aeronautical  activity,  and  to  recom- 
mend or  advise  the  Secretaries  of  the 
separate  departments  of  the  Government 
to  continue  and  foster  experimental 
development. 

l^ovemher  6:  First  catapult  launching 
from  a  ship  underway,  made  from  the 
U.S.S.  North  Carolina  in  Pensacola  Bay, 
by  Lt.  Cmdr.  H.  C.  Mustin. 

December  3:  Lt.  R.  C.  Saufley  reached 
11,975  feet  over  Pensacola  in  a  Curtiss 


AH-14,  an  American  altitude  record  for 
hydroaeroplanes. 

December  9:  NAG  A  Report  No.  1  was 
issued,  a  two-part  "Report  on  Behavior 
of  Aeroplanes  in  Gusts,"  by  Jerome  C. 
Hunsaker  and  E.  B.  Wilson  of  MIT. 

December  12:  An  all-steel  frame,  fabric- 
covered  combat  plane  successfully  flown, 
one  designed  by  Grover  C.  Loening  and 
built  by  Sturtevant  Aeroplane  Co. 

During  December:  All-metal  fully  canti- 
lever-wing monoplane  produced  by  Hugo 
Junkers  in  Germany,  the  J-1  powered  by 
a  120-hp  Mercedes,  made  its  first  success- 
ful flights. 

During  1915:  Elmer  A.  Sperry  developed 
and  demonstrated  his  drift  indicator  for 
which  he  received  the  Robert  J.  Collier 
Trophy  for  1916.  (See  Collier  Trophy, 
Appendix  D.) 

:  General  "Vehicle  Co.,  Long  Island 

City,  contracted  with  French  Govern- 
ment to  build  Gnome  engines,  the  first 
radial   engine   produced    in   the   United 

States. 

:  Robert  H.  Goddard  proved  validity 

of  rocket  propulsion  principles  in  a  vac- 
uum, at  Clark  University,  Worcester, 
Mass. 


1916 


March  15:  First  U.S.  tactical  air  unit  in 
the  field,  the  1st  Aero  Squadron  com- 
manded by  Capt.  B.  D.  Foulois,  began 
operations  with  General  Pershing's  ex- 
pedition into  Mexico. 

April  2:  American  altitude  record  of 
16,072  feet  set  by  Lt.  R.  C.  Saufley  in  a 
Curtiss  hydroaeroplane. 

During  Aiyril:  French  employed  first  air- 
to-air  combat  rockets,  four  Le  Prieur 
rockets  attached  to  each  strut  of  Nieu- 
port  fighter,  credited  with  downing  of 
German  hydrogen-inflated  Zeppelin  LC- 
77.  The  Belgian,  Willy  Coppens  and 
Briton,  Albert  Ball,  reportedly  used  rock- 
ets effectively  against  German  balloons 
until  incendiary  bullets  were  developed. 


May  22:  French  airmen  successfully  de- 
stroyed five  of  six  German  balloons  using 
Le  Prieur  rockets  on  their  Nieuport 
fighters. 

June  8:  The  NACA  called  the  first  meet- 
ing of  representatives  of  the  aircraft 
industry  and  of  interested  Government 
agencies. 

July  19:  Navy  Gallauder  59A,  an  air- 
plane with  propeller  mounted  amidships 
in  the  fuselage,  made  preliminary  flights 
at  Norwich,  Conn.,  Lt.  (jg)  G.  D.  Mur- 
ray as  pilot. 

July  22:  Navy  requested  Alimiinum  Co. 
of  America  to  develop  a  suitable  alloy  for 
fabrication  into  Zeppelin-type  girders. 


August  22:  President  Wilson  signed  Navy 
appropriation  bill,  which  included 
$3,500,000  for  naval  aviation. 

August  29:  The  NACA  requested  $85,000 
and  received  $82,515.70  for  fiscal  year 
1917  as  a  part  of  the  naval  appropriation 
bill.  $08,957.35  later  went  toward  lab- 
oratory construction  at  Langley  Field. 

:  U.S.  Army  appropriations  ap- 
proved, which  included  $14,281,766  to  the 
Signal  Corps  for  military  aeronautics. 

Scptemher  2:  Plane-to-plane  radio  dem- 
onstrated over  North  Island,  Calif.,  at 
a  distance  of  about  2  miles. 

Septem'ber  2-3:  First  German  Zeppelin 
shot  down  by  RFC  aircraft  over  Britain ; 
five  Zeppelins  were  brought  down  over 
Britain  during  1916. 

Septemher  12:  Piloted  hydroaeroplane 
equipped  with  automatic  stabilization 
and  direction  gear  developed  by  the 
Sperry  Co.  and  P.  C.  Hewitt  was  dem- 
onstrated by  Amityville,  Long  Island, 
before  naval  observers. 

Septem'ber  21:  The  National  Research 
Council,  formed  at  the  request  of  Presi- 
dent Wilson  by  the  National  Academy  of 
Sciences,  held  its  first  meeting  in  New 
York. 

During  September:  Wright-Martin  Air- 
craft Corp.  contracted  with  French  com- 
pany to  manufacture  the  Hispano-Suiza 
engine  in  the  United  States. 

October  5:  The  NACA  first  recommended 
inauguration  of  airmail  service,  and 
William  F.  Durand  was  elected  Chair- 
man of  the  NACA. 


October  9:  Subcommittee  of  the  NACA 
appointed  to  conssider  the  needs  of  the 
committee  as  to  a  site  for  experimental 
work,  with  authority  to  visit  and  inspect 
sites,  and  to  secure  the  cooperation  of  the 
War  and  Navy  Departments  and  the 
Weather  Bureau. 

November  23:  The  NACA  recommended 
purchase  of  land  north  of  Hampton,  Va., 
for  use  as  an  aircraft  proving  ground 
by  the  Army  and  Navy.  This  site  be- 
came known  as  Langley  Field,  and  the 
location  of  the  first  NACA  laboratory. 

November  28:  First  airplane  raid  on 
London,  by  a  German  seaplane. 

During  November:  "Design  Require- 
ments for  Airplanes"  (A.P.  970),  a  basic 
six-page  pamphlet,  was  issued  by  the 
British  Royal  Aircraft  Factory  at  Farn- 
borough. 

December  20:  Army  Balloon  School 
established  at  Fort  Omaha,  Nebr. 

During  1916:  Radio-controlled  pilotless 
monoplane,  the  "Aerial  Target,"  designed 
by  H.  P.  Folland  with  radio  gear  by 
A.  M.  Low,  flown  at  the  British  Royal 
Aircraft  Establishment  at  Farnborough. 

:  Development  work  on  air  cooling 

of  aircraft  engines  by  means  of  spacing, 
depth  and  thickness  of  fins,  and  the 
effects  of  airflow,  were  conducted  by  Pro- 
fessor Givson  at  Royal  Aircraft  Factory 
at  Farnborough. 

:  Nine  U.S.  aircraft  companies  de- 
livered only  64  out  of  336  aircraft 
ordered  by  the  Army,  the  performance 
of  which  compared  unfavorably  with 
European  aircraft. 


1917 


January  10:  Comptroller  of  the  Treasury 
Department  ruled  that  the  NACA  was  an 
independent  agency  and  was  not  an  ap- 
pendage of  the  Navy  Department  in  spite 
of  the  fact  it  was  originally  funded  under 
the  naval  appropriations  bill. 

During  January:  The  NACA,  after  con- 
sidering high-cost   complaints   of   Army 


and  Navy,  recommended  creation  of 
Manufacturers  Aircraft  Association  to 
effect  cross-licensing  of  aeronautic  pat- 
ents. This  was  a  milestone  in  preventing 
a  virtual  deadlock  in  aircraft  construc- 
tion because  of  patent  infringement  suits. 

February  2:  The  NACA  recommended  to 
the   President,    for   transmittal   to   Con- 


592561—61- 


1916 — Continued 

gress  for  approval,  that  the  Government 
acquire  basic  aeronautical  patents. 

February  IS:  Aircraft  Manufacturers 
Association  formed,  Frank  H.  Russell  as 
president. 

March  8:  Naval  Act  carried  appropria- 
tion of  $1  million  for  purchase  of  basic 
aeronautical  patents  by  the  Federal 
Government. 

March  29:  The  NAG  A  recommended 
preparation  of  3-year  programs  for  air- 
craft production  to  the  Secretaries  of 
War  and  the  Navy. 

April  6:  The  United  States  declared  war 
on  the  Central  Powers.  The  Aviation 
Section  of  the  Signal  Corps  consisted  of 
35  pilots,  1,987  enlisted  men,  and  55 
training  airplanes.  Navy  Aviation  and 
Marine  Corps  combined  had  48  officer- 
pilots,  239  men,  54  airplanes,  1  airship, 
3  balloons,  and  1  air  station. 

April  10:  The  NACA  recommended  the 
organization  of  an  Aircraft  Production 
Board,  to  be  appointed  by  the  Council 
of  National  Defense.  Such  was  created 
on  May  16. 

April  llf:  Naval  Consulting  Board  rec- 
ommended to  the  Secretary  that  $50,000 
be  granted  to  carry  on  experimental 
work  on  aerial  torpedoes  in  the  form  of 
automatically  controlled  aeroplanes  or 
aerial  machines  carrying  high  explosives. 
This  was  origin  of  the  Navy  N-9  "flying 
bomb,"  later  considered  the  Navy's  first 
guided-missile  effort. 

May  7:  First  aerial  bombing  of  London 
by  German  bombers  at  night. 

May  12:  Capt.  W.  A.  Robertson  estab- 
lished new  American  altitude  record  of 
17,2.30  feet  over  North  Island  Flying 
School,  San  Diego,  Calif. 

May  20:  First  aircraft  sinking  of  a  sub- 
marine, the  German  U-36,  in  the  North 
Sea  by  a  British  flying  boat. 

June  2:  Aviation  Section  became  the  Air- 
plane Division  of  the  Army  Signal  Corps, 
and  Maj.  B.  D.  Foulois  was  appointed 
officer-in-charge  on  July  23. 


June  Jf:  Aircraft  Production  Board  and 
the  Joint  Technical  Board  on  Aircraft 
authorized  the  construction  of  five  proto- 
type models  of  8-  and  12-cylinder  Liberty 
motors.  Engine  designs  had  been  worked 
out  in  a  Washington  hotel  room  by  J.  G. 
Vincent  of  Packard  Motor  Car  Co.  and 
E.  J.  Hall  of  the  Hall-Scott  Motor  Car 
Co.  during  the  previous  week,  applying 
current  engineering  practices  to  mass  pro- 
duction techniques. 

July  4:  First  8-cylinder  Liberty  aircraft 
engine  arrived  in  Washington,  D.C.,  for 
test  by  the  National  Bureau  of  Standards. 
Design,  manufacture,  and  assembly  of 
this  motor  had  required  less  than  6  weeks. 

July  24 :  Manufacturers  Aircraft  Associa- 
tion formed  to  handle  cross-licensing  pat- 
ents between  all  manufacturers. 

:  $640  million  aviation  bill  became 

law,  the  largest  U.S.  appropriation  for 
aviation  to  date. 

July  21:  Secretary  of  the  Navy  author- 
ized a  naval  aircraft  factory  in  Philadel- 
phia. 

:  First    British    DH-4    arrived    in 

United  States  and  became  model  for  the 
first  combat  aircraft  produced  in  volume 
in  the  United  States. 

August  11:  Field  Marshal  Jan  Christian 
Smuts,  Chairman  of  a  Sub-committee  on 
Imperial  Defence,  submitted  classic  pro- 
posal for  creation  of  an  autonomous  air 
force  in  the  British  military  structui'e. 

August  21:  First  airplane  powered  by 
Liberty  engine  successfully  flown,  the 
L.  W.  F.  Engineering  Co.'s  "Model  F" 
biplane. 

August  25:  Navy  "NC"  flying  boat  devel- 
opment was  initiated  by  Chief  Construc- 
tor of  the  Navy,  D.  W.  Taylor,  in  a  memo 
outlining  general  requirements  of  such  an 
aircraft  to  combat  the  submarine  menace 
and  "to  fly  across  the  Atlantic  to  avoid 
difficulties  of  delivery,  etc."  Acting  Sec- 
retary of  the  Navy,  F.  D.  Roosevelt,  au- 
thorized development  of  "NC"  flying  boats 
capable  of  flying  the  Atlantic. 

:  12-cylinder  Liberty  motor  passed  a 

.50-hour  test  with  power  output  of  over 
300  hp  prior  to  being  ordered  into  mass 
production. 


During  August:  The  NACA  recommended 
fuuds  be  given  Weather  Bureau  to  pro- 
mote safety  in  aerial  navigation. 

Scptcmher  3:  Brig.  Gen.  \V.  L.  Kenly  ap- 
pointed Chief  of  the  Air  Service,  AEF, 
the  first  time  control  of  Army  air  activi- 
ties was  placed  under  a  single  head. 

Scptcmhcr  7:  Radio  signals  sent  from  a 
Navy  R-G  seaplane  flying  from  NAS  Pen- 
sacola,  were  received  by  Naval  Radio 
Station  New  Orleans,  140  miles  distant, 
in  tests. 

October  1:  Congress  created  the  Aircraft 
Board. 

October  16:  Fhial  tests  of  Army's  air- 
plane radiotelephone  at  Langley  Field, 
Ya.,  achieved  2.5  miles  for  plane-to-plane 
communication  and  45  miles  airplane-to- 
ground. 

October  IS:  McCook  Field,  Dayton,  Ohio, 
was  established  as  an  aeronautical  ex- 
perimental station  by  the  Signal  Corps. 

:  British  De  Havilland  DH-4  or- 
dered into  series  production  in  the 
United  States  6  months  after  U.S.  entry 
into  World  War  I.  By  the  end  of  the 
war,  about  4.500  had  been  built,  and  of 
the  total  of  1,210  American-built  planes 
to  reach  the  Western  Front,  all  but  three 
(two  Le  Peres  and  one  experimental 
DH-9)  were  DH-4's. 

:    The    Aviation    Medical    Research 

Board  was  established  by  the  Signal 
Corps. 

October  21:  First  flight  test  of  12-cylinder 
Liberty  engine  in  Curtiss  HS-1  flying 
boat  at  Buffalo,  N.Y. 


October  29:  First  DH-4  completed,  flown 
at  Dayton,  Ohio. 

November  15:  Committee  on  Light  Alloys 
established  within  NACA  to  intensify  ef- 
forts to  develop  new  metals  for  aero- 
nautical use.  Constructor  Jerome  C. 
Ilunsaker  was  Navy  member. 

November  21:  A  modified  Navy  N-9  "Fly- 
ing Bomb"  was  demonstrated  to  Army, 
Navy  and  civilian  observers  at  Amity- 
ville.  Long  Island. 

December  15:  U.S.  Navy  airplane  design 
placed  under  LCdr.  W.  Starling  Burgess, 
Bureau  of  Construction  and  Repaii*. 

December  26:  First  test-run  of  altitude 
laboratory  constructed  at  the  Bureau  of 
Standards  for  the  NACA,  one  capable  of 
testing  engine  performance  up  to  one- 
third  an  atmosphere. 

During  1911:  U.S.  Weather  Bureau  aero- 
logical  specialist,  William  R.  Blair,  pre- 
pared NACA  Report  No.  13,  "Meteorology 
and  Aeronautics,"  which  was  widely  cir- 
culated as  a  basic  handbook. 

:  At  request  of  War  Department,  a 

member  of  NACA  technical  staff  assigned 
to  supervise  altitude  iierformance  tests 
of  the  first  Liberty  engines  at  Detroit, 
Mich.,  and  Pikes  Peak,  Colo. 

:  Development  work  at  the  British 

Royal  Aircraft  Factory  at  Farnborough 
included  a  measured-injection  carburetor, 
prototype  design  of  14-cylinder,  double- 
row,  static-radial,  air-cooled  engine 
(RAF-8),  and  design  and  construction  of 
the  SE-5  fighter. 

:  Curtiss  JN-4  "Jenny"  became  basic 

training  airplane  for  thousands  of  Amer- 
ican pilots. 


1918 


January  19:  U.S.  School  of  Aviation 
Medicine  began  operations  under  Maj. 
Williams  H.  Wilmer,  Signal  Corps,  Ha- 
zelhurst  Field,  Mincola,  N.Y.  A  low- 
pressure  tank  was  constructed  to  simu- 
late altitudes  up  to  30,000  feet,  and  some 
studies  were  conducted  at  Pikes  Peak. 


January  23:  First  American  military  bal- 
loon ascension  in  the  AEF  took  place  at 
Cuperly,  Marne,  France. 

During  January:  The  NACA  established 
OflBce  of  Aeronautical  Intelligence  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  Aircraft  Board  to  col- 


1918— Continued 

lect  and  distribute  scientific  and  techni- 
cal data  on  aeronautics. 

February  7:  The  Joint  Army  and  Navy 
Technical  Aeronautical  Board  (JAN- 
TAB)  passed  resolution  on  Instrument 
Standardization  in  Army  and  Navy 
planes  for  incorporation  in  general 
specifications. 

February  16:  Plant  for  assembly  of 
American-made  airplanes  began  opera- 
tions at  Romorantin,  France. 

March  6:  Navy  unmanned  "flying  bomb" 
successfully  launched  by  catapult  and 
flown  for  1,000  yards  at  Sperry  Flying 
Field,  Long  Island. 

March  8:  Majs.  E.  C.  Schneider  and  J.  L. 
Whitney  (USA)  reached  an  artificial  al- 
titude of  34,000  feet  in  24  minutes,  at 
Signal  Corps  Laboratory,  Mineola,  N.Y. 

March  21:  "Dunkirk  fighter"  or  Navy  HA 
seaplane  made  its  first  flight  at  Port 
Washington,  Long  Island,  with  Curtiss 
pilot  Roland  Rohlfs  as  pilot. 

March  27:  First  aircraft  built  at  the 
Naval  Aircraft  Factory,  the  H-16  sea- 
plane, was  flown  for  the  first  time,  and 
was  later  used  for  the  antisubmarine  pa- 
trol from  United  States  and  European 
stations. 

3Iarch  29:  Curtiss  18-T  or  "Kirkham" 
triplane  fighter  ordered  by  Navy  from 
Curtiss  Engineering. 

April  6:  Night  aerial  photographs  taken 
with  use  of  magnesium  flares  by  Lt.  J.  C. 
McKinney  (USA)  and  civilian  pilot  Nor- 
bert  Carolin. 

ApiHl  15:  First  Marine  Aviation  Force 
formed  at  NAS  Miami,  commanded  by 
Capt.  A.  A.  Cunningham. 

April  23:  First  oversea  shipment  of  Lib- 
erty motors  arrived  at  assembly  and 
repair  station  at  Pauillac,  France. 

April  25:  Loening  M-3  first  flown, 
equipped  with  Lawrence  three-cylinder, 
air-cooled  engine. 

April  27:  French-built  airship  AT-1, 
commanded  by  Lt.  F.  P.  Culbert  (USN), 
completed  a  25-hour  23-minute  flight  out 


of  Paimboeuf,  France,  longest  flight  on 
record  for  airship  of  this  type. 

April  29:  Plans  approved  for  construc- 
tion of  first  wind  (5-foot)  tunnel  at 
Langley  Memorial  Aeronautical  Labora- 
tory of  NACA. 

May  11:  First  American-made  DH-4, 
with  Liberty  engine,  received  in  the  AEF. 

May  15:  Navy  Bureau  of  Steam  Engi- 
neering reported  that  Marconi  SE-IIOO 
radio  transmitter  designed  for  use  on 
H-16  flying  boat,  had  proven  capable  of 
reliable  voice  communications  from  plane 
to  shore  up  to  50  nautical  miles  and  code 
communications  up  to  120  nautical  miles. 

:  The  Post  OflSce's  flrst  regular  air- 
mail route,  Washington  to  New  York, 
was  inaugurated  by  Army  pilots. 

May  17:  First  flight  made  in  France  of 
an  American-built  military  aircraft,  a 
DH-4,  built  by  Dayton  Wright  Co. 
adapted  from  English  design. 

May  20:  Army  Aeronautics  was  divorced 
from  the  Signal  Corps  and  two  air  de- 
partments were  created  :  Bureau  of  Mili- 
tary Aeronautics  and  Bureau  of  Aircraft 
Production. 

May  2^:  First  consignment  of  American- 
built  flying  boats,  six  HS-l's,  arrived  at 
Pauillac,  France. 

During  May:  At  instigation  of  Dr.  W.  F. 
Durand,  Chairman  of  the  NACA,  Gen- 
eral Electric  assembled  an  experimental 
turbo  supercharger  on  a  Liberty  engine 
at  Dayton. 

June  19:  Naval  Air  Station  Pensacola  be- 
gan taking  upper  atmosphere  weather 
soundings  to  provide  wind  velocity  and 
direction.  Recording  instruments  were 
carried  aloft  by  a  kite  balloon,  a  tech- 
nique developed  by  the  station  meteoro- 
logical oflicer  Lt.  W.  F.  Reed. 

During  July:  Standard  Aircraft  Corp.  re- 
quested to  build  Italian  Caproni  and 
English  Handley-Page  bombers. 

August  17:  American-designed  bomber, 
Army  Martin  MB-1,  made  its  first  flight 
with  T.  E.  Springer  as  pilot.  It  became 
the   first   standard   bomber   of   the   Air 


8 


Service  but  did  not  enter  combat,  while 
later  modifications  of  it  were  used  by  the 
Post  Office  Department. 

September  IS:  Altitude  world  record  of 
28,899  feet  established  by  Maj.  K.  W. 
Schroeder  (USA)  at  Dayton,  Ohio. 

September  23:  Flywheel  catapult  used 
successfully  to  launch  Navy  "flying 
bomb"  at  Copiague,  Long  Island,  a  de- 
velopment undertaken  by  Sperry  Co. 

September  2S:  One  JN4  aircraft  maneu- 
vered another  JN4  in  flight  solely  by 
means  of  radio  at  Langley  Field,  Va. 

October  1:  First  bombing  using  electrical 
releases,  Allied  bombers  in  an  attack  on 
German  infantry  counterattack. 

October  2:  First  successful  flights  of 
Army's  Kettering  pilotless  aircraft  with 
preset  controls,  "The  Bug,"  at  Dayton, 
Ohio;  often  called  a  "guided  missile"  in 
later  years. 

October  3:  Flight  refueling  demonstrated 
in  a  seaplane  by  Lt.  Godfrey  L.  Cabot 
(USNR),  by  snatching  155  pounds  of 
weight  from  a  moving  sea  sled. 

October  4"  Navy  NC-1  flying  boat,  de- 
signed by  Hunsaker,  Richardson  &  West- 
ervelt,  was  successfully  test  flown. 

October  19:  Pilotless  Navy  N-9  training 
plane,  converted  to  automatic  flying  ma- 
chine, flew  prescribed  course  although 
distance  gear  failed  to  land  the  airplane 
at  preset  range  of  14,500  yards. 


November  11:  With  the  signing  of  the 
Armistice,  the  Army  Air  Service  had  a 
total  of  195,024  personnel,  of  which 
20,568  were  oflicers,  and  the  AEF  bad 
3,538  airplanes  while  4,S05  wore  in  serv- 
ice in  the  United  States.  Naval  aviation 
consisted  of  6,71G  officers  and  30,093  men, 
with  282  oflicers  and  2,189  men  in  Marine 
Corps  units  with  a  total  of  2,107  air- 
planes, of  which  1,172  were  flying  boats. 

November  17:  NAS  Hampton  Roads  re- 
ported that  H-16  flying  boat  equipped 
with  radio  direction  finder  using  British 
six-stage  amplifier  had  received  signals 
from  Arlington,  Va.,  a  distance  of  150 
miles. 

November  25:  NC-1  flying  boat  estab- 
lished new  world  record  by  taking  off 
from  Rockaway  Beach,  N.Y.,  with  51  per- 
sons aboard. 

During  November:  The  NACA  first  rec- 
ommended enactment  of  Federal  legisla- 
tion for  civil  aviation,  enforcement  to  be 
under  the  Department  of  Commerce. 

December  4*  First  Army  transcontinen- 
tal flight  by  four  Curtiss  JN4's  began 
at  San  Diego,  reaching  Jacksonville,  Fla., 
on  December  22. 

December  31:  Altitude  laboratory  at  Bu- 
reau of  Standards  completed  a  full  year 
of  detailed  analysis  of  various  engine 
performances  up  to  30,000-foot  altitudes, 
which  yielded  many  results  of  basic 
importance. 

During  1918:  Medical  Research  Labora- 
tory of  the  Signal  Corps  published  a 
manual  on  aviation  medicine. 


November  6-7:  Robert  H.  Goddard  fired 
several  rocket  devices  before  representa- 
tives of  the  Signal  Corps,  Air  Service, 
Army  Ordnance,  and  others  at  Aberdeen 
Proving  Ground,  Md. 


:  Ballistic  Branch  of  the  Army  Ord- 
nance Corps,  in  conjunction  with  the  Na- 
tional Bureau  of  Standards,  conducted 
wind  tunnel  tests  to  determine  optimum 
shapes  for  artillery  projectiles. 


1919 


January  21-31:  Second  Army  transcon- 
tinental flight  by  Maj.  T.  C.  Macauley 
in  DH— 4  Liberty,  Fort  Worth-San  Diego- 
Miami-Fort  Worth,  which  he  repeated  in 
April. 


February  5:  First  civil  airline  with  pas- 
senger service,  Germany's  Deutsche 
Luftreederei  which  operated  between 
Berlin,  Leipzig,  and  Weimar. 


1919— Continued 

February  18:  Navy  Bureau  of  Ordnance 
(BuOrd)  continued  wartime  experimen- 
tal work  begun  by  Sperry  Gyroscope  in 
1917  on  the  unmanned  "Flying  Bomb." 

February  19:  The  NACA  recommenda- 
tions on  regulating  air  commerce,  the 
licensing  of  pilots,  the  inspection  of  air- 
craft, and  the  use  of  landing  fields  were 
transmitted  to  Congress  through  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  Treasury. 

During  February:  First  flights  of 
Thomas-Morse  MB-3,  first  U.S.-designed 
fighter  procured  in  quantity,  which 
reached  speed  of  164  mph  in  early  fiights 
exceeding  that  of  contemporary  Euro- 
pean aircraft. 

March  19:  The  Aircraft  Board  was  abol- 
ished by  Presidential  Executive  Order. 

March  21:  First  recorded  flight  test  of 
gyrocompass,  a  Sperry  instrument,  by  the 
Navy,  which  was  unsuccessful. 

April  26:  World  duration  unofficial  rec- 
ord attained  by  Navy  F5L  flying  boat 
of  20  hours  19  minutes,  with  Lt.  H.  B. 
Grow  as  pilot. 

April  28:  Naval  Observatory  requested 
by  LCdr.  Richard  E.  Byrd  to  supply  bub- 
ble levels  for  attachment  to  navigational 
sextants,  thereby  providing  an  artificial 
horizon  for  astronomical  observations 
from  aircraft. 

:    Unofficial   seaplane   record   made 

by  Navy  F5L  piloted  by  Lt.  H.  B.  Grow 
out  of  Hampton  Roads,  which  completed 
a  flight  of  20  hours  and  19  minutes,  a 
distance  of  1,250  nautical  miles. 

During  April:  Curtiss  18-T  two-place 
fighter  powered  by  a  Curtiss-Kirkham 
K-12-350,  made  first  flights,  reached 
speed  of  162  mph. 

May  8-29:  First  transatlantic  flight  by 
LCdr.  Albert  O.  Read  and  crew  in  Navy 
plane  NC-4. 

May  26:  Date  of  Dr.  Robert  H.  Goddard's 
progress  report  to  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution entitled  "A  Method  of  Reaching 
Extreme  Altitudes."  It  was  published  by 
the  Smithsonian  in  January  1920. 


June  14-15:  First  nonstop  Atlantic  flight 
from  Newfoundland  to  Ireland,  1,936 
miles,  was  accomplished  by  Capt.  John 
Alcock  and  Lt.  A.  W.  Brown  of  England 
in  a  Vickers-Vimy-2  Rolls  400,  in  15  hours 
57  minutes. 

June  25:  NAS  Anacostia  reported  on 
measurements  of  temperature  and  hu- 
midity at  altitudes  made  by  special  in- 
struments on  aircraft. 

June  28:  Signing  of  Treaty  of  Versailles 
disarmed  Germany  of  a  military  air 
force  but  did  not  include  rockets  as  po- 
tential weapons,  thus  leaving  Germany 
free  under  international  law  to  develop 
them. 

During  June:  Paris  office  of  the  NACA 
opened  with  William  Knight  in  charge  to 
collect  and  disseminate  aeronautical  in- 
formation in  Britain,  France,  and  Italy. 

July  2-6:  First  airship  crossing  of  the 
Atlantic,  by  British  R-34. 

July  24-November  9:  "Around  the  rim" 
circuit  flight  of  the  United  States,  cover- 
ing 9,823  miles,  completed  by  Lt.  Col. 
R.  L.  Hartz  and  Lt.  E.  E.  Harmon  in  a 
Martin  bomber. 

July  28:  First  aerial  observations  of 
schools  of  fish  made  by  U.S.  Bureau  of 
Fisheries  with  cooperation  of  naval  air- 
craft, at  Cape  May,  N.J. 

August  l-September  11^:  First  Interna- 
tional Aircraft  Exposition  since  Armi- 
stice, at  Amsterdam,  Holland. 

August  14:  First  airmail  delivered  at  sea, 
by  Aeromarine  flying  boat  to  the  White 
liner  Adriatic  (Br.). 

August  25:  First  daily  commercial  air 
service,  London  to  Paris,  begun  by  Brit- 
ish Airco  DH-4a. 

September  6:  New  unofficial  world  alti- 
tude two-man  record  of  28,250  feet  was 
set  by  Maj.  R.  W.  Schroeder  and  Lt. 
G.  A.  Elfrey  in  a  Le  Pere  Liberty  400  at 
Dayton,  Ohio.  On  October  4,  Schroeder 
reached  new  record  of  31,796  feet  in  same 
airplane. 

September  12:  The  NACA  coordinated 
the  replies  of  the  executive  departments 
regarding  provisions  of  the  International 
Convention  on  Air  Navigation  meeting  in 
Paris. 


10 


Scptemhcr  18:  World  altitude  official 
record  of  31,420  feet  flown  by  Roland 
Rohlfs  in  Curtiss  triplaue-Curtiss-Kirk- 
ham  K12-350. 

October  8-31:  Army  transcontinental  re- 
liability and  endurance  flight  from  New 
York  to  San  Francisco  and  return :  44 
aircraft  completed  westbound ;  1;")  east- 
bound  ;  and  10  planes  made  round  trip. 

October  9:  Charles  D.  Walcott,  Secretary 
of  the  Smithsonian,  elected  Chairman  of 
the  NACA ;  Joseph  S.  Ames  was  elected 
Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee,  a 
post  he  held  until  October  7, 1939. 

October  13:  International  Convention  on 
Air  Navigation  signed  in  Paris,  which  re- 
affirmed the  principle  of  national  sover- 
eignty in  airspace  and  established  a 
Commission  for  Aerial  Navigation  under 
the  League  of  Nations  to  regulate  inter- 
national air  commerce. 

October  SO:  Reversible-pitch  propeller 
tested  at  McCook  Field,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

November  12-December  10:  Ross  Mc- 
Pherson  Smith  completed  11,500-mile 
intercontinental  flight  in  a  Vickers-Vimy 
from  Heston,  London,  to  Port  Darwin, 
Australia, 

December  8:  The  Aeronautical  Engineer- 
ing Society  was  organized  at  MIT. 


December  29:  American  Meteorological 
Society  founded  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  for  the 
development  and  dissemination  of  knowl- 
edge of  meteorology  in  all  its  phases  and 
applications. 

December  SI:  Notable  technical  achieve- 
ments of  the  year  according  to  McCook 
Field  were :  development  of  leakproof 
tanks ;  reversible-  and  variable-pitch  pro- 
pellers ;  a  siphon  gasoline  pump  ;  fins  and 
floats  for  emergency  water  landings  ;  and 
the  turbocompressor  or  supercharger 
developed  by  Sanford  A.  Moss  of  General 
Electric. 

During  1919:  Adolph  Rohrbach  of  Ger- 
many developed  smooth-surface,  metal- 
surfaced  wings,  combined  with  metal  box- 
spar  internal  construction,  the  beginning 
of  the  stressed-skin  concept. 

:  Weather  Bureau  expended  $100,- 

000  to  improve  meteorological  observa- 
tions to  support  increasing  aviation  re- 
quirements, an  appropriation  granted  by 
Congress  in  1917  upon  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  NACA. 

:  Junkers  of  Germany  produced  J-13 

low-set,  cantilever-wing  transport,  which 
carried     a     crew     of     two     and     four 

passengers. 


1920 


January  20:  Navy  Bureau  of  Steam  En- 
gineering was  allocated  $100,000  to  con- 
tract for  the  development  and  purchase 
of  200-hp  radial  aircooled  engines  from 
the  Lawrance  Aero  Engine  Corp. 

February  5:  Navy-sponsored  project  of 
developing  radio-loop  antennas  for  navi- 
gational purposes. 

February  21:  World  altitude  record  of 
33,113  feet  set  by  INIaj.  R.  W.  Schroeder 
(USA)  in  a  LePere-Liberty  400,  at  Mc- 
Cook Field,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

March  1:  The  NACA  proposed  a  national 
aviation  i-olicy  establishing  a  Bureau  of 
Aeronautics  in  the  Commerce  Depart- 
ment,  authorizing   airplane   competition 


to  stimulate  new  designs,  increasing 
Army  and  Navy  air  appropriations,  ex- 
panding the  Air  Mail  Service,  and  ex- 
panding research  at  the  Langley  Me- 
morial Aeronautical  Laboratory. 

March  21:  Successful  test  of  Sperry  gyro- 
stabilized  automatic  pilot  system  in  an 
F5L  was  completed  at  NAS  Hampton 
Roads. 

April  1:  The  NACA  approved  the  publi- 
cation of  Technical  Report  No.  91,  "No- 
menclature for  Aeronautics,"  to  assist 
use  of  uniform  technical  terms  and 
symbols. 

April  2:  Successful  altitude  soundings  of 
wind    direction    and    velocity    at   night. 


11 


1920— Continued 

using  candle-lighted  free  balloons  at 
Hampton  Roads  in  flights  since  January, 
announced  by  the  Navy. 

June  4:  Army  Air  Service  (AAS)  was 
created  in  the  Army  reorganization  bill 
signed  by  President  Wilson.  AAS  con- 
sisted of  1,516  officers  and  16,000  en- 
listed men. 

June  8:  Lt.  J.  H.  Wilson  (USA)  made 
a  .series  of  high-altitude  jumps,  para- 
chuting from  a  record  altitude  of  19,861 
feet  over  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Jiine  11:  The  NACA's  own  program  of 
aeronautics  research,  conducted  by  its 
own  staff  in  its  own  facilities,  was  begun 
with  the  first  operation  of  the  first  NACA 
5-foot  wind  tunnel  at  Langley  Labora- 
tory. 

June  21:  Because  development  of  mili- 
tary rigid  air.ships  by  the  Navy  was  con- 
sidered proper,  and  one  logically  leading 
to  the  development  of  commercial  types, 
the  NACA  urged  adequate  funding  of 
the  Navy  program  in  spite  of  recent  air- 
ship disasters. 

:  Navy  approved  installation  of  J.  V. 

Martin  retractable  landing  gear  on  VE-7 
Vought  airplane,  but  no  evidence  indi- 
cates it  was  done.  First  U.S.  retractable 
landing  gear  was  used  by  J.  V.  Martin 
K-III  in  1918-19  period. 

June  28:  The  NACA  formally  encouraged 
the  Army  and  Navy  to  detail  officers  to 
the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology for  aeronautical  engineering  study 
and  offered  use  of  its  facilities  and  per- 
sonnel to  further  research  and  experi- 
mental work  outside  of  Government. 

July  1:  Wright  Aeronautical  produced 
a  French  Hisso  "cannon  engine"  which 
fired  37-mm  shells  through  the  propeller 
shaft. 

July  7:  Navy  F5L  seaplane  flown  by 
means  of  radiocompass  from  Hampton 
Roads  to  U.S.S.  Ohio  at  sea. 

July  IS:  Cdr.  J.  C.  Hunsaker  (USN) 
elected  Honorary  Fellow  of  Royal  Aero- 
nautical Society  of  England,  the  first  time 
this  distinction  was  conferred  on  one  not 
a  British  subject. 


During  July-Septemher:  Inaccessible 
parts  of  Alaska  mapped  from  the  air  by 
Army  Air  Service  pilots,  headed  by  Capt. 
St.  Clair  Streett  (USA). 

November  1:  First  U.S.  international 
passenger  service  started  by  Aeromarine 
West  Indies  Airways  between  Key  West, 
Fla.,  and  Havana,  Cuba. 

November  25:  First  Pulitzer  race  won  by 
Lt.  C.  C.  Mosely  in  a  Verville-Packard 
600  at  Mitchel  Field,  N.Y.,  flying  a  dis- 
tance of  132  miles  at  a  speed  of  156.54 
mph. 

During  1920:  NACA  Report  No.  84,  en- 
titled "Data  on  the  Design  of  Plywood 
for  Aircraft,"  by  Armin  Elmendorf  of  the 
Forest  Service,  provided  basic  guidance 
for  aircraft  design  as  well  as  broader 
applications. 

:  New  aircraft  engine  laboratory,  the 

second,  was  completed  at  the  National 
Bureau  of  Standards  capable  of  testing 
800-hp  engines.  Work  carried  out  under 
the  direction  of  L.  J.  Briggs  provided  new 
data  on  the  viscosity  of  air. 

:  Wind  tunnel  at  Leland  Stanford 

Aerodynamic  Laboratory  devoted  entirely 
to  propeller  tests  under  direction  of  W.  F. 
Durand,  while  NACA's  George  De- 
Bothezat  carried  on  aerodynamic  studies 
at  McCook  Field. 

:  Secretaries  of  War  and  Navy  ap- 
pointed joint  Aeronautical  Board  to  con- 
sider military  questions  regarding  use  of 
aeronautics  by  both  services.  Having 
no  connection  with  the  NACA,  the  Aero- 
nautical Board  replaced  the  Joint  Army 
and  Navy  Technical  Aircraft  Board  es- 
tablished during  the  war  to  expedite  mili- 
tary procurement  and  exploitation  of 
aviation. 

:  The  NACA  formulated  and  recom- 
mended reservations  regarding  the  Con- 
vention on  International  Air  Navigation 
(1919)  to  the  State  Department  prior  to 
U.S.  ratification. 

:  New  aircraft  engines  of  this  year 

included  the  French  Hisso-design  180- 
and  300-hp  engines  by  Wright ;  the  Aero- 
marine 120  and  180;  the  Packard  300- 
and  600-hp  types ;  and  the  Lawrance  60- 
and  200-hp  air-cooled  engines. 


12 


:  Moon  eclipse  observed  by  Lts.  J.  II. 

Tilton  and  W.  H.  Cushing  from  height  of 
3  miles  at  NAS  llockaway,  N.Y. 

Durmff  1920-22:  Robert  H.  Goddard  ex- 
perimented witli  liquid  oxygen  and  vari- 
ous liquid  hydrocarbons,  including  gaso- 
line and  liquid  propane  as  well  as  ether, 
as  rocket  fuel,  under  a  grant  by  Clark 


University.  He  concluded  that  although 
oxygen  and  hydrogen  possessed  the  great- 
est heat  energy  per  unit  mass,  that  liquid 
oxygen  and  liquid  melhane  offered  great- 
est heat  value  of  combinations  which 
could  be  used  without  considerable  diffi- 
culty. But,  he  said,  "the  most  practical 
combination  appears  to  be  liquid  oxygen 
and  gasoline." 


1921 


January  10:  700-hp  aircraft  engine  hav- 
ing 18  cylinders  arranged  in  three  banks 
of  six,  tested  at  Engineering  Division, 
McCook  Field. 

Jayiuary  25:  Committee  on  Law  of  Avia- 
tion, American  Bar  Association,  filed  in- 
itial report  on  the  necessity  of  aerial  law. 
On  August  25,  the  ABA  recommended 
Federal  aerial  legislation. 

January  26:  Post  Office  Department  op- 
erated regular  daily  airmail  routes  over 
a  distance  of  3,460  miles. 

February  21:  First  transcontinental  flight 
within  24  hours,  made  by  Lt.  W.  D.  Coney 
in  a  DH-4B  from  San  Diego,  Calif.,  to 
Jacksonville,  Fla.,  in  22  hours  and  27 
minutes. 

:    School    for    Flight    Surgeons    at 

Mitchell  Field  recognized  as  a  Special 
Service  School  in  War  Department  Gen- 
eral Order  No.  7. 

March  16:  U.S.  Public  Health  Service 
initiated  aerial  survey  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley  watershed. 

March  23:  Parachute  jump  from  23,700 
feet  made  by  Lt.  A.  G.  Hamilton  (USA) 
at  Chanute  Field,  111. 

April  1:  President  Harding  directed 
NACA  to  organize  an  inter-departmental 
subcommittee  to  recommend  Federal  reg- 
ulation of  air  navigation.  After  a  series 
of  meetings  this  committee's  report  was 
approved  by  the  Executive  Committee  of 
NACA  on  April  9,  and  transmitted  to  the 
President. 

April  12:  President  Harding  recom- 
mended establishment   of   a   Bureau   of 


Aviation  within  the  Department  of  Com- 
merce, in  his  address  to  Congress. 

April  18:  John  J.  Ide  appointed  as  tech- 
nical assistant  in  charge  of  the  Paris  of- 
fice of  the  NACA,  a  post  he  held  until 
1940  and  resumed  after  the  end  of  World 
War  II. 

April  23:  Aerial  photo  survey  of  Domin- 
ican Republic  coastline  completed  by 
Fir.st  Air  Squadron  of  the  USMC;  and 
in  June,  it  completed  aerial  survey  of 
Haitian  coastline. 

June  8:  First  flight  of  an  Army  Air  Serv- 
ice pressurized  cabin  airplane  was  made, 
a  D-9-A  aircraft  piloted  by  Lt.  Harold 
R.  Harris. 

June  9:  The  NACA  authorized  construc- 
tion of  compressed-air  wind  tunnel  (20 
atmospheres)  with  a  5-foot  test  section 
at  Langley  Aeronautical  Laboratory. 

Jiily  9-11:  Aerial  study  of  San  Andreas 
rift,  the  line  of  earthquakes  of  1857  and 
1906  in  California  Coast  Range,  made  by 
Pi'of.  Bailey  Willis  of  the  Seismological 
Society  of  America. 

July  13-21:  In  a  series  of  Army-Navy 
bombing  tests  off  the  "Virginia  Capes,  air- 
planes sank  the  captured  German  de- 
stroyer G-102,  light  cruiser  Frankfort, 
and  battleship  Ostfriesland. 

July  29:  Brig.  Gen.  William  Mitchell  led 
17  bombers  in  "raid"  over  New  York. 

August  1:  World  War  I  high-altitude 
bombsight  mounted  on  a  gyrostabilized 
base  tested  by  Navy  Torpedo  Squadron 
at  Yorktown,  Va.,  marking  completion  of 
first  phase  of  Carl  L.  Norden's  develop- 
ment of  a  bombsight  for  BuOrd. 


13 


1921— Continued 

August  Jf:  5,000  catalpa  trees  successfully 
sprayed  from  an  airplane  in  15  minutes, 
at  Troy,  Ohio. 

August  10:  The  Navy  Bureau  of  Aero- 
nautics was  established  with  Rear  Adm. 
William  A.  MofCett  as  first  chief. 

September  18:  Lt.  J.  A.  Macready  (USA) 
broke  world  altitude  record  in  a  Packard- 
LePere  fighter  plane  by  reaching  34,508 
feet. 

September  23:  Day  and  night  bombard- 
ment test  flights  by  the  U.S.  Air  Service 
were  begun,  which  resulted  in  the  sink- 
ing of  the  battleship  Alabama  in  the 
Chesapeake  Bay  by  a  2,000-pound  bomb. 

September  30:  During  forest  fire  season, 
47  Air  Service  aircraft  discovered  832 
forest  fires  in  396  patrols  from  Pacific 
coast  bases,  flying  148,113  miles  over 
national  parks. 

:  Pointing  out  the  virtual  U.S.  mo- 
nopoly of  known  sources  of  helium,  the 
NACA  passed  a  special  resolution  ad- 
dressed to  the  President  and  the  Secre- 
taries of  War  and  Navy  urging  the 
continuance  of  the  U.S.  airship  develop- 
ment program. 

October  18:  A  world  speed  record  of 
222.96  mph  for  1  kilometer  was  set  by 
Brig.  Gen.  William  Mitchell  in  a  Curtiss 
R6  Curtiss  D12  375,  at  Moimt  Clemens, 
Mich. 

November  12:  First  air-to-air  refueling 
made  when  Wesley  May  stepped  from 
wing  of  one  aircraft  to  that  of  another 
with  a  5-gallon  can  of  gasoline  strapped 
to  his  back. 


November  15:  Initial  U.S.  flight  of  air- 
ship Roma  was  made  at  Langley  Field, 
Va. 

November  28:  NACA  Report  116,  "Appli- 
cations of  Modern  Hydrodynamics  to 
Aeronautics,"  by  Ludwig  Prandtl  of  Got- 
tingen  University  in  Germany,  a  major 
contribution  to  the  basis  of  the  theory 
governing  fundamental  aerodynamical 
applications,  was  published.  His  famous 
1904  paper  on  boundary  layers  was  trans- 
lated and  issued  in  NACA  Technical 
Memorandum  No.  452  in  1928. 

December  1:  Nonrigid  Navy  dirigible 
C-7,  first  to  use  nonflammable  helium, 
made  flight  from  Hampton  Roads,  Va., 
to  Washington,  D.O. 

December  7:  In  its  annual  report,  the 
NACA  recommended  establishment  of  a 
Federal  airways  system  to  include  pro- 
vision of  extended  weather  service  "in- 
dispensable to  the  success  and  safety  of 
air  navigation."  It  also  recommended 
that  Government  policy  be  formulated  "to 
sustain  and  stabilize  the  aeronautical 
industry." 

December  29:  World  endurance  record  of 
26  hours  18  minutes  35  seconds  set  at 
Roosevelt  Field,  N.Y.,  by  Edward  Stinson 
and  Lloyd  Bertaud  in  a  Junkers-Larsen 
BMW  185  (imported  German  Junkers 
J-13). 

During  December:  The  NACA  cooper- 
ated with  private  organizations  in  the 
formulation  of  an  air  safety  code. 

During  1921:  The  NACA's  Office  of  Aero- 
nautical Intelligence  distributed  13,080 
copies  of  technical  reports  and  7,108 
copies  of  technical  notes  to  governmental, 
industrial,  and  educational  institutions. 


1922 


February  7:  Completion  of  a  50-hour  test 
of  the  Lawrance  J-1,  200-hp  radial  air- 
cooled  engine,  by  the  Aeronautical  En- 
gine Laboratory,  Washington  Navy  Yard, 
foreshadowed  the  successful  use  of  radial 
engines  in  naval  aircraft. 


March  20:  Navy's  first  aircraft  carrier, 
U.S.S.  Langley,  was  commissioned  at 
Norfolk,  Va.,  a  converted  collier,  Jupiter. 

March  23:  NACA  Report  No.  159  on  "Jet 
Propulsion    for    Airplanes,"    by    Edgar 


14 


Biukinghaiu  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards, 
pointed  out  that  jet  fuel  consumption 
would  be  four  times  that  of  propeller  en- 
gine at  250  mph.  but  that  efficiency  of  jet 
increased  at  higher  speeds. 

Ap7-il  25:  Stout  ST-1  successfully  test 
flown  by  Eddie  Stinson,  first  all-metal  air- 
plane designed  for  the  Navy. 

May  31:  First  use  of  helium  in  a  free 
balloon  in  Navy  balloon  flown  by  Lt. 
Comdr.  J.  P.  Norfleet  in  National  Elimina- 
tion Balloon  Race  at  Milwaukee,  which 
did  not  place  in  the  race. 

June  10:  Guglielmo  Marconi  of  Italy 
stated  that  an  apparatus  could  be  de- 
signed to  transmit  radio  waves  from  one 
ship  in  any  desired  direction  and  pick 
up  reflections  from  another  ship  in  a 
receiver,  a  device  which  would  "thereby 
immediately  reveal  the  presence  and 
bearing  of  the  other  ship  in  fog  or  thick 
weather."  Christian  Huelsmeyer  of 
Germany  received  a  patent  in  1904  on 
boat  equipment  which  used  reflected 
radio  waves  for  navigational  use  on  the 
Rhine  River. 

J  tow  12:  Capt.  A.  W.  Stevens  (USAS) 
made  record  parachute  jump  from  24,200 
from  a  supercharged  Martin  bomber  over 
McCook  Field. 

:   Smithsonian  Institution  scientists 

utilized  Navy  seaplanes  in  mollusk  re- 
search in  Florida  waters,  completing  in 
days  what  would  otherwise  have  required 
a  year. 

June  16:  Helicopter  flight  made  by  Henry 
Berliner  at  College  Park,  Md. 

:  Lt.  C.  L.  Bissell   (USAS)  began  a 

series  of  night  cross-country  flights  be- 
tween Boiling  Field,  D.C.,  and  Laugley 
Field,  Va. 

Jn?ie  26:  ZR-3  rigid  airship  ordered  from 
the  Zeppelin  Co.,  Friedrichshafen,  Ger- 
many, as  part  of  World  War  I  repara- 
tions under  terms  approved  by  the  Allied 
Conference  of  Ambassadors  on  December 
16,  1921. 

During  June:  Wright  E3-2  engine  oper- 
ated continuously  for  2r)0  hours  at  wide- 
open  throttle,  demonstrating  improved 
durability  of  intake  and  exhaust  valves ; 
Navy  BuAer  later  increased  engine  suit- 


ability tests  from  50  to  300  hours'  en- 
durance. 

July  1:  Eight  naval  medical  oflicers  were 
first  to  report  for  flight  training,  at  NAS 
I'ensacola,  having  previously  completed 
flight  surgeon's  course  at  the  Army  Tech- 
nical School  of  Aviation  Medicine. 

July  16:  Berliner  helicopter  rose  12  feet 
and  hovered  before  military  observers 
at  College  Park,  Md. 

July  11:  Aerial  photos  taken  from  naval 
aircraft  to  aid  in  location  of  reefs  at 
Lahaina,  Maui,  Hawaii. 

Auf/ust  2:  An  unofficial  three-man  alti- 
tude record  of  23,350  feet  was  set  at  Mc- 
Cook Field,  Dayton,  Ohio,  by  Lt.  L.  Wade, 
Capt.  A.  W.  Stevens,  and  Sergeant  Long- 
ham  in  a  supercharged  Air  Service 
bomber. 

August  IS:  AGA  beacon  (American  Gas 
Accumulator)  began  operations  at  NAS 
Hampton  Roads,  with  6,000  candlepower, 
18  flashes  per  minute,  and  an  optical 
range  of  20  miles  horizontally. 

August  21:  Lawrence  Sperry  dropped 
lauding  wheels  from  plane  in  flight  and 
landed  it  on  a  skid  device  at  Farming- 
dale,  Long  Island. 

September  4:  First  transcontinental  flight 
within  a  single  day,  by  Lt.  J.  H.  Doolittle 
(USAS)  in  a  modified  DH-4B  Liberty 
400,  from  Pablo  Beach,  Fla.,  to  Rockwell 
Field,  San  Diego,  a  distance  of  2,163 
miles  in  21  hours  20  minutes. 

September  27:  Observations  on  overflying 
aircraft  made  by  Navy  scientists  ulti- 
mately aiding  development  of  radar,  by 
Albert  Hoyt  Taylor  and  Leo  C.  Young 
of  the  Naval  Aircraft  Radio  Laboi'atory, 
Anacostia,  D.C. 

October  17:  First  USN  carrier  takeofif  by 
Lt.  V.  C.  Griffin  in  Vought  VE-7SF,  from 
U.S.S.  Langley. 

October  19:  Variable-density  wind  tun- 
nel placed  into  operation  at  Langley 
Laboratory,  although  lack  of  adequate 
electric  power  prevented  concurrent 
operation  of  both  wind  tunnels  this  year. 

October  23:  Reversible  propeller  demon- 
strated at  Boiling  Field,  D.C,  by  Ameri- 
can Propeller  Co. 


15 


1922— Continued 

October  26:  First  USN  carrier  landing 
made  by  Lt.  Comdr.  G.  Clievalier  in 
Aeromarine  39B  on  U.S.S.  Lnngley  off 
Cape  Pleury. 

Novemher  1:  First  engineer-in-charge  ap- 
pointed for  NACA  Langley  Aeronautical 
Laboratory,  Leigh  M.  Griffith. 

November  8:  Air  Service  Medical  Re- 
search Laboratory  and  School  for  Flight 
Surgeons  was  designated  School  of  Avia- 
tion Medicine. 

November  18:  First  catapult  launching 
from  carrier  U.S.S.  Langley  (CV-1)  by 
Comdr.  Kenneth  Whiting  flying  a  PT 
seaplane. 

December  4'  President  Harding  re- 
quested the  recommendations  of  the 
NACA  as  to  the  most  promising  pro- 
gram for  the  Air  Mail  Service  in  the 
expenditure  of  its  limited  funds.  The 
NACA,  on  December  20,  recommended 
that  $2,300,000  be  appropriated  to  demon- 
strate feasibility  of  night  flying  on  the 
mail  service  and  to  establish  regular  New 
York- San  Francisco  mail  service  in  36 
hours  or  less. 

December  18:  DeBothezat  helicopter, 
built  by  the  Engineering  Division  of  the 
Air   Service  at   McCook  Field,   success- 


fully testflown  for  1  minute  42  seconds 
by  Maj.  F.  H.  Bane. 

During  1922:  Two  wind  tunnels  (4  by  4 
foot,  and  8  by  8  foot)  at  the  Washington 
Navy  Yard,  under  the  direction  of  A.  F. 
Zahm,  made  tests  on  naval  designs,  the 
important  results  of  which  were  usually 
published  by  NACA  as  technical  reports. 

:  As  a  result  of  Army-Navy  confer- 
ence, policy  established  that  manufac- 
turers and  designers  should  be  invited 
to  compete  in  the  design  and  construc- 
tion of  military  aircraft,  with  engineers 
given  a  free  hand.  The  only  require- 
ment was  that  the  airplane  have  mili- 
tary utility  and  have  a  speed  of  more 
than  190  mph. 

:  National    Aeronautic    Association 

was  formed  with  Howard  E.  Coffin 
elected  president. 

:  U.S.  Weather  Bureau  first  pre- 
pared a  "standard  atmosphere"  showing 
the  relationship  between  jjressnre  and 
temperature  based  on  average  conditions 
over  the  United  States  at  40°  N.  latitude. 

1920-22:  Goddard  developed  and  unsuc- 
cessfully tested  first  liquid  propellant 
engine,  using  liquid  oxygen,  and  devised 
small  high-pressure  pumps  to  force  fuel 
into  the  combustion  chamber. 


1923 


January  5:  Cloud  seeding  over  McCook 
Field,  Dayton,  accomplished  by  Prof. 
W.  D.  Bancroft  of  Cornell  University, 
from  Air  Service  aircraft. 

February  6:  Aeronautical  Engine  Lab- 
oratory transferred  from  Washington 
Navy  Yard  to  the  Naval  Aircraft  Factory, 
establishing  the  Naval  Aircraft  Factory 
as  the  center  of  naval  aeronautical  de- 
velopment. 

Febriianj  21:  DeBothezat  helicopter 
achieved  sustained  altitude  of  15  feet 
for  2  minutes  and  45  seconds  in  fiight 
tests  at  McCook  Field. 

March  5:  Auxiliary  jettisonable  belly 
tank  fitted  to  bomb  rack  of  MB3A  at 


Selfridge  Field,  Mich.,  increased  flying 
radius  to  about  400  miles. 

March  8:  Lunar  radiation  observations 
at  an  altitude  of  19,000  feet  made  by 
Russell  M.  Otis  in  DH-4B  over  San  Diego, 
Lt.  F.  W.  Seifert  as  pilot. 

March  29:  Lt.  R.  L.  Maitland  attained 
world  speed  record  of  239.95  mph  in 
Curtiss  R-6  at  Dayton,  Ohio. 

April  2:  First  flight  of  all-metal  pursuit 
monoplane,  Wright  H-3,  400-hp  engine, 
at  Curtiss  Field. 

April  15:  Naval  Research  Laboratory 
(NRL)  reported  equipment  for  radio  con- 
trol  of  an   F5L  was   satisfactory   to  a 


16 


range  of  10  miles,  and  that  radio  control 
of  aircraft  during  landing  and  takeoff 
was  feasible. 

Api'il  20:  First  aerial  refueling  with  hose, 
at  Rockwell  Field,  San  Diego,  between 
two  1)II-4K  aircraft,  under  the  direction 
of  Henry  II.  Arnold   (USAS). 

May  2-S:  First  nonstop  transcontinental 
flight  of  2,520  miles  from  New  York  to 
San  Diego  flown  by  Lts.  O.  G.  Kelly  and 
J.  A.  Macready,  in  a  Fokker  T2-Liberty 
375  in  26  hours  50  minutes. 

May  26:  Chief  of  Navy  BuAer  agreed 
with  Chief  of  Army  Air  Service  that 
identical  aeronautic  specifications  would 
be  advantageous  to  both  the  aviation  in- 
dustry and  the  military  services.  Lt. 
R.  S.  Barnaby  was  ordered  to  McCook 
Field  as  BuAer  representative  on  inter- 
service  committee  on  standardization  in 
December,  the  first  of  a  series  of  annual 
meetings  held  until  1937. 

June  9:  Juan  de  la  Cierva  made  first  suc- 
cessful autogiro  flights  in  a  rotary  wing 
aircraft,  at  Madrid,  Spain. 

June  20:  Initial  flight  of  all-metal  air- 
plane (Gallaudet)  designed  by  Engineer- 
ing Division  at  Wright  Field. 

June  25:  First  International  Air  Con- 
gress, London,  England,  450  delegates 
from  17  nations  attended. 

June  26:  First  complete  midair  pipeline 
refueling  between  two  airplanes,  made  by 
Lts.  L.  H.  Smith  and  J.  P.  Richter  (USA) 
at  San  Diego. 

August  22:  World's  largest  airplane,  the 
six-engine  Barling  bomber,  underwent 
first  tests  at  McCook  Field,  Lt.  H.  R. 
Harris  as  pilot. 

August  27-28:  Capt.  L.  H.  Smith  and  Lt. 
J.  P.  Richter  flew  a  DH-4B-Liberty  400 
to  a  world  refueled  duration  record  of 
37  hours  and  15  minutes,  as  well  as  a 
distance  record  of  3,293  miles  at  Rock- 
well Field,  San  Diego,  Calif. 

September  4-'  Navy  airship  Shenandoah 
(ZR-1)  made  its  first  flight  at  NAS 
Lakehurst,  the  first  of  the  Zeppelin  type 
to  use  helium  gas. 


September  5:  Army  bombers  sank  two  ob- 
solete battleships,  the  U.S.S.  Virginia  and 
the  U.S.S.  Netv  Jersey,  off  Cape  Ilatteras. 

September  28:  Navy  aircraft  won  first 
and  second  places  in  Schneider  Cup  in- 
ternational seaplane  races  at  Cowes,  Eng- 
land, and  established  new  world  record 
for  seaplanes  with  a  speed  of  169.89  mph 
for  200  kilometers.  Flying  CR-3's  pow- 
ered by  Curtiss  D-12  engines,  Lt.  David 
Rittenhouse  achieved  177.3S  mph  in  the 
race,  while  Lt.  Rutledge  Irvine  placed 
second  with  173.46  mph. 

October  1:  Goodyear  Tire  &  Rubber  ac- 
quired Zeppelin  rights  for  manufacture 
of  rigid  airships. 

Oetober  6:  Lt.  A.  J.  Williams  (USN)  set 
new  world  speed  records  of  243.8  mph  for 
100  kilometers,  and  243.7  mph  for  200 
kilometers  over  a  closed  circuit,  flying  a 
Curtiss  R2C-1  Racer  in  the  Pulitzer  Tro- 
phy Race,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

November  1:  Robert  H.  Goddard  suc- 
cessfully operated  a  liquid  oxygen  and 
gasoline  rocket  motor  on  a  testing  frame, 
both  fuel  components  being  supplied  by 
pumps  installed  on  the  rocket. 

November  2:  Flexural  fatigue  machine 
for  testing  sheet  duralumin  stopped  after 
200  million  alterations,  on  a  389-day  non- 
stop run  at  the  Bureau  of  Standards. 
Check  calibration  gave  same  reading  as 
the  original  calibration  on  October  5, 
1922. 

November  4*  Lt.  Alford  J.  Williams 
(USN)  established  world  speed  record  of 
266.59  mph  in  Navy-Curtiss  Racer  over 
Mitchel  Field,  Long  Island,  which  re- 
mained U.S.  record  until  1930. 

November  5:  Series  of  tests  demonstrat- 
ing feasibility  of  stowing,  assembling, 
and  launching  a  seaplane  from  a  sub- 
marine were  completed,  which  involved 
as.sembling  a  Martin  MS-1  and  launch- 
ing it  by  submerging  the  submarine. 

November  23:  Concluding  sentence  of  the 
annual  report  of  the  NxVCA  for  1923  was : 
"Progress  in  aeronautics  is  being  made 
at  so  rapid  a  rate  that  the  only  way  to 
keep  abreast  of  other  nations  is  actually 
to  keep  abreast,  year  by  year,  never  fall- 
ing behind."     [Italic  in  original.] 


17 


1923— Continued 

November  23:  Aeromarine  all-metal  fly- 
ing boat  launched  at  Keyport,  N.  J. 


Decem'ber  IS:  Christmas  aileron  patent 
claim  was  settled  when  U.S.  Government 
bought  the  patent  rights  for  $100,000. 

End  of  1923:  Die  Rakete  zu  den  Plane- 
tenrdnmen  (The  Rocket  Into  Interplan- 
etary Space)  by  Hermann  Oberth  was 
published  in  Germany,  and  was  the  gene- 


sis for  considerable  discussion  of  rocket 
propulsion. 

During  1923:  Turbine-type  supercharger 
with  a  gear  drive  under  development  at 
McCook  Field. 

:  Navy  Bureau  of  Aeronautics  aban- 
doned water-cooled  engines  of  less  than 
300  hp  with  the  development  of  the  Law- 
rance  direct  air-cooled  J-1,  200-hp  engine. 
Weight  of  water-cooling  system  was  usu- 
ally in  excess  of  25  percent  of  the  total 
weight  of  the  engine. 


1924 


January  16:  President  Coolidge  canceled 
all  preparations  for  Navy  Arctic  expedi- 
tion in  which  it  was  intended  to  use  air- 
planes and  the  dirigible  Shenandoah. 

February  21:  Corp.  C.  E.  Conrad  (USAS) 
successfully  parachuted  from  21,500  feet, 
from  DH-4B  over  Kelly  Field,  Tex. 

March  4:  Two  Martin  bombers  and  two 
DH-4's  broke  up  an  icejam  on  the  Platte 
River  at  North  Bend,  Nebr.,  by  bombing. 

March  7:  Lt.  E.  H.  Barksdale  and  B. 
Jones  (USAS)  flew  DH-4B  Liberty  400 
on  instruments  from  McCook  Field,  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  to  Mitchel  Field,  N.Y. 

During  March:  Apparatus  developed  at 
Wright  Field  for  scattering  insecticide 
from  the  air,  for  use  in  checking  spread 
of  gypsy  moth  in  New  England. 

April  6-Septentber  28:  The  first  round- 
the-world  flight,  the  first  transpacific 
flight,  and  the  first  westbound  Atlantic 
crossing,  from  and  returning  to  Seattle, 
by  two  Army  Douglas  "World  Cruiser" 
biplanes,  fiying  26,345  miles  in  363  hours' 
flying  time,  with  an  elapsed  time  of  175 
days. 

During  April:  Central  Committee  for  the 
Study  of  Rocket  Propulsion  established 
in  the  Soviet  Union. 

May  2:  Unofficial  two-man  altitude  rec- 
ord of  31,.540  feet  set  by  Lts.  John  A. 
Macready  and  A.  W.  Stevens  (USAS)  on 
a  flight  during  which  an  aerial  photo- 
graph covering  the  greatest  area  of  the 
earth's  surface  to  date  was  obtained. 


May  19:  Lt.  J.  A.  Macready  (USAS) 
established  new  American  altitude  rec- 
ord of  35,239  feet  at  Dayton,  in  Le  Pere 
Liberty  400. 

June  2:  Dr.  C.  L.  Meisinger  of  the 
Weather  Bureau  and  Lt.  James  T.  Neely 
were  killed  by  lightning  in  storm-riding 
balloon  flight,  near  Monticello,  111. 

June  23:  First  "dawn-to-dusk"  flight 
from  New  York  to  San  Francisco,  by  Lt. 
R.  L.  Maugham  in  Curtiss  Pursuit 
(PW-8),  with  five  stops  en  route. 

J till/  i'  Dr.  George  W.  Lewis  appointed 
Director  of  Aeronautical  Research  of 
NACA,  a  post  he  held  until  1947. 

:   First     continuous     night-and-day 

transcontinental  airmail  service  initiated 
between  New  York  and  San  Francisco  by 
Post  Office  Department  pilots,  a  service 
which  was  first  instituted  on  September 
8,  1920,  but  had  stopped. 

September  IJ^:  French  helicopter  flown  by 
its  designer,  Oehmichen,  established 
world  helicopter  altitude  record  of  3.28 
feet   carrying  440.92-pound   useful  load. 

September  15:  Unmanned  N-9  seaplane 
equipped  with  radio  control  successfully 
flown  on  40-minute  fliglit  from  Naval 
Proving  Grounds,  Dahlgren,  and  sank 
from  damage  sustained  on  landing. 

October  15:  ZR-3  (later  renamed  Los 
Angeles),  a  German  dirigible  constructed 
for  the  U.S.  Navy  under  a  reparations 
agreement,  arrived  at  Lakehurst,  N.J., 
after  flying  the  Atlantic,  by  German  crew 
under  Dr.  Hugo  Eckener. 


18 


Octoicr  24:  When  all  foieij,'!!  entrants 
withdrew  from  Schneider  Cup  Race  to 
be  held  at  Bayshore  Park,  Md.,  the 
United  States  agreed  to  cancel  race  rath- 
er than  win  by  a  flyaway.  Instead,  Navy 
scheduled  contestants  and  other  naval 
aircraft  placed  17  world  records  in  the 
book  for  class  C  seaplanes. 

October  25:  Lt.  R.  A.  Ofstie  (USN)  estab- 
lished new  world  seaplane  speed  record  of 
178.25  mph  for  100  km. 

October  28:  Cloud  formations  at  13,000 
feet  were  broken  up  over  Boiling  Field, 
D.C.,  by  "blasting"  with  electrified  silica 
in  a  fog-dispersal  demonstration  by  Army 
aircraft. 

November  2//;  NACA  Conmiittee  on 
Aerodynamics  summarized  in  its  annual 
report  that  it  had  direct  control  of  aero- 
dynamic research  conducted  at  Langley, 
the  propeller  research  conducted  at  Stan- 
ford University  under  W.  F.  Durand,  and 
some  special  investigation  at  the  Bureau 
of  Standards  and  at  a  number  of  Univer- 
sities. Investigation  undertaken  at  the 
Washington  Navy  Yard  Aerodynamic 
Laboratory,  the  Engineering  Division  of 
the  Army  Air  Service,  the  Bureau  of 
Standards,  and  the  Massachusetts  Insti- 
tute of  Technology  were  reported  to  this 
Committee.  Thus,  it  was  "in  close  con- 
tact with  all  aerodynamical  work  being 
carried  out  in  the  United  States." 

:  NACA  Subcommittee  on  metals  con- 
cluded that  duralumin  girders  which 
formed  framework  of  the  Shenandoah 
"will  not  fail  by  'fatigue'  in  less  than  40 
years  under  service  conditions"  as  a  re- 
sult of  the  "most  extensive  investigation 


of  the  properties  of  sheet  metal  which 
has  been  undertaken  in  this  country,"  by 
the  Bureau  of  Standards. 

December  2:  "Standard  Atmosphere," 
after  careful  coordination,  approved  by 
Executive  Committee  of  NACA,  later 
adopted  for  use  in  aeronautical  calcula- 
tions by  the  War  and  Navy  Departments, 
the  Weather  Bureau,  and  the  Bureau  of 
Standards;  described  by  Lt.  Walter  S. 
Diehl  of  BuAer  in  NACA  Technical  lie- 
port  No.  218.  It  gave  pressures  and 
densities  for  altitudes  up  to  20,000  meters 
and  to  65,000  feet. 

December  9:  The  Civil  Aeronautics  Act, 
proposing  to  establish  a  Bureau  of  Civil 
Aeronautics  in  the  Department  of  Com- 
merce, was  reintroduced  iu  Congress. 

During  1924:  High-speed  wind  tunnel 
(5  foot,  1,000  hp,  2G0  mph)  at  McCook 
Field  used  continuously,  handling  150 
tests  of  17  airfoil,  24  model,  and  15  fuse- 
lage tests. 

:  High-speed  photography  of  sprays 

produced  by  fuel  injection  valves  suc- 
cessfully developed,  and  flight  study  of 
Roots-type  supercharger  with  DH-4  and 
DT-2  aircraft  conducted,  at  Langley 
Laboratory.  Supercharging  increased 
practical  ceiling  of  DH-4  from  14,500  feet 
to  31,000  feet,  and  of  the  DT-2  from 
18,500  feet  to  28,000  feet. 

:  NACA    Report   No.    207   by   L.   J. 

Briggs,  G.  F.  Hull,  and  H.  L.  Dryden  of 
the  National  Bureau  of  Standards,  "Aero- 
dynamic Characteristics  of  Airfoils  at 
High  Speeds,"  was  major  contribution 
reporting  on  tests  of  airfoils  at  near 
supersonic  speeds. 


1925 


January  24-25:  Twenty-five  aircraft  car- 
ried scientists  and  other  observers  above 
clouds  in  Connecticut  to  view  total  eclipse 
of  the  sun,  while  airship  Los  Angeles  car- 
ried Naval  Observatory  scientists  over 
Block  Island,  R.I. 

February  2:  President  Coolidge  signed 
the  Kelly  bill  authorizing  contract  air 
transport  of  mail. 


February  18:  "Standard  Altimeter  Cali- 
bration" worked  out  by  Bureau  of  Stand- 
ards, and  approved  by  all  interested 
agencies,  was  approved  by  the  NACA. 

April  13:  Henry  Ford  started  an  air- 
freight line  between  Detroit  and  Chi- 
cago, the  first  such  commercial  flights  on 
a  regular  schedule. 


19 


]925 — Continued 

April  15:  Daily  flights  to  an  altitude  of 
10,000  feet  to  obtain  weather  data  and  to 
test  upper-air-sounding  equipment  begun 
at  NAS  Anacostia.  In  the  following  Feb- 
ruary, the  schedule  was  extended  by  the 
Navy  to  include  weekends  and  holidays, 
with  the  altitude  being  increased  to  15,000 
feet. 

April  27:  First  trial  flight  of  new  Wright 
Cyclone  4;j0-hp  air-cooled  engine  in  DT-6 
torpedo  plane,  at  Muchio's  Field,  N.J. 

During  April:  Oleo  landing  gear  tested 
by  Navy  on  NB-1  at  Seattle. 

May  20:  Air  Service  Technical  School  at 
Rantoul,  111.,  carried  on  radio  conver- 
sations from  planes  in  the  air,  reaching 
Chicago  115  miles  distant. 

June  12:  Daniel  Guggenheim  donated 
$500,000  toward  establishment  of  a  School 
of  Aeronautics  at  New  York  University. 

June  25:  Construction  of  full-scale  pro- 
peller research  wind  tunnel  at  Langley 
Aeronautical  Laboratory  was  initiated, 
which  was  completed  in  1927. 

During  July:  First  radiobeacon,  one  de- 
veloped at  McCook  Field,  installed  In  air- 
mail plane  for  the  Department  of  Com- 


:  Small  car  moving  on  ground  con- 
trolled by  radio  from  an  airplane  at  2,000 
feet,  by  Air  Service  at  Wright  Field, 
Dayton. 

August  1:  Naval  Air  Detail,  under  Lt. 
Comdr.  R.  E.  Byrd,  began  aerial  explora- 
tion of  30,000-square-mile  area  near  Etah, 
North  Greenland,  with  three  Loening 
amphibians,  as  part  of  the  MacMiUan 
expedition. 

:  Curtiss  Condor,  first  of  new  series 

of  night  bombers,  made  first  flight  at 
Garden  City,  Long  Island. 

September  3:  Navy  dirigible  Shenandoah 
crashed  near  Ava,  Ohio,  killing  14  of  43 
persons  aboard. 


September  12:  Morrow  Board  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Coolidge  to  recom- 
mend U.S.  air  policy. 

October  7;  Post  OflSce  Department 
awarded  first  five  contracts  under  the 
Kelly  Air  Mail  Act  for  the  flying  of  mail 
to  private  contractors  on  a  bid  basis. 

October  26:  Lt.  James  H.  Doolittle,  U.S. 
Air  Sei'vice,  won  Schneider  Cup  Race 
flying  Curtiss-R3  C-2  seaplane  Racer,  and 
also  broke  speed  record  for  seaplanes  at- 
taining 245.7  mph,  at  Baltimore,  Md. 

November  20:  Night  photographs  using 
50-pound  magnesium  flares  taken  from 
Army  Martin  bomber  by  Lt.  George  W. 
Goddard,  over  Rochester,  N.Y. 

November  30:  The  President's  Aircraft 
Board,  better  known  for  its  senior  mem- 
ber as  the  Morrow  Board,  submitted  its 
report  to  President  Coolidge.  Recom- 
mendations of  the  NACA  to  the  Morrow 
Board  were  important  in  decisions  lead- 
ing to  the  passage  of  the  Air  Commerce 
Act  of  1926  and  the  appropriation  of 
funds  for  the  long-range  development  of 
Army  and  Navy  aviation.  With  its  rec- 
ommendations inaugurated,  NACA  there- 
after followed  a  policy  of  avoiding 
entanglement  in  matters  not  related  to 
research. 

December  17:  Col.  William  Mitchell  found 
guilty  by  Army  General  Court-Martial,  in 
session  since  October  28. 

December  27;  Daniel  Guggenheim  created 
the  $2,500,000  Daniel  Guggenheim  Fund 
for  the  Promotion  of  Aeronautics  to  speed 
development  of  civil  aviation  in  the 
United  States. 

During  1925:  School  of  Aviation  Medi- 
cine began  study  on  an  objective  aptitude 
test  for  flyers. 

During  1925:  GoefErey  de  Havilland  of 
Britain  first  produced  two-seat  biplane, 
the  Moth,  a  small  popular  light  airplane. 
War-surplus  Curtiss  JN4D  airplanes  had 
earlier  been  popular  in  the  United  States, 
while  Taylor  Cub  monoplane  appeared 
in  1931. 


20 


1926 


January  1:  Henry  J.  E.  Reid  appointed 
Engineer-iu-Cbarge  of  NACxV  Langley 
Memorial  Aeronautical  Laboratory,  a  post 
he  held  until  July  19G0,  when  he  retired 
as  Director  of  NASA's  Langley  Research 
Center. 

January  16:  Daniel  Guggenheim  Fund 
for  the  Promotion  of  Aeronautics  for- 
mally established. 

January  29:  An  American  altitude  record 
of  38,704  feet  was  set  by  Lt.  J.  A.  Mac- 
ready  (USAS)  in  an  XC05-A  Liberty  400 
at  Dayton,  Ohio. 

February  6:  Pratt  &  Whitney  produced 
first  Wasp  engine,  a  nine-cylinder  radial 
air-cooled  engine  of  about  400  hp  at  1,800 
rpm. 

March  16:  Robert  H.  Goddard  launched 
the  world's  first  liquid-fueled  rocket  at 
Auburn,  Mass.,  which  traveled  184  feet 
in  2^2  seconds.  This  event  was  the 
"Kitty  Hawk"  of  rocketry. 

March  23:  Inventor  of  sodium-filled 
valves  for  internal  combustion  engines, 
S.  D.  Heron,  granted  exclusive  license  for 
manufacture  to  Rich  Tool  Co.,  later  part 
of  Eaton  Manufacturing  Co. 

April  16:  The  Department  of  Agriculture 
purchased  its  first  cotton-dusting  plane. 

During  April:  The  NACA  analysis  of 
basic  aeronautical  legislation  was  ac- 
cepted by  Joint  Senate-House  conferees, 
leading  to  the  Air  Commerce  Act  of  May 
20,  1926.  This  freed  NACA  of  respon- 
sibility for  regulation  of  civil  aviation 
and  permitted  it  to  concentrate  upon  the 
conduct  of  aeronautical  research. 

May  5:  Robert  H.  Goddard  communicated 
the  results  of  his  successful  liquid-propel- 
lant  rocket  flight  of  March  16  to  the 
Smithsonian  Institution. 

May  0:  First  flight  over  the  North  Pole, 
by  Richard  Byrd,  navigator,  and  Floyd 
Bennett,  pilot,  in  a  Fokker  Monoplane, 
from  Spitsbergen. 

May  12:  Lincoln  Ellsworth,  American  ex- 
plorer, flew  across  the  North  Pole  in  the 


dirigible  Norge,  commanded  by  Roald 
Amundsen. 

May  20:  President  Coolidge  signed  the 
Air  Commerce  Act,  the  first  Federal  legis- 
lation regulating  civil  aeronautics. 

May  2Jt:  First  annual  inspection  and  con- 
ference for  industrial  and  other  gov- 
ernmental aeronautical  persons  held  at 
NACA's  Langley  Laboratory.  These  an- 
nual events  were  of  high  importance  in 
promoting  aeronautical  research  in  the 
United  States. 

June  6:  Last  elements  of  Navy  Alaskan 
Aerial  Survey  Expedition  departed  Se- 
attle for  Alaska.  Three  Loening  amphib- 
ians operating  from  tender  U.S.S. 
Gannet  made  aerial  mapping  of  Alaska 
throughout  the  summer  and  into  Septem- 
ber with  the  cooperation  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior. 

June  25:  Largest  wind  tunnel  in  the 
world  (20-foot  throat),  the  Propeller 
Research  Tunnel,  constructed  at  Langley. 

July  1:  Edward  P.  Warner,  professor  of 
aeronautics  at  MIT,  nominated  by  Presi- 
dent Coolidge  to  become  Assistant  Sec- 
retary of  Navy  in  Charge  of  Aviation. 
Dr.  Warner  served  on  the  NACA,  1929-46. 

July  2:  First  known  reforesting  by  air- 
plane was  carried  out  in  Hawaii. 

:  The  Army  Air  Corps  Act  became 

law  and  the  Air  Service  was  redesignated 
the  Air  Corps.  It  also  made  provision 
for  an  Assistant  Secretary  of  War  for 
Air  and  for  a  5-year  Air  Corps  expansion 
program. 

:  By  act  of  Congress,  the  NACA  was 

required  to  review  aeronautical  inven- 
tions and  designs  submitted  to  any 
branch  of  Government  and  submit  re- 
ports to  the  Aeronautics  Patents  and  De- 
sign Board. 

July  28:  Submarine  S-1  surfaced  and 
launched  a  Cox-Klemin  XS-2  seaplane 
piloted  by  Lt.  D.  C.  Allen.  It  later  re- 
covered airplane  and  submerged,  thus 
carrying  out  first  complete  cycle  in  this 
series  of  feasibility  experiments. 


592561—61- 


21 


1926— Continued 

August  25:  JN  training  plane  with  large 
parachute  floated  deadstick  down  to  a 
rough  landing  and  some  damage,  at  San 
Diego  Naval  Air  Station. 

During  August:  Air  Corps  School  of  Avia- 
tion Medicine  moved  from  Mitchel  Field 
to  Brooks  Field,  Tex.,  and  was  subse- 
quently moved  to  Randolph  Field  in 
October  1931. 


October  1:  Daniel  Guggenheim  Fund  for 
the  Promotion  of  Aeronautics  made  a 
grant  to  the  University  of  Michigan  for 
the  completion  of  a  wind  tunnel  and  a 
Chair  of  Aeronautics. 

November  13:  Lt.  C.  F.  Schilt  (USMC) 
took  second  place  in  the  Schneider  Cup 
Race  at  Hampton  Roads,  Va.,  flying  an 
R3C-2  with  an  average  speed  of  231  mph. 
This  was  last  U.S.  Navy  participation  in 
international  racing  competition. 


December  10-11:  Financed  by  the  Daniel 
Guggenheim  Fund  for  the  Promotion  of 
Aeronautics,  a  conference  of  representa- 
tives of  MIT,  New  York  University,  Stan- 
ford University,  California  Institute  of 
Technology,  University  of  Michigan,  and 
University  of  Washington  was  held  at 
NACA  to  interchange  ideas  on  educa- 
tional methods,  coordinating  research 
work,  and  developing  special  courses  in 
aeronautical  education. 

During  1926:  Dr.  Louis  H.  Bauer,  former 
Commandant  of  the  School  of  Aviation 
Medicine  (1919-25),  established  a  medi- 
cal section  in  the  Bureau  of  Air  Com- 
merce, Department  of  Commerce. 

:  Lt.  Col.  D.  A.  Myers  at  the  School 

of  Aviation  Medicine  developed  basic 
physiological  principles  necessary  to  the 
development  and  use  of  blind-flying  in- 
struments, work  done  in  conjunction  with 
research  by  Lt.  Col.  W.  A.  Ocker.  This 
study  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest 
contributions  of  medicine  to  the  technical 
advancement  of  aviation. 


1927 


During  Fehruary:  Army  Air  Corps  com- 
pleted aerial  photographic  survey  of  east 
and  west  coasts  of  Florida  (1,284  square 
miles)  for  the  U.S.  Coast  and  Geodetic 
Survey. 

March  9:  Capt.  H.  C.  Gray  (AAC)  as- 
cended to  28,910  feet  in  a  free  balloon 
for  an  American  altitude  record.  (World 
record  held  by  Suring  and  Berson  of 
Germany  who  ascended  to  35,433  feet  on 
June  30,  1901.) 

April  4:  Regular  commercial  airline  pas- 
senger service  initiated  by  Colonial  Air 
Transport  between  New  York  and  Boston. 

April  21:  Dr.  Joseph  S.  Ames  was  elected 
Chairman  of  the  NACA,  to  replace  Dr. 
Charles  Walcott,  one  of  the  original  12 
members,  who  died  in  February. 

May  i:  Record  balloon  flight  by  Capt. 
H.  C.  Gray  (AAC)  reached  42,470  feet 
over  Scott  Field,  111.,  but  he  was  forced 
to  bail  out  successfully  so  that  record 
was  not  ofiicial. 


Mag  20-21:  The  first  solo  nonstop  trans- 
atlantic flight,  New  York  to  Paris,  was 
completed  by  Charles  A.  Lindbergh.  This 
was  a  major  milestone  in  awakening  the 
Nation  to  the  full  potentialities  of 
aviation. 

May  25:  Lt.  James  H.  Doolittle  (AAC) 
flew  the  first  successful  outside  loop. 

June  4:  Daniel  Guggenheim  School  of 
Aeronautics  oflScially  opened  at  New 
York  University.  Daniel  Guggenheim 
Fund  for  the  Promotion  of  Aeronautics 
also  made  gifts  to  MIT,  University  of 
Michigan,  Stanford  University,  and  the 
California  Institute  of  Technology  in  this 
time  period. 

June  4-5:  Clarence  D.  Chambei'lain  and 
Charles  A.  Levine  flew  nonstop  from  New 
York  to  Eisleben,  Germany,  in  Bellanca 
monoplane  Columbia. 

June  5:  Society  for  Space  Travel  {Verein 
fuer  Raumschiffahrt) ,  known  as  "VfR," 
formed  in  Breslau,  Germany. 


22 


Jime  8:  Astronautics  Committee  of  the 
Soci6t6  Astronomique  FratiQaise  estab- 
lished in  France. 

June  22:  John  F.  Victory,  the  first  em- 
ployee of  NACA  in  1915,  and  who  had 
served  as  Assistant  Secretary  since  1917, 
was  appointed  Secretary  of  the  NACA. 

June  29-30:  Cilr.  Richard  Byrd,  Acosta, 
Noville,  and  B.  Balchen  flew  Fokker 
monoplane  America  from  New  Yorlv  to  a 
crash  landing  in  the  sea  off  the  French 
coast. 

July  25:  A  world  airplane  altitude  rec- 
ord of  38,484  feet  was  established  by  Lt. 
C.  C.  Champion  (USN)  in  a  Wright 
Apache  P&W  425. 

August  1:  Fire  damaged  interior  of  vari- 
able-density wind  tunnel  at  Langley  Lab- 
oratory, which  when  reconstructed  was 
used  in  conjunction  wuth  jet-type  wind 
tunnel  produced  airflow  in  12-inch  cham- 
ber in  excess  of  800  mph. 

October  12:  Wright  Field,  Dayton,  Ohio, 
was  formally  dedicated. 

Novembci-  1,:  Capt.  H.  C.  Gray  (AAC) 
ascended  to  42,470  feet,  the  identical  alti- 
tude of  his  May  4  flight,  but  he  did  not 
survive  the  flight  and  thereby  failed 
again  to  achieve  official  world  record. 

November  6:  Lt.  "Al"  Williams  (USN) 
flew  Kirkham  racing  plane  powered  with 
1,250-hp  24-cylinder  Packard  engine  at 
unofficial  speed  of  322.6  mph. 


November  16:  U.S.S.  Saratoga  (CV-3) 
was  placed  in  commission  by  the  Navy. 

December  14:  U.S.S.  Lexington  (CV-2) 
was  placed  in  commission. 

During  1927:  Air  Corps  sponsored  devel- 
opment of  Allison  "X"  type  engine  of  24 
cylinders  expected  to  develop  1,400  hp ; 
while  Navy  flight  tested  radial  air-cooled 
Wright  R-1750,  and  used  Pratt  &  Whit- 
ney Wasp  in  a  number  of  service  aircraft. 

■:  Coordination  between  NACA  and 

British  Aeronautical  Research  Commit- 
tee included  exchange  of  views  at  joint 
meetings  and  a  program  of  comparative 
research  for  standarization  of  wind  tun- 
nel data. 

:   Operation    of    Materiel    Division 

wind  tunnels  at  McCook  Field  handi- 
capped by  move  to  the  new  Wright  Field. 
During  the  year,  the  new  full-scale  Pro- 
peller-Research Tunnel  at  Langley  Lab- 
oratory became  operational,  while  the 
Bureau  of  Standards  tested  24  airfoil  sec- 
tions at  various  speeds  up  to  1.08  times 
the  speed  of  sound. 

:  Superchargers  passed  from  experi- 
mental development  stage  to  active  serv- 
ice use  on  radial  air-cooled  engines,  while 
both  Roots-type  and  centrifugal-type  su- 
perchargers were  being  tested  on  water- 
cooled  engines. 

:  Appearance  of  Lockheed  Vega  set 

pace  for  general-purpose  aircraft,  a  high 
cantilever  wang  and  wooden  stressed- 
skin  fuselage  which  permitted  large 
interior  structure  for  passengers  as  well 
as  reducing  weight  and  drag. 


1928 


February  3:  At  Wright  Field,  Lt.  H.  A. 
Sutton  began  a  series  of  tests  to  study 
the  spinning  characteristics  of  planes,  for 
which  he  was  awarded  the  Mackay 
Trophy.     (See  Appendix  D) 

February  28:  Navy  issued  contract  for 
XPY-1  flying  boat  to  Consolidated  Air- 
craft, the  first  large  monoplane  flying 
boat  procured  and  the  initial  configura- 


tion which  evolved  into  the  PBY 
Catalina. 

March  10:  $900,000  authorized  for  com- 
pletion of  the  Wright  Field  Experimental 
Laboratory. 

march  28:  Assistant  Secretary  of  Com- 
merce for  Aeronautics  called  conference 
of     representatives     of     Army,     Navy, 


23 


1928 — Continued 

Weather  Bureau,  Bureau  of  Standards, 
NACA,  and  Commerce  Department  to 
study  cause  and  prevention  of  ice  for- 
mation on  aircraft. 

April  11:  First  manned  rocket  automo- 
bile tested  by  Fritz  von  Opel,  Max  Va- 
lier,  and  others,  at  Berlin,  Germany. 

April  12-13:  German  pilots  Kochl  and 
Huenefeld,  and  J.  Fitzmaurice  made  first 
westbound  transatlantic  airplane  flight 
in  Junkers  Bremen. 

May  5:  Lt.  C.  C.  Champion  flevp  a  Wright 
Apache  equipped  with  P&W  Wasp  en- 
gine and  NACA  supercharger  to  new 
world  altitude  record  for  seaplanes  of 
33,455  feet. 

May  15:  NACA  held  third  annual  En- 
gineering Research  Conference  at  Lang- 
ley  Field,  Va. 

May  22:  First  patent  on  sodium-filled 
valves  for  combustion  engines  issued  to 
S.  D.  Heron,  engineer  of  the  Materiel 
Division  at  Wright  Field. 

During  May:  Aeronautics  Branch  of  De- 
partment of  Commerce  created  Board  to 
determine  original  causes  of  aircraft 
accidents. 

June  11:  Friedrich  Stamer  made  first 
manned  rocket-powered  fiight  in  a  tail- 
less glider  from  the  Wasserkuppe  in  the 
Rhon  Mountains  of  Germany.  Takeoff 
was  made  by  elastic  launching  rope  as- 
sisted by  44-pound  thrust  rocket,  another 
rocket  was  fired  while  airborne,  and  a 
flight  of  about  1  mile  was  achieved. 
This  flight  was  a  part  of  experimentation 
directed  by  A.  Lippisch. 

June  16:  Successful  tests  were  made  of 
superchargers  designed  to  give  sea  level 
pressure  at  30,000  feet  and  a  new  liquid- 
oxygen  system  for  high-altitude  flying, 
at  Wright  Field.  Lt.  William  H.  Bleak- 
ley  in  XCO-5  made  flight  to  36,509  feet 
and  remained  there  18  minutes. 

During  September:  The  NACA  undertook 
coordination  of  research  programs  in  uni- 
versities to  promote  the  study  of  aero- 
nautics and  meteorology. 

September  19:  First  diesel  engine  to 
power   heavier-than-air   aircraft,   manu- 


factured by  Packard  Motor  Car  Co.,  was 
flight  tested  at  Utica,  Mich. 

September  23:  Lt.  James  H.  Doolittle  ac- 
companied by  Capt.  A.  Stevens  made 
altitude  flight  of  37,200  feet  to  obtain 
aerial  photograph  covering  33  square 
miles. 

October  ^-5:  First  Aeronautical  Safety 
Conference  held  in  New  York  under 
auspices  of  the  Daniel  Guggenheim  Fund 
for  the  Promotion  of  Aeronautics. 

October  10:  Capts.  St.  Clair  Streett  and 
A.  W.  Stevens  (USA)  flew  to  37,854  feet, 
less  than  1,000  feet  short  of  the  ofiicial 
world  record  for  single-occupant  flight. 

During  October:  At  the  request  of  the 
Air  Coordination  Committee,  NACA  pre- 
pared a  report  on  "Aircraft  Accident 
Analysis"  for  use  by  the  War,  Navy,  and 
Commerce  Departments. 

:    Air    Corps    developed    84-foot-in- 

diameter  parachute  of  sufficient  strength 
to  support  weight  of  an  airplane  and  its 
passengers. 

December  17:  International  pilgrimage 
made  to  Kitty  Hawk,  N.C.,  to  commemo- 
rate the  25th  anniversary  of  the  flrst  air- 
plane flight. 

December  19:  First  autogiro  flight  in  the 
United  States  was  made  by  Harold  F. 
Pitcairn,  Willow  Grove,  Pa. 

During  December:  Air  Medical  Associa- 
tion formed  at  International  Aeronautics 
Conference. 

During  1928:  NACA  developed  cowling 
for  radial  air-cooled  engines  which  in- 
creased speed  of  Curtiss  AT-5A  airplane 
from  118  to  137  mph  with  no  increase  in 
engine  horsepower,  Fred  E.  Weick  and 
associates  contributing  to  this  develop- 
ment. 

:  NACA's  Langley  Memorial  Aero- 
nautical Laboratory  demonstrated  high 
lift  by  boundary-layer  control  by  means 
of  pressure  or  suction  slots  in  an  airfoil 
in  the  atmospheric  wind  tunnel. 

:  First  refrigerated  wind  tunnel  for 

research  on  prevention  of  icing  of  wings 
and  propellers  placed  in  operation  at 
Langley  Laboratory. 


24 


:  First  of  nine  volumes  of  an  en- 
cyclopedia on  interplanetary  travel  by 
Prof.  Nikolai  A.  Ryuin  publislied  in  the 


Soviet  Union,  the  final  volume  of  which 
appeared  in  1932. 


1929 


January  1-7:  An  unoflicial  endurance 
record  for  refueled  airplane  flight  was 
set  by  Maj.  Carl  Spaatz,  Capt.  Ira  C. 
Eaker,  and  Lt.  Elwood  Quesada  in  the 
Question  Mark,  Fokker  C2-3  Wright  220, 
over  Los  Angeles  Airport,  with  flying 
time  of  150  hours  40  minutes  15  seconds. 

January  23-21:  Modern  aircraft  carriers 
Lexington  and  Saratoga  participated  in 
fleet  exercises  for  the  first  time. 

February  4-5;  Capt.  Frank  Hawks  and 
O.  E.  Grubb  established  new  nonstop 
transcontinental  West-East  record  of  18 
hours  22  minutes,  in  a  single-engine 
Lockheed  Air  Express,  the  first  practical 
application  of  NACA  cowling  for  radial 
air-cooled   engines. 

Fehruary  23:  Successful  development  of 
special  goggles,  heated  gloves,  and  a  de- 
vice for  warming  oxygen  before  use  an- 
nounced by  Wright  Field. 

March  2:  Membership  of  the  NACA  in- 
creased from  12  to  15  members  by  act  of 
Congress. 

May  S:  Lt.  A.  Soucek  (USN)  established 
world's  altitude  record  of  39,140  feet, 
flying  the  Wright  Apache  over  Anacostia, 
D.C. 

June  21:  NACA  special  subcommittee 
held  initial  meeting  at  Langley  on  aero- 
nautical research  in  universities. 

June  27-29:  Capt.  Frank  Hawks  broke 
transcontinental  speed  records  from  East 
to  West  and  West  to  East  flying  the 
Lockheed  Air  Express. 

July  17:  A  liquid-fueled,  11-foot  rocket, 
fired  by  Robert  Goddard  at  Auburn, 
Mass.,  carried  a  small  camera,  thermom- 
eter, and  a  barometer  which  were  re- 
covered intact  after  the  flight.  Much 
"moon  rocket"  publicity  made  of  this 
flisht. 


August  S-29:  Round-the-world  flight  of 
the  German  rigid  airship  Graf  Zeppelin. 

August  23-October  31:  Russian  plane. 
Land  of  the  Soviets,  flown  on  good-will 
tour  of  the  United  States  from  Moscow  to 
Seattle,  thence  to  New  York,  having  cov- 
ered 13,300  miles  in  142  flying-hours. 

During  August:  Use  of  a  battery  of  solid- 
propellant  rockets  on  Junkers-33  sea- 
plane, the  first  recorded  jet-assisted  take- 
off of  an  airplane,  made  in  tests  near 
Dessau,  Germany. 

September  22:  Second  Alaska  Aerial  Sur- 
vey completed  by  Navy,  mapping  13,000 
square  miles  in  southeastern  Alaska. 

September  24:  Lt.  James  H.  Doolittle 
made  the  first  public  all-blind  flight  at 
Mitchel  Field,  Long  Island,  accompanied 
by  a  check  pilot. 

September  30:  Opel  Sander  Rak.  1,  a 
glider  powered  with  16  rockets  of  50 
pounds  of  thrust  each,  made  successful 
flight  of  75  seconds,  covering  almost  2 
miles  near  Frankfort-am-Main,  Germany, 
Von  Opel  as  pilot. 

October  7:  Aero  Medical  Association  of 
the  United  States  founded  by  Louis  H. 
Bauer,  and  the  first  issue  of  the  Journal 
of  Aviation  Medicine  was  published  in 
March  1930. 

October  15:  Premier  of  German  movie 
film,  Frau  im  Mond  (The  Girl  in  the 
Moon)  directed  by  Fritz  Lange,  which 
assisted  popular  awareness  of  rocket  po- 
tentialities in  Germany. 

October  21:  German  Dornier  DO-X  fly- 
ing boat  carried  169  passengers  in  hour 
flight  over  Lake  Constance,  Switzerland, 
the  largest  number  of  individuals  ever 
carried  in  a  single  aircraft. 

November  28-29:  First  flight  over  South 
Pole,  by  Comdr.  Richard  E.  Byrd,  in  a 


25 


1929— Continued 

Ford  trimotor  piloted  by  Bernt  Balchen, 
from  Little  America. 

Novemier  29:  First  pursuit  aircraft 
powered  with  high-temperature,  liquid- 
cooling  system  designed  by  the  Materiel 
Division,  was  completed  by  Curtiss  and 
flown  to  Wright  Field  for  flight  testing. 

December  12:  Langley  Medals  were  pre- 
sented to  Adm.  Richard  E.  Byrd  for  his 
flights  over  both  poles  and  posthumously 
to  Charles  M.  Manly  for  his  pioneer  de- 
velopment of  airplane  engines.  (See 
Appendix  D.) 


December  31:  Daniel  Guggenheim  Fund 
for  the  Promotion  of  Aeronautics  ended 
its  activities. 

During  1929:  J.  Jongbloed  experimentally 
recognized  the  occurrence  of  a  disease 
like  the  bends,  or  caisson  disease,  at  pres- 
sures of  less  than  1  atmosphere. 

:  U.S.  Bureau  of  Standards  devel- 
oped the  radio-echo  altimeter. 

— — -:  NACA  Annual  Report  indicated 
that  aerodynamic  efficiency  may  be  in- 
creased by  applying  the  principle  of 
boundary-layer  control  to  the  wings  and 
possibly  other  parts  of  an  airplane. 


1930 


January  3:  President  Hoover  made  the 
presentation  of  the  Collier  Trophy  for 
1929  to  Dr.  Joseph  S.  Ames,  Chairman 
of  the  NACA.     (See  Appendix  D.) 

January  6:  Guggenheim  Safe  Aircraft 
Competition  prize  was  awarded  to  Cur- 
tiss Tanager,  which  featured  practical 
wing  flaps  and  leading-edge  Handley- 
Page  slots. 

During  January:  The  world's  flrst  full- 
scale  wind  tunnel  under  construction  at 
Langley  Memorial  Aeronautical  Labora- 
tory (30  feet  high,  60  feet  wide). 

February  15:  Naval  Aircraft  Factory  au- 
thorized to  begin  construction  of  work- 
ing models  of  retractable  landing  gears 
because  of  design  progress. 

February  17-19:  First  National  Confer- 
ence on  Aeronautical  Education  held  at 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

March  21:  First  Navy  dive  bomber  de- 
signed to  deliver  1,000-pound  bomb,  the 
Martin  XT5M-1,  met  strength  and  per- 
formance requirements  in  diving  tests. 

April  4:  The  American  Interplanetary  So- 
ciety, later  the  American  Rocket  Society 
(ARS),  founded  in  New  York  City  by 
David  Lasser,  G.  Edward  Pendray, 
Fletcher  Pratt,  and  nine  others,  for  the 
"promotion   of   interest  in   and    experi- 


mentation toward  interplanetary  expedi- 
tions and  travel." 

April  8:  Orville  Wright  received  first 
Daniel  Guggenheim  Medal.  (See  Ap- 
pendix D.) 

April  12:  Air  Corps  set  world  record  for 
altitude  formation  flying  when  19  planes 
reached  a  height  of  30,000  feet  (old  rec- 
ord 17,000  feet). 

May  9:  Dr.  Ludwig  Prandtl  of  Germany 
received  second  Daniel  Guggenheim 
Medal. 

May  13:  Fifth  Annual  Aircraft  Engineer- 
ing Research  Conference  held  at  Lang- 
ley Laboratory. 

June  4-'  Lt.  Apollo  Soucek  flew  Navy 
Wright  Apache  landplane  equipped  with 
P&W  450-hp  engine  to  height  of  43,166 
feet  over  NAS  Anacostia,  regaining  world 
record  he  held  briefly  in  1929. 

July  21:  Capt.  A.  H.  Page  (USMC)  piloted 
an  02U  from  a  sealed  hooded  cockpit  on 
an  instrument  flight  of  near  1,000  miles 
from  Omaha,  Nebr.,  to  Anacostia,  via 
Chicago  and  Cleveland,  with  safety  pilot 
Lt.  V.  M.  Guymon  landing  the  airplane. 

July  23:  Hermann  Oberth  and  VfR  suc- 
cessfully tested  liquid  oxygen  and  gaso- 
line-fueled rocket  motor  for  90  seconds  in 
Germany,  a  demonstration  made  before 


26 


the  Director  of  the  Chemisch-Techuische 
Reichsanstalt  to  secure  financial  support. 

September  8:  German  sounding  balloon 
released  near  Hamburg  attained  an  alti- 
tude of  117,750  feet  (22.4  miles). 

During  Septemhcr:  Rakctenflugplatze 
Berlin  established  by  VfR  in  Germany. 

December  17:  German  Army  Ordnance 
Office,  after  reviewing  work  of  Goddard 
and  others,  decided  to  establish  rocket 
program  and  to  equip  artillery  proving 
ground  at  Kuramersdorff  to  develop  mili- 
tary missiles. 

December  SO:  Robert  H.  Goddard  fired  11- 
foot  liquid  fuel  rocket  to  a  height  of  2,000 
feet  and  a  speed  or  near  500  mph  near 
Roswell,  N.  Mex. 

December  31:  "Airworthiness  Require- 
ments for  Aircraft  Components  and  Ac- 
cessories" of  the  Department  of  Com- 
merce became  effective. 

During  December:  John  J.  Ide,  NACA 
technical  assistant  in  Europe,  served  as 
U.S.  delegate  to  the  First  International 
Congress  on  Aerial  Safety  in  Paris. 

During  1930:  NACA  made  confidential 
recommendations  to  industry  and  mili- 
tary services  for  best  location  of  engine 
nacelles,  with  engines  faired  into  lead- 


ing edges  of  the  wing,  a  report  based  on 
l!i28  research  of  Donald  H.  Wood  and 
others  which  influenced  design  of  all 
multiengine  aircraft  thereafter. 

:  Sound-locator  acoustic  system  for 

detection  of  aircraft  in  flight  was 
developed. 

:    Sperry   Gyroscope  developed   the 

"Gyro  Horizon." 

:  An  increase  of  300  percent  in  paid 

passengers  on  commercial  airlines  was 
recorded  this  year. 

:  Frank  Whittle,  RAF  officer  and  en- 
gineer, obtained  British  patents  for  turbo- 
jet engine. 

:  Allison  Division  of  General  Motors 

began  development  of  V-1710  12-cylinder 
liquid-cooled  engine,  the  only  liquid- 
cooled  engine  of  U.S.  design  to  be  pro- 
duced throughout  World  War  II,  which 
was  increased  in  17  years  from  750  hp  to 
2,000  hp. 

• :  First  vertical  wind  tunnel  for  study 

of  airplane  spinning  was  placed  in  oper- 
ation at  NACA's  Langley  Laboratory. 

:  Robert  Esnault-Pelterie  of  France 

published  his  classic  work  on  UAstro- 
nautique;  he  had  begun  his  mathematical 
work  on  astronautics  in  1907. 


1931 


January  ^:  William  G.  Swan  stayed  aloft 
for  30  minutes  over  Atlantic  City,  N.J.,  in 
a  glider  powered  with  10  small  rockets. 

January  22:  Navy  ordered  its  first  rotary- 
wing  aircraft,  the  XOP-1,  from  Pitcairn 
Aircraft. 

March  4-'  More  than  $100  million  was  ap- 
propriated by  Congress  for  military, 
naval,  and  commercial  aviation  for  the 
coming  year. 

March  Uj:  First  liquid-fuel  rocket  suc- 
cessfully fired  in  Europe,  a  methane- 
liquid  oxygen  rocket  constructed  by 
Johannes  AVinkler  and  flown  from  Des- 
sau, Germany. 


ylpril  2:  First  Navy  aircraft  with  re- 
tractable landing  gear,  the  XFF-1  two- 
seat  fighter,  ordered  from  Grumman 
Aircraft. 

April  8:  Amelia  Earhart  established  a 
woman's  autogiro  altitude  record  of 
18,415  feet  in  a  Whirlwind-powered  Pit- 
cairn at  Willow  Grove,  Pa. 

April  10:  Airship  subcloud  observation 
car  demonstrated  by  Lt.  Wilfred  J.  Paul 
at  Langley  Field,  Ya. 

During  April:  Raktenflugplatz  in  Ger- 
many was  visited  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  Ed- 
ward Pendray  as  official  representatives 
of  the  American  Interplanetary  Society, 


27 


1931 — Continued 

who  upon  their  return  organized  the  ex- 
perimental program  of  the  society. 

May  27:  First  full-scale  wind  tunnel  for 
testing  airplanes  was  dedicated  at  the 
Langley  Memorial  Aeronautical  Labora- 
tory of  the  NACA,  engineer-in-charge  of 
construction  and  operation,  Smith  J. 
De  France,  explained  details  to  the  an- 
nual Aircraft  Engineering  Research 
Conference. 

:  The  NACA  tank  to  provide  data  on 

water  performance  of  seaplanes  was 
demonstrated  by  Starr  Truscott.  Its 
channel  length  was  enlarged  from  2,020 
feet  to  2,900  feet  in  October  1937. 

:  Auguste  Piccard,  Swiss  physicist, 

and  Charles  Knipfer  made  first  balloon 
flight  into  stratosphere,  reaching  a  height 
of  51,777  feet  in  a  17-hour  flight  from 
Augsburg,  Germany,  to  a  glacier  near 
Innsbruck,  Austria. 

May  2S:  Lt.  W.  Lees  and  Ens.  F.  A. 
Brossy  established  world's  endurance 
flight  record  without  refueling  of  84 
hours  33  minutes,  in  diesel-powered  Bel- 
lanca  at  Jacksonville,  Fla. 

May  31:  A  pilotless  airplane  was  suc- 
cessfully flown  by  radio  control  from 
another  plane  at  Houston,  Tex. 

June  Jf:  Dornier  DO-X,  12-engined 
German  flying  boat  (which  carried  169 
passengers  on  its  trial  flight),  arrived 
in  New  York  after  flying  the  south 
Atlantic. 

June  23-July  1:  Wiley  Post  and  Harold 
Gatty  lowered  world  circling  record  to 
8  days  15  hours  51  minutes  in  the  Lock- 
heed Winnie  Mae. 

July  2/f-31:  Graf  Zeppelin  carried  12  sci- 
entists on  Arctic  flight. 


July  28:  First  nonstop  flight  across  the 
Pacific,  begun  by  Clyde  Pangborn  and 
Hugh  Herndon  in  a  single-engined  Bel- 
lanca,  who  completed  flight  around  the 
world  in  October. 

July  29-August  26:  Colonel  and  Mrs. 
Lindbergh  made  survey  flight  to  Japan 
in  Sirius  seaplane,  via  Alaska  and  Si- 
beria. 

September  ^:  Maj.  James  H.  Doolittle 
established  a  new  transcontinental  rec- 
ord from  Burbauk  to  Newark  of  11 
hours  and  16  minutes  elapsed  time  in- 
cluding three  stops,  flying  Laird  Super- 
Solution. 

September  9:  Start  of  oflScial  rocket-mail 
service  between  two  Austrian  towns  by 
Friedrich  Schmiedl ;  test  flights  began  in 
Februai-y  1931,  while  rocket-mail  service 
continued  until  March  16, 1933. 

October  30:  School  of  Aviation  Medicine 
moved  from  Brooks  Field  to  Randolph 
Field,  Tex. 

During  1931:  NACA  Report  385  pre- 
sented results  showing  that  maximum 
lift  coefficient  of  a  wing  could  be  in- 
creased as  much  as  96  percent  by  use 
of  boundary-layer  control. 

:  Robert  Esnault-Pelterie  of  France 

demonstrated  liquid-fuel  rocket  propul- 
sion with  a  rocket  motor  operated  on 
gasoline  and  liquid  oxygen. 

:  Bureau  of  Standards  made  a  num- 
ber of  experiments  to  determine  whether 
thrust  reaction  of  a  jet  could  be  in- 
creased, and  tested  combinations  of  jets. 

— - — :  Alexander  Lippisch  of  Germany 
first  produced  and  demonstrated  a  prac- 
tical delta-wing  aircraft. 

During  1931-32:  Taylor  Cub  Model  A,  a 
two-seat,  high-wing  light  airplane,  first 
produced,  and  helped  popularize  sports 
flying  in  the  United  States. 


28 


1932 


March  26:  Navy  Consolidated  P2Y  sea- 
plane made  first  test  flight. 

April  19:  First  flight  of  Goddard  rocket 
with  gyroscopically  controlled  vanes  for 
automatically  stabilized  flight,  near  Ros- 
well,  N.  Mex. 

May  4:  Daniel  Guggenheim  Gold  Medal 
for  1932  awarded  to  Juan  de  la  Cierva 
for  development  of  the  autogiro.  (See 
Appendix  D.) 

May  9:  First  blind  solo  flight  (without 
a  check  pilot  aboard)  solely  on  instru- 
ments was  made  by  Capt.  A.  F.  Hegen- 
berger  (AAC)  at  Dayton,  Ohio. 

June  30:  Los  Angeles  (ZR-3)  decommis- 
sioned by  the  Navy  for  economy  reasons 
after  8  years  of  service  and  over  5,000 
hours  in  the  air. 

July  28:  Navy  BuAer  initiated  research 
program  on  physiological  effects  of  high 
acceleration  and  deceleration  encoun- 
tered in  dive-bombing  and  other  violent 
maneuvers  in  allocation  to  Bureau  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery.  Pioneer  research 
pointing  to  need  for  anti-g  or  anti- 
blackout  equipment  was  subsequently 
performed  at  Harvard  University  School 
of  Public  Health  under  the  direction  of 
Dr.  C.  K.  Drinker  by  Lt.  Comdr.  John  R. 
Poppen  (MO  USN). 

During  July-August:  VfR  successfully 
fired  Mirak  II  rocket  to  height  of  200 
feet,  after  which  German  Army  Ordnance 
Office  formalized  rocket  development  pro- 
gram by  placing  Captain-Doctor  Walter 
Dornberger  in  charge  of  Research  Station 
"West  at  Kummersdorf. 

August  18:  Auguste  Piccard  and  Max 
Cosyns  attained  an  altitude  of  53,152  feet 
on  second  stratosphere  balloon  flight, 
landing  on  a  glacier  in  the  Alps. 


August  31:  Capt.  A.  W.  Stevens  and  Lt. 
C.  D.  McAllister  (AAC)  flew  5  miles 
above  earth's  surface  at  Fryei)urg,  Maine, 
to  photograph  eclipse  of  the  sun. 

During  August:  Experimental  transmis- 
sion of  weather  maps  by  teletype  initi- 
ated by  Weather  Bureau  on  a  special 
circuit  between  Cleveland  and  Wash- 
ington. 

Septemher  3:  Maj.  James  H.  Doolittle  set 
a  new  world  speed  record  for  landplanes 
by  averaging  294  mph  over  3-km  course 
at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  Granville  Brothers 
Gee  Bee  monoplane  with  P&W  Wasp 
engine. 

Septemhcr  16:  Altitude  record  of  43,976 
feet  for  landplanes  established  by  Cyril 
F.  Unwins  in  Vickers  Vespa  at  Bristol, 
England. 

SeptetnT}er  21:  Dr.  Robert  A.  Millikan  of 
California  Institute  of  Technology  com- 
pleted series  of  tests  on  the  intensity  of 
cosmic  rays  at  various  altitudes  with 
cooperation  of  11th  Bombardment  Squad- 
ron, in  a  Condor  Bomber  from  March 
Field,  Calif. 

October  1:  Wernher  von  Braun  joined  the 
German  Army  Ordnance  Office  rocket 
program  at  Kummersdorf. 

October  15:  Institute  of  Aeronautical  Sci- 
ences was  incorporated  in  New  York. 

November  12:  American  Interplanetary 
Society  performed  static  tests  of  rocket 
based  on  VfR  design  at  Stockton,  N.J. 

December  1:  Teletypewriter  Weather 
Map  Service  was  inaugurated  by  Aero- 
nautics Branch,  Department  of  Com- 
merce. 

During  1932:  German  engineer,  Paul 
Schmidt,  working  from  design  of  Lorin 


29 


1932— Continued 

tube,  developed  and  patented  a  ramjet 
engine  later  modified  and  used  in  the 
V-1  Flying  Bomb. 

During  1932:  Robert  H.  Goddard  devel- 
oped component  of  modern  ramjet  engine 
with  construction  of  a  rocliet  fuel  pump 
at  Clark  University. 

:  Capt.  John  R.  Poppen  (MC  USN), 

began  experimentation  vpith  animals  on 
physiological  effects  of  high  acceleration, 
proposing  as  a  result  of  his  studies  that 


an  inflatable  abdominal  corset  be  devel- 
oped for  use  by  fighter  pilots. 

:   Junkers  Ju-52,  German  trimotor 

transport  of  great  success,  first  produced. 

:  Control  mechanism  for  variable- 
pitch  propellers  developed  under  the  di- 
rection of  Frank  Caldwell. 

:   NACA   published  derivation   and 

characteristics  of  the  first  systematic 
family  of  NACA  airfoils. 

:  JATO-type  rockets  first  used  in  the 

Soviet  Union,  according  to  Moscow 
historians. 


1933 


January  21:  Institute  of  Aeronautical 
Sciences  (IAS)  held  its  Founders  Meet- 
ing at  Colvimbia  University  under  Jerome 
C.  Hunsaker,  president,  and  Lester  D. 
Gardner. 

February  25:  Aircraft  carrier  U.S.S. 
Ranger    (CV-4)    launched    at   Newport 

News. 

During  February:  Boeing  247,  first 
"modern-type"  airliner,  first  flew. 

March  11:  Macon  dirigible  christened  at 
Akron,  Ohio,  and  made  first  fiight  on 
April  21  with  105  persons  aboard. 

March  28:  Aircraft  engine  manufacturers 
granted  permission  by  the  Aeronautics 
Branch,  Department  of  Commerce,  to 
conduct  endurance  tests  on  their  own 
equipment. 

April  4;  Rear  Adm.  W.  A.  Moffett,  Chief 
of  Navy  Bureau  of  Aeronautics,  killed 
along  with  72  others  in  crash  of  the 
dirigible  Akron  at  sea  off  the  coast  of 
New  Jersey.  He  was  replaced  by  Rear 
Adm.  E.J.  King  (USN). 

May  14:  American  Interplanetary  So- 
ciety Rocket  No.  2  successfully  fired,  at- 
taining 250-foot  altitude  in  2  seconds,  at 
Marine  Park,  Staten  Island,  N.Y. 

July  1-August  12:  Gen.  Italo  Balbo  of 
Italian  Air  Force  led  fiight  of  25  Savoia- 
Marchetti  S-55X  seaplanes  in  mass  fiight 
from  Rome  to  Chicago  and  return. 


July  9-December  19:  Col.  and  Mrs. 
Charles  A.  Lindbergh  made  29,000-mile 
survey  fiight  in  their  Cyclone-powered 
Sirius  seaplane  from  New  York  to  Lab- 
rador, Greenland,  Iceland,  Europe,  Rus- 
sia, the  Azores,  Africa,  Brazil,  and 
return. 

July  15-22:  Lockheed  Vega,  Winnie  Mae, 
piloted  in  first  round-the-world  solo 
flight  by  Wiley  Post,  15,596  miles  in  7 
days  18  hours  49i^  minutes.  Airplane 
contained  new  type  of  radiocompass  de- 
veloped by  Wright  Field  engineers. 

During  July:  Douglas  DC-1  first  flew, 
forerunner  of  the  famed  DC-3. 

August  17:  First  Soviet  liquid-propellant 
rocket  successfully  fired. 

September  30:  Russian  stratosphere  flight 
in  Army  balloon  USSR  attained  a  re- 
ported altitude  of  60,695  feet,  G.  Proko- 
fiev, K.  Godunov,  and  E.  Birnbaum  as 
balloonists. 

November  20-21:  Lt.  Comdr.  T.  G.  W. 
Settle  (USN)  and  Maj.  Chester  L.  Ford- 
ney  (USMC)  set  ofl5cial  world  balloon 
altitude  record  of  61,237  feet  over  Akron, 
Ohio. 

During  1933:  Collier  Trophy  for  1933 
awarded  to  Hamilton  Standard  Propeller 
Co.,  with  particular  credit  to  Frank  W. 
Caldwell,  chief  engineer,  for  development 
of  a  controllable-pitch  propeller  now  in 
general  use.     (See  Appendix  D.) 


30 


:  NACA  assisted  Army,  Navy,  and 

industry  in  the  development  of  reliable 
retractable  landing  gears,  controllable 
pitch  propellers,  more  efBcient  wing  sec- 
tions, and  wing  flaps. 

:  Harry  W.  Bull  of  Syracuse,  N.Y., 

developed  small  liquid-propellant  rocket 
engine. 

:  Fred  E.  "Weick  and  his  associates 

at  NACA's  Langley  Laboratory  designed 
and  constructed  the  Weick  W-1  airplane 


which  incorporated  such  novel  features 
as  tricycle  landing  gear,  pusher  propeller, 
and  interconnected  ailerons  and  rudder 
for  simpler  and  safer  flying. 

:  Eugen  Sanger  of  Germany  pub- 
lished his  classic  Rakatenflugtechnik, 
which  dealt  with  rocket  motor  design 
and  high-speed  flight  in  the  atmosphere. 

:  British  Interplanetary  Society  or- 
ganized. 


1934 


January  10-11:  Six  Navy  Consolidated 
P2Y-l's  flew  nonstop  from  San  Francisco 
to  Pearl  Harbor,  Hawaii,  2,399  miles,  in 
24  hours  56  minutes. 

January  30:  Russian  balloon  reached  73,- 
000  feet,  but  aeronauts  Felosienko,  Was- 
ienko,  and  Ysyskin  perished  in  free  fall 
of  gondola. 

February  19:  Under  Presidential  order 
the  Army  Air  Corps  started  flying  domes- 
tic airmail. 

During  February:  Lockheed  Electra  first 
flew,  featuring  introduction  of  twin  fins 
and  rudders. 

April  6;  American  Interplanetary  Society 
renamed  the  American  Rocket  Society 
(ARS). 

April  11:  Comdr.  Renato  Donati  estab- 
lished altitude  record  of  47,352  feet  in 
Caproni  aircraft,  at  Rome,  Italy. 

April  18:  Baker  Board,  appointed  by  the 
Secretary  of  War  to  investigate  the  Army 
Air  Corps,  held  its  first  meeting. 

May  1:  Lt.  Frank  Akers  (USN)  made 
hooded  blind  landing  in  an  0,1-2  at  Col- 
lege Park,  Md.,  in  demonstration  of  sys- 
tem intended  for  aircraft  carrier  use.  In 
subsequent  flights,  he  made  takeoffs  and 
landings  between  Anacostia  and  College 
Park  under  a  hood  without  assistance. 

June  12:  Air  Mail  Act  of  1934  signed  by 
the  President. 


During  June:  Baker  Board  recommended 
purchase  of  War  Department  aircraft 
from  private  manufacturers,  instead  of 
building  them  in  Government  factories, 
by  means  of  negotiated  contract,  by  com- 
petitive bids,  or  by  purchase  after  design 
competition. 

July  1:  Name  of  the  Aeronautics  Branch 
changed  to  the  Bureau  of  Air  Commerce 
in  the  Department  of  Commerce. 

July  2ff:  Air  Corps  began  aerial  photo- 
graphic survey  of  Alaska  under  Lt.  Col. 
H.  H.  Arnold. 

July  28:  A  60,613-foot  altitude  was 
reached  in  Air  Corps-National  Geographic 
Society  balloon.  Explorer  I,  by  Maj.  W.  E. 
Kepner  and  Capts.  A.  W.  Stevens  and 
Orvil  A.  Anderson. 

August  18:  Jeanette  and  Jean  Piccard 
flew  Century  of  Progress  balloon  from 
Dearborn,  Mich.,  to  an  altitude  of  57,579 
feet. 

During  August:  Langley  Memorial  Aero- 
nautical Laboratory  expanded  with  com- 
pletion of  engine  research  laboratory,  a 
vertical  tunnel  for  testing  spinning  char- 
acteristics, and  a  24-inch  high-speed  tun- 
nel (700  mph). 

Septemher  9:  ARS  Rocket  No.  4  launched 
to  400  feet  altitude,  at  Marine  Island, 
Staten  Island,  N.Y. 

September  15:  Aeromedical  Laboratory 
founded  at  Wright  Field,  Dayton,  Ohio. 


31 


1934^-Continiied 

'November  18:  Navy  issued  contract  to 
Northrop  for  the  XBT-1,  a  two-seat 
scout  and  1,000-pound  bomb  dive  bomber, 
initial  prototype  of  sequence  that  led  to 
the  SBD  Dauntless  series  of  dive  bomb- 
ers introduced  to  the  fleet  in  1938  and 
used  throughout  World  War  II. 

December  23:  Endowment  given  IAS  by 
Sylvanus  Albert  Reed  for  annual  award 
to  be  given  "for  notable  contribution  to 
the  aeronautical  sciences  resulting  from 
experimental  or  theoretical  investiga- 
tions, the  beneficial  influence  of  which  on 
the  development  of  practical  aeronautics 
is  apparent."     (See  Appendix  D.) 

During  December:  German  Ordance 
group  launch  two  A-2  rockets  success- 
fully to  a  height  of  1.4  miles,  on  the  Is- 


land of  Borkum  in  the  North  Sea,  before 
the  C-in-C  of  the  Army. 

:  British  War  Office  considered  de- 
velopment of  high-velocity  rockets,  and 
the  Research  Department  at  Woolwich 
Arsenal  was  requested  to  submit  a  pro- 
gram in  April  1935.  This  led  to  antiair- 
craft rocket  development,  and  some  2.500 
test  firings  were  made  in  Jamaica,  1938- 
39. 

During  193ff:  Douglas  began  development 
of  the  twin-engined  commercial  trans- 
port, the  famed  DC-3. 

:  H.  G.  Armstrong  began  studies  on 

decompression  sickness  and  showed  that 
gas  bubbles  may  form  in  the  body  from 
a  drop  of  pressure  below  one  atmosphere, 
at  Aero  Medical  Laboratory. 


1935 


January  5:  First  assignment  of  a  flight 
surgeon  to  Naval  Aircraft  Factory,  Lt. 
Comdr.  J.  R.  Poppen  (USN),  was  di- 
rected to  observe  pilots,  conduct  physical 
examinations,  and  work  on  hygienic  and 
physiological  aspects  of  research  and  de- 
velopment projects. 

January  22:  Federal  Aviation  Commis- 
sion, appointed  by  the  President  as  pro- 
vided in  the  Air  Mail  Act  of  June  12, 
1934,  submitted  its  report  and  set  forth 
broad  policy  on  all  phases  of  aviation  and 
the  relation  of  Government  thereto.  It 
recommended  strengthening  of  commer- 
cial and  civil  aviation,  expansion  of  air- 
port facilities,  and  establishment  of 
more  realistic  procurement  practices 
from  industry.  It  recommended  contin- 
ued study  of  air  organization  toward 
more  effective  utilization  and  closer 
interagency  relationships,  to  include  ex- 
pansion of  experimental  and  development 
work  and  its  close  coordination  with  the 
NACA. 

February  12:  Navy  dirigible  Macon 
crashed  at  sea  off  the  California  coast. 

March  1:  GHQ  Air  Force  established  by 
the  Army  Air  Corps. 


March  9:  Hermann  Goering  announced 
the  existence  of  the  German  Air  Force 
to  Ward  Price,  correspondent  of  the 
Daily  Mail  (London),  an  event  of  con- 
siderable importance  in  international 
power  politics  for  it  implied  unilateral 
breaking  of  the  Treaty  of  "Versailles  pro- 
hibiting Germany  possession  of  an  air 
force. 

March  28:  Robert  Goddard  launched  the 
first  rocket  equipped  with  gyroscopic 
controls,  which  attained  a  height  of  4,800 
feet,  a  horizontal  distance  of  13,000  feet, 
and  a  speed  of  550  mph,  near  Roswell, 
N.  Mex. 

April  2:  British  Government  disclosed 
that  Adolf  Hitler  of  Germany  had  de- 
clared that  the  German  Air  Force  had 
reached  parity  with  the  Royal  Air  Force 
at  a  recent  conference  with  British  rep- 
resentatives in  Germany.  While  untrue, 
Hitler's  statement  had  a  profound  im- 
pact upon  British  aeronautical  and  de- 
fense efforts. 

April  16-23:  Pan  American  Airways' 
Clipper  flew  from  California  to  Honolulu 
and  returned  in  preliminary  survey  flight 
for  transpacific  air  route  to  the  Orient. 


32 


May  18:  World's  largest  airplane,  the 
Russian  Maxim  Gorky,  crashed  near 
Moscow,  killing  all  aboard. 

May  31 :  Goddard  rocket  attained  altitude 
of  7,500  feet  in  New  Mexico. 

July  2:  Historic  report  on  radio  direction 
finding  (radar)  was  presented  to  the 
British  Air  Defense  Research  Committee. 

:  First  Interdepartmental  Commit- 
tee appointed  by  President  Roosevelt  to 
study  international  air  transportation 
problems. 

July  26:  Russian  balloon  USSR  success- 
fully reached  r)2,000  feet,  crew  including 
Warigo,  Christofil,  and  Prelucki. 

July  28:  Boeing  Model  299,  the  XB-17 
four-engine  bomber  prototype,  made  first 
flight. 

Summer  19S5:  First  static  tests  of 
Heinkel  He-112  with  rocket  engines  per- 
formed in  Germany. 

August  28:  Automatic  radio-navigation 
equipment — a  Sperry  automatic  pilot 
mechanically  linked  to  a  standard  radio- 
compass — tested  by  the  Equipment  Labo- 
ratory at  Wright  Field. 

October  SO:  First  B-17  prototype  crashed 
on  takeoff  during  flight  testing  at  Wright 
Field. 


November  11:  A  72,395-foot  world  altitude 
record  for  manned  balloons  made  by 
Capts.  A.  W.  Stevens  and  Orvil  A.  Ander- 
son, in  the  helium-inflated  Explorer  II, 
over  Rapid  City,  S.  Dak.,  in  cooperation 
with  National  Geographic  Society,  a  rec- 
ord which  stood  for  20  years. 

November  22-29:  Transpacific  airmail 
flight  by  Pan  American  Airways  Martin 
China  Clipper,  from  San  Francisco  to 
Honolulu,  Midway,  Wake,  Guam,  and 
Manila,  E.  C.  Musick  as  pilot. 

During  December:  Douglas  DC-3,  one  of 
the  most  successful  airliners  in  history, 
first  flew.  By  1938,  it  carried  the  bulk  of 
American  air  trafiic.  When  production 
of  the  DC-3  and  its  derivatives  ended  in 
1945,  some  13,000  had  been  built. 

During  19S5:  Russian  liquid-propellant 
meteorological  rocket,  designed  by  M.  K. 
Tikhonravov,  successfully  flown. 

:    H.    G.    Armstrong   published    Air 

Corps  Technical  Report  on  physiologic 
requirements  of  sealed  high-altitude  air- 
craft compartments  (including  effects  of 
sudden  decompressions),  findings  which 
were  incorporated  in  the  XC-35  sub- 
stratosphere plane,  the  first  successful 
pressure-cabin  aircraft. 


November  6:  Prototype  Hawker  Hurri- 
cane first  flown,  the  later  models  of  which 
destroyed  more  German  aircraft  in  the 
Battle  of  Britain  than  all  other  British 
defenses,  air  and  ground,   combined. 


:  Konstantin  E.  Ziolkovsky,  Russian 

mathematician  and  pioneer  space  sci- 
entist, died  at  78  years  of  age.  The 
U.S.S.R.  later  acclaimed  him  as  the 
"father  of  space  travel." 


1936 


January  20:  Acting  in  response  to  a  re- 
quest from  BuAer,  the  Navy  Bureau  of 
Engineering  endorsed  support  for  the 
National  Bureau  of  Standards  for  the 
development  of  radio  meteorographs. 
Later  renamed  radiosondes,  these  instru- 
ments were  sent  aloft  on  free  balloons  to 
measure  pressure,  temperature,  and  hu- 
midity of  the  upper  atmosphere,  and 
transmitted  these  data  to  ground  stations 
for  use  in  weather  forecasting  and  flight 
planning. 


February  23:  F.  W.  Kessler,  W.  Ley,  and 
N.  Carver  launched  two  mail-carrying 
"rocket  airplanes"  at  Greenwood  Lake, 
N.Y.,  which  traveled  about  1,000  feet. 

During  February:  Germans  tested  A-3 
rocket  with  3,300-pound  thrust  which 
served  as  basis  for  military  weapon 
specifications. 

March  5:  Spitfire  prototype  with  arma- 
ment and  Merlin  engine  first  flown,  pro- 


33 


1936 — Continued 

duction  of  the  Spitfire  Mark  I  beginning 
at  Supermariue  factory  in  early  1937. 
Spitfire's  classic  design  was  work  of  R.  J, 
Mitchell,  responsible  for  the  Supermarine 
racing  seaplanes  which  first  won  the 
Schneider  Trophy  for  Great  Britain  in 
1931.  18,298  Merlin-engined  Spitfires  of 
all  Marks  were  built  by  1945. 

March  16:  Robert  H.  Goddard's  classic  re- 
port on  "Liquid  Propellant  Rocket  De- 
velopment," reviewing  his  liquid-fuel 
rocket  research  and  flight  testing  since 
1919,  was  published  by  the  Smithsonian 
Institution. 

Ap7'il  29:  Orville  Wright  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  National  Academy  of 
Sciences. 

May  6:  Construction  authorized  for  what 
later  was  named  the  David  W.  Taylor 
Model  Basin,  to  provide  a  facility  for  use 
by  the  Navy  Bureau  of  Construction  and 
Repair  in  investigating  and  determining 
shapes  and  forms  to  be  adopted  for  U.S. 
naval  vessels,  and  including  aircraft. 

May  9:  George  W.  Lewis,  Director  of 
NACA  Aeronautical  Research,  received 
Daniel  Guggenheim  Medal  for  1936  for 
direction  of  aeronautical  research  and  for 
the  development  of  original  equipment 
and  methods. 

May  12:  World's  largest  high-speed  wind 
tunnel  (8-foot  throat)  placed  in  operation 
at  Langley  Aeronautical  Laboratory,  un- 
der Russell  G.  Robinson. 

May  22:  Herrick  Vertiplane,  embodying 
characteristics  of  both  airplanes  and  au- 
togiros,  underwent  tests  at  Floyd  Ben- 
nett Field. 

June  6:  Socony- Vacuum  Oil  Co.,  Inc.,  at 
Paulsboro,  N.J.,  began  production  of 
aviation  gasoline  (100  octane)  by  the 
catalytic  cracking  method. 

June  7:  Maj.  Ira  C.  Eaker  (AAC)  made 
first  transcontinental  blind  flight,  from 
New  York  to  Los  Angeles. 

June  15:  Vickers  Wellington  prototype 
RAF  bomber  made  its  first  flight,  while 
flight  of  first  production  model  was  made 
on  December  23,  1937. 


July  18:  Spanish  Civil  War  began,  which 
was  to  involve  German,  Italian,  and  Rus- 
sian air  units  as  well  as  aircraft  of 
France  and  the  United  States. 

July  21:  Lt.  Comdr.  D.  S.  Fahrney 
(USN)  ordered  to  implement  recom- 
mendation made  to  Chief  of  Naval  Oper- 
ations to  develop  radio-controlled  air- 
craft for  use  as  aerial  targets.  Reporting 
to  BuAer  and  NRL,  Fahrney  subse- 
quently reported  on  procedure  to  obtain 
drone  target  planes,  but  also  recognized 
the  feasibility  of  using  such  aircraft  as 
guided  missiles. 

July  23:  Navy  awarded  contract  for 
XPB2Y-1  flying  boat  to  Consolidated, 
which  became  the  prototype  for  four- 
eugined  flying  boats  used  throughout 
World  War  II. 

September  2:  Maj.  Alexander  P.  de  Sever- 
sky  was  refused  permission  by  Army  Air 
Corps  to  enter  his  pui'suit  plane  in  Ben- 
dix  Trophy  Race  to  Los  Angeles  "due  to 
features  considered  a  military  secret." 

October  13:  Lt.  John  Sessums  (AAC) 
visited  Robert  H.  Goddard  to  officially 
assess  military  value  of  Goddard's  work. 
He  reported  that  there  was  little  military 
value,  but  that  rockets  would  appear 
useful  to  drive  turbines. 

October  24 :  First  transpacific  passenger 
service  completed  by  Pan  American  Air- 
ways, with  Martin  four-engined  China 
Clipper  in  a  round  trip  to  Manila. 

November  7:  Robert  Goddard  flew  gyro- 
controlled  rocket  to  7,500-foot  altitude, 
near  Roswell,  N.  Mex. 

December  19:  New  world  speed  record 
for  amphibians  of  209.4  mph  over  a  closed 
course  set  by  Maj.  Alexander  P. 
de  Seversky. 

During  1936:  Theodore  von  Karman,  Di- 
rector of  the  Guggenheim  Aeronautical 
Laboratory  at  the  California  Institute  of 
Technology  at  Pasadena,  founded  group 
which  began  experiments  in  design  fun- 
damentals of  high-altitude  sounding 
rocket.  The  group,  named  the  Cal  Tech 
Rocket  Research  Project,  consisted  of 
Frank  J.  Malina,  Hsue-Shen  Tsien, 
A.  M.  O.  Smith,  John  W.  Parsons,  Edward 
Forman,  and  Weld  Arnold.  This  was  the 
origin  of  the  Jet  Propulsion  Laboratory. 


34 


:    First   practical   helicopter   flight, 

German  Focke-Achgelis,  FA-61 ;   in  the 


following   year   it  made  first  helicopter 
flight  of  over  1  hour. 


1937 


January  1:  First  physiological  research 
lal oratory  comiileted  at  Wright  Field  by 
2^\v  Corps  to  investigate  and  devise  means 
to  alleviate  distressing  symptoms  occur- 
ring in  flight. 

March  1:  First  operational  Boeing  B-17 
delivered  to  the  GHQ  Air  Force  at  Lang- 
lej-  Field,  Va. 

Diiriiiff  Spririf/:  Single-engine  Heinkel 
(ne-112)  vi'ith  Junker  650-pound  thrust, 
liquid-fuel  rocket  motor  successfully 
flown  at  Neuhardenberg,  Germany,  Capt. 
Erich  Warsitz  as  pilot. 

A  pril  12:  Frank  Whittle's  first  gas  turbine 
engine,  the  U-type,  was  static  tested. 

May  6:  German  dirigible  Minderiburg  de- 
stroyed at  Lakehurst,  N.J.,  an  event 
which  ordained  the  death  of  the  large 
dirigibles. 

May  9:  H.  F.  Pierce  launched  liquid  pro- 
pellant  rocket  to  2,jO-foot  altitude  at  Old 
Ferris  Point,  N.Y. 

During  May:  Joint  German  Army-Air 
Force  rocket  research  station  opened  at 
Peenemiinde  on  Baltic  Sea ;  Army  Ord- 
nance rocket  program  under  Capt.  Walter 
Dornberger  moved  his  staff  from  Kum- 
mersdorf. 

June  30:  Navy  issued  contract  to  Martin 
for  XPBM-1  two-engine  flying  boat,  the 
initial  prototype  for  the  PBM  Mariner 
series  used  during  and  after  World  War 
II. 

July  1:  Weather  Service  of  the  Signal 
Coi-ps  was  transferred  to  the  Army  Air 
Corps. 

July  2:  Amelia  Earhart  Putnam  and  co- 
pilot lost  near  Rowland  Island  in  the 
Paciflc. 

July  4:  FA-61  helicopter  flown  in  fully 
controlled,  free  flight  by  Hanna  Reitsch, 
nt  Bremen,  Germany. 

July  5-6:  PAA  and  Imperial  Airways 
make  joint  survey  flights  across  the  North 


Atlantic  prior  to  establishment  of  trans- 
atlantic service.  Both  flights  were  suc- 
cessful, marking  the  11th  and  12th 
successful  nonstop  transatlantic  flights 
completed  out  of  85  attempts. 

July  15:  Three  Soviet  fliers  established 
world  distance  nonstop  record,  flying 
across  the  North  Pole  from  Moscow  to 
San  Jacinto,  Calif.,  in  62  hours. 

July  27:  Japanese  began  aerial  bombing 
of  Chinese  cities. 

August  5:  First  experimental  pressurized- 
cabin  airplane,  a  Lockheed  XO-35,  made 
first  flight  at  Wright  Field. 

August  23:  The  first  wholly  automatic 
landings  in  history  were  made  at  Wright 
Field  by  Capt.  Carl  J.  Crane,  inventor 
of  the  system ;  Capt.  George  Holloman, 
pilot;  and  Raymond  K.  Stout,  project 
engineer. 

October  15:  Boeing  XB-15  made  first 
flight. 

During  Nove7nl)er:  Low  turbulence  wind 
tunnel  for  investigation  of  laminar  flow 
airfoil  constructed  at  NACA's  Langley 
Memorial  Aeronautical  Laboratory. 

:  Navy  Grumman  F4F  made  first  test 

flight,  standard  carrier-based  fighter  in 
early  World  War  II  operations. 

December  23:  Successful  unmanned  radio- 
controlled  flight  made  by  Navy  JH-1 
drone,  at  Coast  Guard  Air  Station,  Cape 
May,  N.J. 

During  December:  Initial  rocket  thrust 
chamber  tests  by  R.  C.  Truax  at  Annap- 
olis, Md.,  using  compressed  air  and  gaso- 
line as  fuels. 

During  1937:  World's  scheduled  airlines 
carried  2,500,000  passengers  in  1937,  with 
average  number  of  5.3  passengers  per  air- 
craft, according  to  the  International  Civil 
Aviation  Organization. 

:    U.S.S.R.    established    rocket    test 

centers  at  Kazan,  Moscow,  and  Lenin- 
grad. 


35 


1938 


January  16:  Spanish  rebel  planes  began 
daily  bombing  of  Barcelona  from  Ma- 
jorca. 

Fchruary  10:  British  Hurricane  fighter 
flown  from  Edinburgh  to  Northolt,  near 
London,  at  an  average  speed  of  408.75 
mph,  J.  W.  Gillan  as  pilot. 

Febi'uary  26:  Secretary  of  Interior  Ickes 
approved  purchase  by  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment of  helium  plants  at  Dexter, 
Kans.,  thus  giving  the  Government  a  vir- 
tual monopoly.  On  May  11,  his  refusal 
to  sell  helium  to  Germany  was  upheld  by 
the  President. 

Fehruary  27:  The  good-will  flight  to 
Buenos  Aires  of  six  B-17's  under  Lt.  Col. 
Robert  D.  Olds,  which  had  left  Miami  on 
February  17,  returned  to  Langley  Field, 
Va. 

April  21:  Navy  delivered  XF2A-1  to 
Langley  Memorial  Aeronautical  Labora- 
tory of  NACA,  which  marked  initiation 
of  full-scale  wind  tunnel  tests,  which  re- 
sulted in  increasing  speed  of  the  XF2A-1 
by  31  mph  and  led  to  utilization  of  NAGA 
testing  of  other  high  performance  aircraft 
by  both  the  Army  and  the  Navy.  Data 
thus  obtained  were  also  directly  appli- 
cable to  the  design  of  new  aircraft. 

June  1:  Routine  use  of  radiosondes  ini- 
tiated at  NAS  Anacostia,  Washington, 
D.C.  By  the  end  of  the  year  the  balloon- 
carried  radio  meteorographs  were  also 
used  in  Navy  fleet  operations. 

June  6:  The  Daniel  Guggenheim  Medal 
for  1938  awarded  to  A.  H.  R.  Fedden  for 
"contributions  to  the  development  of  air- 
craft engine  design  and  for  the  specific 
design  of  the  sleeve  valve  aircraft 
engine." 

June  9:  British  Government  announced 
intention  to  purchase  U.S.  Lockheed  Hud- 
sons  and  North  American  Harvards  for 
aerial  reconnaissance  and  training  pur- 
poses. 

June  23:  President  Roosevelt  signed  the 
Civil  Air  Authority  Act. 

August  22:  The  Civil  Aeronautics  Act  be- 
came effective,  coordinating  all  nonmili- 


tary  aviation  under  the  Civil  Aeronautics 
Authority. 

August  2Jf:  First  American  use  of  drone 
target  aircraft  in  antiaircraft  exercises, 
the  Ranger  tired  upon  a  radio-controlled 
JH-1  making  simulated  horizontal  bomb- 
ing attack  on  the  fleet. 

August  29:  Maj.  Alexandei*  de  Seversky 
set  east-west  transcontinental  speed 
record  of  10  hours  2  minutes  55.7  seconds 
in  a  2,457-mile  flight. 

September  12:  Wind  tunnel  capable  of 
simulating  altitudes  to  37,000  feet  dedi- 
cated at  MIT  as  a  memoral  to  the  Wright 
brothers. 

September  Iff:  Radio-controlled  Navy 
N2C-2  target  drone  made  simulated  dive- 
bombing  attack  on  battleship  Utah  in 
test  firing  of  anticraf t  battery. 

September  29:  Brig.  Gen.  Henry  H. 
Arnold  named  Chief  of  the  Army  Air 
Corps  to  replace  Maj.  Gen.  O.  Westover, 
killed  in  crash  on  September  21. 

September  30:  Agreement  signed  at  Mu- 
nich, Germany,  betvA'een  Germany,  Brit- 
ain, France,  and  Italy,  allowing  Germany 
to  occupy  the  Sudetenland  of  Czecho- 
slovakia, an  event  in  which  the  relative 
air  strength  of  the  major  nations  was  a 
prominent  factor. 

October  19:  Curtiss  XP-40  Tomahawk 
made  first  flight. 

During  October:  British  Purchasing  Com- 
mission ordered  200  Lockheed  Hudsons 
(military  version  of  Super  Electra  aii'- 
liner),  the  first  American-built  aircraft 
to  see  operational  service  with  the  RAF 
in  World  War  II. 

:    All-wood    British    de    Havilland 

Mosquito  twin-engine  bomber  conceived, 
official  order  for  50  received  on  March  1, 
1940. 

December  10:  First  static  test  of  James 
Wyld's  regeneratively  cooled  rocket 
thrust  chambers,  which  achieved  90- 
pound  thrust. 


36 


:  ARS  tested  R.  C.  Truax's  rocket 

thrust  chamber  at  New  Rochelle,  N.Y., 
which  achieved  20-pouud  thrust  before 
burning  through. 

December  16:  First  successful  test  of 
NACA  high-speed  motion-picture  camera 
developed  by  C.  D.  Miller,  conducted  at 
Langley  Laboratory,  later  used  exten- 
sively in  photographic  analysis  of  com- 
bustion and  operated  up  to  rates  of  40,000 
photographs  per  second. 

:  Navy  K-2  airship  delivered  to  NAS 

Lakehurst  for  trials,  the  prototype  for 
World  War  II  K  Class  patrol  airships, 
of  which  135  were  procured. 

December  17:  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Dryden,  Na- 
tional Bureau  of  Standards,  delivered 
second  Wright  Brothers  Lecture  at 
Columbia  University. 

December  30:  Special  Committee  on 
"Future  Research  Facilities  of  NACA" 
recomended  creation  of  another  labora- 
tory ;  resulted  in  Ames  Aeronautical 
Laboratory  at  Moffett  Field. 


Durinfj  19S8:  Jack  Parsons  of  Cal  Tech 
conceived  value  of  slow-burning  rocket 
propellant  of  constant  thru.st  for  JATO 
use,  active  development  of  which  was  un- 
dertaken by  Cal  Tech  in  1940. 

:  Vital  importance  of  the  factor  of 

duration  in  pilot's  exposure  to  hypoxia 
demonstrated  in  animal  experiments  by 
H.  G.  Armstrong  and  J.  W.  Heim. 

:  Heinz  von  Diringshofen,  German 

scientist,  conducted  research  on  human 
tolerance  to  multiple  g-loads ;  exiwsed 
test  subjects  to  a  few  seconds  of  sub- 
gravity  by  putting  an  aircraft  through 
a  vertical  dive. 

1938-39:  NACA  developed  airfoils  pro- 
viding laminar  flow  to  a  degree  far 
greater  than  previously  obtainable  (based 
in  part  upon  Ludwig  Prandtl's  boundary 
layer  theory  in  NACA  Report  116  pub- 
lished in  1921)  ;  Eastman  N.  Jacobs  de- 
veloped low-drag  wing  sections  worthy 
of  special  mention. 


1939 


January  16:  Maj.  Gen.  Frank  M.  An- 
drews, Chief  of  Army  General  Head- 
quarters Air  Force,  in  an  address  to  the 
annual  convention  of  the  National  Aero- 
nautic Association  at  St.  Louis,  said  that 
the  United  States  was  a  fifth-  or  sixth- 
rate  air  power. 

Jayiuary  21:  Dr.  George  W.  Lewis,  NACA 
Director  of  Aeronautical  Research, 
elected  president  of  the  IAS. 

January  31:  Dr.  Edward  P.  Warner  ap- 
pointed economic  and  technical  adviser 
of  the  CAA. 

February  11:  Lockheed  P-38  Lightning 
first  flown  across  the  Nation  from  Cali- 
fornia, to  a  crack-up  landing  at  Mitchel 
Field,  Long  Island,  Lt.  Ben  Kelsey  as 
pilot. 

During  February:  Airflow  Research  Staff 
at  Langley  Laboratory  initiated  reeval- 
uation  of  jet  propulsion  for  aircraft  at 
speeds  higher  than  considered  by  Buck- 
ingham in  NACA  Report  No.  159  pub- 
lished in  1923. 


March  26:  Capt.  John  H.  Towers  named 
Chief  of  Bureau  of  Aeronautics  with 
rank  of  Rear  Admiral. 

April  3:  President  Roosevelt  signed  the 
National  Defense  Act  of  1940,  authorizing 
6,000  airplanes  and  increasing  personnel 
of  Army  Air  Corps  to  3,203  oflScers  and 
45,000  enlisted  men,  and  appropriating 
$300  million  for  the  Air  Corps. 

April  7:  Amphibian  version  of  PBY  fly- 
ing boat  ordered  by  the  Navy  from  Con- 
solidated. 

April  20:  The  free-flight  tunnel  placed 
into  operation  at  Langley  Aeronautical 
Laboratory. 

April  20-21:  Experiments  with  four- 
bladed  controllable  propeller  on  Curtiss 
P-36  begun  at  Wright  Field. 

April  28:  Flying  a  Messerschmitt  BF- 
109R,  Fritz  Wendel  achieved  record 
speed  of  468.9  mph  in  level  flight,  at 
Augsburg,  Germany. 


592561— GI- 


ST 


1939— Continued 

May  5:  Kilner-Lindbergh  Board  was  es- 
tablished by  Gen.  H.  H.  Arnold  to  revise 
military  characteristics  of  all  U.S.  mili- 
tary aircraft,  including  the  B-29  design 
in  the  AAF  5-year  program.  The  Board 
was  composed  of  Gen.  W.  C.  Kilner, 
Charles  A.  Lindbergh,  Cols.  Carl  Spaatz 
and  Naiden,  and  Major  Lyon. 

Maij  15:  Navy  issued  contract  to  Curtiss 
Wright  for  the  SXB2C-1  dive  bomber, 
which  despite  prolonged  operational  de- 
velopment became  the  principal  carrier 
dive  bomber  in  the  last  year  of  World 
War  II  known  as  the  Helldiver. 

During  June:  First  transatlantic  passen- 
ger service,  by  Pan  American  Airways 
with  a  Boeing  four-engined  Yankee  Clip- 
per. 

July  1:  National  Academy  of  Sciences 
sponsored  a  $10,000  research  program  at 
Cal  Tech  Rocket  Research  Project  for 
development  of  rockets  suitable  to  assist 
Air  Corps  planes  in  takeoffs,  the  first  U.S. 
rocket  program. 

During  Summer:  Albert  Einstein,  Enrico 
Fermi,  Leo  Szilard,  and  Eugene  Wigner 
interested  President  Roosevelt,  through 
Alexander  Sachs,  in  the  potential  mili- 
tary importance  of  uranium.  The  Presi- 
dent appointed  an  Advisory  Committee 
on  Uranium  under  the  chairmanship  of 
Dr.  Lyman  Briggs,  Director  of  the  Na- 
tional Bureau  of  Standards. 

■ :  Total  complement  of  NACA  was 

523  persons,  of  which  only  278  were 
classified  as  technical  personnel. 

August  9:  Congress  authorized  construc- 
tion of  second  NACA  research  station  at 
Moffett  Field,  Calif.,  which  became  the 
Ames  Aeronautical  Laboratory,  named 
after  Joseph  S.  Ames,  president  emeritus 
of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  member  of 
the  NACA  from  its  beginning  in  1915 
to  1939,  and  Chairman  of  NACA  from 
1927  until  1939. 

August  2Ji:  Assignment  of  Navy  medical 
officer  to  BuAer  was  approved  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  an  Aviation 
Medical  Research  Unit. 

August  21:  First  complete  flights  of  jet- 
propelled  aircraft  made  secretly  in 
Germany,  a  Heinkel  178  powered  by  the 


He  S-3B  jet  engine,  piloted  by  Erich 
Warsitz. 

September  1:  German  blitzkrieg  launched 
on  Poland.  President  Roosevelt  appealed 
to  the  European  nations  not  to  bomb 
civilian  populations  or  unfortified  cities. 

September  S-Jf:  RAF  Bomber  Command 
carried  out  first  night  propaganda  raid, 
dropping  leaflets  over  Hamburg,  Bremen, 
and  the  Ruhr.  On  September  27,  British 
Air  Ministry  announced  that  the  RAF 
had  dropped  18  million  leaflets  over 
Germany  since  the  beginning  of  the  war. 
When  leaflet  bombing  was  suspended  on 
April  6,  1940,  Bomber  Command  had 
dropped  65  million  leaflets. 

During  September:  Igor  I.  Sikorsky  made 
initial  flights  with  the  first  successful 
single-main-rotor  helicopter,  precursor  of 
the  R-4  two-place  design  procured  in 
1942  by  the  AAF. 

:   World's  largest  balloon,  the  Star 

of  Poland,  was  unable  to  make  strato- 
spheric flight  because  of  the  German  in- 
vasion. The  United  States  had  provided 
helium  gas  in  August  for  this  Polish 
effort  and  several  American  experts,  in- 
cluding A.  W.  Stevens,  provided  techni- 
cal assistance. 

October  1^:  Naval  Aircraft  Factory  au- 
thorized to  develop  radio-control  equip- 
ment for  use  in  remote-controlled  flight 
testing  of  aircraft  without  risking  the 
life  of  a  test  pilot. 

October  19:  Dr.  Vannevar  Bush  was 
elected  Chairman  of  the  NACA  to  fill 
the  post  of  Dr.  Joseph  Ames,  who  re- 
signed due  to  ill  health. 

:  Second  Special  Committee  on  "Fu- 
ture Research  Facilities  of  NACA," 
headed  by  Charles  A.  Lindbergh,  recom- 
mended that  a  powerplant  research 
center  be  established  at  once,  a  recom- 
mendation resulting  in  the  Aircraft  En- 
gine Research  Laboratory  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  now  the  Lewis  Research  Center. 

During  October:  Germans  successfully 
fired  and  recovered  A-5  development 
rockets  with  gyroscopic  controls  and 
parachutes,  attaining  altitude  of  7^4 
miles  and  a  range  of  11  miles. 

November  20:  Navy  established  its  own 
School   of  Aviation  Medicine  at  Pensa- 


38 


cola,  Fla.,  having  previously  detailed  offi- 
cers to  the  Air  Corps  School  of  Aviation 
Medicine. 

November  30:  U.S.S.R.  invaded  Finland, 
Soviet  planes  bombing  Helsinki  and 
other  Finnish  towns. 

December  2:  Army  Air  Corps  authorized 
to  begin  development  of  a  four-engine 
bomber  with  a  2,()U0-mile  radius  of  ac- 
tion, which  led  to  the  Boeing  B-29 
Superfortress. 

December  29:  Consolidated-Vultee  B-24 
Liberator  made  first  flight  at  San  Diego. 

Dxinng  1939:  P-41  with  R-1830  engine 
was  provided  by  NACxi's  Pinkel,  Turner, 
and  Voss  with  separate  stacks  for  each 
cylinder,  thus  providing  14  jet  exhausts 
which  increased  speed  of  aircraft  from 
13  to  18  mph  between  10,000  and  20,000 
feet.  Applied  to  A-20  later,  an  increase 
of  45  mph  was  attained. 

:  Curtiss  P— 10  fighter  powered  with 

Allison  V-1710-33,  with  top  speed  of  3.57 
mph,  first  ordered  in  auautity. 


Ditriiif/  IVS!):  Basic  concepts  for  NACA's 
combined  loads  testing  machine  were 
proiMised  by  E.  E.  Lundqui.st  and  J.  N. 
Kotanchik  of  Langley  Laboratory.  After 
relinements  by  others,  construction  was 
started  in  1940  and  much  testing  per- 
formed befoi-e  completion  and  oi>eration 
of  the  fixed-component  machine  in  1949. 
The  combined  loads  testing  machine  was 
the  first  capable  of  applying  positive  and 
negative  forces  along  each  of  three  axes, 
and  positive  and  negative  moments  about 
these  axes,  in  any  combination  of  forces 
and  moments,  each  applied  independently. 
Still  in  use  in  1960,  this  machine  was  used 
extensively  on  combined  loads  and  mo- 
ments on  shell-type  structures  for  all 
types  of  flight  vehicles. 


During  1939-J,0:  Original  design  of  North 
American  B-25  Mitchell  Iromber  required 
200,000  engineering  man-hours ;  later 
wartime  modification  of  this  airplane 
(9,800  completed  by  end  of  1945)  ac- 
counted for  a  total  of  more  than  4,830,000 
engineering  man-hours. 


1940 


January    19:    Maj.    James    H. 
elected  president  of  the  IAS. 


Doolittle 


February  1:  Capt.  G.  E.  Price  flew  Bell 
Airacobra  through  flight  tests. 

February  24:  BuAer  issued  contract  for 
airborne  television  equipment  capable  for 
use  in  transmitting  instrument  readings 
obtained  from  radio-controlled  flight 
tests,  and  for  providing  target  and  guid- 
ance data  should  radio-controlled  air- 
craft be  converted  to  guided  missiles. 

February  27:  Based  upon  research  of 
former  NACA  engineer,  Charles  H.  Zim- 
merman, Navy  initiated  development  of 
the  Flying  Flapjack  with  award  of  con- 
tract to  Vought-Sikorsky  for  design  of 
the  VS-173.  Design  promised  high  speed 
with  low  takeoff  speed. 

February  29:  Navy  BuAer  initiated  steps 
that  led  to  contract  with  H.  O.  Croft, 
State  University  of  Iowa,  to  investigate 
the  possibilities  of  a  turbojet  propulsion 
unit  for  aircraft. 


Mareh  9:  Eeechcraft  AD-17  biplane  flown 
to  altitude  of  21,050  feet  over  the  Ant- 
arctic to  measure  cosmic  rays  for  the 
U.S.  Antarctic  Expedition,  piloted  by 
T.  Sgt.  T.  A.  Petras  (USMC). 

March  16:  First  civilian  casualties  in 
Britain  due  to  air  raids,  during  Luftwaffe 
attack  on  Scapa  Flow. 

March  22:  Naval  Aircraft  Factory  estab- 
lished project  for  adapting  radio  controls 
to  a  torpedo-carrying  TG-2  airplane. 

March  26:  U.S.  commercial  airlines  com- 
pleted a  full  year  without  a  fatal  acci- 
dent or  serious  injury  to  a  passenger  or 
crew  member. 

During  April:  British  commission  gave 
North  American  Aircraft  120  days  to  pro- 
duce fighter  prototype  to  specifications, 
which  resulted  in  the  highly  successful 
P-51  Mustang,  the  first  aircraft  to  utilize 
the  NACA  low-drag  wing  based  on  pro- 
longation of  laminar  flow.  Low-turbu- 
lence  wind    tunnel    tests    (completed   in 


39 


1940 — Continued 

1938)  had  led  to  five  different  families  of 
low-drag  wings  by  the  end  of  1939. 

May  H:  German  Luftwaffe  bombed 
Rotterdam. 

May  15-16:  First  large-scale  RAF  raids 
on  German  industrial  targets  when  93 
bombers  attacked  objectives  in  the  Ruhr. 

May  16:  President  Roosevelt  called  for 
U.S.  production  of  50,000  planes  a  year. 

May  28:  Robert  H.  Goddard  offered  all 
his  research  data,  patents,  and  facilities 
for  use  by  the  military  services  at  a  meet- 
ing with  representatives  of  Army  Ord- 
nance, Army  Air  Corps,  and  Navy  Bureau 
of  Aeronautics  arranged  by  Harry  Gug- 
genheim. Nothing  resulted  from  this  ex- 
cept an  expression  of  possible  use  of 
rockets  in  jet-assisted  take-offs  of  air- 
craft. 

May  29:  Chance  Vought  F4U  Corsair 
Navy  fighter  with  inverted  full  wing  made 
first  test  flight. 

June  8:  Paris  oflBce  of  the  NACA  was 
closed. 

June  26:  Congress  authorized  construc- 
tion of  the  third  NACA  laboratory  near 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  which  became  Aircraft 
Engine  Research  Laboratory.  In  1948,  it 
was  named  for  George  W.  Lewis,  NACA 
Director  of  Aeronautical  Research,  1924- 
47. 

June  27:  National  Defense  Research  Com- 
mittee (NDRC)  created  by  the  Council 
of  National  Defense. 

July  8:  First  commercial  flight  of  the 
Boeing  307-B  Stratoliner,  Burbank, 
Calif.,  to  Long  Island,  N.Y.,  the  first  com- 
mercial flight  to  use  a  pressurized  cabin, 
in  record  time  of  12  hours  18  minutes. 

During  July:  National  Defense  Research 
Committee  established  Jet  Propulsion  Re- 
search Committee  under  Section  H  of 
Division  A,  at  Naval  Powder  Factory, 
Indian  Head,  Md.,  to  conduct  funda- 
mental research  on  rocket  ordnance.  C. 
N.  Hickman,  who  had  worked  with  God- 
dard during  World  War  I,  was  named  as 
head. 

August  2:   Beginning   of   the  Battle  of 


Britain,  which  raged  until  the  end  of 
October. 

During  August:  Sir  Henry  Tizard,  scien- 
tific adviser  to  the  British  Ministry  of 
Aircraft  Production,  headed  mission  of 
leading  British  and  Canadian  scientists 
to  brief  official  American  representatives 
on  devices  under  active  development  for 
war  use  and  to  enlist  the  support  of  Amer- 
ican scientists.  This  was  the  beginning 
of  very  close  cooperation  of  Anglo- Ameri- 
can scientists  in  many  fields,  including 
aeronautics  and  rocketry,  and  enabled 
American  laboratories  to  catch  up  with 
war-accelerated  progress. 

August  20:  Smith  J.  DeFrance  appointed 
Engineer-in-Charge  of  the  NACA  Ames 
Aeronautical  Laboratory,  Moffett  Field, 
Calif. 

August  25-26:  First  RAF  bombing  of 
Berlin. 

During  September:  Royal  Air  Force  used 
AA  rockets  against  Luftwaffe  planes  in 
the  Battle  of  Britain. 

:  First  test  firing  of  NDRC  rocket 

program,  at  Naval  Proving  Ground,  Dahl- 
gren,  Va.,  a  rocket-propelled  bomb  to 
pierce  14-inch  armor  requested  by 
BuOrd. 

November  25:  De  Havilland  all-wood  Mos- 
quito bomber  made  first  fiight,  large- 
scale  production  of  which  began  in  July 
1941. 

During  lOJfO:  Committee  of  the  National 
Academy  of  Sciences  reported  that  op- 
eration of  turbine  wheels  at  temperatures 
up  to  1,500°  F  might  soon  be  possible  be- 
cause of  U.S.  and  foreign  development 
of  high-temperature  alloys. 

— —  :  Dr.  Heinz  von  Diringshofen  of  Ber- 
lin, Germany,  "discovered"  the  effect  of 
weightlessness  during  fiight  maneuvers 
with  high  performance  aircraft. 

:  N.  W.  Thorner  and  F.  H.  Lewey 

demonstrated  destruction  of  certain  brain 
cells  in  experimental  animals  by  short 
and  severe  exposures  to  hypoxia  induced 
by  inhalation  of  pure  nitrogen. 

:  Graf  Zeppelin  I  and  //  were  inten- 
tionally destroyed  by  the  Germans  and 
their  metal  used  for  the  Reich  war  effort. 


40 


1941 


January  11:  Army  Air  Corps  announced 
the  control  of  robot  planes,  either  by 
radio  from  the  ground  or  from  another 
plane,  had  been  tested  successfully. 

During  January:  RCA  proposed  to 
NDllC  design  and  development  of  rocket- 
propelled,  radio-controlled  aerial  torpedo 
with  TV  nose,  which  was  given  code 
name  "Dragon."  The  National  Bureau 
of  Standards  was  assigned  the  task  of 
developing  a  suitable  airframe. 

February  5:  Bureau  of  Standards  devel- 
oped photoelectric  detector  to  simplify 
measurement  of  height  of  clouds. 

During  Fehrnary:  Army  Air  Corps  initi- 
ated development  of  radio-controlled 
aerial  gliding  torpedoes,  gliding  bombs, 
and  aerial  mines. 

March  2^ :  Classic  NACA  report  prepared 
by  Robert  R.  Gilruth  which  provided 
basis  for  subsequent  aircraft  develop- 
ment (NACA  Report  No.  755,  "Require- 
ments for  Satisfactory  Flying  Qualities 
of  Airplanes" ) . 

During  March:  NACA  established  Special 
Committee  on  Jet  Propulsion  to  review 
early  British  reports  on  the  Whittle  en- 
gine, which  subsequently  aided  develop- 
ment of  TG-100  turboprop  engine  by  GE 
and  the  19-B  turbojet  by  Westinghouse. 
Dr.  W.  F.  Durand  was  called  out  of 
retirement  to  head  this  committee. 

April  15:  Igor  Sikorsky  piloted  a  Vought- 
Sikorsky  in  the  first  officially  recorded 
single-rotor  helicopter  flight  longer  than 
an  hour  in  the  Western  Hemisphere ; 
flying  time,  1  hour  5  minutes  14.5  sec- 
onds ;  at  Stratford,  Conn. 

April  19:  Naval  Aircraft  Factory  initi- 
ated development  of  a  Glomb  (glider 
bomb),  to  be  towed  long  distances  by 
powered  aircraft  and  released  over  tar- 
get and  guided  by  radio  control  and 
target-viewing  television. 

May  15:  First  official  flight  of  British 
turbojet,  Gloster  E28/39  with  Whittle 
WIX  jet  engine,  at  Cranwell,  England, 
flown  by  Flight  Lt.  Sayer  for  about  17 
minutes. 


:    British    De    Havilland    Mosquito 

equipped  as  night  fighter  (W4052)  made 
its  first  flight  with  AI  radar. 

May  21:  Army  Corps  Ferrying  Command, 
forerunner  of  AAF's  Air  Transport  Com- 
mand, was  created.  By  V-E  Day  it  pos- 
sessed 2,4G1  transports,  of  which  798 
were  4  engined. 

:  Navy  Engineering  Experiment  Sta- 
tion, Annapolis,  Md.,  directed  to  under- 
take development  of  liquid-fuel  rocket 
JATO  for  large  flying  boats. 

May  29:  Naval  Powder  Factory,  Indian 
Head,  developed  and  successfully  tested 
4.5-inch  AA  rocket. 

During  May:  Republic  XP-47  Thunder- 
bolt made  first  flight. 

May-June:  First  satisfactory  spark  plugs 
(ceramic  insulated)  for  high-perform- 
ance U.S.  aircraft  engines  such  as  the 
P&W  R-2800  were  ordered  in  mass 
quantities.  Plugs  were  developed  under 
direction  of  T.  T.  Neill,  Air  Corps  igni- 
tion engineer  at  Wright  Field. 

June  20:  Establishment  of  the  U.S.  Army 
Air  Forces  (AAF),  comprising  the  Office 
of  the  Chief  of  Air  Corps  and  the  Air 
Force  Combat  Command  (formerly 
GHQ  Air  Force),  with  Maj.  Gen.  H.  H. 
Arnold  as  Chief. 

June  22:  U.S.S.R.  was  attacked  by  Ger- 
many. 

:  Ceramic-lined  rocket  thrust  cham- 
ber designed  by  Alfred  Africano 
generated  260-pound  thrust. 

June  28:  Office  of  Scientific  Research  and 
Development  (OSRD)  in  the  Office  of 
Emergency  Management  was  created  by 
President  Roosevelt  in  Executive  Order 

8807. 

June  30:  Joint  Army-Navy  project  con- 
tract given  Northrop  for  design  of  an 
aircraft  gas  turbine  developing  2,500  hp 
at  a  weight  of  less  than  3,215  pounds. 

During  June:  Col.  Donald  J.  Keirn  of 
Wright  Field  sent  to  England  to  study 
Gloster  jet   aircraft   and   its   Whittle-I 


41 


1941 — Continued 

engine.  AAF  decision  to  produce  Whit- 
tle engine  made  in  September,  and  the 
XP-59  flew  a  year  later. 

July  1:  First  commercial  television 
broadcast  over  WNBT,  Nevs^  York  (first 
successful  demonstration  by  C.  F.  Jenkens 
in  United  States  and  J.  L.  Baird  in  Eng- 
land was  made  in  early  1920's). 

July  16:  Full-scale  wind-tunnel  tests  of 
A-1  "power-driven  controllable  bomb" 
conducted  at  Langley  Field. 

July  2Jt:  Dr.  Jerome  C.  Hunsaker  was 
elected  Chairman  of  the  NACA  and 
Chairman  of  its  Executive  Committee. 

During  July:  Navy  initiated  development 
of  Mousetrap,  ship-based  7.2-inch  mortar- 
fired  bomb  which  became  first  USN 
rocket  placed  into  fleet  action  in  May 
1942. 

:   First  successful  U.S.  jet-assisted 

takeoff  accomplished  in  an  Ercoupe  at 
March  Field  by  Lt.  Homer  A.  Boushey 
(AAF),  with  pressed-powder  propellant 
JATO  rockets  developed  by  Cal  Tech. 

:  Project  TED  (EES  3401)  estab- 
lished at  Naval  Engineering  Experiment 
Station  at  Annapolis  by  BuAer. 

August  1:  President  Roosevelt  prohibited 
export  of  aviation  fuel  outside  of  the 
"Western  Hemisphere,  except  to  Britain 
and  countries  resisting  aggression,  an  act 
aimed  at  Japan  which  normally  imported 
large  quantities  from  the  United  States. 

:  NDL  was  requested  to  develop  ra- 
dar guidance  equipment  for  assault 
drones,  both  to  relay  target  information 
to  a  control  operator  and  to  serve  as  an 
automatic  homing  device. 

:  Three  successful  tests  of  J.  Wyld 

liquid  fuel  rocket  motor  were  made  at 
average  thrust  of  125  pounds.  A  year 
later,  ARS  members  formed  Reaction 
Motors,  Inc.,  to  continue  development  of 
this  design. 

August  12:  Ercoupe  impelled  by  12 
powder  rockets  of  50  pounds  thrust  each, 
piloted  by  Lt.  Homer  A.  Boushey,  first 
flew  on  rocket  power  alone  after  an  initial 
boost  from  a  towing  automobile. 


August  19:  President  Roosevelt  an- 
nounced that  Pan  American  Airways 
would  establish  a  ferry  service  to  fly 
American  aircraft  to  the  RAF  in  the 
Middle  East. 

During  August:  Caproni-Campini  jet- 
propelled  plane,  conventional  engine  with 
ducted  fan,  produced  and  test  flown  in 
Italy. 

During  September:  Messerschmitt  Me- 
163A  powered  by  "cold"  H.  Walther 
rocket  successfully  flown  at  Augsburg, 
Germany,  development  of  which  had  be- 
gun in  1937,  but  "cold"  engine  proved  un- 
reliable. Flights  were  also  made  in  Octo- 
ber which  reached  speeds  of  1,003  km/hr, 
or  Mach  0.85. 

During  September:  Dr.  Robert  H.  God- 
da  rd  began  w^ork  on  liquid-propellant 
JATO  under  contract  to  USN  and  AAF, 
delivering  a  device  to  both  agencies  on 
September  1942. 

October  27:  Post  of  Air  Surgeon  was 
created  within  the  Army  Air  Forces. 

During  October:  Harriman  mission  made 
globe-circling  flight  of  24,700  miles  from 
Washington  to  Moscow  and  return  in 
B-24  bomber. 

November  7;  First  flight  of  the  AAF 
GB-1  guided  glide  bomb,  containing  pre- 
set guidance. 

November  12:  First  launching  of  an  ex- 
perimental GB-8  glide  bomb,  incorporat- 
ing radio  controls. 

November  SO:  Italian  jet-propelled 
Caproni-Campini  airplane  flown  475  kilo- 
meters in  2  hours  11  minutes  from  Turin 
to  Rome,  by  Mario  de  Barnardini. 

November-December:  Russians  used  AA 
rockets  against  Luftwaffe  aircraft  in  de- 
fense of  Moscow  and  air-to-air  rockets  on 
their  Stormovik  11-2  fighters. 

December  7:  Japanese  naval  air  units 
attacked  Pearl  Harbor. 

December  30:  US  AAF  requested  NRDC  to 
undertake  development  of  controUed- 
trajectory  bombs,  the  beginning  of  the 
development  of  Azon. 

During  19^1:  Navy  Bureau  of  Aeronau- 
tics created  JATO  section  to  accelerate 
USN  development. 


42 


During  19^1:  Aeromedical  Laboratory,  in 
collaboration  with  Dr.  E.  A.  Hooten  of 
Harvard  University,  initiated  anthropo- 
metric surveys  of  AAF  flyers  to  facilitate 
design  of  weapons  and  flying  gear. 


During  19^1:  Research  facilities  at 
NACA's  Langley  and  Ames  Laboratories 
increased  100  percent  over  previous  years 
bj'  the  construction  of  new  facilities  for 
defense  application. 


1942 


January  13:  Sikorsky  XR-4,  single-rotary 
wing,  two-man  helicopter,  made  its  first 
successful  flight. 

During  January:  P-38  first  placed  under 
study  of  NACA  Langley  Laboratory  to 
assess  flow  changes  due  to  compressibil- 
ity, later  transferred  to  Ames  Laboratory. 
Dive-recovery  flap  developed  later  applied 
to  P-47,  XP-59,  F-SO,  and  FR-1. 

:  "Frigitorium"  for  cold  testing  air- 
craft equipment  for  arctic  operations  be- 
came operational  at  Wright  Field. 

During  February:  Douglas  DC-4  Sky- 
master  first  flew,  becoming  prominent  in 
the  generation  of  four-engined  American 
transports  which  revolutionized  long-haul 
air  transportation. 

April  7-24:  Douglas  A-20A  completed  44 
successive  takeoffs  using  liquid-propel- 
lant  JATO  developed  by  Cal  Tech's 
Frank  S.  Malina. 

April  9:  Radio-controlled  TG-2  Navy 
drone  made  torpedo  attack  on  destroyer 
Aaron  Ward  in  which  television  camera 
mounted  in  the  drone  was  utilized,  di- 
rected by  control  pilot  Lt.  M.  B.  Taylor 
of  Project  Fox. 

April  18:  First  American  raid  on  Tokyo, 
by  16  North  American  B-25  AAF  medium 
bombers  flown  off  carrier  Hornet,  led  by 
Lt.  Col.  James  H.  Doolittle. 

April  19:  Two  feasibility  tests  using 
drone  aircraft  conducted  by  Navy  in 
Chesapeake  Bay,  the  most  successful 
being  Project  Fox  BG-2  drone  equipped 
with  target-viewing  TV  camera,  which 
was  crash  dived  into  a  moving  raft  while 
under  an  airborne  control  pilot  11  miles 
away. 

May  8:  Research  begun  at  the  NACA  Air- 
craft Engine  Research  Laboratory  at 
Cleveland. 


]\(ay  26:  Jet-assisted  takeoff  of  a  Brew- 
ster F2A-3  using  five  British  antiaircraft 
solid-propellant  rockets  demonstrated  at 
NAS  Anacostia,  Comdr.  C.  Fink  Fischer 
as  pilot. 

May  80-31:  First  1,000-plane  raid  by  RAF 
Bomber  Command  on  Cologne,  Germany. 

June  13:  First  test  of  the  German  A-4 
(V~2)  rocket  unsuccessful  at  Peene- 
miinde,  Germany. 

June  i7;  National  Defense  Research  Com- 
mittee initiated  development  of  an  anti- 
submarine guided  missile,  the  Pelican, 
under  Navy  BuOrd,  which  was  a  glide 
bomb  with  radar  homing  guidance. 

June  27:  Naval  Aircraft  Factory  v/as  di- 
rected to  participate  in  development  of 
high-altitude  pressure  flying  suits,  thus 
joining  Army  which  had  sponsored  ear- 
lier work. 

June  30:  Brig.  Gen.  James  H.  Doolittle 
awarded  the  1942  Guggenheim  Medal 
"for  notable  achievement  in  the  advance- 
ment of  aeronautics." 

During  June:  Joint  Committee  on  New 
Weapons  and  Equipment  (JNW)  ap- 
pointed subcommittee  to  review  all 
guided-missile  programs,  out  of  which 
came  the  placement  of  responsibility  for 
all  controlled  missiles  in  Division  5,  Mis- 
siles, in  the  National  Defense  Research 
Council.  Division  5  of  NDRC  served  as 
principal  agency  outside  the  military 
services  involved  in  U.S.  missile  develop- 
ment for  the  remainder  of  World  War  II. 

July  3:  First  airborne  test  firing  of  a 
retrorocket  at  Goldstone  Lake,  Calif., 
from  a  PBY-5A  piloted  by  Lt.  Comdr. 
J.  H.  Hean  (USN). 

July  6:  4.5-inch  rocket  (M8-type)  fired 
for  first  time  in  fiight  from  a  P^O. 


43 


1942— Continued 

July  18:  German  Me-262  turbojet  fighter 
flown  on  spectacular  flight  test,  con- 
cluding a  series  begun  in  May. 

During  July:  First  U.S.-designed  jet  en- 
gine successfully  demonstrated  at  Lang- 
ley  Laboratory,  the  NACA  Jeep,  which 
was  never  flown  but  proved  invaluable 
for  continued  NACA  research  on  gas- 
turbine  jet  propulsion. 

:  9-inch  supersonic  tunnel  providing 

airspeeds  up  to  mach  2.5  put  into  opera- 
tion at  Langley  Memorial  Aeronautical 
Laboratory. 

September  21:  Boeing  XB-29  Superfor- 
tress made  its  first  flight,  an  indispen- 
sible  aircraft  in  the  Pacific  campaign  of 
World  War  II. 

During  September:  After  completion  of 
liquid-fuel  JATO  device  for  AAF  and 
Navy,  Robert  H.  Goddard  worked  on 
liquid-fuel  engines  of  variable  thrust 
while  Director  of  Research  in  Jet  Pro- 
pulsion at  Annapolis  until  his  death  in 
August  1945. 

October  1:  First  U.S.  jet-propelled  air- 
craft flight,  by  an  Airacomet  Bell  XP- 
59A  (powered  by  two  1-16  engines 
developed  by  General  Electric  from  the 
British    Whittle    prototype),    made    at 


Muroc  Dry  Lake,  Calif.,  with  Robert 
Stanley  as  pilot. 

October  2:  Maj.  J.  G.  Kearby  reached  an 
effective,  simulated  altitude  of  60,200  feet 
in  Aeromedical  Laboratory  altitude 
chamber  at  Wright  Field,  as  a  part  of  an 
investigation  of  "full  pressure"  suits. 

October  3:  First  successful  launch  and 
flight  of  51/^-ton  German  A-4  rocket  ( V-2) 
at  Peenemiinde,  which  traveled  120  miles. 

October  22:  Westinghouse  Electric  au- 
thorized to  construct  two  19A  axial-flow 
turbojet  powerplants,  thereby  initiating 
fabrication  of  first  practical  jet  engine 
wholly  American  in  design. 

December  2:  First  nuclear  chain  reaction 
successfully  accomplished  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago. 

December  5:  Edward  R.  Sharp  was  ap- 
pointed Manager  of  the  NACA  Aircraft 
Engine  Research  Laboratory  at  Cleve- 
land. 

During  December:  AAF  conducted  first 
flight  tests  of  a  full-pressure  altitude 
flight  suit  at  Eglin  Field,  Fla. 

During  19^2:  Aerosol  bomb  for  disinsec- 
tation  of  aircraft  developed  at  Aero  Med- 
ical Laboratory  by  Lt.  William  N. 
Sullivan,  subsequently  adapted  for  use  in 
foxholes,  bomb  shelters,  barracks,  and 
other  dwellings. 


1943 


January  8:  First  aircraft  takeoff  in 
United  States  with  permanently  installed 
JATO  rocket  powerplant,  an  A-20A  at 
Muroc  Army  Air  Base,  Calif. 

January  21:  First  American  bomber  raid 
on  Germany  by  USAAP  against  Wil- 
helmshaven. 

January  28:  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Dryden,  Chief 
of  the  Mechanics  and  Sound  Division 
of  the  National  Bureau  of  Standards, 
elected  president  of  the  IAS. 

During  January:  Lockheed  C-69  Constel- 


lation flrst  flown,  a  successful  postwar 
transport  with  pressurized  cabin. 

February  11:  10th  German  A-4  (V-2) 
rocket  traveled  121.8  miles  after  launch 
from  Peenemiinde. 

During  February:  Navy  Engineering  Ex- 
periment Station  Annapolis  completed 
development  of  rocket  engine  for  Pelican 
radio-controlled  pilotless  aircraft  (never 
used  operationally). 

March  5:  Fifth  prototype  of  Gloster  Me- 
teor, developed  from  the  flrst  British  jet 


44 


aircraft,  first  flew,  powered  by  Halford 
H-1  turbojet  engines,  forerunners  of  the 
De  Ilavilland  Goblin. 

During  March:  First  turbojet  engine  de- 
veloped from  American  design  by  West- 
inghouse,  the  X19A,  was  completed.  It 
was  the  precursor  of  the  J30,  J34,  J40, 
J4G,  and  J54  engines. 

April  2:  Research  building  of  the  AAF 
School  of  Aviation  Medicine  opened  offi- 
cially, housing  27  officers  and  35  civilian 
staff  members,  and  4  altitude  decompres- 
sion chambers. 

Aj)ril  11:  California  Rocket  Society  tested 
first  hybrid  rocket  design  in  United 
States,  using  oxygen  and  carbon. 

April  15:  Prime  Minister  Winston 
Churchill  of  England  was  informed  of 
reports  on  German  experiments  with 
long-range  rockets. 

May  22:  German  Messerschmitt  Me-262 
turbojet  fighter  prototype  flight  tested  at 
Rechlin.  Test  flights  continued  during 
the  year  on  interceptor  type,  while  series 
production  did  not  begin  until  spring  of 
1944. 

During  May:  A  PBY  Catalina,  fitted 
with  two  liquid-propellant  JATO  rockets 
developed  at  Annapolis,  took  off  with  20 
percent  reduction  in  run.  Liquid-propel- 
lant .TATO  was  abandoned  by  Navy  in 
1944. 

May-June:  Germans  operationally  test 
fired  over  100  V-2's  from  Blizna,  Poland, 
launching  10  on  one  day,  only  a  small 
number  of  which  were  fully  successful. 

June  2.',:  Lt.  Col.  W.  R.  Lovelace,  AAF 
Aeromedical  Laboratory,  made  world 
record  parachute  jump  from  40,200  feet 
at  Ephrata,  Wash. 

Mid-19. 'i3:  Navy  initiated  development  of 
FR  "Fireball"  fighter,  the  only  U.S.  jet- 
and-propeller-engine  fighter  produced  in 
any  quantity  before  the  end  of  the  war. 
Developed  by  Ryan,  prototype  was  ac- 
cepted in  October  1944  and  production 
authorized  in  December  1944. 

July  5:  First  turbojet  engine  completed 
for  the  Navy,  the  Westinghouse  19A,  com- 
pleted its  100-hour  endurance  test. 

July  7:  Adolf  Hitler  gave  the  German 
V-2  program  highest  military  priority. 


Jtihj  19:  Naval  Aircraft  Factory  author- 
ized to  develop  the  Gorgon,  an  aerial 
ram  or  air-to-air  missile  powered  by  a 
turbojet  engine  and  equipped  with  radio 
control  and  a  homing  device.  The 
Gorgon  was  later  expanded  into  a  broad 
program  embracing  turbojet,  ramjet, 
pulsejet,  and  rocket  propulsion,  and  a 
variety  of  structures  and  guidance 
systems. 

July  24-Avgufit  3:  German  city  of  Ham- 
burg subjected  to  a  series  of  massive 
RAF  attacks,  totaling  3,000  planes,  which 
exploited  first  use  of  "chaff'"  or  "window" 
to  saturate  radar  early  warning  and  re- 
sulting in  a  severe  "fire  storm." 

During  July:  Naval  Air  Material  Center 
established  at  Johnsville,  Pa.,  to  include 
Naval  Air  Factory,  Naval  Aircraft  Modi- 
fication Unit,  and  Naval  Air  Experimen- 
tal Station. 

:  Serious  training  of  units  for  field 

employment  of  V-2  begun  at  Peene- 
miinde.  In  January  1944,  operational 
command  of  V-2  operations  given  to  Gen. 
Richard  Metz,  leaving  Gen.  Dornberger 
in  charge  of  V-2  development. 

:  Jet  propulsion  static  test  labora- 
tory constructed  at  NACA  Laboratory  in 
Cleveland,  and  full  studies  of  jet  pro- 
pulsion for  the  Army  and  Navy  were 
underway  by  the  fall. 

Summer  1943:  Messerschmitt  Me-163B 
rocket  interceptor  powered  by  Walther 
"hot"  engine  successfully  flov\-n  at  Bre- 
men, Augsburg,  and  near  Leipzig,  Ger- 
many. Over  300  Me-163B's  were 
produced  by  Junkers  by  the  end  of  1944. 

August  7:  German  turbojet  fighter,  a 
Messerschmitt  Me-262,  demonstrated  be- 
fore Adolf  Hitler  in  East  Prussia. 

August  17:  AAF  Schweinfurt-Regensburg 
deep-penetration  daylight  raid  by  376 
B-17's,  with  heavy  loss  of  60  bombers. 

August  17-lS:  Royal  Air  Force  attacked 
Germany's  Peenemiinde  Rocket  Research 
Center,  causing  heavy  damage  and  de- 
laying V-weapon  program  by  weeks  or 
months. 

During  August:  Navy  initiated  develop- 
ment of  McDonnell  Phantom  XFD-1 
fighter,  first  pure-jet  aircraft  developed 

for  USN. 


45 


1943 — Continued 

During  August:  German  aircraft 
launched  first  HS-293  radio-controlled 
glide  bomb  against  British  ship  in  Bay  of 
Biscay,  the  beginning  of  guided-missile 
warfare. 

September  1:  123,000  airplanes  and 
349,000  airplane  motors  were  produced  in 
the  United  States  between  May  1940  and 
this  date. 

During  September:  Rocket  Development 
Branch  created  in  Army  Ordnance  to  di- 
rect and  coordinate  development  on 
rockets. 

:  U.S.  Bell  Airacomet  first  flown  in 

England  at  Moreton  Valence,  result  of 
exchange  for  first  production  model  of 
a  Meteor  Mk  I  (EE210)  sent  to  the 
United  States. 

Late  September :  Aberdeen  Ballistic  Re- 
search Laboratories'  Study  entitled  "De- 
velopment of  Long-Range  Rocket  Pro- 
jectile" was  submitted  by  the  Army  to 
the  National  Defense  Research  Commit- 
tee.   The  project  was  accepted  by  NDRC. 

October  2:  First  U.S.  military  rocket- 
powered  airplane,  the  Rocket  Ram,  was 
tested  as  a  glider  by  John  Myers.  It 
was  equipped  with  an  Aerojet  XCALf-200 
engine,  using  monoethylanline  as  fuel. 

October  3:  First  afterburner  for  turbojet 
engines  in  America,  built  at  NACA  Lewis 
Flight  Propulsion  Laboratory. 

October  10:  USAAF  demonstrated  televi- 
sion control  of  a  drone  aircraft. 

October  15:  Details  of  gyro  fluxgate  com- 
pass, giving  accurate  readings  despite 
violent  aircraft  movements,  made  public 
by  Bendix  Aviation. 

During  October:  Division  5  of  NDRC  sug- 
gested to  AAF  the  appointment  of  gen- 
eral officer  to  coordinate  entire  AAF 
guided-missile  program. 

:  Army  General  Staff  created  new 

Weapons  Division  to  coordinate  research 
and  development  studies  and  plans  among 
the  Army  and  other  divisions. 


:   Navy  BuOrd  established  facility 

for  testing  rocket  motors  at  Naval  Gun 
Factory,  Washington,  D.C. 

November  8:  Secretary  of  the  Navy  ap- 
proved Naval  Ordnance  Test  Station  to 
be  located  on  west  coast  and  to  be  under 
cognizance  of  BuOrd.  In  December,  its 
site  was  selected  at  Inyokern,  China 
Lake,  Calif. 

November  SO:  Department  of  Aviation 
Medicine  and  Physiological  Research 
was  authorized  at  NAMC  Philadelphia. 

During  November:  Gen.  H.  H.  Arnold, 
Chief  of  Air  Staff,  directed  and  author- 
ized emphasis  on  research,  development, 
and  procurement  of  guided  missiles,  as 
indicated  by  known  German  advances. 

:  Theodore  von  Karmdn  submitted 

proposal  to  Army  Ordnance  for  de- 
veloping long-range  surface-to-surface 
missiles. 

:  In  response  to  military  character- 
istics established  by  the  Coast  Artillery 
Board  for  a  radio-controlled  antiaircraft 
projectile,  Frankford  Arsenal  conceived 
a  guided-missile  system  based  on  exist- 
ing fire-control  knowledge. 

December  24:  The  first  major  Eighth 
Air  Force  assault  on  German  V-weapon 
sites  was  made  when  670  B-17's  and 
B-24's  bombed  the  Pas  de  Calais  area. 

During  December:  The  rocket  aircraft 
research  program  conceived  by  NACA's 
John  Stack,  to  investigate  the  flight  char- 
acteristics of  an  airplane  flying  beyond 
the  speed  of  sound  or  Mach  1. 

:  First  turbojet  light  bomber  flight, 

the  German  Arado  Ar-234B,  which  was 
powered  by  two  Junkers  .004  engines. 

During  IDJfS:  First  jet-propelled  rotor 
helicopter  flown,  the  Austrian  Doblhoff 
No.  1. 

During  19^2-43:  Cal  Tech  studied  pump- 
ing of  liquid  rocket  propellants,  partic- 
ularly nitric  acid,  resulting  in  successful 
design  in  1945,  which  was  set  aside  for 
future  use  because  of  decision  to  con- 
centrate on  gas-pressurized  fuel  systems. 


46 


1944 


January  1:  At  request  of  Army  Ordnance, 
Cal  Tech's  rocket  laboratory  started  re- 
search and  development  program  on 
long-range  missiles,  called  Project 
ORDCIT,  which  resulted  in  development 
of  Private   "A"    and   Corporal   missiles. 

January  8:  First  flight  of  Lockheed  XP- 
80  at  Muroc,  which  was  powered  by  Brit- 
ish llalford  turbojet  engine,  the  first 
U.S.  airplane  designed  from  the  begin- 
ning for  turbojet  propulsion.  Rushed 
through  development  in  145  days  by 
Lockheed's  Clarence  L.  ("Kelley") 
Johnson,  the  P-80  was  not  distributed  to 
tactical  units  until  December  1945. 

January  11:  First  U.S.  combat  use  of 
forward-firing  rockets  made  by  Navy 
TBF-lC's  against  a  German  submarine. 

February  28:  First  firing  of  Nazi  Ger- 
many's Wasserfall   antiaircraft  missile. 

During  February:  Army  Ordnance  and 
AAF  initiated  development  of  surface- 
to-air  high-altitude  supersonic  guided 
missile,  subsequently  became  XSAM-A- 
7  Nike  I. 

March  16:  At  seminar  at  NACA  Langley 
Laboratory,  attended  by  AF,  Navy,  and 
NACA  personnel,  NACA  proposed  on  the 
basis  of  considerable  study  that  a  jet-pro- 
pelled transonic  research  airplane  be  de- 
veloped. This  proposal  ultimately  led 
to  the  X-1  research  airplane  project. 

During  March:  First  operation  of  a  tur- 
bojet engine  in  an  altitude  facility  was 
conducted  at  NACA  Lewis  Laboratory 
during  tests  of  P-59  propulsion  system, 
ensuing  program  making  major  contribu- 
tions to  U.S.  turbojet  engine  development. 

May  9:  First  flight  of  aircraft  modifled 
to  demonstrate  high-lift  boundary  layer 
control  made  by  Lt.  Col.  R.  E.  Horner, 
a  project  initiated  in  May  1942  by  USAAF 
contract. 

May  10:  Bell  helicopter  made  an  indoor 
demonstration  flight  at  Buffalo,  N.Y., 
Floyd  Carlson  as  pilot. 

May  28-June  1:  U.S.  Navy  airships  K-123 
and  K-130  completed  the  first  nonrigid 
transatlantic    crossing   from    Boston    to 


I'ort  Lyautey,  via  Newfoundland  and  the 

Azores. 

May  31:  First  launching  of  the  experi- 
mental VB-7  vertical  bomb,  incorporating 
television. 

June  IS:  The  first  German  V-l's  fired  in 
anger,  launched  from  France  against 
England  with  4  of  the  11  striking  London. 

During  June:  Remains  of  V-2  which  im- 
pacted in  Sweden  were  flown  to  England 
for  Allied  analysis. 

July  5:  The  MX-324,  first  U.S.  military 
rocket-powered  plane  built  by  Northrop, 
was  flown  by  test  pilot  Harry  Crosby,  at 
Harper  Dry  Lake,  Calif. 

July  29:  First  successful  test  of  Pelican 
guided  missile,  two  of  four  launched 
were  hits  against  target  ship  44  miles 
offshore  from  NAS  New  York. 

During  July:  Robert  R.  Gilruth  of  the 
Langley  Flight  Research  Division, 
prompted  by  the  need  for  an  experi- 
mental method  of  gathering  aerodynamic 
data  at  transonic  speeds,  conceived  the 
wing-fiow  method  (utilizing  the  tran- 
sonic-airflow field  over  the  top  surface  of 
the  wing  of  a  high-speed  subsonic  air- 
plane, usually  a  P-51  fighter,  as  a  "flying 
wind  tunnel"  for  testing  small  semispan 
wing  and  airplane  models). 

:  First  positive  identification  of  Ger- 
man turbojet  interceptors  used  against 
Allied  bombers. 

:  RAF  formed  flrst  Meteor  jet  squad- 
rons for  use  against  V-l's. 

Summer  1944'  German  "Reichenberg" 
program  began  for  use  of  manned  V-l's 
air  launched  from  He-Ill's  for  suicide 
missions ;  test  flights  were  made  at 
Peenemiinde. 

August  4'  The  flrst  Aphrodite  mission 
(radio-controlled  aircraft  carrying  20,000 
pounds  of  TNT)  was  flown  against  rocket 
sites  in  the  Pas  de  Calais  area. 

:  Meteor  EE  216  became  first  British 

jet  fighter  to  destroy  an  enemy  aircraft, 
the  destruction  of  a  Gorman  V-1  Flying 
Bomb  by  tipping  it  with  a  wingtip. 


47 


1944 — Continued 

August  13:  Two  GB— i  glide  bombs,  incor- 
porating television  and  radio  control, 
launched  against  E-boat  pens  at  Le 
Havre,  France.  Four  additional  GB^'s 
were  sent  against  targets  in  France  and 
Germany  between  17  August  and  13  Sep- 
tember 1944. 

During  August:  German  Me-163B  Komet 
rocket-powered  fighters  first  attacked 
American  bomber  formations  over  Eu- 
rope. The  Me-163  had  sweptback  wings, 
Walther  liquid-fuel  rocket  motor,  speed 
of  590  mph,  and  powered  flight  duration 
of  8-10  minutes. 

September  3:  Torpex-laden  Liberator 
drone  flown  from  airfield  at  Feresfield, 
England,  by  Lt.  Ralph  Spaulding  (USN), 
who  set  radio  control  and  bailed  out,  after 
which  drone  was  guided  from  parent  air- 
cra:y;  to  German  airfield  on  Helgoland 
Island. 

Septemher  6:  Navy  awarded  contract  to 
McDonnell  Aircraft  for  development  of 
the  Gargoyle  or  LBD-1,  a  radio- 
controlled  low-wing  gliding  bomb  fitted 
with  a  rocket  booster  and  designed  for 
use  with  carrier-based  aircraft. 

September  8:  First  German  V-2  fired  in 
combat  exploded  in  suburb  of  Paris ;  the 
second  struck  London  a  few  hours  later. 

September  14:  Successful  flight  into  hur- 
ricane for  scientific  data  was  made  by 
Col.  Floyd  B.  Wood,  Maj.  Harry  Wexler, 
and  Lt.  Frank  Reckord  in  a  Douglas 
A-20. 

September  IS:  Navy  Pelican  guided 
missile  production  terminated  and  proj- 
ect returned  to  developmental  status 
because  of  tactical  and  logistic  problems. 


During  October:  Dr.  H.  J.  B.  Reid,  Engi- 
neer-in-Charge  of  the  Langley  Labora- 
tory, became  scientific  chief  of  the  War 
Department's  Alsos  Mission  charged  with 
picking  up  as  much  information  as  pos- 
sible on  the  enemy's  scientific  research 
and  development. 

During  Fall:  Preliminary  studies  were 
made  of  velocity  gradients  above  wings  of 
high-speed  subsonic  airplanes  to  deter- 
mine feasibility  of  utilizing  the  wing-flow 
method  in  transonic  model  tests,  at  NACA 
Langley  Laboratory.  This  led  in  the  fol- 
lowing winter  to  tests  of  a  series  of  small 
airfoil  models  by  this  method,  and  later 
to  use  of  rockets  in  flying  aircraft  models. 

November  1 :  Nation's  first  center  devoted 
to  the  research  and  development  of  rocket 
propulsion  systems,  founded  at  Cal  Tech 
in  1936,  reorganized  and  renamed  the  Jet 
Propulsion  Laboratory    (JPL). 

November  1-December  7:  Representatives 
of  52  nations  (excluding  Axis  nations 
and  U.S.S.R.)  met  in  the  International 
Civil  Aviation  Conference  in  Chicago ; 
they  turned  down  "blue  skies"  legal  con- 
cept and  reaflirmed  doctrine  of  national 
sovereignty  in  air  space,  and  established 
the  Provisional  International  Civil  Avia- 
tion Organization  (PICAO)  to  regulate 
international  air  commerce. 

November  7:  Gen.  H.  H.  Arnold  requested 
Dr.  Theodore  von  Karman  to  "investi- 
gate all  possibilities  and  desirabilities  for 
postwar  and  future  war's  development 
as  respects  the  AAF."  Dr.  von  Ki^rmdn 
organized  the  AAF  Scientific  Advisory 
Group  for  this  purpose. 

November  15:  Army  Ordnance  initiated 
Hermes  program  for  research  and  devel- 
opment of  ballistic  missiles  with  a  prime 
contract  with  General  Electric  Co. 


During  September:  Brig.  Gen.  W.  A.  Bor- 
den, Chief,  New  Developments  Division 
of  the  War  Department,  made  known 
that  Ordnance  would  develop  wingless 
ballistic-type  missiles  and  the  AAF 
would  develop  winged  pilotless-aircraft- 
type  missiles  with  mutual  cooperation  in 
the  development  of  warheads  and  other 
equipment. 

:    USAAF   accelerated   development 

of  JB-2  robot  bomb  based  on  design  of 
German  V-1. 


November  17:  Navy  BuAer  undertook 
feasibility  studies  of  JB-2  Army  version 
of  German  V-1,  which  subsequently  be- 
came the  Loon. 

During  November:  First  flight  use  of  a 
radio  telemeter  for  transmitting  research 
data  at  transonic  speeds,  by  the  bomb- 
drop  technique  at  NACA's  Langley  Lab- 
oratory. 

December  1-16:  At  Camp  Irwin,  Calif., 
24  Private  "A"  rockets  were  launched  by 


JPL',  only  11  months  after  the  start  of 
Project  ORDCIT, 

December  13-1  Jf:  In  an  AAF-NACA  con- 
ference, Air  Force  representatives  indi- 
cated strong  preference  for  use  of  rocket 
engines  instead  of  jets  in  X-1  research 
airplane  project. 

During  December:  Army  Ordnance  made 
plans  under  the  Hermes  program  to  study 
the  German  V-2  missile. 

:  Glenn  L.  Martin  granted  $1,700,000 

to  the  University  of  Maryland  for  es- 
tablishment of  a  College  of  Engineering 
and  Aeronautical  Sciences. 

During  194Jt:  NACA  established  Special 
Committee  on  Self -Propelled  Guided  Mis- 
siles to  recommend  and  coordinate  re- 
search related  to  guided  missiles. 

:  USAAF  VB-1  controlled-trajectory 

air-to-surface  bomb  (Azon)  produced  and 
used  in  European  and  Burma  theaters. 


:    Supersonic    wind    tunnel     (Mach 

1.7)  completed  at  Aberdeen  Proving 
Ground  for  use  in  ballistic  research  and 
development. 

:  Initial  contracts  for  rocket  research 

aircraft  development  let  by  the  AAF  for 
the  XS-1  with  Bell  Aircraft  and  by  the 
Navy  with  Douglas  Aircraft  for  the  D- 
55S-I,  with  NACA  providing  technical 
support  under  cooperative  agreement. 

During  1944-i9-'f5:  First  full-scale  super- 
sonic propulsion  wind  tunnel  (8  by  6 
feet)  was  conceived,  designed,  and  di- 
rected by  Abe  Silverstein  at  NACA  Lewis 
Laboratory.  Capable  of  accommodating 
full-scale  supersonic  aircraft  engines,  it 
was  the  first  of  its  size  to  have  a  flexible- 
wall  test  section,  which  allowed  varia- 
tions from  Mach  1.4  to  2. 

:  Japan  launched  approximately  10,- 

000  Fugo  balloons  (30-foot  diameter) 
carrying  incendiaries  and  aimed  at  the 
North  American  continent. 


1945 


January  20:  Robert  T.  Jones,  NACA 
Langley  aeronautical  scientist,  formu- 
lated sweptback-wing  concept  to  over- 
come Shockwave  effects  at  critical  Mach 
numbers,  and  verified  it  in  wind-tunnel 
experiments  in  March  1945  prior  to  learn- 
ing of  parallel  German  work.  It  was 
subsequently  checked  by  the  wing-flow 
technique  before  the  first  NACA  report 
was  issued  in  June. 

January  2^:  Germans  successfully 
launched  A-9,  a  winged  prototype  of  the 
first  ICBM  (the  A-10)  designed  to  reach 
North  America.  A-9  reached  a  peak  alti- 
tude of  nearly  50  miles  and  a  maximum 
speed  of  2,700  mph. 

During  January:  JNW  created  Guided 
Missiles  Committee  to  formulate  broad 
program  of  research  and  development 
in  the  guided  missiles  field,  the  commit- 
tee to  consist  of  two  members  from 
OSRD,  one  from  NACA,  three  from  the 
Army,  and  three  from  the  Navy. 

During  January:  German  Luftwaffe 
formed  special  squadron  of  16  Me-2G2  jet 


fighters,  each  armed  with  twenty-four 
55-mm  high-explosive  rockets,  which  op- 
erated with  high  success  against  Allied 
bomber  formations. 

February  20:  The  Secretary  of  War  ap- 
proved Ordnance  plans  for  the  establish- 
ment of  the  White  Sands  Proving  Ground 
(WSPG). 

During  February:  Project  Nike  initiated 
by  Army  Ordnance  with  the  Western 
Electric  Co.  to  explore  a  new  air  defense 
system  against  high-speed  and  high- 
altitude  bombers  beyond  the  reach  of 
conventional  artillery. 

:  AAF  contracted  with  Bell  for  con- 
struction of  three  transonic  flight  re- 
search aircraft,  to  be  powered  by  liquid 
rocket  engines.  Aircraft  designated 
XS-1,  and  later  X-1. 

March  8:  Navy  rocket-powered  Gorgon 
air-to-air  missile  launched  fi-om  PBY-5A 
in  first  powered  test  flight  off  Cape  May, 
N.J. 


49 


1945 — Continued 

March  21 :  Navy  initiated  development  of 
the  Lark  surface-to-air  guided  missile  in 
BuAer  contract  with  Fairchild  Aircraft. 

During  March:  "Summary  of  Airfoil 
Data,"  by  Ira  H.  Abbott,  A.  E.  von 
DoenhofE,  and  Louis  Stievers  of  NACA 
Langley  Laboratory,  was  issued,  which 
was  considered  a  classic  reference  sum- 
marizing NACA  data  on  airfoil  sections. 

:     Project     Paperclip     to     recruit 

German  missile  scientists  was  initiated 
in  the  Pentagon. 

D tiring  Spring:  Supplemental  appropri- 
ation passed  by  Congress  authorized 
expanded  research  on  guided  missiles  at 
NACA  Langley  Laboratory,  including 
establishment  of  a  rocket  launch  facility 
at  Wallops  Island,  Va. 

April  1-13:  17  JPL  Private  F  rockets 
were  fired  at  Hueco  Range,  Fort  Bliss, 
Tex. 

During  April:  Aberdeen  Proving  Ground 
wind-tunnel  tests  of  sweptback  wing  at 
Mach  1.72  carried  out  on  the  suggestion 
of  Theodore  von  Karma n. 

May  5:  Russian  ground  forces  occupied 
Peenemiinde,  Germany. 

May  8:  World  War  II  ended  in  Europe. 

:  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  con- 
tinental targets.  Great  disparity  be- 
tween production  figures  and  operational 
missions  due  to  fact  that  series  produc- 
tion and  development  testing  were  per- 
formed concurrently,  there  being  as 
many  as  12  major  modifications  in  basic 
design  features. 

May  10:  Crash  program  to  counter  Jap- 
anese Baka  (suicide)  bomb.  Naval  Air- 
craft Modification  Unit  was  authorized 
to  develop  Little  Joe,  ship-to-air  missile 
powered  with  standard  JATO  unit. 

During  May:  Boeing  began  development 
of  Gapa  (ground-to-air  pilotless  aircraft) 
antiaircraft  missile  for  USAAF.  Within 
2  years  37  Gapa  missiles  had  been  fired 


and  by  October  1949  a  total  of  102  suc- 
cessful firings  had  taken  place. 

June  19:  Dr.  Frank  L,  Wattendorf,  En- 
gineering Division,  Wright  Field,  and  a 
member  of  AAF  Scientific  Advisory 
Group,  recommended  to  Brig.  Gen.  F.  O. 
Carroll,  Chief,  Engineering  Division,  that 
an  Air  Force  Development  Center,  in- 
cluding facilities  for  development  of 
supersonic  aircraft  and  missiles,  be  built 
on  a  location  away  from  Wright  Field 
and  near  a  large  source  of  power. 

June  25:  Construction  began  at  White 
Sands  Proving  Ground. 

During  June:  Army  Ground  Forces 
Equipment  Review  Board  concluded  that 
increased  emphasis  should  be  placed  on 
development  of  guided  missiles. 

:    XO-99,    cargo    version    of    B-36, 

made  first  fiight. 

July  ^:  Baby  Wac  rocket,  one-fifth  scale 
model  of  Wac  Corporal  proposal,  flight 
tested  at  Camp  Irwin  by  JPL. 

:  First    rocket    launch    at    NACA's 

new  Wallops  Island  facility  for  calibra- 
tion of  radar  instrumentation. 

July  13:  White  Sands  Proving  Ground 
(WSPG)  was  activated. 

July  14:  AAF  A-20's  from  Hollandia  set 
fire  to  Japanese  oil  fields  at  Boela, 
Ceram,  in  the  first  use  of  rocket  bombs  in 
the  Southwest  Pacific. 

July  16:  First  test  atomic  device  ex- 
ploded in  New  Mexico. 

July  20:  Navy  Little  Joe  antiaircraft 
missile  made  two  successful  fiights  at 
Applied  Physics  Laboratory  test  station 
at  Island  Beach,  N.J. 

July  23:  Life  published  drawings  of  a 
manned  space  station  as  envisioned  by 
the  German  rocket  scientists  of  Peene- 
miinde. 

During  July:  First  launching  of  a  two- 
stage  rocket-propelled  research  model, 
the  Tiamat  missile,  which  employed  six 
rockets  as  boosters,  had  automatic  stabi- 
lization, its  maneuvers  were  programed, 
and  its  testing  was  the  first  research  pro- 
gram of  the  NACA's  Wallops  Island 
Station. 


50 


August  6:  First  atomic  bomb  was  dropiJed 
on  Hirosliima. 

August  9:  Second  atomic  bomb  was 
dropped  on  Nagasaki. 

August  14:  World  War  II  ended  witla 
Japanese  surrender. 

:  Team  of  American  scientists  was 

dispatched  to  Europe  to  collect  informa- 
tion and  equipment  relating  to  German 
rocliet  progress. 

August  24:  First  successful  use  of  a  te- 
lemetry system  in  a  rocket-propelled 
flight  research  model,  the  two-stage  Tia- 
mat  at  NACA  Wallops  Island,  Va. 

During  August:  First  successful  U.S. 
chemical  gas,  generator-driven,  turbo- 
pump  fed,  regeneratively  cooled  rocket 
engine  (XCALT-6000),  delivered  to  AAF 
by  Aerojet-General  Corp. 

:  (Components  for  approximately  100 

V-2  ballistic  missiles  were  shipped  from 
Germany  to  White  Sands  Proving 
Ground. 

:     Joint    Army-Navy    Aeronautical 

Board  established  Research  Committee 
to  investigate  and  report  on  matters  af- 
fecting research,  development,  and  test- 
ing of  aircraft,  including  liaison  with 
NACA  and  industry,  and  to  recommend 
action  to  foster  aeronautical  research  and 
development. 

September  8:  William  F.  Durand,  one  of 
the  original  members  of  the  NAOA  in 
1915,  retired. 

September  20:  First  flight  of  airplane 
powered  by  propeller-turbine  engines, 
made  in  England  by  experimental  Gloster 
Meteor  powered  with  Rolls  Royce  Trent- 
engines  with  five-bladed  propellers. 

September  26:  The  Navy  publicly  demon- 
strated the  Ryan  Fireball  FR-1  at  NAS 
Anacostia,  the  first  propeller-and-jet- 
powered  airplane  designed  for  aircraft 
carriers. 

:  Army  Wac  Corporal,  first  develop- 
ment flight,  fired  at  White  Sands,  estab- 
lished U.S.  record  of  43.5  miles  height, 
and  was  the  first  U.S.  liquid-propellant 
rocket  developed  with  Government  funds 
(constructed  by  Douglas  and  Aerojet  un- 
der JPL  Project). 


During  September:  First  volume  of  the 
Toward  New  Horizons  reports  of  the 
Army  Air  Forces  Scientific  Advisory 
Group  (headed  by  Von  Ktirmfin),  entitled 
Science:  The  Key  to  Air  Supremacy,  was 
submitted  to  the  Commanding  General  of 
the  AAF.  These  reports  prepared  by 
leading  scientists  are  classic  in  their  as- 
sessment of  future  developments  emerg- 
ing out  of  World  War  II  advancements. 

October  3:  A  Navy  Committee  for  Eval- 
uating the  Feasibility  of  Space  Rocketry 
(CEFSR)  was  established  by  BuAer.  In 
November  1945,  CEFSR  recommended 
high  priority  for  satellite  development 
and  estimated  cost  between  $5  and  $8 
million. 

October  11:  First  launch  of  full  Wac 
Corporal  (WAC-A)  at  WSPG  attained 
an  altitude  of  235,000  feet. 

October  IS:  NACA  Langley's  Pilotless 
Aircraft  Research  Division  (PARD) 
launched  the  first  successful  drag  re- 
search vehicle  for  wing  and  body  re- 
search, forerunner  of  a  large  series  of 
flight  tests  of  various  wings  and  bodies 
in  a  combination  of  transonic  and  super- 
sonic speeds  providing  basic  design  in- 
formation later  applied  on  all  later 
supersonic  aircraft  and  missiles. 

October  30:  Chief  of  Army  Ordnance  in- 
vited Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  utilize  the 
White  Sands  Proving  Ground  (WSPG) 
as  a  test  range  for  naval-guided  missiles 
(BuOrd)  and  for  pilotless  aircraft 
(BuAer). 

During  October:  Secretary  of  War  Pat- 
terson approved  plan  to  bring  top  Ger- 
man scientists  to  United  States  to  aid 
military  research  and  development. 
Small  group  of  German  rocket  specialists 
brought  to  United  States  under  Project 
Paperclip  to  work  on  missile  development 
at  Fort  Bliss  and  White  Sands  Proving 
Ground. 

:   Navy   BuOrd  established  Guided 

Missiles,  Jet  Propulsion  and  Counter- 
measures  Section  in  its  Research  and 
Development  Division. 

November  6:  The  flrst  jet  landing  on  an 
aircraft  carrier  was  nmde  by  Ens.  Jake 
C.  West,  USN,  in  an  FR-1  Navy  turbojet 
and  conventional  reciprocating-engine 
fighter. 


51 


1945 — Continued 

November  7:  Bell  Aircraft  Corp.  an- 
nounced successful  test  flights  of  a  jet- 
propelled  P-59  by  remote  control;  tele- 
vision was  used  to  read  the  instruments. 

During  Novem'ber:  Guided  Missiles  Com- 
mittee of  the  Joint  Committee  on  New 
Weapons  and  Equipment  (JNW)  drafted 
Dewey  Report  on  "A  National  Program 
for  Guided  Missiles." 

Decemher  S:  The  first  USAAF  jet  fighter 
unit,  the  412th  Fighter  Group,  received 
its  first  Lockheed  P-80  aircraft  at  March 
Field,  Calif. 

December  9:  First  Stratovision  flight  test 
made  at  Middle  River,  Md.,  by  Westing- 
house  Electric  Corp.  and  Glenn  L.  Mar- 
tin Co.  Telecasts  were  made  from  the 
airplane  flying  in  the  stratosphere. 

December  14:  AAF  contracted  with  Bell 
for  development  of  three  supersonic 
flight  research  aircraft,  powered  by  liq- 
uid rockets.  Designated  XS-2,  and  later 
X-2. 

December  11:  Rocket-Sonde  Research 
Branch  constituted  in  Naval  Research 
Laboratory  to  conduct  scientific  explora- 
tion of  the  upper  atmosphere. 

December  19:  President  Truman  sub- 
mitted his  plan  to  Congress  for  the  uni- 
fication of  the  armed  services. 

During  December:  Office  of  Deputy  Chief 
of  Air  Staff  for  Research  and  Develop- 
ment created  in  Hq.  USAAF,  headed  by 
Maj.  Gen.  C.  E.  LeMay. 

:  More  than  100  German  rocket  sci- 
entists and  engineers,  who  had  agreed 
to  come  to  the  United  States  under  Proj- 
ect Paperclip,  arrived  at  Fort  Bliss,  Tex. 


:  Navy  BuAer  awarded  contract  to 

Guggenheim  Aeronautical  Laboratory  at 
Cal  Tech  to  conduct  research  whose  find- 
ings were  to  be  used  in  formulating  policy 
for  a  projected  high-altitude  earth  satel- 
lite vehicle. 

During  1945:  Abe  Silverstein  of  Lewis 
Laboratory  made  basic  application  of 
ramjet  technology  to  the  problem  of  aft- 
erburner design,  leading  to  the  first  full- 
scale  afterburner  tests. 

:    New  wind   tunnels   placed  under 

construction  at  NACA's  Ames  Labora- 
tory at  Moffett  Field,  Langley  Labora- 
tory at  Hampton,  Va.,  and  Propulsion 
Laboratory  at  Cleveland,  to  attain  speeds 
of  1,400,  1,800,  and  2,600  mph  with  vari- 
ous sized  throats. 

:  German  Heinkel  He-162  Salaman- 
der or  "Volksjaeger"  jet  fighter  appeared 
operationally,  while  the  prototype  of  a 
heavy  jet  bomber  appeared  in  the  Junkers 
Ju-287  (four-engine)  with  auxiliary  take- 
off rockets,  sweptforward  wings,  speed 
over  550  mph,  and  bomb  load  of  8,800 
pouuds. 

Etid  of  1945:  Increase  in  speed  of  re- 
ciprocating-engined  fighter  aircraft  by 
300  to  400  mph  between  World  War  I  and 
World  War  II  (speed  being  only  one 
military  criterion)  was  estimated  to  be 
75  percent  gain  because  of  increased 
horsepower,  25  percent  from  aerodynamic 
imi^rovement. 

:  Dr.  Jerome  C.  Hunsaker  pointed 

out  that  U.S.  aeronautical  research  effort 
during  World  War  II  was  based  upon 
short-range  policy  of  about  90  percent 
for  specific  development  problems  ap- 
plied to  help  win  the  war  and  10  percent 
on  basic  research  to  gain  needed  knowl- 
edge. The  national  research  effort  has 
"concentrated  on  the  improvement  of  air- 
craft in  the  production  program." 


1946 


January  2:  Special  investigation  of  high- 
temperature  aluminium  alloys  begun  by 
J.  C.  McGee,  Wright  Field  engineer, 
which  led  by  June  1947  to  useful  alloy 
known  as  "ML,"  named  after  the  Mate- 
rials Laboratory. 


January  10:  An  Army  R-5,  demonstrated 
by  C.  A.  Moeller  and  D.  D.  Viner,  set  an 
unofficial  world  helicopter  record  by 
climbing  to  21,000  feet  at  Stratford, 
Conn. 


52 


January  16:  U.S.  upper  atmosphere  re- 
search program  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  tired  before  the  sup- 
ply ran  out.  The  Applied  Physics  Lab- 
oratory of  Johns  Hopkins  University 
then  undertook  to  develop  a  medium- 
altitude  rocket,  the  Aerobee,  while  the 
Naval  Research  Laboratory  (NRL)  di- 
rected its  efforts  to  the  development  of 
a  large  high-altitude  rocket,  tirst  called 
the  Neptune,  later  the  Viking. 

January  19:  First  glide  flight  of  AAF- 
NACA  XS-1  rocket  research  airplane 
(No.  1  of  the  original  three  X-l's  built), 
by  Jack  Woolams,  Bell  Aircraft  test 
pilot,  at  Pinecastle  Army  Air  Base,  Fla. 

January  26:  Army  announced  creation  by 
AAF  of  the  First  Experimental  Guided 
Missiles  Group  to  develop  and  test  rocket 
missiles  at  Eglin  Field,  Fla. 

:    Naval    Aviation    Ordnance    Test 

Station  was  established  at  NAAS  Chinco- 
teague  to  develop  aviation  ordnance  and 
guided  missiles. 

During  January:  First  missile  launched 
at  Naval  Air  Facility,  Point  Mugu,  Calif., 
a  KVW-1  Loon,  USN  name  for  AAF 
robot  bomb  (JB-2)  modeled  on  the 
German  V-1. 

Fel)ruary  3:  Development  of  a  plane  with 
automatic  devices  to  preset  takeoff, 
flight,  and  landing,  with  the  pilot  doing 
nothing  except  monitoring  the  equip- 
ment, disclosed  by  AAF. 

February  19:  S.  Paul  Johnston  appointed 
Director  of  the  IAS  to  replace  Lester  D. 
Gardner,  retiring  after  15  years  of 
service. 

March  7:  BuAer  Committee  for  Evaluat- 
ing the  Feasibility  of  Space  Rocketry 
(CEFSR)  held  joint  meeting  with  AAF 
representatives  to  work  out  joint  satel- 
lite development  program  based  on  Bu- 
Aer proposal.  Nothing  resulted  until  a 
subsequent  Project  Rand  report  and 
Navy  CEFSR  proposal  were  presented  to 
RDB,  Committee  on  Guided  Missiles, 
Technical  Evaluation  Group  in  March 
1948. 

March  11:  First  successful  operation  of 
afterburner    at    altitude    conditions    in 


America,  in  Lewis  Altitude  Wind  Tun- 
nel, and  reported  by  Fleming  and  Dietz. 

March  12:  Chief  of  Naval  Operations  di- 
rected that  Glomb,  Gorgon  II-C,  and 
Little  Joe  guided  missiles  be  discontin- 
ued and  that  Gargoyle,  Gorgon  II-A,  and 
Dove  be  limited  to  test  and  research  ve- 
hicles. He  directed  that  Loon  be  con- 
tinued as  a  possible  interim  weapon,  the 
Bat  be  completed,  and  the  Kingfisher, 
Bumblebee,  and  Lark  be  continued  as 
high-priority  missile  developments. 

March  15:  First  American-assembled 
¥-2  static  fired  at  White  Sands  Proving 
Ground. 

March  22:  First  American  rocket  to  es- 
cape earth's  atmosphere,  the  JPL-Ord- 
nance  Wac,  reached  50-mile  height  after 
launch  from  WSPG. 

During  March:  Fleet  Adm.  William  D. 
Leahy  sent  memorandum  to  the  Secre- 
taries of  the  War  and  Navy  Departments 
on  a  national  program  for  development 
of  guided  missiles. 

:  AAF  established  Project  Rand  as 

separate  department  of  Douglas  Aircraft 
Co.  plant  at  Santa  Monica,  Calif.,  to 
study  supersonic  aircraft,  missiles,  and 
earth  satellites. 

:    Navy    successfully    flight    tested 

XSAM  Talos  surface-to-air  guided  mis- 
sile. 

:  USAAF  established  initial  program 

on  ballistic  missile  defense,  a  contract 
for  study  of  interceptor  weapon  to  cope 
with  V-2-type  missiles.  In  April  a  sec- 
ond contractor  began  study  of  defense 
against  true  ICBM. 

April  1:  Bell  Aircraft  Corp.  contracted 
with  the  AAF  (under  Project  MX-776) 
to  produce  a  100-mile  guided  missile 
(later  designated  the  Rascal). 

April  16:  First  flight  test  of  American- 
assembled  V-2  rocket  launched  by  the 
Army  at  White  Sands  Proving  Ground, 
N.  Alex.  In  July  firings,  Missiles  Nos. 
5  and  9  set  new  altitude  records  of 
slightly  over  100  miles,  while  Missile  17 
set  velocity  record  of  3,600  mph. 

April  17:  Army  Ground  Forces  submitted 
to  the  Guided  Missile  Committee  a  sum- 
mary of  its  program  on  antiaircraft, 
assault,  antiship,  air-launched  close  sup- 


592561—61- 


53 


1946 — Continued 


port,    and 
missiles. 


long-range    strategic    guided 


April  19:  Project  MX-774  inaugurated  by 
AAF  with  Cousolidated-Vultee  to  study 
rocket  capabilities  with  an  ICBM  as  a 
final  objective. 

April  22:  Glenn  L.  Martin  Co.  contracted 
with  the  AAF  to  produce  (under  Project 
MX-771)  a  surface-to-surface  gniided 
missile  (later  designated  the  Matador). 

:  U.S.  Weather  Bureau  in  coopera- 
tion with  Army,  Navy,  NACA,  Air  Trans- 
port Association,  and  several  universi- 
ties, began  series  of  flights  into  thunder- 
storms with  pilotless  P-61  "Black 
Widows"  and  piloted  sailplanes  to  obtain 
scientific  data. 

May  8:  Chief  of  Naval  Operations  di- 
rected BuAer  to  make  preliminary  in- 
vestigation of  earth  satellite  vehicle, 
such  an  investigation  to  "contribute  to 
the  advancement  of  knowledge  in  the 
field  of  guided  missiles,  communications, 
meteorology,  and  other  technical  fields 
with  military  applications." 

May  16:  AAF  established  an  Institute  of 
Technology  at  Wright  Field  to  graduate 
350  officers  annually. 

May  17:  Original  design  and  development 
of  Aerobee  sounding  rocket  begun  when 
contract  was  given  to  Aerojet  Engineer- 
ing Corp. 

:  First  flight  of  Douglas  XB-43,  light 

jet-propelled  bomber. 

May  28:  AAF  initiated  study  of  use  of 
atomic  propulsion  for  aircraft,  Project 
NEPA. 

May  29:  War  Department  Equipment 
Board  concluded  in  its  report  that  mis- 
siles would  play  a  prominent  role  in 
future  warfare.  It  established  require- 
ments for  seven  types  of  missiles,  in- 
cluding a  strategic  ground-to-ground 
missile  for  use  at  ranges  from  150  to 
several  thousand  miles. 

June  6:  Joint  Army- Navy  Research  and 
Development  Board  created  for  purpose 
of  coordinating  all  activities  of  joint  in- 


terest in  fields  of  aeronautics,  atomic 
enei'gy,  electronics,  geographical  explora- 
tion, geophysical  sciences,  and  guided 
missiles. 

June  Iff:  Navy  established  Naval  Ord- 
nance Missile  Test  Center  at  WSPG. 

June  17:  First  meeting  of  the  AAF  Scien- 
tific Advisory  Board  met  in  the  Pentagon, 
chaired  by  Theodore  von  Karman. 

June  19:  NACA  Langley's  PARD 
launched  first  successful  control-surface 
research  vehicle  at  Wallops  Island  for 
evaluating  controllability  with  a  roll  rate 
transmitter  and  Doppler  radar. 

:  AAF  contracted  with  Sverdrup  & 

Parcel,  Inc.,  for  study  utility  and  cost 
requirements,  and  site  surveys  for  both 
an  AAF  Air  Engineering  Development 
Center,  and  a  NACA  National  Scientific 
Research  Center. 

June  24 :  Office  of  Naval  Research  ap- 
proved program  for  high-altitude  manned 
flight.  Project  Helios,  based  upon  con- 
cept presented  by  Jean  Piccard  in  Feb- 
ruary for  using  clustered  plastic 
balloons. 

During  June:  First  U.S.  airborne  infra- 
red tests  by  US  AAF. 

July  6:  Antiaircraft  and  Guided  Missile 
Center  activated  at  Fort  Bliss,  Tex. 

July  9:  Subcommittee  of  the  Guided  Mis- 
siles Committee  of  the  JCS  recommended 
that  location  be  sought  for  a  long-range 
missile  proving  ground. 

July  21:  First  U.S.  all  turbojet  to  operate 
from  an  aircraft  carrier,  a  McDonnell 
XFD-1  "Phantom"  from  the  U.S.S. 
Franklin  D.  Roosevelt. 

August  2:  National  Air  Museum  was  es- 
tablished under  the  Smithsonian  Institu- 
tion by  act  of  Congress. 

August  6:  Two  unmanned  B-17  drones 
flown  from  Ililo,  Hawaii,  to  Muroc,  Calif. 

August  8:  First  flight  of  the  XB-36,  the 
development  of  which  had  begun  in  1941. 

August  17:  Sergeant  Lambert  of  Wright 
Field,  Ohio,  became  the  first  person  in 


54 


the  United  States  to  be  ejected  from  an 
airplaue  by  means  of  emergency  escape 
equipment  (ejected  from  a  P-Gl  air- 
plane traveling  302  miles  per  hour  at  an 
altitude  of  7,800  feet). 

August  26:  Army  Ground  Forces  in- 
formed Chief  of  Staff  that  development 
of  certain  missiles  had  reached  a  point 
where  an  assignment  of  operational  re- 
sponsibility was  possible. 

September  11:  Experimental  booster  for 
Nike  R&D  system  first  tested  at  WSPG. 

September  30:  13  engineers,  instrument 
technicians,  and  technical  observers  were 
ordered  TDY  from  Langley  Laboratory 
to  the  Air  Force  test  facility  at  Muroc, 
Calif.,  to  assist  in  the  X-1  flight  re- 
search program.  Named  as  the  NACA 
Muroc  Flight  Test  Unit,  this  group  un- 
der Walter  Williams  was  the  origin  of 
the  NASA  Flight  Research  Center  at 
Edwards,  Calif. 

October  1:  Naval  Air  Missile  Test  Center, 
Point  Mugu,  Calif.,  was  established  to 
conduct  tests  and  evaluations  of  guided 
missiles  and  components. 

:   Navy  Lockheed  PV-2,   Truculent 

Turtle,  set  a  record  of  nonstop  long-dis- 
tance flight,  completing  an  11,236-mile 
trip  from  Perth,  Australia,  to  Columbus, 
Ohio,  in  55  hours  15  minutes. 

October  7:  First  of  three  XS-1  (later 
X-1)  rocket  research  airplanes  moved 
from  Bell  Aircraft's  Niagara  Falls  plant 
to  Muroc,  Calif. 

October  11:  First  glide  flight  of  XS-1 
(No.  2)  by  Chalmers  Goodlin,  Bell  test 
pilot,  at  Muroc,  Calif. 

October  2',:  V-2  rocket  No.  13  launched 
from  WSPG  carried  camera  which  took 
motion  pictures  of  the  earth  at  approx- 
imately 65  miles  altitude  (pictures 
covered  40,000  square  miles) . 

During  October:  Army  Ordnance  ini- 
tiated Bumper  Project  for  development 
leading  to  a  two-stage  rocket  test  vehicle, 
which  resulted  in  use  of  JPL  WAC  Cor- 
poral as  second  stage  of  a  V-2. 

During  Fall:  Reaction  Motors  began  de- 
sign and  development  of  rocket  engine 
for  the  Navy  Viking  sounding  rocket. 


During  November:  First  snow  from  a 
natural  cloud  produced  by  V.  Schaefer 
of  General  Electric,  the  experiment  car- 
ried out  by  means  of  dry-ice  pellets 
dropped  from  a  plane  over  Greylock 
Mountain,  Mass. 

December  8:  First  successful  powered 
(RMI  XLR-11  rocket  engine)  flight  of 
an  XS-1,  flown  by  Chalmers  Goodlin, 
Bell  test  pilot,  reached  a  speed  of  550 
mph.  This  was  first  U.S.  aircraft  de- 
signed for  supersonic  speeds. 

December  17:  Space  biological  research 
program  was  initiated  at  Holloman  AFB, 
N.  Mex.,  by  the  National  Institutes  of 
Health. 

:   Velocity   and  altitude  record  for 

single-stage  rocket  (3,600  mph  and  116 
miles  altitude)  made  by  V-2  at  WSPG. 

During  19^6:  Signal  Corps  by  radio-echo 
transmissions  between  the  Earth  and  the 
Moon,  proved  radio  transmission  across 
space  was  feasible  with  moderate  power. 

:  Jet  Propulsion  Laboratory  under 

Army  Ordnance  contract  developed  the 
field  of  solid-propellant  rocketry  such  as 
castable  propellants,  case  bonding  tech- 
niques,  and  radial   burning   techniques. 

:  Daniel  Guggenheim  Medal  for  1946 

awarded  to  Frank  Whittle  for  develop- 
ment of  jet  propulsion  engines. 

:  Program  of  transonic  and  hyper- 
sonic free-flight  research  on  ramjet  and 
rocket-propelled  test  vehicles  launched 
from  piloted  aircraft  inaugurated  at 
NACA  Lewis  Laboratory. 

:  Commandant  of  the  School  of  Avia- 
tion Medicine,  Col.  H.  G.  Armstrong,  and 
the  AAF  Air  Surgeon,  Brig.  Gen.  M.  C. 
Grow,  proposed  establishment  of  aero- 
medical  center  for  research  and  teaching. 

:  OflSce  of  Naval  Research  contracted 

with  General  Mills  for  construction  of  a 
cluster  of  100  plastic  balloons  for  high 
altitude  atmosphere  research  (Project 
Helios). 

During  19Jf6-Jf7:  Transonic  bump  tech- 
nique— using  floor-  or  wall-mounted  air- 
foil surface  in  subsonic  wind  tunnel  to  get 
transonic  flow — developed  in  7-  by  10-foot 
wind  tunnel  at  NACA  Langley  Labora- 


55 


1946 — Continued 

tory.  A  similar  developmeni;  was  con- 
ducted by  Lockheed  in  the  California  Co- 
operative Tunnel  during  the  same  period. 
This  technique  was  a  logical  step  from 
the  earlier  wing-flow  technique  developed 


by  the  Langley  Flight  Research  Division, 
and  it  permitted  testing  in  the  range  of 
Mach  numbers  from  low  subsonic  to  Mach 
1.2  until  the  slotted-throat  transonic  tun- 
nel was  developed  and  put  into  operation 
at  Langley  2  years  later. 


1947 


January  8:  First  experimental  operation 
of  model  slotted-throat  wind  tunnel. 
Langley  Laboratory's  Ray  H.  Wright, 
working  theoretically,  and  Vernon  G. 
Ward,  working  experimentally  with  a 
parasite  tunnel  attached  to  the  Langley 
16-foot  high-speed  tunnel,  collaborated 
in  an  effort  that  resulted  in  establishment 
of  transonic  flow  with  the  use  of  longi- 
tudinal slots  in  the  walls  of  the  throat 
of  a  conventional  subsonic  tunnel. 
Known  as  the  slotted-throat  technique, 
first  major  installation  was  made  in  the 
Langley  8-foot  subsonic  high-speed  tunnel 
in  December  1949,  a  breakthrough  in  wind 
tunnel  technique. 

January  23:  Telemetry  operated  success- 
fully in  a  V-2  firing  at  WSPG,  Army 
Ordnance's  Hermes  telemetry  system. 

February  5:  President  Truman  directed 
that  production  of  nuclear  weapons  con- 
tinue, following  the  recommendations  of 
the  AEC  and  the  Secretaries  of  War  and 
Navy. 

February  12:  Navy  Loon  launched  from 
submarine  Ciisk  at  Point  Mugu,  first 
launching  of  a  guided  missile  from  a 
submarine. 

February  17:  Wac  Corporal  (WAC-B), 
fired  from  WSPG,  attained  an  altitude  of 
240,000  feet. 

February  20:  First  of  a  series  of  V-2  fir- 
ings (No.  20)  known  as  Blossom  Project, 
tested  ejection  of  canister  and  its  re- 
covery by  parachute,  containing  fruit 
flies  and  various  types  of  seeds  exposed 
to  cosmic  rays. 

March  4:  Air  operations  in  the  Antarctic 
known  as  Operation  Highjump  ended. 
From  December  24,  1946,  Navy  PBM's 
and  R4D's  logged  650  hours  in  photo- 


graphic mapping  of  1,500,000  square  miles 
of  the  interior  and  5,500  miles  of  the 
coastline,  the  equivalent  of  about  half  the 
area  of  the  United  States  and  its  entire 
coastline. 

March  6:  First  four-engine  jet  bomber, 
the  XB^5  built  by  North  American,  made 
first  test  fiight  at  Muroc,  Calif.,  with 
George  Krebs  as  pilot.  Its  engines  were 
arranged  in  pairs  in  single  nacelles  in 
each  wing. 

3Iarch  7:  USN  V-2  flight  from  WSPG  tools 
first  photograph  at  100-mile  altitude. 

During  March:  First  test  fiights  of  plas- 
tic balloons  conducted  by  General  Mills 
at  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  for  CNR  Project 
Helios. 

During  March:  AAF  transferred  facili- 
ties for  testing  guided  missiles  from 
Wendover  Field  in  Utah  and  Touopah  in 
Nevada,  to  Alamogordo  Field  (subse- 
quently renamed  Holloman  AFB)  in  New 
Mexico. 

Airril  15:  First  flight  of  Douglas  D-558-I 
research  airplane  successful,  Gene  May, 
Douglas  test  pilot,  as  pilot.  Airplane  de- 
veloped was  a  Navy-NACA  project  and 
three  were  built. 

April  24:  French  Government  established 
rocket  test  range  at  Colomb  Bechar,  Al- 
geria. 

April  25:  NACA  Langley's  PARD 
launched  its  first  rocket-propelled  model 
of  a  complete  airplane  for  performance 
evaluation  (AF  XF-91),  at  Wallops  Is- 
land. This  was  followed  by  flight  tests 
of  models  of  practically  all  Air  Force  and 
Navy  supersonic  airplanes. 

April  30:  Standard  system  of  designating 
guided   missiles   and  assigning   popular 


56 


names  was  adopted  by  the  Army  and 
Navy.  Basic  designation  adopted  was 
two-letter  combination  of  the  three  let- 
ters A  (Air),  S  (Surface),  U  (Under- 
water), the  first  letter  indicating  origin 
of  missile,  the  second  letter  its  objective, 
to  be  followed  by  the  letter  "M"  for  mis- 
sile. Thus  a  surface-to-air  missile  was 
designated  "SAM." 

During  April:  First  Deacon  rocket 
launched  at  Wallops  Island,  which 
achieved  a  velocity  of  4,200  feet  per  sec- 
ond. 

May  21:  NACA  Langley  Laboratory  dem- 
onstrated practically  noiseless  airplane 
with  five-bladed  propellor  and  muffled  ex- 
haust. 

May  27:  Army  Corporal  E,  first  U.S.  sur- 
face-to-surface ballistic  guided  missile, 
was  fired  with  results  exceeding  expecta- 
tions (a  JPL  project). 

May  29:  V-2  impacted  l^/^  miles  south  of 
Juarez,  Mexico,  resulting  in  new  safety 
measures  at  WSPG. 

June  5:  First  AAF  research  balloon 
launch  (a  cluster  of  rubber  balloons) 
at  Holloman,  by  New  York  University 
team  under  contract  with  Air  Material 
Command. 

June  17:  Princeton  University  started 
construction  of  4,000-mph  wind  tunnel. 

June  19:  World  speed  record  regained  by 
United  States  when  P-80R  flown  by  Col. 
Albert  Boyd  attained  623.8  mph  at  Muroc, 
Calif. 

June  30:  In  meeting  at  Wright-Patterson, 
AAF  and  NACA  representatives  agreed 
to  divide  responsibilities  for  X-1  flight 
testing:  AF  exploit  maximum  perform- 
ance in  a  few  flights ;  NACA  acquire 
detailed  research  information. 

July  1:  Contract  with  Convair  for  MX- 
774  "Upper  Air  Test  Vehicle,"  predeces- 
sor of  the  Atlas  ICBM,  was  cancelled  by 
the  AAF. 

July  3:  Start  of  polyethylene  balloon  op- 
erations at  Holloman,  a  10-balloon  cluster 
launched  by  New  York  University  staff 
with  a  payload  of  less  than  50  pounds, 
which  reached  an  altitude  of  18,500  feet. 


July  9:  Subsonic  ramjet  engine  success- 
fully flown  in  Navy  Gorgon  IV  (PTV-2) 
in  28-minute  flight  test  at  Naval  Air  Mis- 
sile Test  Center. 

July  18:  President  Truman  designated  a 
five-man  Air  Policy  Committee,  with 
Th(»mas  K.  Fiuletter  of  New  York  as 
Chairman,  to  submit  by  1  January  1948  a 
broad  plan  to  give  the  United  States  the 
"greatest  possible  benefits  from  aviation." 

July  26:  President  Truman  signed  the 
Armed  Forces  Unification  Act,  creating  a 
Department  of  the  Air  Force,  coequal 
with  Army  and  Navy,  and  creating  a  Na- 
tional Military  Establishment  under  the 
Secretary  of  Defense. 

During  July:  USAF  relinquished  respon- 
sibility for  Army's  missile  program  and 
Army  assigned  primary  responsibility 
for  it  to  Ordnance. 

:  Soviet  MiG-15  first  flew  but  engine 

performance  was  unsatisfactory,  a  prob- 
lem solved  with  purchase  of  55  British 
Derwent  V  and  Nene  (4,500-pound 
thrust)  engines,  first  placed  in  series  pro- 
duction, then  improved  with  the  RD-45 
engine  (5,000-pound  thrust)  and  the  VK- 
1  (6,000-pound  thrust)  engine. 

August  1-3:  Boeing  B-29  set  a  new  offi- 
cial world  "distance  in  a  closed-circuit 
record"  with  a  flight  of  8,854.308  miles, 
Lt.  Col.  O.  P.  Lassiter  as  pilot. 

August  8:  A.  L.  Berger  of  Wright  Field 
received  the  Thurman  H.  Bane  Award 
for  1947  for  work  in  developing  new 
types  of  high-temperature  ceramic  coat- 
ings for  use  in  aircraft  engines. 

August  16:  Physicist  Martin  Pomerantz 
announced  at  Swarthmore  College  that 
he  had  sent  a  flight  of  four  free  balloons, 
carrying  cosmic  ray  equipment,  to  a  rec- 
ord height  of  at  least  127,000  feet. 

August  20:  Comdr.  T.  Caldwell  (USN) 
flew  the  Douglas  D-558-I  (No.  1)  Sky- 
streak,  powered  by  a  General  Electric 
TG-180  turbojet,  to  a  new  world's  speed 
record  of  640.7  mjih.  Five  days  later 
Maj.  Marion  Carl,  USMC,  added  another 
10  mph  flying  D-558-I   (No.  2). 


57 


1947 — Continued 

August  22:  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Dryden  appointed 
Director  of  Aeronautical  Research  of  the 
NACA,  replacing  Dr.  George  W.  Lewis. 

September  2-6:  First  Joint  Technical 
Sessions  by  the  Royal  Aeronautical  So- 
ciety, Great  Britain,  and  the  Institute  of 
Aeronautical   Sciences,  held  in  London. 

September  6:  German  V-2  rocket 
launched  from  U.S.  aircraft  carrier  Mid- 
way in  Atlantic  tests,  exploding  prema- 
turely after  a  6-mile  flight. 

September  22:  Air  Force  C-54  completed 
first  transatlantic  robot-controlled  flight 
from  Stephenville,  Newfoundland,  to 
Brize  Norton,  England,  a  distance  of 
2,400  miles. 

September  25:  First  flight  under  ONR 
Project  Skyhook,  an  unmanned  plastic 
balloon,  from  St.  Cloud,  Minn. 

.•  First  successful  firing  of  Applied 

Physics  Laboratory  Aerobee  research 
rocket  at  White  Sands  Proving  Ground. 

September  26:  Maj.  Gen.  "William  E.  Kep- 
ner,  was  named  chief  of  the  new  atomic 
energy  division  of  the  USAF. 

September  30:  Research  and  Development 
Board  (RDB)  of  DOD  superseded  Joint 
Research  and  Development  Board,  with 
Vannevar  Bush  named  as  Chairman. 

During  Septem'ber:  After  completing 
studies.  Project  Rand  reported  that  earth 
satellites  were  technically  feasible. 

October  1 :  First  flight  of  the  North  Amer- 
ican XF-86  Sabre  Jet,  classic  swept- 
wing  USAF  fighter  aircraft  until  the 
Century  series. 

October  9:  General  Electric  engineers 
obtained  first  carefully  instrumented 
heat-transfer  data  from  supersonic  flight 
when  V-2  fired  from  WSPG  attained 
3,400  mph. 

October  10:  U.S.  Patent  Office  issued 
patent  on  the  Norden  bombsight,  which 
Carl  L.  Norden  had  applied  for  17  years 
earlier. 

October  I4:  The  first  supersonic  flight  in 
manned  aircraft  in  level  or  climbing  flight 
was  made  by  Capt.  Charles  E.  Yeager 
(USAF)    at  Muroc,  Calif.,  in  a  rocket- 


powered  NACA-USAF  research  plane, 
Bell  XS-1,  later  the  X-1  (M=1.06). 

October  30:  Dr.  H.  J.  E.  Reid,  Engineer- 
in-Charge  of  the  Langley  Aeronautical 
Laboratory  (1926-60),  received  the 
Medal  of  Merit  from  President  Truman 
for  wartime  contributions  to  American 
airpower. 

During  October:  Committee  on  Guided 
Missiles  of  RDB  assigned  responsibility 
for  coordinating  work  on  earth  satellite 
program  which  had  been  conducted  in- 
dependently by  each  of  the  military 
services. 

November  I4:  First  complete  Aerobee 
rocket  was  fired  to  a  height  of  190,000 
feet  from  White  Sands  Proving  Ground, 
N.  Mex. 

November  15:  Air  Force  disclosed  that  the 
world's  first  ramjet  helicopter,  the 
McDonnell  Flying  Bike,  had  been  success- 
fully test  flown  for  6  months. 

November  26:  First  successful  hyper- 
sonic-flow wind  tunnel  (11  inch)  placed 
into  operation  at  March  7  at  Langley 
Laboratory. 

November  28:  Norton  Sound  was  assigned 
to  Operational  Development  Force  for 
use  as  an  experimental  rocket-firing  ship, 
alterations  initiated  at  Naval  Shipyard  at 
Philadelphia  in  March  1948,  and  com- 
pleted October  1,  1948. 

December  10:  Lt.  Col.  John  P.  Stapp 
(USAF  MC),  made  his  first  rocket-pro- 
pelled research  sled  ride. 

December  17:  USAF  Boeing  XB^7 
Stratojet  made  first  flight  from  Seattle  to 
Moses  Lake,  first  medium  turbojet 
bomber  and  the  first  with  engines  (six) 
mounted  on  pylons. 

During  1947:  USAF  SAM  initiated  study 
of  ecological  conditions  on  other  planets. 

:  During  a  Politburo  meeting  review- 
ing the  problem  of  developing  an  inter- 
continental ballistic  missile.  Premier 
Joseph  Stalin  reportedly  stated  that  a 
transatlantic  rocket  capable  of  hitting 
New  York  City  "would  make  it  easier  to 
talk  with  the  gentleman-shopkeeper, 
Harry  Truman,  and  keep  him  pinned 
down  where  we  want  him."  This  prob- 
ably reflected  the  high  priority  accorded 
large  rocket  development  in  the  U.S.S.R. 
at  this  time. 


58 


1948 


January  1:  President's  Finletter  Commis- 
sion submitted  its  conii)rehensive  report 
entitled  "Survival  in  tlie  Air  Age." 

January  4:  University  of  California  an- 
nounced completion  of  pilot  model  for 
low-pressure  supersonic  wind  tunnel, 
while  NACA  Ames  Aeronautical  Labora- 
tory placed  its  low-density  wind  tunnel 
into  operation  about  this  time. 

January  12:  Northrop  Aircraft  Co.  an- 
nounced that  rocket-powered  test  vehicles 
at  Muroc  Air  Base,  Calif.,  had  attained 
a  speed  of  1,019  mph. 

January  15:  Gen.  H.  S.  Vandenberg, 
Vice  Chief  of  Staff,  USAF,  approved 
policy  calling  for  development  of  earth 
satellite  components  and  the  initiation 
of  satellite  development  at  the  proper 
time. 

January  30:  Orville  Wright  died  in  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  at  the  age  of  76,  thus  ending 
his  28  years  as  a  member  of  the  NACA. 
In  his  lifetime,  the  speed  of  the  airplane 
had  been  increased  from  0  mph  to  almost 
1,000  mph. 

February  4-'  First  flight  of  research  air- 
plane Douglas  D-558-II  (No.  1),  John 
Martin  of  Douglas  as  pilot.  Airplane  had 
both  jet  and  rocket  engines  and  was  flown 
from  ground  takeoff. 

February  6:  Successful  electronic  flight 
control  exercised  on  V-2  launch  to  a  70- 
mile  altitude  at  White  Sands,  N.  Mex., 
by  General  Electric  technicians  for 
Army  Ordnance. 

March  //.-  NACA's  Flight  Research  Divi- 
sion pilot,  Herbert  H.  Hoover,  became 
the  first  civilian  to  fly  supersonic,  in  the 
XS-1  (No.  2)  at  Muroc,  Calif. 


March  6:  ONR  Aerobee  sounding 
attained  an  altitude  of  78  miles. 


rocket 


March  11-1^:  Key  West  Agreement  for- 
mulated by  military  service  chiefs  which 
delineated  respective  service  roles  and 
missions.  It  did  not  clearly  assign  mil- 
itary aeronautical  and  rocket  research 
and  development  responsibilities  to  the 


March  18:  ¥-2  Upper  Atmosphere  Re- 
search Panel,  representing  all  U.S.  inter- 
ested agencies,  was  renamed  the  Upper 
Atmosphere  Rocket  Research  Panel. 

March  29:  Technical  Evaluation  Group 
of  the  RDB,  Guided  Missiles  Committee, 
after  reviewing  Navy  CEFSR  and  USAF 
Project  Rand  satellite  proposals,  stated 
that  "neither  the  Navy  nor  the  USAF 
has  as  yet  established  either  a  military 
or  a  scientific  utility  commensurate  with 
the  presently  expected  cost  of  a  satellite 
vehicle.  However,  the  question  of  utility 
deserves  further  study  and  examination." 

May  2:  The  Navy  announced  successful 
testing  of  a  submarine  capable  of  firing 
guided  missiles. 

May  3:  Howard  C  Lilly  killed  in  takeoff 
of  D-588-I  (No.  2)  research  airplane  at 
Muroc,  the  first  NACA  test  pilot  killed 
in  line  of  duty. 

May  13:  Two-stage  Bumper-Wac  fired  at 
WSPG,  the  V-2  first  stage  reaching  70 
miles  and  the  Wac  Corporal  79-mile 
altitude. 

May  23:  Army  dedicated  a  continuous 
wind  tunnel  capable  of  3,000  mph  at 
Aberdeen,  Md. 

Sray  26:  First  North  American  NATIV 
missile  launched  at  WSPG. 

June  10:  Air  Force  confirmed  repeated 
attainment  of  supersonic  speeds  by  X-1 
(formerly  XS-1)  flown  by  Capt.  C.  E. 
Yeager. 

June  26:  Berlin  airlift  began,  which  con- 
tinued until  September  30,  1949,  al- 
though the  Russians  ended  their  blockade 
of  the  city  on  May  12,  1949.  2,343,000 
tons  of  supplies  were  airlifted  on  277,000 
flights. 

During  June:  William  H.  Phillips  of  the 
Lnngley  Flight  Research  Division  pub- 
lished NACA  report  (TN-1627)  which 
contained  theoretical  prediction  of  the 
then-not-recognized  problem  of  roll  cou- 
pling (sometimes  referred  to  as  "inertial 
coupling").  This  phenomenon  was  to 
plague  future  high-speed  aircraft   with 


59 


1948— Continued 

short  wings  and  long  fuselages,  and 
almost  9  years  passed  before  aerodynam- 
icists  were  to  use  Phillips'  theory  to 
explain  inertial  coupling  troubles. 

During  June:  Bell  Laboratories  an- 
nounced invention  of  the  transistor  of 
the  point-contact  type. 

July  13:  First  Convair  MX-774  (RTV- 
A-2)  test  rocket  was  successfully 
launched,  first  demonstrating  use  of  gim- 
balled  engines  and  design  features  later 
incorporated  in  the  Atlas  ICBM.  This 
was  the  first  of  three  Convair-sponsored 
test  flights. 

July  26:  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  pho- 
tographed the  curvature  of  the  earth. 

During  August:  Northrop  F-S9  Scorpion, 
an  all-weather  jet  fighter  with  electronic 
intercept  and  fire  control  begun  in  1946, 
first  flew. 

September  1:  An  XR-82  photographed  a 
2,700-mile  strip  of  the  United  States  from 
coast  to  coast  in  a  single  flight,  using 
390  individual  frames  and  325  feet  of  film. 

September  5:  Navy  JRM-2  Caroline  Mars 
carried  a  68,282-pound  cargo  from  Pa- 
tuxent  River,  Md.,  to  Cleveland,  the 
heaviest  payload  ever  lifted  by  an  air- 
craft. 

September  15:  Committee  on  Guided  Mis- 
siles of  the  Research  and  Development 
Board  approved  recommendation  that 
Army  Hermes  project  "be  given  the  task 
of  providing  the  National  Military  Estab- 
lishment with  a  continuing  analysis  of 
the  long-range  rocket  problem  as  an  ex- 
pansion of  their  task  on  an  earth  satel- 
lite vehicle." 

:  A  world  speed  record  of  671  mph  set 

by  Maj.  Richard  L.  Johnson,  USAF,  in 
F-86A  at  Muroc,  Calif. 

September  21:  Second  Corvair  MX-774 
test  rocket  fired. 

September  28:  An  Army  Signal  Corps  un- 
manned balloon,  released  at  Belmar,  N.J., 
set  a  140,000-foot  altitude  record. 


:  NACA  Flight  Propulsion  Research 

Laboratory  in  Cleveland  was  redesig- 
nated the  Lewis  Flight  Propulsion  Lab- 
oratory, in  memory  of  Dr.  George  W. 
Lewis  who  died  on  July  12,  1948. 

September  SO:  Third  Bumper-Wac  launch 
from  WSPG,  the  V-2  reaching  93.4  miles, 
the  Wac-Corporal  not  firing. 

During  September :  Delta-wing  Convair 
XF-92  first  flew,  the  precursor  of  the  F- 
102A. 

October  13:  First  launching  of  a  rocket- 
propelled  "flying  wind  tunnel"  model  by 
NACA  Langley's  PARD  at  Wallops  Is- 
land, to  measure  roll  damping  of  wings 
at  transonic  speeds. 

October  19:  Photographs  of  the  earth's 
surface  taken  from  altitudes  between  60 
and  70  miles  by  cameras  installed  in 
rockets,  were  released  by  the  Navy. 

October  31:  The  Air  Force  revealed  the 
use  of  ramjet  engines  for  the  first  time  on 
piloted  aircraft,  a  modified  F-80. 

November  J^:  USAF  announced  forma- 
tion of  the  Rand  Corp.,  successor  to  Proj- 
ect Rand,  to  assemble  most  advanced 
scientific,  technical,  industrial,  and  mili- 
tary knowledge  available  and  bring  it  to 
bear  on  major  Air  Force  decisions. 

November  10-12:  The  first  symposium 
on  aeromedical  problems  of  space  travel 
was  held  at  the  School  of  Aviation  Medi- 
cine, San  Antonio,  Tex. 

November  22:  The  Wright  Kitty  Hawk 
airplane  arrived  at  the  Smithsonian  In- 
stitution, Washington,  D.G.,  after  20 
years  in  the  South  Kensington  Museum, 
London. 

November  30:  Curtiss- Wright  demon- 
strated its  new  reversible-pitch  propellers 
which  enabled  a  C-54  to  make  a  con- 
trolled descent  from  15,000  to  1,000  feet 
in  1  minute  22  seconds. 

December  2:  Third  Convair  MX-774  test 
missile  successfully  fired. 

December  11:  Secretary  of  Defense 
established  Weapons  Systems  Evaluation 
Group. 

December  13:  Secretary  of  Defense  Louis 
Johnson  directed  a  review  of  military 


60 


missile  programs,  under  tlie  aegis  of  Air 
Force  Secretary  Stuart  Symington. 

December  14:  Jet  Propulsion  Centers 
established  at  Princeton  University  and 
the  California  Institute  of  Technology 
by  the  Daniel  and  Florence  Guggenheim 
Foundation  to  provide  research  facilities 
and  graduate  training  for  qualified  young 
scientists  and  engineers  in  rocketry  and 
astronautics.  Robert  H.  Goddard  Chairs 
were  established  at  each  center. 

December  16:  First  flight  of  tailless 
X-4  (No.  1)  research  airplane  completed, 
Northrop  test  pilot  Charles  Tucker  as 
pilot.  Two  X^'s  were  built  by  Northrop 
and  some  60  research  flights  were  made 
by  NACA  at  Muroc  with  the  X-4  (No.  2) 
after  about  a  dozen  Air  Force  flights. 


December  29:  The  first  report  of  the 
Secretary  of  Defense,  James  Forrestal, 
reported  that  the  United  States  had  been 
engaged  in  research  on  an  earth  satellite. 
The  Report  of  the  Executive  Secretary 
of  the  Research  and  Development  Board, 
contained  as  an  appendix,  stated :  "The 
Earth  Satellite  Vehicle  Program,  which 
was  being  carried  out  independently  by 
each  military  service,  was  assigned  to 
the  Committee  on  Guided  Missiles  for 
coordination." 

During  19.'fS:  First  turboprop  airliner 
flown,  the  Vickers  Viscount. 

:  Human  Centrifuge  became  opera- 
tional at  Aero  Medical  Laboratory  at 
Wright  Field. 


1949 


January  7:  X-1,  flown  by  Capt.  Charles 
E.  Yeager,  climbed  23,000  feet  after 
launch,  at  record  rate  of  13,000  feet  per 
minute,  at  Muroc. 

January  11:  First  launching  of  a  rocket 
model  employing  known  but  nonaerody- 
namic  torque  from  canted  rocket  nozzles, 
for  determining  damping  in  roll  of  wings, 
at  NACA's  Wallops  Island,  Va. 

January  26:  First  gnided-missile  test 
ship,  U.S.S.  Norton  Sound,  launched  its 
first  missile,  a  Loon,  off  XAMTC,  Point 
Mugu,  Calif. 

During  January:  Army  established 
formal  requirement  for  a  surface-to-air 
missile  system  to  combat  ballistic  mis- 
siles. 

February  9:  The  Deportment  of  Space 
Medicine  was  estai)lished  at  the  School 
of  Aviation  Medicine,  Randolph  AFB, 
Tex. 

February  2//:  An  Army  JPL  Bumper-Wac 
two-stage  rocket  (a  Wac  Corporal 
mounted  f)n  a  V-2  first  stage)  attained 
a  record  altitude  of  244  miles  and  record 
speed  of  5,ir)0  miles  per  Imur  over  White 
Sands,  N.  Mex.,  yielding  information 
about  ion  densities  in  the  F-region  of 
the  ionosphere. 


March  2:  At  Carswell  Air  Force  Base, 
Tex.,  USAF  Boeing  B-50,  Lucky  Lady  II, 
with  Capt.  James  Gallagher  as  pilot, 
completed  the  first  nonstop,  round-the- 
world  flight  in  history,  having  covered 
23,452  miles  in  94  hours  1  minute,  and 
having  been  refueled  in  the  air  over  the 
Azores,  Arabia,  the  Philippines,  and 
Hawaii. 

March  4:  Navy  flying  boat.  Caroline 
Mars,  set  new  world  passenger-load  rec- 
ord by  carrying  260  persons  from  San 
Diego  to  San  Francisco. 

March  12:  Developn)ent  of  a  multichan- 
nel telemetering  system  announced  by 
the  Navy. 

March  16:  First  experimental  track-type 
landing  gear  delivered  to  USAF,  received 
by  314th  Trooi)  Carrier  Wing  from  Fair- 
child  Aviation  Corp.  for  installation  on 
C-82  aircraft. 

March  25:  New  world  helicopter  speed 
record  of  133.0  mph  at  Niagara  Falls, 
N.Y.,  claimed  by  XH-12  of  Bell  Aircraft 
Co. 

March  26:  USAF  B-36  with  six  recipro- 
cating and  four  jet  engines  made  first  test 
flight  at  Forth  Worth,  Tex. 

March  SO:  The  President  signed  a  bill 
providing  for  construction  of  a  '•perma- 


61 


1949— Continued 

neut"  radar  defense  network  for  the 
United  States. 

During  March:  Concept  of  launching  of 
small  high-performance  rockets  sus- 
pended from  a  balloon  above  most  of  the 
atmosphere  (later  called  "Rockoons"), 
developed  by  Cmdr.  Lee  Lewis,  Cmdr.  G. 
Halvorson,  S.  F.  Singer,  and  J.  A.  Van 
Allen  during  Aerobee  firing  cruise  of 
U.S.S.  Norton  Sound. 

April  8:  First  successful  rocket-propelled 
RM-10  research  missile  for  drag  and  heat 
transfer  studies  at  transonic  and  super- 
sonic speeds,  making  use  of  skin  calorim- 
eter techniques,  at  Wallops  Island,  Va. 

April  21:  First  European  flight  of  air- 
craft powered  solely  with  ramjet  engine 
made  in  France,  an  air-launched  Leduc 
which  flew  for  12  minues.  Rene  Leduc 
had  worked  with  ramjet  design  since 
1935. 

May  3:  Naval  Research  Laboratory's 
Martin  Viking  rocket  No.  1  flred  at  White 
Sands  Proving  Ground,  N.  Mex.,  reached 
an  altitude  of  51 14  miles  and  a  speed 
of  2,250  mph ;  its  payload  contained 
upper  air  pressure  and  temperature 
experiments. 

:     President     Truman     approved 

amendments  to  the  basic  legislation  of 
1915  covering  "Rules  and  Regulations 
for  the  Conduct  of  the  Work  of  the  Na- 
tional Advisory  Committee  for  Aeronau- 
tics," a  basic  statement  of  organizational 
responsibilities. 

May  11:  President  Truman  signed  a  bill 
providing  a  5,000-mile  guided-missile  test 
range,  which  was  subsequently  estab- 
lished at  Cape  Canaveral,  Fla. 

May  13:  Prototype  of  British  Canberra 
medium  jet  bomber  first  flown,  at  Warton, 
England. 

May  2^-26:  Second  International  Confer- 
ence on  Aeronautics,  combining  the  Royal 
Aeronautical  Society  and  the  Institute  of 
Aeronautical  Sciences,  held  in  New  York. 

During  May:  Single-stage  Russian  rocket 
attained  an  altitude  of  68  miles  with  an 
instrument  payload  of  264  to  286  pounds, 
according  to  Tass,  March  27,  1958. 


:  Pratt  &  Whitney  submitted  speci- 
fications for  XJ57-P-1  turbojet  engine, 
basic  design  for  which  had  begun  in  1947 
and  for  which  production  began  in  Febru- 
ary 1953.  The  J57  ultimately  powered 
the  B-52,  YB-60,  F-lOO,  F-101,  YF-105A, 
KC-135,  Boeing  707,  F4D,  and  A3D,  as 
well  as  the  SNARK  (SM-62)  missile. 

:  NACA  Ames  Aeronautical  Labora- 
tory completed  a  10-  by  14-inch  super- 
sonic wind  tunnel  with  top  Mach  number 
of  5,  later  increased  to  6.3. 

June  9:  First  use  of  small  pulse  rockets 
in  flight  as  disturbing  impulse  for  evalua- 
tion of  dynamic  stability  in  a  model  of  the 
Rascal  missile,  at  NACA's  Wallops 
Island. 

June  H:  Second  V-2  flight  carrying  a 
live  AF  Aero  Medical  Laboratory  monkey, 
Albert  II,  attained  an  altitude  of  83 
miles ;  the  monkey  survived  but  died  on 
impact. 

June  21:  Naval  Ordnance  Laboratory 
(NOL)  at  White  Oak,  Md.,  dedicated 
new  aeroballistic  facilities,  which  in- 
cluded supersonic  and  hypersonic  wind 
tunnels  (up  to  Mach  10)  and  the  first 
pressurized  ballistic  range. 

During  June:  NACA's  first  hovering 
flights  of  a  simplified  propeller  vertical 
takeoff  landing  (VTOL)  airplane  model 
conducted  at  Langley  Laboratory. 

August  8:  First  operational  emergency 
use  of  T-1  partial  pressure  suit  by  Maj. 
F.  K.  Everest  (USAF)  in  X-1  aircraft  at 
69,000  feet ;  suit's  automatic  operation 
saved  pilot  and  aircraft. 

August  9:  First  use  in  United  States  of 
a  pilot  ejection  seat,  by  Lt.  J.  L.  Fruin 
(USN),  from  F2H-1  Banshee  while 
making  over  500  knots  near  Waterboro, 

S.C. 

During  August:  Wernher  von  Braun 
named  an  Honorary  Fellow  of  the  British 
Interplanetary  Society. 

October  1:  Long-Range  Proving  Ground 
at  Cape  Canaveral  was  activated. 

October  21:  The  Unitary  Wind  Tunnel 
Act  (63  Stat.  936)  authorized  the  con- 
struction of  $136  million  of  new  NACA 
facilities,  $10  million  for  wind  tunnels 


62 


at  universities,  $6  million  for  a  wind 
tunnel  at  the  David  W.  Taylor  Model 
Basin,  and  $100  million  for  tbe  establish- 
ment of  the  Air  Force  Arnold  Engineer- 
ing Development  Center,  at  TuUahoma, 
Tenn.,  in  recognition  of  the  fact  that 
industry  could  not  subsidize  expensive 
wind  tunnels  for  research  in  transonic 
and  supersonic  flight. 

November  3:  Charles  B.  Moore  (General 
Mills)  made  first  manned  flight  in  a 
polyethelene  balloon  over  Minneapolis 
Minn. 

Navcmbcr  10:  Piasecki  HRP-2  passenger 
transport  helicopter  made  first  flights. 

November  21:  USAF  Sikorsky  H-19  12- 
place  helicopter  made  first  test  flight. 

November  22:  D-558-II  Skyrocket  ex- 
ceeded the  speed  of  sound  at  Edwards 
AFB,  Calif.  It  was  powered  by  both  a 
Westinghouse  J-34  turbojet  engine  and  a 
Reaction  Motors,  Inc.  rocket  motor. 

December  1:  Supersonic  wind  tunnel, 
capable  of  3,000-mph  speeds,  was  dedi- 
cated at  MIT. 

December  2:  First  firing  of  USAF  Aero- 
bee  research  rocket  (RTV-A-la)  at  Hol- 
loman  AFB,  the  development  of  which 
was  initiated  earlier  in  the  year. 

December  12:  Last  monkey,  Albert  IV, 
launched  in  V-2  series  of  tests  at  WSPG, 
a  successful  flight  indicating  no  ill  effects 
on  monkey  until  impact  of  V-2. 

December  22:  North  American  YF-86D 
completed  first  flight  test  at  Edwards 
AFB. 

December  25:  Air  Force  revealed  develop- 
ment of  stupalith,  a  ceramic  which  con- 


tracts when  heated  and  expands  when 
cooled,  and  which  can  stand  heat  of 
2,000°,  used  on  jet  and  rocket  engines. 

December  28:  USAF  reported  that  2-year 
investigation  had  found  that  there  was 
no  such  thing  as  a  "flying  saucer"  and 
that  Project  Saucer  at  Wright-Patterson 
AFB  had  been  discontinued. 

During  December:  First  continuous  tran- 
sonic flow  established  in  NACA's  Langley 
8-foot  high-sijeed  wind  tunnel  with  use 
of  slotted-throat  technique.  (See  Janu- 
ary 8, 1947. )  This  was  a  major  milestone 
in  wind-tunnel  technique. 

During  1949:  USAF  Advisory  Committee 
headed  by  Louis  N.  Ridenour  recom- 
mended that  Air  Force  research  and  de- 
velopment be  consolidated  into  a  single 
command. 

:  First  "probe  and  drogue"  method 

of  contact  aerial  refueling  performed  in 
England  (developed  by  Flight  Refuel- 
ling, Ltd.).  Early  in  year  the  USAF  had 
issued  requirement  for  development  of  a 
refueling  method  other  than  loop  hose 
for  use  with  single-seat  jet  fighter  air- 
craft. After  the  nonstop  round-the- 
world  flight  of  the  B-29  Lucky  Lady 
using  the  Boeing  loop-hose  method  in 
March,  Boeing  developed  the  "boom 
technique." 

:  Complete  fixed-component  com- 
bined loads  testing  machine  was  com- 
pleted and  operated  at  NACA  Langley 
Laboratory,  remaining  in  use  through 
1960.  It  was  first  machine  capable  of 
applying  forces  along  each  of  three  axes 
and  moments  about  those  axes  (positive 
and  negative),  in  any  combination  of 
forces  and  moments,  each  applied 
independently. 


1950 


January  10:  U.S.S.  Norton  Sound  began 
19-day  firing  cruise  in  Alaskan  waters, 
launching  two  Aerobees,  one  Lark  and 
one  Loon.  Eight  scientists  connected 
with  Aerobee  upper  atmosphere  research 
program  and  Army,  Navy,  and  Air  Force 
observers  made  the  cruise. 


January  13:  First  successful  automatic 
homing  flight  of  Navy  Lark  (XSAM- 
N— 4)  launched  at  NAMTC,  making  simu- 
lated interception  at  a  range  of  17,300 
yards  at  an  altitude  of  7,400  feet. 

January  23:  USAF  established  the  Air 


63 


1950— Continued 

Research  and  Development  Command 
(ARDC). 

January  29:  Remains  of  Wac  Corporal 
which  reached  250-mile  altitude  on  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1949,  found  on  desert  near 
WSPG. 

January  30:  President  Truman  an- 
nounced his  decision  to  go  ahead  on  the 
hydrogen  bomb  development  program. 

During  January:  Contractor  study 
launched  by  USAF  which  led  to  Bomarc 
interceptor  missile. 

February  9:  Navy's  Martin  Viking  No.  3 
successfully  launched  to  50-mile  altitude 
from  White  Sands. 

February  10:  Secretary  of  the  Air  Force 
directed  that  the  Air  Engineering  De- 
velopment Center  be  renamed  the  Arnold 
Engineering  Development  Center  in 
honor  of  the  late  General  of  the  Air 
Force,  Henry  H.  Arnold. 

February  17:  V-2  reached  an  altitude  of 
92  miles  in  launch  from  WSPG. 

March  2:  First  full-thrust  test  of  75,000- 
pound  liquid  rocket  engine  for  the  Nav- 
aho  (XLR43-NA-1)  conducted  by  North 
American  at  Santa  Susana,  Calif. 

March  3:  Symposium  on  space  medicine 
held  by  the  University  of  Illinois  at  its 
Professional  Colleges  in  Chicago. 

March  15:  The  Joint  Chiefs  of  Staff,  in  a 
basic  decision  on  guided-missile  roles  and 
missions,  gave  the  USAF  formal  and  ex- 
clusive responsibility  for  strategic  guided 
missiles. 

March  2-'/:  First  successful  ramjet  re- 
search model  flown  at  Wallops  Island  by 
NACA  Langley's  PARD. 

Diirinff  March:  Radiobiological  Labora- 
tory established  at  Austin,  Tex.,  by  the 
USAF  School  of  Aviation  Medicine  and 
the  University  of  Texas. 

:  Hypersonic  wind  tunnel  became  op- 
erational at  Wright-Patterson  AFB. 

A  pril  1 :  Missile  staff  headed  by  Wernher 
von  Braun  was  moved  from  White  Sands 


to  Army  Ordnance's  Redstone  Arsenal, 
Huntsville,  Ala. 

May  3:  Submarine  Cusk  launched  a  Loon 
guided  missile  and  after  submerging, 
tracked  and  controlled  its  flight  to  a 
range  of  105  miles. 

May  10:  President  Truman  signed  legisla- 
tion creating  the  National  Science  Foun- 
dation. 

May  11:  NRL  Viking  No.  4  research 
rocket  fired  from  the  U.S.S.  Norton  Sound 
near  Jarvis  Island  in  the  Pacific,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  geographic  and  geo- 
magnetic equators,  obtaining  cosmic-ray 
and  pressure-temperature  data.  It  set  a 
106.4-mile  altitude  record  for  an  Ameri- 
can single-stage  rocket  and  was  the  first 
firing  of  the  Viking  from  shipboard. 

May  12:  Last  flight  of  X-1  (No.  1)  rocket 
research  airplane,  for  RKO  motion  pic- 
ture "Test  Pilot,"  which  was  turned  over 
to  the  National  Air  Museum  at  the  Smith- 
sonian on  August  28th. 

May  15:  Navy  announced  completion  of 
test  chamber  at  the  Ordnance  Aerophy- 
sics  Laboratory  at  Daingerfield,  Tex., 
capable  of  conducting  tests  of  full-scale 
ramjet  engines  up  to  48  inches  in  di- 
ameter at  simulated  altitudes  up  to  100,- 
000  feet. 

May  19:  First  Army  Hermes  A-1  test 
rocket  fired  at  WSPG. 

I>riring  May:  New  York  University  re- 
search balloon  released  from  Hollouian 
AFB  drifted  7,000  miles  and  was  re- 
covered in  Myrdal,  Norway. 

:  USAF  SAM  scientists,  Drs.  Fritz 

and  Heinz  Haber,  delivered  paper  on 
"Possible  Methods  of  Producing  the 
Gravity-Free  State  for  Medical  Re- 
search," suggesting  aerodynamic  parab- 
olas with  use  of  aircraft  to  obtain  up  to 
30  seconds  of  relative  weightlessness. 

June  6:  Ramjet  missile  launched  which 
accelerated  under  ramjet  power  to  Mach 
3.1  at  G7.200-feet  altitude,  at  NACA 
Wallops  Island. 

June  IS:  Department  of  Defense  assigned 
range  responsibilities  to  the  armed  serv- 
ices :  Army :  White  Sands,  N.  Mex.,  Prov- 
ing Ground  and  nearby  Holloman  Air 


64 


Force  Base  at  Alamogordo ;  Navy :  Point 
Mugu,  Calif.;  Air  Force:  Long-Range 
Proving  Ground  at  Banana  River,  Fla. 
(now  called  Cape  Canaveral). 

June  23:  First  run  of  rocket-propelled  re- 
search sled  made  on  the  S.SGO-foot  track 
at  Holloman  Air  Force  Base. 

June  25:  North  Korea  armed  forces  in- 
vaded South  Korea. 

During  June:  VfR,  the  German  Rocket 
Society  disestablished  by  Hitler  in  1933, 
passed  resolution  calling  for  international 
conference  of  all  astronautical  societies. 

:     Secretary     of    Defense    created 

Guided  Missiles  Interdepartmental  Oper- 
ational Requirements  Group. 

July  1:  Lacrosse  guided-missile  project, 
begun  in  1947  by  Naval  Ordnance,  trans- 
ferred to  the  Department  of  the  Army  by 
the  JCS. 

July  5:  .James  H.  Doolittle  named  "avia- 
tor of  the  decade"  (1940-49)  by  the  Har- 
mon International  Aviation  Awards  Com- 
mittee, while  .Jacqueline  Cochran  was 
named  "aviatrix  of  the  decade." 

JiiJy  21:  First  polyethylene  balloon 
launched  at  HoUoman  by  USAF  person- 
nel. 

July  24:  Bumper  No.  8,  a  German  V-2 
with  a  TOO-pound  Arniy-JI*L  Wac 
Corporal,  was  tired  from  Long-Range 
Proving  Ground  at  Cape  Canaveral ;  the 
fir.st-stage  V-2  climbed  10  miles,  sepa- 
rated from  the  second-stage  Corporal 
which  traveled  15  more  miles.  This  was 
the  first  missile  launch  from  Cape 
Canaveral. 

July  29:  Bumper  No.  7  was  the  second 
missile  launch  from  Cape  Canaveral, 
reached  highest  velocity  (Mach  9)  at- 
tained by  a  manmade  object  to  date. 

Avyuat  1:  Patrick  Air  Force  Base,  ad- 
ministrative headquarters  of  the  AFMTC 
at  Cape  Canaveral,  officially  named  after 
Gen.  Mason  M.  Patrick. 

During  Fall:  Rand  Corp.  completed  mis- 
sile feasibility  studies  begun  in  1949, 
which  confirmed  the  military  practicabil- 
ity of  long-range  rocket  weapons. 


August  31:  Last  of  five  Aeromedical 
Laboratory  experiments  (first  four 
known  as  Albert  series)  fired  by  V-2  No. 
51  from  WSl'G,  which  carried  a  non- 
anesthetized  mouse  photographed  by  a 
camera  which  survived  impact. 

September  22:  Col.  David  C.  Schilling 
and  Lt.  Col.  William  Ritchie  flew  two  Re- 
public F-84E  jet  fighters  across  the  At- 
lantic nonstop.  Schilling  flying  from 
London  to  New  York  with  three  in-flight 
refuelings,  the  first  nonstop  jet  flight 
across  the  Atlantic,  while  Ritchie  was 
forced  to  bail  out  over  Newfoundland. 

September  28:  In  a  balloon  launched  at 
HoUoman  AFB,  eight  white  mice  sur- 
vived an  Aeromedical  Lnboratory  flight 
to  an  altitude  of  97,000  feet. 

September  29:  Record  parachute  jump 
from  42,449  feet  made  by  Capt.  R.  V. 
Wheeler  at  HoUoman  AFB,  X.  Mex. 

September  30:  First  International  Con- 
gress on  Astronautics  held  in  I'm r is  jiro- 
posed  creation  of  a  permanent  federation 
of  astronautical  societies. 

During  Srptt  7rjher:  T'SAF  School  of  Avia- 
tion .Medicine's  Department  of  Sp.-ice 
Medicine  headed  by  Hnbertus  StruglioUl, 
fonnulated  research  concept  of  "atmos- 
pheric space  equivalence." 

Oetober  24 :  Kaufman  T.  Keller,  president 
of  the  Chrysler  Corp.,  appointed  to  the 
newly  created  position  of  Director  of 
Guided  Missiles  for  the  U.S.  Armed 
Forces. 

October  25:  The  first  Lark  missile 
launched  by  Air  Force  from  Cape 
Canaveral,  the  last  of  the  three  missiles 
launched  in  1950  at  the  LRPG. 

Oetober  26:  Army  contracted  with  Doug- 
las Aircraft  for  design,  development, 
fabrication,  and  flight  testing  of  rocket 
having  Honest  John  specifications. 

During  October:  Air  Force  announced 
program  to  replace  all  piston-engine  air- 
craft with  jet  aircraft. 

:    USAF   canceled    XF-85   parasite 

fighter  project  after  flight  test  at  Ed- 
wards AFB  revealed  that  parasite  fighter 
escort  for  B-36  was  not  feasible. 


65 


1 950 — Continued 

November  6-9:  USAF  School  of  Aviation 
Medicine  and  Lovelace  Foundation  spon- 
sored a  "Symposium  on  the  Physics  and 
Medicine  of  the  Upper  Atmosphere,"  at 
San  Antonio,  Tex. 

November  S:  First  jet  airplane  dogfight 
when  USAF  Lockheed  F-80  piloted  by 
Lt.  J.  R.  Brown  downed  a  Russian-built 
MiGr-15  over  Korea. 

November  21:  Navy  Viking  No.  5  at- 
tained lOS-mile  altitude. 

December  6:  Establishment  of  transonic 
flow  in  the  Langley  16-foot  high-speed 
wind  tunnel  following  installation  of  a 
slotted-throat  test  section. 

December  11:  Navy  Viking  No.  6  in  night 
firing  attained  only  40  miles  altitude. 


buring  December:  i)r.  Hugh  L.  Drydeh, 
Director  of  NACA,  awarded  the  Daniel 
Guggenheim  Award  for  1950  for  out- 
standing leadership.     ( See  Appendix  D. ) 

:    Construction    started    at    Grand 

Bahama  Island  for  the  first  tracking 
station  on  the  Florida  Missile  Test 
Range,  later  the  Atlantic  Missile  Range. 

During  1950:  NACA  Langley's  Pilotless 
Aircraft  Research  Division  demonstrated 
low  drag  of  thin  delta  wing  (which  led 
to  F-102,  F-106,  B-58)  with  rocket- 
powered  model  flights. 

:  Worldwide  analysis  of  atmospheric 

turbulence  and  gusts  was  made  at  Lang- 
ley  Aeronautical  Laboratory  based  on 
data  taken  with  NACA-developed  VG  and 
VGH  recorders  on  commercial  airline 
operations  on  transpacific  and  South 
American  routes. 


1951 


January  16:  Air  Force  established  Project 
MX-1593  (Project  Atlas),  study  phase 
for  an  intercontinental  missile.  Contract 
given  Consolidated-Vultee  Aircraft  on 
January  23.  This  was  the  follow-on  to 
Project  MX-774  terminated  in  1947. 

January  31 :  F-51  set  new  London  to  New 
York  speed  record  of  8  hours  and  55 
minutes. 

During  January:  James  Forrestal  Cen- 
ter established  at  Princeton  University 
as  a  jet-propulsion  research  center. 

:     Westinghouse    J-40    jet    engine 

(7,500  pounds  dry  thrust)  completed 
150-hour  Navy  qualification  test. 

February  I4:  Republic  F-84F  with 
Wright  J-65  Sapphire  engine  made  first 
fiight  at  Edwards  AFB. 

During  February:  Hiller  Helicopters  pro- 
duced two-place  helicopter  powered  by 
ramjet  engines. 

:    NACA  Langley  Research   Center 

conducted  first  flights  of  man-carrying, 
jet-supported  platform  at  Wallops  Island 
in  exploratory  investigations.     In  these 


tests,  a  person  was  supported  by  a  jet- 
thrust  device  attached  to  his  feet. 

March  6:  Talos  missile  powered  by  ram- 
jet engine  launched  at  Naval  Ordnance 
Test  Station,  and  operated  2  minutes  in 
longest  full-scale  ramjet  flight  yet 
achieved. 

March  29:  Navy  Regulus  (XSSM-N-8) 
operating  under  airborne  command  took 
off  and  landed  at  Edwards  AFB,  CaUf . 

March  31:  Navy  issued  contract  to  Con- 
vair  for  the  XFY-1,  propellor-driven 
VTOL  fighter. 

During  March:  Pratt  &  Whitney  began 
flight  test  of  new  10,000-pound  thrust 
J-57  jet  engine,  using  converted  B-50  as 
test  bed. 

April  2:  USAF  Air  Research  and  Devel- 
opment Command  (ARDC)  became 
operational,  to  which  was  assigned :  Air 
Development  Force  at  Wright  Field ;  AF 
Cambridge  Research  Division ;  AF  Flight 
Test  Center  at  Edwards  AFB;  and  the 
Holloman  AFB  R&D  establishment  (later 
AFMDC).  Later  the  Arnold  Engineer- 
ing   Development    Center     (Tullahoma, 


66 


Tenn.)  ;  AF  Armament  Center  (Eglin 
AFB,  Fla.)  ;  and  the  AF  Special  Weapons 
Center  (Kirtland  AFB,  N.  Mex.). 

April  IS:  The  first  Aerobee  research 
rocket  containing  a  biomedical  experi- 
ment was  launched  at  IloUoman  AFB, 
N.  Mex. 

May  14:  Air  Force  Missile  Test  Center 
(AFMTC)  established  at  Long-Range 
Proving  Ground,  and  assigned  to  the  Air 
Research  and  Development  Command 
(ARDC). 

During  Mny:  Drs.  H.  Strughold,  H. 
Haber,  and  F.  Haber  initiated  first  re- 
search program  on  weightlessness  at  the 
USAF  SAM,  a  study  (Task  No.  7758-20) 
suspended  in  1952,  and  reactivated  by 
Dr.   S.  J.  Gerathewohl  on  July  1,  1955. 

June  11:  Navy  D-558-II  Douglas  Sky- 
rocket, flown  by  test  pilot  William 
Bridgeman,  set  a  new  unoflicial  airplane 
speed  and  altitude  record  at  Edwards 
AFB,  Muroc  Dry  Lake,  Calif. ;  speed 
estimated  at  more  than  1,200  mph ;  alti- 
tude estimated  70,000  feet. 

June  11:  Navy  issued  contract  to  Convair 
for  development  of  delta-winged,  hydro- 
ski-equipped  research  seaplane  with 
fighter  characteristics,  subsequently 
known  as  XF2Y-1. 

June  20:  First  launching  of  USAF  B-61 
Martin  Matador  pilotless  aircraft  at  Mis- 
sile Test  Center. 

:  Bell  X-5  (No.  1)  research  airplane 

made  first  flight  of  30  minutes  at  Ed- 
wards, Calif.,  with  Jean  Ziegler  as  pilot. 
This  was  first  flight  of  an  aircraft  with 
variable-sweep,  a  USAF-NACA  research 
project  for  investigation  of  various 
sweeps. 

June  22:  JPL  fired  first  of  a  series  of 
3,544  Loki  solid-propellant  antiaircraft 
missiles  at  WSPG,  the  Army  program 
ending  after  September  1955.  Loki 
rocket  was  later  used  in  ONR  Rockoon 
upper  atmosphere  balloon-launched 
rocket  research  soundings. 

June  25:  USAF  Arnold  Engineering  De- 
velopment Center  at  Tullahoma,  Tenn., 
dedicated  by  President  Truman,  to  test 
and  evaluate  supersonic  aircraft  and 
guided  missiles. 


June  SO:  United  States  terminated  its 
V-2  program,  67  V-2's  having  been  flown 
since  the  first  American  launch  of  a  V-2 
on  April  16, 1946. 

JuJy  1:  Navy  Air  Turbine  Test  Station 
commissioned  at  Trenton,  N.J.,  to  test 
and  to  evaluate  turbojet,  turboprop,  ram- 
jet, and  pulse-jet  engines,  accessories, 
and  components. 

July  6:  Air-to-air  refueling  of  jet  aircraft 
(RF-80)  in  combat  zone  accomplished 
in  Korea,  believed  the  first  such  hookup. 

July  20:  First  flight  of  Consolidated 
XF-92A,  a  USAF  and  later  a  NACA  re- 
search airplane  (predecessor  of  the 
F-102)  at  Edwards  AFB. 

July  21:  United  States-United  Kingdom 
agreement  signed  and  went  into  effect 
permitting  the  extension  of  the  U.S. 
missile  range  southeastward  from  Florida 
on  its  first  leg  through  the  Bahamas. 

August  7;  A  Navy  Viking  7  rocket  set  an 
altitude  record  for  single-stage  rockets, 
climbing  to  136  miles  and  reaching  a  speed 
of  4,100  mph,  at  White  Sands,  N.  Mex., 
highest  flight  of  original  airframe  design. 

:  D-558-II  Skyrocket  reached  maxi- 
mum speed  of  1,238  mph,  with  William 
Bridgeman  as  pilot. 

August  15:  William  Bridgeman  flew  the 
D-558-II  Skyrocket  to  79,494  feet,  high- 
est altitude  attained  by  a  human  being 
to  date. 

August  29:  First  of  USAF  Aeromedical 
Laboratory  balloon  flights  at  W^hite 
Sands. 

August  30:  First  successful  launching  of 
NACA  Langley's  PARD  of  an  under- 
slung  or  "piggyback"  rocket  booster  sys- 
tem, at  Wallops  Island,  Va. 

During  August:  X-ID  airplane  destroyed 
by  explosion. 

September  3:  The  International  Astro- 
nautical  Federation  was  formed  by  sci- 
entists of  10  nations  at  the  Second  Inter- 
national Congress  on  Astronautics  to  co- 
ordinate responsibility  on  flights  to  the 
moon  and  planets.  Predicted  within  the 
decade :  a  50-ton  earth  satellite  traveling 
18,000  mph,  orbiting  earth  at  an  altitude 
of  300  miles. 


67 


1951 — Continued 

September  5:  USAF  awarded  contract  to 
Consolidated  Vultee  to  tly  a  B-36  with 
a  nuclear  reactor  aboard,  to  be  built  by 
General  Electric,  for  added  boost. 

September  20:  USAF  made  first  success- 
ful recovery  of  animals  from  a  rocket 
flight  when  an  instrumented  monkey  and 
11  mice  survived  an  Aerobee  flight  to  an 
altitude  of  236,000  feet  from  Holloman 
AFB. 

September  28:  Special  meeting  of  the  Air 
Force  Council  reviewed  USAF  R&D  pro- 
gram and  recommended  to  Chief  of  Staff 
Vaudenberg  the  development  of  au  inter- 
continental strategic  weapons  system. 

Diiritif/  Sej>feiiiher:  USAF  directed  all 
work  in  Project  MX-1.")!«  (Atlas)  l)e  for 
development  of  a  rocket-powered  ballistic 
missile. 

October  4'  M.  K.  Tikhonravov  in  Neio 
York  Times  said  U.S.S.R.  science  made 
feasible  space  flight  and  creation  of  arti- 
ficial earth  satellite;  reported  U.S.S.R. 
rocket  advance  eciualed  or  exceeded  West. 

Oetnher  10:  ,TPL  Corporal  E-11  fired  at 
WSPG,  the  basic  configuration  of  the 
Army's  Corporal  tactical  missile. 

Oetnber  29:  Firing  of  V-2,  No.  66,  at 
White  Sands  Proving  Ground  concluded 
U.S.  use  of  these  German  missiles  in 
upper  atmosphere  rocket  research. 

Oetnber  SI :  Responsibility  for  Hermes  II 
tran.sferred  to  Army  Ordnance  Guided 
Missile  Center  at  Redstone  Arsenal ; 
Hermes  II  redesignated  the  RVA-A-3 
test  vehicle. 

During  October:  International  Council  of 
Scientific  Unions  decided  to  hold  Third 
International  Polar  Year,  later  to  be- 
come International  Geophysical  Year  in 
October  1952. 

Noven),ber  8:  First  successful  launching 
of  a  research  model  propelled  by  the 
helium  gun  catapult,  by  Langley's  PARD 
at  W^allops  Island. 


November  9:  X-1  (No.  3)  rocket  research 
airplane  and  its  B-29  "mother"  airplane 
were  destroyed  on  the  ground  by  ex- 
plosion and  fire. 

November  13:  First  experimental  investi- 
gation of  transonic-type  compressor  was 
conducted  at  Lewis  Laboratory,  a  break- 
through in  compressor  technology  later 
utilized  by  virtually  all  advanced  turbo- 
jet engines. 

December  16:  Navy  Kaman  K-225, 
modified  as  the  first  gas-turbine,  shaft- 
powered  helicopter,  successfully  com- 
pleted flight  test. 

During  December:  Richard  T.  Whitcomb 
of  XACA  Langley  Laboratory  verified 
the  "area  rule"  in  NACA's  new  tran.sonic 
wind  tunnels  which  enabled  significant 
gain  in  jet  aircraft  speeds  with  what  be- 
came known  as  the  "coke  bottle"  or  "wasp 
waist"  shape. 

During  1951:  NACA  Lewis  Laboratory 
completed  first  rocket  combustion  tests 
using  the  high-energy  propellant  liquid 
fluorine  as  an  oxidant. 

:  Production  of  J-65  Sapphire  turbo- 
jet engine  begun  by  Curtiss  Wright,  later 
fitted  in  some  instances  with  afterburner 
in  F-84F,  B-57,  FJ-3,  FllF-1,  and 
A4D-1. 

:    USAF    initiated    development    of 

liquid-propellant  rocket  engine  with 
thrust  of  150,000  pounds  (XLR  43- 
NA-3). 

:   NACA's  A.   Scott  Crossfleld  first 

flew  a  series  of  aerodynamic  parabolas  to 
produce  a  short  period  of  weightlessness, 
in  a  YF-84  at  Edwards  AFB,  Calif.  Maj. 
Charles  E.  Yeager  (USAF)  also  flew 
some  of  these  so-called  "Keplerian 
trajectories." 

:    Air   passenger-miles    (10,679,281,- 

000)  exceeded  total  passenger-miles 
traveled  in  Pullman  cars  (10,224,714,000), 
the  flrst  time  in  U.S.  history. 


68 


1952 


February  25:  Army  Nike  I  first  test  fired 
at  WSPG. 

During  Fclruary:  Establishment  of  At- 
mosphere and  Astrophysics  Division 
within  Naval  Research  Laboratory, 
headed  by  Dr.  John  P.  Hagen. 

March  18:  First  successful  solid-fuel 
ramjet  research  model  flown  at  NACA's 
Wallops  Island. 

March  23:  Two-place  glider  altitude  rec- 
ord of  44,000  feet  claimed  l)y  L.  Edgar 
and   li.  Klieforth,  Sacramento,  Calif. 

Durhuj  ^/ar(■h:  Theodore  von  Karmnn 
named  Chairman  of  NATO's  Advisory 
Group  for  Aeronautical  Research  and 
Development. 

April  15:  First  flight  of  YB-52,  first  all- 
jet  heavy  bomber. 

April  21:  BOAC  De  Havilland  Comet  in- 
augurated first  jet  passenger  service,  be- 
tween London  and  Rome. 

During  April:  DOD  directed  Research 
and  Development  Board  to  determine 
whether  Air  Force  with  39  different  air- 
craft types  ordered  in  l^.'S  procurement 
program,  and  the  Navy  with  27  different 
types,  were  operating  too  many  different 
types  of  aircraft. 

May  S:  First  successful  North  Pole  land- 
ing, by  a  ski-and-wheel  USAF  C-47. 

May  7:  First  flight  of  USAF  X-17  ram- 
jet test  vehicle. 

May  16:  Special  Committee  for  the  Inter- 
national Geophysical  Year  established 
by  the  International  Council  of  Scientiflc 
Unions  to  coordinate  the  international 
IGY  programs.  This  committee  was 
known  as  CSAGI  after  the  initials  of  its 
French  name. 

:    Navy   Terrier   missile    completed 

development  program  with  successful  de- 
struction of  two  F6F-5K  target  drones. 


May  22:  Air  Force  Aerobee  rocket  placed 
an  aeromedical  payload  containing  two 
monkeys  and  two  mice  to  an  altitude  of 
30  miles,  which  were  recovered  unharmed 
and  without  apparent  ill  effect. 

May  26:  Navy's  flrst  and  for  many  years 
the  world's  largest  wind  tunnel  was  de- 
commissioned at  the  Naval  Gun  Factory, 
Washington,  D.C.  Completed  in  1914, 
the  wooden  8-  by  8-foot  wind  tunnel  was 
used  over  30  years. 

June  11:  Aviation  Medical  Acceleration 

Laboratory  dedicated  at  NADC  at  .lohns- 
ville.  Pa.,  which  featured  human  centri- 
fuge capable  of  producing  accelerations 
of  up  to  40  g's. 

June  18:  H.  Julian  Allen  of  NACA  Ames 
Laboratory  conceived  the  '"blunt  nose 
principle"  which  submitted  that  a  blunt 
shape  would  absorb  only  one-half  of  1 
percent  of  the  heat  generated  by  the  re- 
entry of  a  body  into  the  earth's  atmos- 
phere. This  principle  was  later  signifi- 
cant to  ICBM  nose  cone  and  the  Mercury 
capsule  development. 

June  20:  Navy  issued  contract  for  con- 
struction of  a  transonic  wind  tunnel  at 
the  David  Taylor  Model  Basin. 

June  21:  First  glide  flight  of  X-2  (No.  2) 
research  airplane,  by  Jean  "Skip"  Zieg- 
ler.  Bell  test  pilot. 

During  June:  Goodyear  delivered  largest 
nonrigid  airship  built,  the  ZPN-1,  to 
Lakehurst. 

July  2:  First  AF  fighter  armed  solely 
with  rockets,  a  Lockheed  F-94C  jet,  dis- 
closed by  USAF. 

July  1^:  NACA's  Executive  Committee 
directed  its  laboratories  to  begin  study 
of  problems  likely  to  be  encountered  in 
flight  beyond  the  atmosphere,  which  in 
May  1954  resulted  in  decision  in  favor  of 
manned  research  vehicle  and  NACA's 
proposal  to  the  Air  Force  that  such  a 
vehicle  be  developed. 


592561—61- 


69 


1952— Continued 

July  19:  First  successful  flights  of  bal- 
loons at  controlled  constant  altitudes  in 
the  stratosphere  for  periods  of  more  than 
3  days  announced  by  the  USAF. 

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

July  26:  Aerobee  fired  capsule  containing 
two  monkeys  and  two  mice  to  approxi- 
mately 200,000  feet  at  Holloman  AFB,  all 
recovered  unharmed. 

July  29:  First  Rockoon  (balloon-launched 
rocket)  launched  from  icebreaker  East- 
wind  off  Greenland  by  ONR  group  under 
James  A.  Van  Allen.  Rockoon  low-cost 
technique  was  conceived  during  Aerobee 
firing  cruse  of  the  Norton  Sound  in  March 
1949,  and  was  later  used  by  ONR  and 
University  of  Iowa  research  groups  in 
1953-55  and  1957,  from  ships  in  sea  be- 
tween Boston  and  Thule,  Greenland. 

July  31:  First  transatlantic  helicopter 
flight,  by  two  AF  MATS  sikorsky  H-19's. 

August  22:  European  Ofllce,  ARCD,  estab- 
lished in  Brussels  to  handle  USAF  Euro- 
pean research  contracts. 

August  25-29:  3,700  Moslems  airlifted  to 
Mecca  by  14  USAF  C-54  transports. 

August-Septetnier:  Series  of  Rockoon 
launchings  from  Eastwind  in  high-alti- 
tude research  by  ONR  group. 

September  1:  Third  International  Con- 
gress on  Astronautics  adopted  a  constitu- 
tion for  the  International  Astronautical 
Federation  (lAF),  at  Stuttgart,  Ger- 
many. 

September  3:  First  fully  configured  Side- 
winder air-to-air  missile  successfully 
flown  at  Naval  Ordnance  Test  Station, 
Inyokern,  the  beginning  of  an  extensive 
period  of  developmental  testing. 

September  18:  Construction  begun  of 
Thule  AFB  in  northwestern  Greenland, 
930  miles  from  the  North  Pole. 

September  30:  First  launching  of  Bell 
Rascal  XGAM-63  air-to-surface  strategic 
missile. 

During  September:  H.  Julian  Allen  of 
NACA  Ames  Laboratory  personally  im- 


parted his  findings  on  the  blunt  nose  cone 
directly  to  the  missile  industry,  which 
first  was  disseminated  in  oflScial  report 
early  in  1953,  later  as  NACA  TN4047. 

October  20:  First  flight  of  Douglas  X-3, 
an  USAF-NACA  research  airplane  (Fly- 
ing Stiletto)  completed,  William  Bridge- 
man  as  pilot. 

October  23:  Hughes  XH-17  Flying  Crane 
helicopter  completed  first  ofiicial  flight. 

During  October:  Scope  of  International 
Polar  Year  broadened  and  its  name 
changed  to  International  Geophysical 
Year  (IGY)  by  the  International  Council 
of  Scientific  Unions. 

:  James  P.  Henry  of  the  Aeromedical 

Laboratory  at  Wright-Patterson  AFB 
published  research  on  behavior  of  ani- 
mals under  subgravity  conditions,  for 
which  he  and  his  associates  later  received 
the  Tuttle  Memorial  Award. 

November  1:  First  hydrogen  device  ex- 
ploded at  AEC  Eniwetok  proving  ground. 

November  19:  At  Santa  Susana,  Calif., 
a  complete  liquid-rocket  engine  assembly 
(Navaho)  having  a  thrust  in  excess  of 
100,000  pounds  was  fired  for  the  first  time. 

:  North  American  F-86D  established 

oflScial  speed  record  of  698.505  mph  at 
Salton  Sea,  Calif.,  Capt.  J.  Slade  Nash 
(USAF)  as  pilot. 

November  26:  Northrop  B-62  Snark,  a 
turbojet  subsonic  missile  with  5,500  nauti- 
cal-mile range,  first  launched  from  a  zero- 
length  launcher. 

December  15:  NLR  Viking  No.  9  research 
rocket  launched  to  an  altitude  of  135 
miles  at  White  Sands,  and  Navy  revealed 
that  it  had  launched  rockets  from  bal- 
loons in  the  geomagnetic  North  Pole  area 
for  cosmic  ray  research. 

During  December:  Republic  XF-91  made 
its  first  supersonic  rocket-powered  flight 
( Reaction  Motors  6,000-pound-thrust 
rocket  engine)  at  Edwards  AFB. 

During  1952:  Convair  designers  became 
interested  in  conical  camber  principle 
conceived  by  NACA  Ames  Laboratory 
scientist  Charles  F.  Hall  in  1949,  verified 
by  wind  tunnel  experiments  1950-57,  and 
applied  with  success  to  the  F-102  flghter 
and  the  B-58  bomber. 


70 


^ :  'rransistors  first  placed  in  service 

in  Bell  Telephone  System  network  as 
part  of  long-distance  dialing  service. 

:    New    optical    and    photographic 

methods  for  rapidly  measuring  rocket 
combustion  temperatures  and  flow  proc- 
esses developed  by  NACA  Lewis 
Laboratory. 

:  NACA  Lewis  Propulsion  Labora- 
tory first  identified  high-frequency  com- 
bustion-oscillations in  jet  engine  after- 
burners, developed  partial  controls  by 
1954,  and  rational  design  solutions  by 
1958. 


:  First  actual  animal  experiments  on 

weightlessness  carried  out  in  rocket 
launches  by  AF  Aeromedical  Laboratory 
at  Holloman  AFB,  while  E.  R.  Ballinger 
conducted  first  manned  aircraft  weight- 
lessness experiments  with  instrumented 
humans  at  Wright-Patterson  AFB. 

:    NACA   undertook  studies  of   the 

problems  of  manned  and  umnanued  flight 
in  the  upper  atmosphere  and  at  hyper- 
sonic speeds,  such  studies  leading  to  the 
development  of  the  rocket-propelled  X-15 
research  airplane. 


1953 


January  lff-16:  USAF  scientific  advisory 
panel  concluded  that  unidentified  flying 
objects  (UFO's)  :  (1)  held  no  direct 
physical  threat;  (2)  were  not  foreign 
developments;  (3)  were  not  unknown 
phenomena  requiring  revision  of  current 
scientific  concepts;  and  (4)  a  rash  of 
sightings  offered  a  threat  from  skillful 
hostile  propagandists. 

Jaunary  22:  First  flight  test  of  a  complete 
airplane  model  designed  by  "area  rule" 
concepts  propelled  to  supersonic  speeds 
by  rocket  boosters,  at  Langley  Wallops 
Island,  Va. 

During  January:  10-  by  10-foot  jet-engine 
test  facility  at  Lewis  Flight  Propulsion 
Laboratory  began  operations. 

February  1:  Chance  Vought  delivered 
last  propeller-driven  fighter,  the  Navy 
F4U  Corsair,  the  12,571st  built  since  first 
one  flew  in  1940. 

February  IS:  First  full  guidance  flight  of 
Navy  Sparrow  III  missile  at  Naval  Air 
Missile  Test  Center. 

February  19-26:  Six  Moby  Diok  balloon 
flights  to  study  high-altitude  winds  flown 
from  Vernalles  NAS,  Calif.,  by  USAF 
Cambridge  Research  Center,  each  capsule 
also  containing  fruit  flies.  (See  Appen- 
dix C.) 

February  21:  First  powered  flight  of  the 
Bell  X-IA  research  airplane  was  com- 
pleted, Jean  Ziegler  as  pilot. 


February  26:  Dorothy  M.  Simon,  aero- 
nautical research  scientist  with  Lewis 
Flight  Propulsion  Laboratory,  was  re- 
cipient of  1952  Rockefeller  Public  Serv- 
ice Award  "for  the  effective  application 
of  the  physics  and  chemistry  of  combus- 
tion to  flight  research."  (See  Appendix 
D.) 

During  February:  U.S.  National  Com- 
mittee for  the  IGY  established  by  the 
National  Academy  of  Sciences. 

:  Rocket  test  stand  capable  of  test- 
ing engines  to  400,000  pounds  of  thrust 
activated  at  AF  Flight  Test  Center 
(AFFTC). 

:  J-57  engine  with  a  thrust  of  10,(XK) 

pounds  placed  into  production  (1941 
Whittle  turbojet  engine  had  850  pounds 
thrust). 

During  February:  American  Medical  As- 
sociation authorized  American  Board  of 
Preventive  Medicine  to  establish  aviation 
medicine  as  a  distinct  specialty  and  to 
grant  certification  for  those  physicians 
properly  qualified. 

March  11:  Single-stage,  air-launched 
rocket  research  vehicle  exceeded  Mach 
5  in  NACA  Lewis  Laboratory  flight  test. 

During  March:  Research  on  1-million- 
pound  thrust  plus  engine  begun  at  Rocket- 
dyne,  the  feasibility  of  which  was  estab- 
lished in  March  1955. 


71 


1953 — Continued 

During  March:  Boeing  delivered  last  pro- 
peller-driven bomber,  a  RB-50H,  to  the 
USAF.  More  than  4,250  B-29  and  B-50 
Superforts  were  delivered  to  the  AF  in 
the  last  decade ;  more  than  17,000  four- 
engined  Boeing  bombers  since  the  first 
B-17  in  1935. 

:  Lt.  Col.  John  P.  Stapp  traveled  at 

421  mph  on  3,500-foot  track  in  rocket- 
powered  sled. 

April  9:  Navy  XF2Y-1  Sea  Dart,  an 
experimental  delta-wing  jet  seaplane  with 
hydroskis,  made  first  flight  at  San  Diego. 

May  8:  First  launching  of  a  cluster  of 
three  Deacon  rockets  as  a  booster  at 
NACA's  Wallops  Island. 

May  12:  First  Bell  X-2  exploded  during 
a  captive  flight  killing  Jean  Ziegler,  Bell 
test  pilot,  over  Lake  Ontario  near  Buffalo, 
N.Y. 

May  18:  Jacqueline  Cochran  became  first 
woman  to  fly  faster  than  the  speed  of 
sound,  in  a  F-86. 

May  25:  USAF  North  American  YF-IOOA 
made  its  first  flight  at  Edwards  AFB,  the 
first  service  supersonic  fighter. 

June  5:  Missile  fired  from  the  under- 
ground launching  installation  constructed 
by  the  Army  Corps  of  Engineers,  at 
WSPG. 

June  16:  Department  of  Defense  Study 
Group  on  Guided  Missiles  established  by 
the  Armed  Forces  Policy  Council  under 
Secretary  of  Defense  C.  E.  Wilson.  This 
group  made  a  technical  evaluation  of 
the  missile  programs  of  the  military  serv- 
ices. One  of  their  recommendations  was 
that  a  special  evaluation  of  all  Air  Force 
strategic  missiles  be  made.  In  the  fall 
the  Strategic  Missiles  Evaluation  Com- 
mittee, headed  by  John  Von  Neumann, 
made  such  an  evaluation. 

June  30:  Department  of  Defense  Reorgan- 
ization Plan  No.  6,  transmitted  by 
President  Eisenhower  to  Congress  under 
the  Reorganization  Act  of  1949,  abolished 
the  Research  and  Development  Board, 
the  Munitions  Board,  the  Defense  Man- 
agement Agency,  and  the  Office  of  Direc- 
tor of  Installations. 


July  1:  Fiscal  year  1953,  just  concluded 
was  first  year  that  tlie  United  States 
spent  as  much  as  .$1  million  on  strategic 
ballistic  missile  development. 

July  15:  First  submarine  launching  of 
Regulus  missile,  from  submarine  Tunny 
off  NAMTC. 

July  21 :  Armistice  signed  in  Korean  war. 
USAF  reported  that  5th  Air  Force  had 
shot  down  984  Communist  planes,  in- 
cluding 823  MiG-15's.  USAF  lost  971 
planes :  94  in  aeral  combat  of  which  58 
were  Sabrejets,  671  downed  by  ground 
fire,  and  206  lost  through  other  causes. 

August  3:  Fourth  International  Congress 
on  Astronautics  met  at  Zurich,  at  which 
S.  F.  Singer  proposed  Project  Mouse 
(Minimum  Orbital  Unmanned  Satellite 
Experiment). 

August  20:  Redstone  missile  No.  1  was 
fired  by  Army  Redstone  Arsenal  i^ersonnel 
at  AFMTC,  Cape  Canaveral,  Fla. 

:  Longest  nonstop  flight  by  single- 

engined  jet  fighters,  made  by  17  USAF 
F-84G  Thunderjets  from  Albany,  Ga.,  to 
Lakenheath,  England,  a  distance  of  4,485 
miles. 

:  USSR  first  announced  H-bomb  ex- 
plosion, later  reported  by  AEC  to  have 
occurred  in  U.S.S.R.  on  August  12. 

:     First     successful     launching    by 

NACA  Langley's  PARD  of  a  hypersonic 
research  vehicle  for  heat  transfer  studies 
consisting  of  a  cluster  of  three  Deacon 
first  stage  and  HPAG  rocket  second  stage, 
at  Wallops  Island,  Va. 

August  21:  Flying  Douglas  D-558-II  (No. 
2)  Skyrocket  research  aircraft  which  had 
been  launched  from  a  B-29  Superfortress 
at  an  altitude  of  34,000  feet,  Lt.  Col. 
Marion  E.  Carl,  USMC,  attained  an  alti- 
tude of  83,235  feet  at  Edwards  AFB, 
Calif. 

August  28:  At  Santa  Susana,  Calif.,  a 
complete  liquid-rocket  engine  assembly 
(Navaho)  having  a  thrust  in  excess  of 
200,000  pounds  was  fired  for  the  first  time. 

Septemher  1:  First  aerial  refueling  of 
jet  aircraft  by  jet  tanker,  a  B^7  Strato- 
jet  by  a  KB-47B. 


72 


September  9:  Trevor  Gardner  appointed 
to  head  a  committee  to  eliminate  inter- 
service  competition  In  the  development  of 
guided  missiles  by  Secretary  of  Defense 
Wilson. 

September  11:  First  successful  intercep- 
tion by  Navy  Sidewinder  missile  at 
NOTS,  Inyokern. 

October  1:  First  Pilotless  Bomber  Squad- 
ron (light)  established  by  USAF  at 
AFMTC  in  Florida. 

October  S:  New  world  speed  record  of 
753.4  mph  in  Douglas  XF4D-1  Navy  Sky- 
ray  fighter,  Lt.  Comdr.  J.  B.  Verdin  as 
pilot. 

October  14 :  Prototype  of  North  America's 
B-64  Navaho,  a  X-10  ramjet  guided  mis- 
sile, made  its  initial  flight. 

October  16:  Test  pilot  Robert  O.  Rahn, 
flying  a  Douglas  XF-4D  Skyray  fighter 
at  Edwards  AFB,  Muroc,  Calif.,  estab- 
lished a  world  closed-course  speed  record 
of  728.11  mph. 

October  23:  The  Daniel  and  Florence 
Guggenheim  Institute  for  Flight  Struc- 
tures established  at  Columbia  University 
for  research  and  graduate  training  in 
flight  structures,  including  structures  in- 
tended for  space  flight. 

October  29:  Flying  a  F-lOO  Super  Sabre 
at  Edwards  AFB,  Calif.,  Lt.  Col.  Frank 
K.  Everest,  USAF,  set  a  speed  record  of 
755.149  mph. 

During  October:  Prototype  Convair 
F-102A  delta-wing  fighter  first  flew,  a 
supersonic  fighter  featuring  the  NACA 
"wasp-waist." 


:    American  Astronautical 

(AAS)  founded. 


Society 


November  19:  First  launching  of  a  Nike- 
Deacon  two-stage  rocket  for  heat  transfer 
studies  at  NACA  Wallops  Island. 

November  20:  In  a  D-.5.")8-II  (No.  2) 
which  had  been  launched  from  a  B-29, 


NACA  test  pilot  A.  Scott  Crossfield  estab- 
lished an  unofficial  speed  record  of  1,328 
mph  at  Edwards  AFB,  Calif.,  the  first 
Mach  2  flight  (2.01). 

December  12:  In  a  Bell  X-IA  which  had 
been  launched  from  a  B-29,  Maj.  Charles 
E.  Yeager,  USAF,  attained  a  speed  of 
1,612  mph  at  Edwards  AFB,  Calif.,  about 
Mach  2.5. 

During  December:  Nike-Ajax  battalion 
deployed  on  site  in  Washington-Baltimore 
area,  the  first  operational  surface-to-air 
missile  system  in  the  United  States. 

During  1953:  Jet  Propulsion  Laboratory 
completed  development  of  the  Corporal 
I,  the  first  U.S.  surface-to-surface  ballis- 
tic missile,  and  continued  with  Corporal 
II  development.  Army  Ordnance  also 
asked  JPL  to  study  application  of  large- 
scale  solid  propellant  rockets  for  use  as 
surface-to-surface  guided  missiles. 

:   Minneapolis-Honeywell  Regulator 

Co.  developed  power  transistor  (20 
watts). 

:  USAF  initiated  meteorological  sur- 
vey over  the  United  States  with  large 
plastic  balloons  to  obtain  data  on  winds, 
temperatures,  and  cloud  formations  over 
50,000  feet.  This  survey,  known  as 
"Moby  Dick,"  was  expanded  later  to  in- 
clude other  select  launching  areas  of  the 
world.     (See  February  19.) 

:   Dr.  Hubertus   Strughold  of  SAM 

published  Tlie  Green  and  Red  Planet:  A 
Ph]lHiolo<iical  Study  of  the  Possibility  of 
Life  on  Mars. 

:  Dr.  E.  G.  Bowen  of  the  Australian 

Rndio  and  Physics  Division  of  the  Com- 
monwealth Scientific  and  Research 
Organization  first  propounded  the  theory 
that  meoteoric  dust  provides  the  nuclei 
for  heavy  rainfall.  By  1956,  he  had  col- 
lected worldwide  statistics  revealing  cor- 
relation between  heavy  rainfall  and 
showers  of  meteors  through  wliich  the 
earth  passed.  In  1960,  additional  data 
were  acquired  with  U-2  aircraft. 


73 


1954 


January  21:  First  atomic-power  sub- 
marine, U.S.S.  Nautilus,  launched  at 
Groton,  Conn. 

During  January:  Pan  American  World 
Airways  took  over  operations  and  main- 
tenance of  the  Florida  Missile  Test 
Range,  under  AFMTC ;  changeover  com- 
pleted in  March. 

February  10:  Air  Force  Strategic  Mis- 
siles Evaluation  (Teapot)  Committee 
under  Dr.  John  von  Neumann  reported 
possibility  of  major  technological  break- 
through on  nuclear  warhead  size  and 
that  other  technical  problems  associated 
with  development  of  ICBM's  could  be  re- 
solved in  a  few  years.  It  recommended 
that  a  special  Air  Force  development- 
management  group  be  established  to 
accelerate  the  program 

February  12:  First  flight  test  of  a  high- 
energy  fuel  made  by  NACA  Lewis  Labora- 
tory in  an  air-launched  test  vehicle. 

February  17:  American  Astronautical 
Society  (AAS)  incorporated  in  the  State 
of  New  York. 

During  February:  First  flight  of  XF-104, 
powered  with  J-65  engine  (later  powered 
with  J-79  engine). 

:  Rand   Corp.   report   recommended 

that  Atlas  ICBM  program  efforts  be  in- 
creased and  its  characteristics  relaxed  to 
obtain  an  operationally  useful  ICBM  at 
an  earlier  date. 

March  1:  United  States  exploded  its  first 
hydrogen  bomb  in  the  Marshall  Islands, 
and  its  second  on  March  20. 

March  11:  President  Eisenhower  signed 
Executive  Order  10521  on  the  "Adminis- 
tration of  Scientific  Research  by  Federal 
Agencies,"  which  gave  the  National 
Science  Foundation  major  responsibility 
on  pure  scientific  research. 

March  IS:  First  launching  of  a  cluster  of 
four  Deacon  rockets  as  a  booster  vehicle, 
at  NACA  Wallops  Island. 


During  March:  Work  on  AM-2  propul- 
sion system  for  Atlas  by  Rocketdyne  was 
begun,  drawing  upon  the  experience  in 
developing  the  regeneratively  cooled 
chamber    developed   for   the    Navaho. 

April  S:  OflBce  of  the  Assistant  Chief  of 
Staff  for  Guided  Missiles  was  established 
in  Headquarters  USAF. 

April  29:  First  launching  of  a  three-stage 
rocket  vehicle  consisting  of  two  Nike 
boosters  in  tandem  and  a  Deacon  rocket 
as  third  stage,  and  also  a  first  launching 
of  a  rocket  booster  system  consisting  of 
three  "peelaway"  Deacons  as  the  first 
stage  wrapped  around  a  fourth  Deacon 
as  a  second  stage,  and  a  HPAG  rocket 
as  the  third  stage,  by  NACA  Langley's 
PARD  at  Wallops  Island. 

During  April:  Bell  Laboratory  an- 
nounced invention  of  the  silicon  solar 
battery. 

May  4-'  Third  Symposium  on  Space 
Travel  conducted  at  American  Museum, 
Hayden  Planetarium,  New  York.  Harry 
Wexler  of  the  Weather  Bureau  presented 
a  proposal  for  a  meteorological  satellite 
program. 

May  7.-  NRL  Martin  Viking  No.  10,  a 
single-stage  research  rocket,  successfully 
fired  to  an  altitude  of  135  miles  from 
White  Sands  with  experiment  instru- 
mentation. 

May  11:  Start  of  59-day  special  effort  by 
ARDC,  WADC,  SAC,  and  Westinghouse 
combined  forces  to  carry  new  radar  set 
from  initial  design  to  flight-test  status. 

May  17-25:  Navy  nonrigid  airship 
YZP6-2  established  new  world  endurance 
record  for  unrefueled  flight  of  200  hours 
and  12  minutes,  commanded  by  Comdr. 
M.  H.  Eppes  (USN). 

May  IS:  SUPER  SKYHOOK,  largest 
polyethylene  balloon  built  to  date, 
launched  by  General  Mills  for  ONR  and 
carried  emulsions  to  115,000  feet. 

May  2ft:  NRL  Martin  Viking  No.  11  set 
an  altitude  record  of  158  miles  (834,240 
feet)  and  attained  a  speed  of  4,300  mph 
in  a  flight  from  White  Sands  Proving 
Ground,  N.  Mex. 


74 


May  27:  President  Eisenhower  signed  $5 
million  expansion  bill  for  NACA  to  be 
used  in  research  for  ICBM  fuel  and  high- 
speed seaplane  fighters. 

June  2:  With  test  pilot  J.  F.  Coleman  at 
the  controls,  the  Convair  XFY-1,  a  ver- 
tical takeoff  aircraft,  made  the  first  free 
vertical  takeoff  and  landing  at  Moffett 
Naval  Air  Station,  Mountain  View,  Calif. 

June  4:  Maj.  Arthur  Murray,  USAF,  pi- 
loted the  X-IA  research  airplane, 
launched  from  a  B-29  to  a  record  alti- 
tude of  slightly  over  90,000  feet,  highest 
so  far  attained  by  man. 

June  21:  USAF  directed  Air  Research 
and  Development  Command  to  establish 
a  special  development-management  group 
on  west  coast,  with  authority  and  con- 
trol over  all  aspects  of  the  program,  to 
accelerate  and  reorient  Project  Atlas. 

June  25:  Project  Orbiter  outlined  by  in- 
formal committee  of  rocket  specialists. 
to  launch  a  satellite  into  a  200-mile  orbit 
with  a  Redstone  missile  and  a  Loki  sec- 
ond stage,  which  became  a  joint  Army- 
Navy  study  project  after  meeting  at 
Redstone  Arsenal  on  August  3. 

July  1:  USAF  Western  Development  Di- 
vision (became  Air  Force  Ballistic  Mis- 
sile Division  in  1957)  established  at 
Inglewood,  Calif.,  under  Brig  Gen.  Ber- 
nard A.  Schriever,  with  authority  to 
direct  the  ballistic  missile  development 
program  authorized  by  June  1954 
directives. 

July  9:  NACA  met  with  USAF  and  Navy 
BuAer  representatives  to  propose  the 
X-15  as  an  extension  of  the  cooperative 
rocket  research  aircraft  program.  The 
NACA  proposal  was  accepted  as  a  joint 
effort  and  a  memorandum  of  understand- 
ing was  signed  on  December  23  naming 
NACA  as  technical  director  of  the  proj- 
ect, with  advice  from  a  joint  Research 
Airplane  Committee. 

July  15:  First  jet-powered  transport 
built  in  the  United  States,  the  prototype 
for  the  military  Stratotanker  and  later 
the  Boeing  707,  flight  tested  near  Seattle, 
Wash. 

July  25:  NRL  transmitted  the  first  voice 
earth-to-earth  messages  using  the  moon 


as  a  reflector  of  radio  signals.  This  was 
later  develoi>ed  into  the  Communications 
Moon  Relay  (CMR)  system,  which  was 
successfully  used  in  November  1959  when 
solar  disturbances  in  the  ionosphere  dis- 
rupted conventional  high-frequency  cir- 
cuits between  Washington  and  Hawaii. 

August  1:  Fifth  International  Congress 
on  Astronautics  began,  at  Innsbruck, 
Austria. 

August  3:  Navy  F2Y-1  Sea  Dart,  a  hy- 
dro-ski water-based  fighter,  exceeded  the 
speed  of  sound  at  San  Diego,  Calif. 

August  5:  Bell  X-2  (No.  2)  flown  on  its 
first  glide  flight  by  Lt.  Col.  Frank  K. 
Everest  (USAF),  at  Edwards  AFB. 

August  7;  The  USAF  revealed  that  the 
School  of  Aviation  Medicine  had  previ- 
ously received  the  "first  piece  of  experi- 
mental equipment  ever  built  specifically 
for  the  study  of  living  conditions  in 
space" — a  sealed  cabin,  to  simulate  the 
interior  of  a  spaceship. 

August  17:  First  firing  of  Lacrosse 
"Group  A"  missile  at  WSPG. 

August  23:  First  NACA  flight  of  X-3  re- 
search airplane  made  by  Joseph  Walker 
at  Edwards  AFB,  the  first  of  20  NACA 
research  flights  in  program  which  con- 
cluded on  May  23, 1956. 

August  24 :  First  flight  test  of  the  Army 
Dart  missile  at  WSPG. 

August  26:  The  Supplemental  Appropri- 
ations Act,  1955,  appropriated  $2  million 
to  the  National  Science  Foundation  to 
support  the  U.S.  IGY  program  sijonsored 
and  coordinated  by  the  National  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences. 

:  Ma jor  Arthur  Murray  (USAF)  flew 

the  Bell  X-IA  to  90,000-feet  altitude,  at 
Edwards  AFB. 

September  24 :  U.S.S.R.  established  Ziol- 
kovsky  Gold  Medal  for  outstanding  con- 
tribution to  interplanetary  communica- 
tions, an  award  to  be  given  every  3  years. 

Septemher  26:  Moscow  radio  reported 
U.S.S.R.  sent  rockets  to  240-miles  height ; 
claimed  rocket  for  interplanetary  travel 
designed  and  flight  principles  worked  out. 


75 


1954 — Continued 

September  29:  Army  Ordnance  awarded 
contract  for  Redstone  missile  to  Chrysler 
Corp. 

October  4:  At  meeting  in  Rome,  launch- 
ing of  scientific  earth  satellites  recom- 
mended by  the  Special  Committee  for  the 
IGY  (known  as  CSAGI). 

October  8:  First  powered  flight  of  Bell 
X-IB  completed,  Maj.  Arthur  Murray  as 
pilot. 

October  9:  $500  million  was  added  to  the 
current  year's  budget  for  the  guided- 
missile  program.  (In  fiscal  year  1950 
through  1954,  $700  million  was  spent.) 

October  H:  NACA's  PARD  launched 
four-stage,  solid-fuel  rocket  for  heat 
transfer  data  to  Mach  10.4,  at  WaUops 
Island,  Va. 

October  17:  Piloting  a  Sikorsky  XH-39, 
Warrant  Officer  Billy  I.  Wester,  USA, 
established  a  world  helicopter  altitude 
record  of  24,500  feet  at  Bridgeport,  Conn. 

October  18-19:  At  the  suggestion  of  The- 
odore von  K&rman  and  following  a  re- 
quest of  Gen.  H.  B.  Thatcher,  an  Ad  Hoc 
Committee  of  the  Scientific  Advisory 
Board  met  in  the  Pentagon  to  consider 
the  application  of  nuclear  energy  to  mis- 
sile propulsion.  In  its  report,  the  Com- 
mittee "noted  that  there  was  an  almost 
complete  hiatus  in  the  study  of  the  nu- 
clear rocket  from  1947  following  a  report 
by  North  American  Aviation,  until  a  1953 
report  by  the  Oak  Ridge  National  Labo- 
ratory. Because  the  technical  problems 
appear  so  severe,  and  because  another 
6  years  of  no  progress  in  this  area  would 
seem  to  be  unfortunate,"  the  Committee 
felt  that  a  continuing  study  both  analyti- 
cal and  experimental,  at  a  modest  level  of 
effort,  should  be  carried  on. 

During  October:  NRL  Aerobee  fired  at 
White  Sands  took  photographs  at  100- 
mile  altitude,  first  picture  taken  of  com- 
plete hurricane,  oft  the  Texas  gulf  coast. 

During  Fall:  U.S.S.R.  created  the  Soviet 
Interdepartmental  Commission  on  Inter- 
planetary Communications,  an  action  an- 
nounced on  April  15,  1955. 

November  2-'  Test  pilot  J.  F.  Coleman 
flying   the  Convair  XYF-l,   took  off  in 


vertical  flight,  then  shifted  to  horizontal, 
and  finally  changed  back  to  vertical  for 
landing  at  San  Diego,  Calif. 

November  18:  Inertial  guidance  system 
for  Navaho  X-10  missile  tested  in  first 
flight  at  Downey,  Calif. 

December  7;  First  successful  recovery  of 
a  Navaho  X-10  using  fully  automatic  ap- 
proach and  landing  system,  made  at  Ed- 
wards AFB,  Calif. 

December  10:  On  a  rocket-propelled  sled 
run.  Col.  John  P.  Stapp,  USAF  (MC), 
attained  a  speed  of  632  mph  and  sus- 
tained the  greatest  g-force  ever  endured 
by  man  in  recorded  deceleration  tests. 

December  16:  USAF  announced  Atlas 
ICBM  under  construction  by  Convair. 

December  21:  Department  of  Defense  in 
a  two-sentence  comment  reported  that 
studies  continued  to  be  made  in  the 
earth  satellite  vehicle  program. 

December  23:  NACA-USAF-USN  Memo- 
randum of  Understanding  signed  for 
"Joint  Project  for  a  New  High  Speed  Re- 
search Airplane,"  which  covered  what 
became  the  X-15  program.  Design  com- 
petition was  opened  by  the  USAF  during 
this  month. 

December  31:  Army  Ordnance  terminated 
the  Hermes  project,  during  which  de- 
velopment of  high-performance  liquid- 
fuel  rocket  and  first  stabilized  platform 
inertial  guidance  equipment  had  been 
accomplished. 

During  December:  "Man  in  Space"  pro- 
duced by  Walt  Disney. 

During  195 Ji:  Baffles  successfully  used  to 
counter  high-frequency  oscillations  in 
rocket  thrust  chambers,  for  the  first  time 
at  NACA  Lewis  Laboratory. 

:  Project  Stratolab  utilizing  plastic 

balloons  for  scientific  observations  in  the 
stratosphere  initiated  by  ONR. 

:  School      of      Aviation      Medicine 

(SAM)  initiated  studies  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Texas  on  the  use  of  plants  for  the 
regeneration  of  air  in  a  space  cabin. 
SAM  also  established  a  veterinary  sci- 
ence division  to  supi)ort  medical  research 
involving  the  use  of  animals. 


76 


:  Development  of  the  silicon  tran- 
sistor, announced  by  several  firms  dur- 
ing the  j-ear,  while  the  first  large  tran- 
sistorized calculator  was  demonstrated 
by  IBM. 


:  Aeromedical  Laboratory  biological 

specimens  were  reflowu  on  two  separate 
plastic  balloon  flights  for  a  total  of  74 
hours  and  35  hours  at  an  altitude  be- 
tween 82.000  and  97,000  feet,  mostly 
above  90,000  feet,  at  Holloman  AFB. 


1955 


January  10:  U.S.S.R.  scientists  stated 
that  launching  of  an  earth  satellite  was 
possible  in  the  near  future,  according 
to  Radio  Moscow. 

January  11:  First  launching  of  a  test 
model  towed  by  a  rocket  vehicle  with  a 
flexible  towline,  by  Langley  Laboratory's 
PARI)  at  Wallops  Island,  Va. 

January  22:  Existence  of  ICBM  program 
announced  by  DOD. 

February  4:  OXR  Viking  No.  12  research 
rocket  attained  altitude  of  144  miles  from 
White  Sands. 


to  National  Academy  of  Sciences  and 
the  National  Science  Foundation. 

:  DOD     ofiicials     announced     that 

guided-niissile  spending  would  reach  $r)18 
million  in  fiscal  year  19.j5  and  $674 
million  in  fiscal  year  1956. 

March  25:  Chance  Vought  XF8U-1,  Navy 
jet  fighter,  exceeded  the  speed  of  sound 
on  its  first  flight,  at  Edwards  AFB. 

During  March:  Feasibility  of  F-1  rocket 
engine  developing  a  million  pounds  of 
thrust  in  a  single  chamber  established  at 
Rocketdyne. 


February  1^:  Killian  Committee  (Tech- 
nological Capabilities  Panel)  recom- 
mended concurrent  development  of 
IRBM  of  1,500-mile  range  with  ICBM 
effort. 

February  26:  First  known  survivor  of 
supersonic  ejection  of  a  pilot,  a  North 
American  test  pilot  ejected  from  an  air- 
craft at  Mach  1.05. 

March  1:  Trevor  Gardner  became  the 
first  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Air  Force 
for  Research  and  Development. 

March  6:  USAF  Chief  of  Staff,  Nathan 
F.  Twining,  reported  that  ICBM's  were 
receiving  priority  in  the  AF  program  be- 
cause of  known  Soviet  progress.  Navaho, 
Snark,  and  Atlas  programs  accelerated. 

March  8:  First  USAF  unit  of  F-S4  jet 
fighters  formed  which  were  capable  of 
being  launched  and  recovered  by  B-36 
mother  planes,  the  91st  Strategic  Recon- 
naissance Squadron  at  Great  Falls  AFB. 

March  1/f:  U.S.  National  Committee  for 
IGY  completed  feasibility  study  and  en- 
dorsed earth  satellite  project  in  report 


April  6:  Launched  from  a  B-36,  an  air-to- 
air  guided  missile  with  an  atomic  war- 
head was  exploded  6  miles  above  Yucca 
Flats,  Nev. 

April  15:  Soviet  newspaper,  Vechernaya 
Moskva,  announced  that  an  interdepart- 
mental commission  for  interplanetary 
communication  had  been  created  to  de- 
velop an  earth  satellite,  which  would  im- 
prove weather  forecasting  by  taking 
photographs.  This  commission  had  been 
established  late  in  1954. 

April  21:  First  launching  of  USAF  Aero- 
bee-Hi  sounding  rocket  (AF-55)  attained 
height  of  123  miles  with  a  payload  of  196 
pounds. 

April  26:  Moscow  Radio  reported  U.S.S.R. 
planned  to  explore  moon  with  tank  re- 
motely controlled  by  radio,  foresaw  trips 
by  man  in  1  to  2  years,  and  reported  for- 
mation of  scientific  team  to  devise  satel- 
lite able  to  circle  earth. 

May  2:  USAF  approved  Western  Develop- 
ment Division  proposals  to  inaugurate  a 
second  ICBM  airframe,  which  became  the 
Titan  ICBM  (SM-68). 


77 


1 955 — Continued 

May  6:  Detailed  earth  satellite  program 
developed  by  the  U.S.  National  Commit- 
tee for  IGY,  forwarded  by  the  National 
Academy  of  Sciences  to  the  National 
Science  Foundation  for  governmental 
consideration. 

May  10:  GE  XJ-79  turbojet  engine  first 
flown  in  B-45  testbed,  later  powered  the 
B-58  and  F-104. 

May  19:  Under  the  Second  Supplemental 
Appropriations  Act,  1956,  the  National 
Science  Foundation  received  an  appropri- 
ation of  "$27  million,  to  remain  available 
until  June  30,  1960,"  for  the  Na- 
tional Academy  of  Sciences'  U.S.-IGY 
program. 

May  20:  Commission  on  the  Organization 
of  the  Executive  Branch  of  the  Govern- 
ment (Hoover  Commission)  reported  to 
Congress  that  the  NACA  "has  a  splendid 
record  in  its  leadership  of  the  Nation's 
aeronautical  research.  It  justifies  con- 
tinued confidence  and  support." 


3-24:  Project  Orbiter  Conference 
was  held  at  Redstone  Arsenal  and  at 
Cape  Canaveral. 

May  29:  U.S.S.R.  reported  that  research 
was  being  conducted  on  hydrogen  fusion 
as  a  means  of  propulsion  for  space  appli- 
cations. 

During  May:  Basic  study  on  interference 
lift  completed  by  Antonio  Ferri,  Joseph 
H.  Clarke,  and  Anthony  Casaccio  of 
Brooklyn  Polytechnic  Institute. 

June  1 :  First  experimental  use  at  NACA 
Lewis  Laboratory  of  a  "boot-strap" 
rocket-exhaust  powered  ejector  to  permit 
rocket  testing  at  simulated  high-altitude 
conditions  without  complicated  and  ex- 
pensive exhausting  facilities. 

Jnne  11:  Delivery  and  flight  test  of  ex- 
perimental all-magnesium  F-80C  air- 
craft, built  to  test  weight  and  strength  of 
magnesium  alloys,  at  Wright-Patterson 
AFB,  Ohio. 

June  24:  First  Nike-Deacon  sounding 
rocket  launched  at  Wallops  Island  in  co- 
operative USAF-NACA  program  of  upper 
air  density  measurements. 

June  29:  First  successful  firing  of  Nike 
B,  at  WSPG. 


Jnne  30:  The  Independent  OflSces  Ap- 
propriation Act  1956,  appropriated  "$10 
million  to  remain  available  until  June  30, 
1960,"  for  the  U.S.-IGY  program. 

July  1:  USAF  research  program  on 
weightlessness  in  flight  reactivated  at 
SAM  under  direction  of  Dr.  S.  J.  Gerathe- 
wohl,  which  conducted  flight  experiments 
until  the  spring  of  1958. 

July  S:  First  test  run  was  held  on  the 
Supersonic  Military  Air  Research  Track 
(SMART),  a  12,000-foot  track  for  rocket- 
propelled  sleds  at  Hurricane,  Utah. 

July  14:  Martin  POM  Seamaster,  swept- 
wing  powered  with  four  J-71  engines, 
made  first  flight,  initially  demonstrating 
great  promise  for  minelaying  and  recon- 
naissance missions, 

July  18:  First  of  Aeromedical  Labora- 
tory's 2-million-cubic-foot  plastic  balloons 
manufactured  by  Winzen  Research, 
launched  at  Fleming  Field,  Minn.,  at- 
tained an  altitude  of  over  120,000  feet; 
the  second  launched  on  the  next  day  at- 
tained a  record  altitude  of  126,000  feet. 

July  20:  NB-36H  aircraft  housing  an 
atomic  reactor  made  its  first  flight;  the 
reactor  was  not  activated. 

July  29:  President  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."  Scientiflc  responsibil- 
ity was  assumed  by  the  National  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences,  fiscal  responsibility  by 
the  National  Science  Foundation,  and 
responsibility  for  logistic  and  technical 
support  by  the  Department  of  Defense. 

July  30:  U.S.S.R.  announced  that  it 
planned  to  launch  an  earth  satellite. 

During  July-October :  Instrumented  Loki 
I  and  Deacon  rockets  were  successfully 
balloon  launched  (Rockoons)  from  ship- 
board off  the  coast  of  Greenland  in 
cosmic-ray  studies  by  State  University 
of  Iowa  research  group.  Army  Ordnance 
supplied  JPL-developed  Loki  rockets  and 
ONR  sponsored  the  project. 


78 


August  2:  L.  I.  Sedov,  chairman  of  the 
U.S.S.R.  Academy  of  Sciences  Inter- 
departmental Commission  on  Interplane- 
tary Communications,  announced  Soviet 
intention  to  launch  artilicial  satellites 
during  the  IGY,  at  the  Sixth  Inter- 
national Congress  on  Astronautics  at 
Copenhagen,  the  first  lAF  meeting  at- 
tended by  Soviet  representatives. 


gram  was  placed  under  Navy  manage- 
ment 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  IGY;  to  accom- 
plish one  scientific  experiment ;  and  to 
track  flight  to  demonstrate  the  satellite 
actually  attained  orbit. 


August  8:  X-IA  exploded  just  prior  to 
time  of  drop  from  "mother"  B-29,  NACA 
pilot  Joseph  A.  Walker  was  saved  and 
X-IA  was  jettisoned. 

.  August  16:  First  successful  demonstra- 
tion of  Rockair  technique  (research 
rocket  launched  from  aircraft)  by  ONR 
and  University  of  Maryland  team,  a  2.75- 
inch  FFAR  rocket  fired  from  a  Navy 
F2H-2  aircraft  to  an  altitude  of  approxi- 
mately 180,000  feet.  Rockair  technique 
first  suggested  by  Herman  Oberth  (1929) 
and  others. 

:  Army  Hawk  missile  first  fired,  at 

WSPG. 

August  2:  Col.  Horace  A.  Hanes  estab- 
lished a  supersonic  speed  record  for 
straightaway  flight  at  822.135  mph  in  a 
F-lOO  Super  Sabre,  at  Edwards  AFB. 

August  24:  Research  and  development 
Policy  Council  (DOD)  unanimously  rec- 
ommended that  the  time-risk  factor  in 
the  scientific  satellite  program  be 
brought  to  the  attention  of  the  Secretary 
of  Defense  for  determination  as  to 
whether  a  Redstone  backup  program  was 
indicated. 

August  26:  First  use  of  balloon  target  in 
missile  testing  at  HoUoman  AFB. 

September  8:  President  approve<l  assign- 
ment of  highest  national  priority  to 
ICBM  research  and  development  pro- 
gram. 

September  9:  DOD  Advisory  Group 
known  as  Stewart  Committee  recom- 
mended that  proposed  Navy  satellite 
program  utilizing  Viking  and  Aerobee-Hi 
rockets  for  satellite  development  proceed, 
with  Chairman  Homer  J.  Stewart  sub- 
mitting a  dissenting  minority  report. 
The  DOD  Policy  Council  endorsed  the 
majority  recommendation.  Designated 
Project  Vanguard,    this   tri-service   pro- 


Septcmber  80:  X-15  research  airplane 
development  contract  let  to  North  Amer- 
ican Aviation. 

During  fall:  Capt.  Grover  J.  D.  Schock 
of  USAF  Aeromedical  Laboratory  con- 
ducted subgravity  flight  program  (Task 
78501)  with  F-94C  aircraft  at  Wright- 
Patterson  AFB. 

October  2:  National  Academy  of  Sciences' 
IGY  Committee  established  Technical 
Panel  for  the  Earth  Satellite  Program, 
with  Richard  W.  Porter  as  Chairman,  to 
plan  the  scientific  aspects  of  the  pro- 
gram, including  the  selection  of  experi- 
ments, the  establishment  of  optical  track- 
ing stations,  and  the  handling  of  inter- 
national and  interdisciplinary  relations. 

October  7:  Prime  contract  for  Project 
Vanguard  awarded  the  Martin  Co. 

October  15:  Douglas  A4D  Skyhawk  set  a 
new  closed-course  speed  record  of 
695.163  mph. 

During  October:  First  solar-powered 
telephone  call  made  by  customer  of 
regular  Bell  System  service.  During 
this  year,  fully  transistorized  radios  and 
phonographs  were  first  placed  on  the 
market. 

November  1:  U.S.S.  Boston,  first  guided- 
missile  cruiser,  was  placed  in  commis- 
sion at  Philadelphia  Naval  Shipyard, 

November  1-3:  NACA  Conference  on 
Aerodynamics  of  High-Speed  Aircraft  at 
Langley,  at  which  Vernon  J.  Rossow  pre- 
sented paper  on  "Examples  of  Favorable 
Interference  Effects  on  the  Lift-Drag 
Characteristics  of  Aerodynamic  Shapes 
at  Super.sonic  Speeds." 

November  2:  First  air-launched,  multi- 
stage, solid-rocket-propelled  vehicle 
flown  to  a  Mach  number  greater  than 
8  by  NACA  Lewis  Laboratory. 


79 


1955 — Continued 

November  2:  The  Atomic  Energy  Com- 
mission approved,  on  the  basis  of  a  state- 
ment of  interest  by  the  Department  of 
Defense,  the  proposed  plans  of  the  Los 
Alamos  Scientific  and  the  Radiation  Lab- 
oratories of  the  University  of  California, 
for  the  study  and  development  of  nuclear 
power  for  rocket  propulsion. 

November  8:  Secretary  of  Defense  ap- 
proved Jupiter  and  Thor  IRBM  pro- 
grams, the  first  based  on  experience 
gained  by  Redstone  Arsenal  team  from 
V-2  and  Redstone,  the  latter  on  experi- 
ence gained  from  Atlas  program. 

November  S-lJf:  Department  of  Defense 
and  the  Air  Force  established  special 
streamlined  administrative  program  and 
approved  procedures  (Gillettte  Proce- 
dures) to  prevent  delays  in  ICBM  and 
IRBM  programs. 

Novem,bcr  11:  Navy  created  Special 
Projects  Office  under  Vice  Adm.  W.  F. 
Raborn  to  develop  ship-launched  missile 
weapon  systems. 

November  18:  Air  Force  took  action  to 
insure  earliest  possible  initial  opera- 
tional capability  with  ICBM  and  IRBM. 

:  First  powered  flight  of  Bell  X-2 

(No.  1)  by  Lt.  Col.  Frank  Everest 
(USAF),    powered    by    first    throttlable 

rocket      engine,      the      Curtiss     Wright 

XLR25-CW-1,     and     Mach     0.99     was 

reached. 

November  22:  Republic  F-105A  exceeded 
the  speed  of  sound  in  its  initial  flight  at 
Edwards  AFB. 

During  November:  Naval  Research  Lab- 
oratory first  transmitted  transcontinen- 
tal communication  by  means  of  refiecting 
teletype  messages  on  the  moon,  from 
Washington,  D.C.,  to  San  Diego,  Calif., 
a  technique  repeated  on  August  12,  19G0, 
using  the  ECHO  I  satellite  for  two-way 
reflected  message  transmission. 

December  1:  President  Eisenhower  as- 
signed highest  priority  to  ICBM  and 
Thor  and  Jupiter  IRBM  programs. 

December  1:  First  flight  of  XC-123D  air- 
craft with  boundary-layer  control  system 
in  partial  operation. 


December  8:  XJ-79-GE-3  turbojet  engine 
first  powered  an  aircraft,  an  XF4-D,  the 
engine  which  became  the  primary  power- 
plant  of  the  B-58  and  F-104. 

December  15:  First  powered  flight  of  the 
Bell  X-IE,  Joseph  A.  Walker,  NACA  test 
pilot,  at  Edwards  AFB  (after  prelimi- 
nary glide  flight  by  Walker  on  December 
12). 

December  20:  Secretary  of  Defense  Wil- 
son reported  that  fiscal  year  1957  would 
have  a  record  $1  billion  for  development 
and  production  of  guided  missiles,  over 
the  $750  million  in  fiscal  year  1956.  He 
also  predicted  an  ICBM  with  a  nuclear 
warhead  within  the  next  5  years. 

December  21:  First  prototype  of  Asp  (at- 
mospheric sounding  projectile)  sounding 
rocket,  capable  of  payloads  up  to  80 
pounds,  launched  successfully  at  NAMTC 
at  Point  Mugu,  Calif. 

During  December:  First  flight  of  Ryan 
X-13,  VTOL  jet,  at  Edwards  AFB. 

During  1955:  NACA  Lewis  Laboratory 
presented  ARDC  with  results  of  air- 
breathing  nuclear  propulsion  systems 
for  manned  applications,  leading  to  AEC- 
AF  Pluto  project,  and  also  initiated  com- 
parison of  nuclear  rocket  with  chemical 
systems  for  ICBM,  a  concept  of  use  to 
Rover  program. 

:  Laboratory  device  for  simulating 

reentry  of  satellites  into  the  earth's  at- 
mosphere were  first  suggested  by  NACA 
Ames  Laboratory  scientist  Eggers  (Re- 
port No.  RM-A55115). 

:  Transistorized  automatic  pilot  de- 
veloped for  USAF  by  Bendix  Aviation. 

:  Concept  of  nuclear  reactor  facility 

at  Plum  Brook  proposed  by  NACA  Lewis 
Research  Center,  construction  of  which 
was  completed  in  1961. 

:  Army  Ordnance  ordered  Jet  Pro- 
pulsion Laboratory  to  undertake  research 
and  development  of  Sergeant  solid-pro- 
pellant,  surface-to-surface  missile. 

During  1955-56:  NACA  developed  ma- 
terials research  for  high-temperature 
jets  and  other  structures  at  hypersonic 
speeds  under  direction  of  Robert  R.  Gil- 


80 


ruth,  which  confirmed  Redstone  Arsenal's 
contention  that  ablation  was  sound  heat 
protection  method  for  reentry  of  nose 
cones  and  capsules. 


Durinp  1955-5S:  NACA  laboratories  com- 
pleted basic  aeronautical  research  sup- 
porting feasibility  of  B-70  supersonic 
bomber. 


1956 


January  6:  President  Eisenhower  in  his 
state-of-the-Union  message  noted  the  in- 
creasing importance  of  long-range  mis- 
siles and  nuclear-powered  aircraft. 
$1,275  billion  was  scheduled  for  fiscal 
year  1957  production  of  guided  missiles, 
with  an  additional  $1.43  billion  for  mili- 
tary research  and  development. 

January  10:  First  U.S.-built  complete 
liquid-rocket  engine  having  a  thrust  in 
excess  of  400,000  pounds  was  fired  for 
the  first  time  at  Santa  Susana,  Calif. 

January  13:  USAF  Northrop  Snark 
launched  from  Cape  Canaveral  on  2,000- 
mile  flight. 

January  20:  ICBM  Scientific  Advisory 
Committee  to  the  Air  Force  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Office  of  the  Secretary  of 
Defense  to  assure  common  interchange  of 
technical  information  on  all  missile  pro- 
grams. 

January  26-27:  Symposium  on  "The 
Scientific  Uses  of  Earth  Satellites"  held 
at  the  University  of  Michigan  under  spon- 
sorship of  the  Upper  Atmosphere  Rocket 
Research  Panel,  James  A.  Van  Allen  of 
the  State  University  of  Iowa,  Chairman. 

February  1:  Army  activated  the  Army 
Ballistic  Missile  Agency  (ABM A)  at  Red- 
stone Arsenal,  Huutsville,  Ala.,  to  weap- 
onize  the  Redstone  and  to  develoj)  the 
Jupiter  IRBM. 

Early  1956:  Production  of  the  .747  turbo- 
jet engine  completed  by  GE,  notable  i)ow- 
erplant  of  B-47,  F86D  (also  E,  F,  K,  and 
L  models),  and  FJ-2. 

March  5:  A.  J.  Eggers  and  C.  A.  Sy vert- 
son  submitted  concept  for  "interference 
lift,"  often  referred  to  as  "compression 
lift,"  which  contributed  important  input 
for  Mach  3  configurations  ("Aircraft 
Configurations    Developing    High    Lift- 


Drag  Ratios  at  High  Supersonic  Speeds," 
NACARM-A55105). 

March  1^:  The  first  Jupiter  A  launching, 
by  ABMA  at  Cape  Canaveral,  Fla. 

March  20:  Ballistic  Missile  Committee, 
Office  of  the  Secretary  of  Defense,  ap- 
proved Navy  program  for  development  of 
solid-propellant,  ship-based  ballistic  mis- 
siles. 

March  21:  Secretary  of  Defense  created 
Office  of  Special  Assistant  for  Guided 
Missiles  to  establish  more  centralized 
controls  and  assist  in  the  coordination  of 
Army,  Navy,  and  Air  Force  missile  pro- 
grams, including  the  development  of  earth 
satellite  vehicles  for  the  IGY.  E.  V. 
Murphree  named  to  head  this  office. 

March  28:  Airman  D.  F.  Smith  remained 
in  a  sealed  space  cabin  simulator  for  24 
hours  at  USAF's  SAM. 

During  March:  Army-Navy  Ballistic 
Missile  Committee  authorized  missile 
test  launch  ships,  missile  submarine  de- 
velopment program,  and  precision  navi- 
gation system  for  launch  vehicles. 

April  3:  Navy  program  to  procure  guided 
missiles  would  jump  from  $126  million 
in  fiscal  year  1955,  $238  million  in  fiscal 
year  1956,  $353  million  in  fiscal  year 
1957,  according  to  Navy  Secretary 
Thomas. 

April  23:  Army  informed  the  OSD  that  a 
Jupiter  missile  could  be  fired  in  an  effort 
to  orbit  a  small  satellite  in  January  1957. 

April  26:  Naval  Aircraft  Factory  at  Phil- 
adelphia decommissioned,  marking  the 
passing  of  a  name  prominent  in  naval 
aviation  since  World  War  I.  Naval  Air 
Engineering  Facility  was  established  in 
its  place  to  do  research,  engineering,  de- 
sign, development,  and  limited  manu- 
facturing of  devices  for  launching  and 
recovering  aircraft  and  guided  missiles. 


81 


1956 — Continued 

April  30:  A  House  subcommittee  heard 
that  guided  missiles,  which  accounted  for 
20.3  percent  of  the  AF's  fiscal  year  1957 
budget  might  climb  to  35  percent  by  1959. 

During  April:  Dr.  John  von  Neumann 
was  awarded  the  Enrico  Fermi  Award 
for  anticipating  the  importance  of  the 
high-speed  computer  in  nuclear  develop- 
ment programs  and  in  the  general  ad- 
vancement of  science. 

May  3:  Flans  were  disclosed  by  the  AF 
and  Convair  for  a  $41  million  guided- 
missile  facility  at  Sorento,  Calif.,  for 
work  on  Atlas. 

May  8:  Aerobee-Hi  sounding  rocket 
reached  an  altitude  of  116.5  miles  from 
WSPG. 

May  18:  Development  of  a  high-altitude 
research  rocket,  known  as  the  Asp,  for 
Navy's  BuShips  was  announced. 

May  19:  National  Science  Foundation  re- 
ceived an  appropriation  of  $27  million  to 
remain  available  until  June  30,  1960,  for 
the  IGY,  under  the  Second  Supplemental 
Appropriations  Act,  1956. 

May  21:  First  known  airborne  H-bomb 
dropped  from  B-52  at  approximately  50,- 
000  feet,  and  exploded  over  the  Bikini 
a  toll  in  the  Pacific. 

During  May:  Air  Force  initiated  a  pro- 
gram to  support  the  AEC's  Project 
ROVER  through  application  studies,  pro- 
pellant  and  materials  research,  and  non- 
nuclear  engine  component  development. 
Both  programs  were  placed  under  a 
single  staff  in  the  AEC. 

June  20:  First  Cajun  research  rocket 
successfully  launched  at  NACA  Wallops 
Island,  Va. 

June  22:  Japanese  Meteorological  Ob- 
servatory announced  that  the  U.S.S.R. 
had  exploded  a  missile-borne  H-weapon  at 
a  22-mile  altitude. 

June  29:  An  Aerobee-Hi  rocket  manufac- 
tured by  Aerojet  General  Corp.  attained 
an  altitude  of  163  miles  in  a  launching 
from  White  Sands,  N.  Mex. 

July  6:  First  Nike-Cajun  research  rocket 
successfully  fired  at  Wallops  Island,  a  co- 


operative NACA-University  of  Michigan 
project,  attaining  an  altitude  of  425,000 
feet. 

July  1^:  Navy  Sidewinder  missile  first 
deployed  with  Sixth  Fleet  in  Mediter- 
ranean and  to  the  Seventh  Fleet  in 
August. 

July  23:  Lt.  Col.  Frank  K.  Everest 
(USAF)  flew  the  Bell  X-2  rocket-pow- 
ered research  plane  at  a  record  speed  of 
just  over  1,900  mph  and  to  an  altitude  of 
75,000  feet,  at  Edwards  AFB,  Calif. 

Mid-1956:  USAF  X-17  flight  test  program 
started  at  Cape  Canaveral  to  study  re- 
entry problems  by  simulating  reentry 
velocities  and  conditions  with  three-stage 
solid-fuel  Lockheed  X-17.  A  total  of  26 
X-17  flights  were  conducted  until  March 
1957. 

August  8:  Largest  U.S.  test  stand  for 
rocket  motors  was  completed  at  Redstone 
Arsenal,  slated  for  Jupiter  IRBM. 

August  10:  Lt.  Comdrs.  Malcolm  Ross 
(USNR)  and  L.Lewis  (USN)  made  first 
stratospheric  manned  flight  on  polyethyl- 
ene balloon,  reached  40,000  feet  in  an  open 
gondola.  Flight  was  part  of  ONR  Project 
Strato-Lab. 

August  21:  Speed  record  for  U.S.  combat 
aircraft  of  1,015  mph  set  by  F8U-1  Cru- 
sader flown  by  Comdr.  R.  W.  Winslow 
(USN)  over  the  Mojave  Desert. 

August  23:  U.S.  Army  helicopter,  the  H- 
21.  made  the  first  transcontinental  non- 
stop flight  for  helicopters,  2,610  miles 
from  San  Diego,  Calif.,  to  Washington, 
D.C.,  in  31  hours  40  minutes. 

August  2-i:  NACA  Langley's  PARD 
launched  the  world's  first  five-stage  solid- 
fuel  rocket  to  a  speed  in  excess  of  Mach 
15.  from  Wallops  Island,  Va. 

August  21:  First  static  firing  of  Thor 
rocket  engine  at  AFFTC,  Edwards  AFB. 

September  2:  At  the  National  Aircraft 
Show,  Oklahoma  City,  an  H-13,  USA  heli- 
copter, set  an  endurance  record  in  the  air 
of  57  hours  40  minutes. 

September  7:  Capt.  Iven  C.  Kincheloe 
(USAF)  set  new  unofiicial  altitude  record 
for  manned  flight  at  Edwards  AFB, 
Calif.,  piloting  a  Bell  X-2  rocket-powered 
aircraft  to  a  height  of  126,200  feet. 


82 


:  University  of  Minnesota  launched 

ONR  Mylar  plastic  balloon  from  Minne- 
apolis, establishing  unofficial  world  alti- 
tude record  of  145,000  feet  for  an  un- 
manned balloon. 

September  10-15:  Scientists  from  40  na- 
tions, including  the  United  States  and 
U.S.S.R.,  at  a  meeting  in  Barcelona  of  the 
Special  Committee  for  the  IG Y  ( CSAGI ) , 
approved  resolutions  calling  for,  among 
other  things,  countries  having  satellite 
programs  to  use  tracking  and  telemeter- 
ing radio  systems  compatible  with  those 
that  have  been  announced  at  the  current 
CSAGI  meeting,  and  to  release  technical 
information  on  tracking  equipment  and 
scheduling  and  planning  information 
essential  to  preparation  for  and  execution 
of  optical  and  radio  observations. 

September  20:  First  Jupiter  C  (a  three- 
stage  ABMA-JPL  Redstone  missile)  was 
launched  at  Cape  Canaveral,  Fla.,  at- 
tained an  altitude  of  680  miles  and 
traveled  3,300  miles  downrange. 

September  21:  First  flight  test  of  a  Terra- 
pin sounding  rocket  at  Wallops  Island, 
which  consisted  of  a  Deacon  and  T55 
rocket  and  carried  a  payload  of  8  pounds 
to  400,000-feet  altitude. 

September  26:  H.  Froehlich  and  K.  Long 
of  General  Mills  flew  ONR  Strato-Lab 
balloon  to  new  altitude  record  for  an 
open-basket  gondola  of  42,000  feet. 

September  27:  After  having  been 
launched  from  a  B-50  bomber  over  the 
Mojave  Desert  in  California,  Capt.  Mil- 
burn  G.  Apt  (USAF),  flying  an  X-2 
rocket-powered  plane  on  its  13th  powered 
flight,  set  a  record  speed  of  2,094  mph, 
or  Mach  3.196.  In  the  course  of  the 
flight  the  aircraft  crashed  and  the  pilot 
was  killed. 

During  September:  Sperry  Gyroscope  de- 
livered first  experimental  inertial  navi- 
gation system  to  the  Navy,  for  fleet  mis- 
sile submarines. 

October  2:  Full-scale  test  version  of  the 
Snark  guided  missile  (XSM62)  success- 
fully recovered  for  the  first  time  after  a 
flight  from  Cape  Canaveral. 

During  October:  NACA  scientists  in- 
itiated examination  of  the  need  for  a 
follow-on    manned-rocket    research    ve- 


hicle to  the  X-15,  following  ARDC  in- 
quiries concerning  a  boost-glide  vehicle. 

November  8:  Lt.  Comdr.  M.  L.  Lewis 
(USN)  and  Malcolm  D.  Ross  established 
a  world  altitude  record  in  a  plastic 
STRATOLAB  balloon  by  ascending  to  a 
height  of  70,000  feet,  taking  off  near 
Rapid  City,  S.  Dak.,  and  landing  175 
miles  away  near  Kennedy,  Nebr.,  thus 
breaking  the  record  of  72,394  feet  set  in 
1935  by  O.  A.  Anderson  and  A.  W. 
Stevens. 

November  11:  Initial  flight  of  Convair 
B-58  delta-winged  Hustler,  the  first 
supersonic  bomber,  made  at  Fort  Worth, 
Tex.  B-58  incorporated  the  NACA 
"wasp  waist"  or  "coke  bottle"  shape. 

November  13:  North  American  F-107 
reached  Mach  2  in  flights  at  Edwards 
AFB,  Calif. 

November  15:  NRL  Aerobee-Hl  sounding 
research  rocket  successfully  fired  at  Fort 
Churchill,  Canada,  in  a  series  of  upper 
atmosphere  research  flights. 

November  16:  Department  of  Defense 
transferred  northern  portion  of  Camp 
Cooke,  Calif,  (now  Vandenberg  AFB), 
to  the  Air  Force  to  be  used  as  first 
ICBM  base. 

November  26:  Secretary  of  Defense  Wil- 
son issued  a  memorandum  to  the  Armed 
Forces  Policy  Council  fixing  the  areas  of 
jurisdiction  of  the  three  U.S.  armed 
services  in  developing  missiles  of  various 
ranges,  and  giving  the  USAF  operational 
jurisdiction  over  long-range  missiles. 
Army  over  missiles  up  to  200-mile  range 
and  for  "point  defense,"  and  Navy  for 
ship-based  missiles. 

November  28:  Ryan  X-13  A^ertijet  com- 
pleted the  world's  first  jet  vertical  take- 
off transition  flight,  Peter  F.  Giraud  of 
Ryan  as  pilot. 

November  30:  Martin  TM-61  Matador, 
a  jet-propelled  missile,  completed  final 
test  flight  and  became  USAF's  first 
tactical  missile. 

During  November:  Following  Navy  with- 
drawal from  the  Jupiter  IRBM  program, 
separate  Army  and  Navy  Ballistic  Mis- 
sile Committees  were  established  under 
chairmanship  of  respective  service  secre- 


83 


1956 — Continued 


taries.  Navy  withdrawal  based  on  in- 
terest in  solid-i^ropellant  Polaris  as  ship- 
based  IRBM, 

During  November:  Rocket  test  stand  ca- 
pable of  testing  engines  to  1  million 
pounds  thrust  activated  at  Edwards 
AFB,  which  became  operational  in  March 
195T. 

December  8:  First  test  rocket  in  the 
IGY-U.S.  satellite  program,  a  one-stage 
NRL  Viking,  attained  an  altitude  of  126 
miles  and  a  speed  of  4,000  mph.  Viking 
No.  13  carried  a  "minitrack"  radio 
transmitter  which  was  ejected  at  50  miles 
and  tracked. 

December  11-18:  Twenty-four  Wasp 
research  and  development  chaff  and 
parachute  rockets,  used  to  obtain  wind 
soundings  to  160,000  feet,  were  fired  by 
Naval  Ordnance  Missile  Test  Facility  at 
WSPG. 

December  11:  Navy  Special  Projects  Of- 
fice authorized  Lockheed  to  proceed  with 
Polaris  development,  having  withdi'awn 
from  the  Jupiter  program  earlier. 

December  21:  Maj.  Arnold  I.  Beck 
(USAF)  "soared"  to  a  simulated  alti- 
tude of  198,770  feet,  the  highest  on 
record,  in  an  Air  Research  and  Develop- 
ment Command  altitude  chamber  at 
Dayton,  Ohio. 

:  First  launching  of  a  Nike-Recruit 

research  vehicle  at  NACA's  Wallops  Is- 
land, which  reached  speed  of  7,600  feet 
per  second  at  13,000-feet  altitude  for  a 
record  dynamic  pressure  of  45,700  pounds 
per  square  foot. 

:  The  U.S.  Atomic  Energy  Commis- 
sion initiated  a  development  program  at 
the  request  of  the  Department  of  De- 
fense to  provide  nuclear-electric  power 
sources  for  use  in  Air  Force  satellites. 
The  projects  are  designated  the  SNAP 
(Systems  for  Nuclear  Auxiliary  Power) 
program.     Both  reactor  and  radioisotope 


heat  sources  were  specified  as  ap- 
proaches. 

During  1956:  Research  on  tungsten  nu- 
clear rocket  propulsion  systems  initiated 
by  NACA  Lewis  Laboratory,  and  other 
feasible  systems  for  practical  nuclear 
rocket  systems,  such  as  1958  concept  of 
coaxial  jet  gaseous  reactor,  followed. 

:   SAM  and   the  Aeromedical  Field 

Laboratory  at  Holloman  carried  out 
studies  of  subgravity  conditions  in  swim- 
ming pool  experiments. 

:  NACA  Lewis  Research  Laboratory 

completed  research  and  development  on 
new  concepts  of  ramjet  engine  perform- 
ance at  altitude,  increasing  performance 
of  Navaho  engine  experimentally  ap- 
proximately 40  percent  and  also  con- 
tributing to  Bomarc  engine. 

:     Field-effect    transistor    and    the 

spacistor,  which  extended  power  and 
high-frequency  capabilities  of  transistors 
were  developed. 

:  Pilotless  Aircraft  Research  Divi- 
sion (PARD)  of  NACA  Langley  Aero- 
nautical Laboratory  completed  solid-pi'O- 
pellant,  rocket-design  studies  leading  to 
an  improved  Deacon  rocket  motor  called 
the  Cajun. 

:  SAM'S  Department  of  Microbiology 

began  micro-organism  behavior  studies 
in  a  "Mars  Chamber,"  with  a  simulated 
Martian  environment. 

:  NACA  Langley's  Structures  Re- 
search Division  initiated  electric  arc- 
powered  jets  work,  using  DC  and  AC 
current  and  liquid  nitrogen,  liquid  air 
and  aqueous  air  jets.  On  December  19, 
first  successful  use  of  AC  arc  jet  using 
gaseous  air  was  performed.  Twenty- 
four  arc  tunnels  were  subsequently  de- 
veloped and  extensively  used  on  many 
materials  and  structures  research  prob- 
lems associated  with  reentry  of  bodies 
into  the  atmosphere. 


84 


1957 


January  10:  President  Eisenhower  in  his 
State-of-the-Union  message  declared  that 
"we  are  willing  to  enter  any  reliable 
agreement  which  would  mutually  control 
the  outer  space  missile  and  satellite 
development." 

:  Department   of   Defense  assigned 

highest  priority  to  ICBM/IRBM  con- 
tracts and  purchase  orders. 

January  16-18:  Three  of  five  B-52  jet 
bombers  completed  first  nonstop  jet  flight 
around  the  world  in  45  hours  20  minutes. 

Janvary  25:  First  attempted  test  flight 
of  USAF  Thor  IRBM,  only  13  months 
after  first  production  contracts  were 
signed,  failed  to  launch. 

During  January:  First  of  Boeing  KC-135 
Stratotankers  placed  in  operational  serv- 
ice in  SAC,  Castle  AFB,  Calif. 

February  7:  First  of  a  series  of  two- 
stage  test  vehicles  (RM-10)  to  make 
heat  transfer  studies  at  high  speed  in 
free  flight,  was  launched  from  NACA's 
Pilotless  Aircraft  Research  Station  at 
Wallops  Island,  Va.  Vehicle  was  de- 
veloped by  PARD  of  Langley  Labora- 
tory. 

February  14:  NACA  e.stablished  "Round 
Three"  Steering  Committee  to  study 
feasibility  of  a  hypersonic  boost-glide  re- 
search airplane.  "Round  Three"  was 
considered  as  the  third  major  flight  re- 
search program  which  started  with  the 
X-series  of  rocket-propelled  supersonic 
research  airplanes,  and  which  considered 
the  X-15  research  airplane  as  the  sec- 
ond major  program.  The  boost-glide  pro- 
gram eventually  became  known  as  Dyna- 
Soar. 

February  18:  Guggenheim  Foundation 
granted  $2.")0.000  to  Harvard  University's 
Aviation  Health  and  Safety  Center. 

February  20:  U.S.  National  Committee 
for  the  lOY  submitted  report  of  its  Tech- 
nical Panel  on  the  Earth  Satellite  Pro- 
gram to  the  National  Science  Founda- 
tion and  the  Department  of  Defense, 
which  outlined  a  post-IGY  space  re- 
search program. 


March  4-15:  Navy  nonrigid  airship  ZPB- 
2  completed  nonstop  round-trip  Atlantic 
crossing,  simultaneously  establishing  new 
world  endurance  record  for  unrefueled 
flight  of  2G4  hours  and  14  minutes, 
Comdr.  J.  R.  Hunt  commanding, 

March  10:  Ion  engine  research  begun  at 
NACA  Lewis  Laboratory. 

March  11:  Speed  record  for  a  transconti- 
nental passenger  flight  was  established 
when  a  Boeing  707  jet  transport,  with  42 
passengers  and  a  crew  of  10,  flew  2,335 
miles  from  Seattle  to  Washington  in  3 
hours  and  48  minutes. 

March  18:  As  a  result  of  guidance  from 
the  Secretary  of  Defense  as  to  desired 
level  of  effort,  the  Atomic  Energy  Com- 
mission reduced  its  program  on  nuclear 
rocket  propulsion  to  a  single  laboratory 
effort,  phasing  out  work  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  California  Radiation  Laboratory 
and  concentrating  AEC  development  ef- 
forts at  Los  Alamos  Scientific  Labora- 
tory. 

During  March:  NACA  issued  Research 
Memorandum  entitled,  "Preliminary 
Measurements  of  Atmospheric  Turbulence 
at  High  Altitudes  as  Determined  From 
Acceleration  Measurements  on  Lockheed 
U-2  Airplane." 

:  Feasibility  research  study  insti- 
tuted by  USAF  on  the  Midas  early-warn- 
ing satellite. 

April  8:  McDonnell  F-IOIB  Voodoo,  pow- 
ered by  improved  J-57  engine,  made  first 
flight. 

April  11:  U.S.-IGY  scientific  satellite 
equipment,  including  a  radio  transmitter 
and  instruments  for  measuring  temper- 
ature, pressure,  cosmic  rays,  and  mete- 
oric dust  encounters,  was  tested  above 
earth  for  the  first  time,  as  a  rocket  con- 
taining this  equipment  was  fired  by  the 
Navy  to  a  126-mile  altitude. 

:  The   Ryan   X-13,    a   jet  research 

plane  capable  of  vertical  takeoffs  and 
landings,  flown  successfully  through  the 
complete  flight  sequence  at  Edwards 
AFB,  Calif. 


692561—61- 


85 


1957 — Continued 

April  19:  Douglas  Thor  IRBM  (XSM- 
75)  was  launched  at  Cape  Canaveral, 
Fla.,  destroyed  by  range  safety  officer. 

April  23:  Details  of  X-15  rocket  research 
airplane  were  publicly  revealed  for  the 
first  time. 

Ap7-il  24:  Lockheed  X-17  research  rocket 
reached  9,000  mph  at  Patrick  AFB,  Fla. 

April  SO:  Aerobee-Hi  No.  43  fired  at 
White  Sands  reached  speed  of  4,900  mph 
and  an  altitude  of  193  miles. 

:  Naval  Aviation  Medical  Center  at 

Pensacola  was  commissioned,  combining 
the  clinical,  training,  and  research  func- 
tions of  the  Naval  School  of  Aviation 
Medicine  and  the  Pensacola  Naval  Hos- 
pital. 

During  April:  Upper  Atmosphere  Rocket 
Research  Panel  was  renamed  the  Rocket 
and  Satellite  Research  Panel.  Its  chair- 
man was  James  A.  Van  Allen  of  the  State 
University  of  Iowa. 

:  A.  Dollf us  flew  from  Paris,  France, 

on  a  cluster  of  100  weather  balloons  to 
an  altitude  of  42,000  feet. 

May  1:  Vanguard  Test  Vehicle  (TV-1), 
a  modified  Martin  Viking  first-stage  and 
Vanguard  solid-propellant  third-stage 
Grand  Central  Rocket  as  second-stage, 
launched  with  instrumented  nose  cone  to 
an  altitude  of  121  miles  and  met  all  test 
objectives. 

May  6:  William  M.  Holaday  was  named 
as  Special  Assistant  for  Guided  Missiles, 
Department  of  Defense. 

May  16:  Bomarc  IM-99  ordered  into  pro- 
duction, a  pilotless  interceptor,  which  at- 
tained speeds  near  Mach  2  and  was 
planned  for  long-range  area  defense. 

May  31:  Army  Jupiter  IRBM  was  fired 
1.500  miles,  limit  of  its  designed  range, 
and  to  an  altitude  of  250-300  miles,  the 
first  successful  launching  of  an  IRBM. 


imum  altitude.  This  was  first  solo  bal- 
loon flight  into  the  stratosphere. 

Jime  10:  NACA  made  "Round  Three" 
presentation  on  a  boost-glide  research 
airplane  to  ARDC. 

June  11:  First  test  flight  of  prototype 
WS-107A  Atlas  was  detonated  by  com- 
mand signal  at  5,000  feet  following  a 
failure  in  the  booster  fuel  system. 

June  15:  Astronomical  Society  of  the 
Pacific  and  the  International  Mars  Com- 
mittee held  a  symposium  on  "Problems 
Common  to  Astronomy  and  Biology,"  at 
Flagstafe,  Ariz. 

June  21:  The  Goose  (SM-73)  became  the 
first  plastic  airframe  missile  to  fly,  and 
reportedly  the  first  missile  to  complete 
countdown,  launch,  and  flight  on  the  first 
attempt. 

June  2S:  First  phase  of  Project  Far  Side 
was  completed,  with  the  lifting  by  the 
world's  largest  balloon  of  a  load  of  over 
a  ton  of  military  equipment  and  instru- 
ments to  a  height  of  more  than  104,000 
feet.     ( See  Appendix  C. ) 

June  30:  Program  to  gather  daily 
weather  data  over  the  Pacific,  North 
America,  and  the  Atlantic  with  use  of 
transonde  balloons  was  inaugurated  with 
the  release  of  first  balloon  from  NAS 
Iwakuni,  Japan.  Preset  to  float  at  30,000 
feet,  balloons  carried  instruments  which 
reported  pressure  and  temperature  every 
2  hours  in  a  5-  to  8-day  flight  terminat- 
ing short  of  the  European  coast. 

July  1 :  Aerobee  upper  air  research  rocket 
developed  by  the  Applied  Physics  Lab- 
oratory of  Johns  Hopkins,  and  first  fired 
on  September  25,  1947,  completed  165  suc- 
cessful firings  to  date. 

:  International     Geophysical     Year 

began.  The  scientists  of  67  nations  were 
to  participate  in  a  cooperative,  world- 
wide scientific  program  which  would  last 
for  18  months  and  would  be  coordinated 
internationally  by  CSAGI  of  the  Inter- 
national Council  of  Scientific  Unions. 


June  2:  Capt.  Joseph  W.  Kittinger,  Jr. 
(USAF),  remained  aloft  in  plastic  MAN 
HIGH  I  balloon  over  Minnesota  for  6 
hours  34  minutes,  being  above  92,000  feet 
for  2  hours  and  reaching  96,000  feet  max- 


July  10:  Convair  B-58  Hustler  publicly 
unveiled  for  the  first  time. 

July  11:  Navaho  ramjet  intercontinental 
missile  program  canceled  by  Air  Force. 


86 


July  16:  Chance  Vought  F8U-1  Crusader 
set  Los  Angeles  to  New  York  speed  rec- 
ord with  an  average  speed  of  7G0  mph, 
Maj.  John  Glenn,  Jr.   (USMC),  as  pilot. 

July  19:  USAF  fired  first  air-to-air  nu- 
clear warhead  rocket,  the  Douglas  MB-1 
Genie,  from  an  F-89J  over  Yucca  Flat, 
Nev.,  during  Oi>eration  Plunibob.  Genie 
had  been  placed  in  weapon  inventory  of 
Air  Defense  Command  in  January  1957. 

July  2.',:  Distant  Early  Warning  (DEW) 
Line,  extending  from  Alaska's  northwest 
coast  eastward  to  Baffin  Island,  became 
operational. 

:  Falcon  GAR-2A,  heat-seeking  in- 
frared missile,  tested  successfully. 

During  July:  Examination  of  a  satellite 
launch  vehicle  using  solid  fuel  upper 
stages  to  achieve  payload  orbit  with  as 
sinvple  a  booster  as  possible  initiated  by 
NACA  Langley,  the  beginning  of  the  con- 
ception of  Scout. 

During  July-August:  NACA  Ames  Lab- 
oratory's Al  Eggers  worked  out  semi- 
ballistic  design  of  manned  reentry  space- 
craft. 

August  6:  First  measurements  of  the  ter- 
restrial magnetic  fields  in  the  auroral 
zone,  made  by  L.  Cahill  and  J.  A.  Van 
Allen  in  firing  of  SUI  Rockoon  No.  59. 

August  7;  Army-JPL  Jupiter-C  fired  a 
scale-model  nose  cone  1,200  miles  down 
range  from  AMR  with  a  summit  altitude 
of  600  miles.  Recovei'y  the  next  day  of 
aerodynamic  nose  cone  using  ablation, 
resolved  reentry  heating  problem  for 
Jupiter  missile.  Nose  cone  was  shown 
to  the  Nation  on  TV  by  President  Eisen- 
hower on  November  7. 

August  18:  Paul  E.  Bikle  established 
world  glider  speed  record  of  55.02  mph 
over  .300  km  triangular  course,  in  a 
Schweizer  SGS  123E  sailplane,  from  El 
Mirage,  Calif. 

August  19:  STRATOSCOPE  I,  an  un- 
manned balloon-telescope  s  y  s  t  e  m, 
launched  by  General  Mills  under  Navy 
contract  for  Princeton  University  astro- 
nomers, which  i)roduced  first  "clear" 
photos  of  the  sun  from  80,000  feet  using 
a  12-inch  telescope. 


August  19-20:  Airborne  for  32  hours  in 
MAN  HIGH  II  flight,  Maj.  David  G. 
Simons,  USAF,  established  a  manned- 
balloon  altitude  record  of  101,516  feet, 
ascending  at  Crosby,  Minn.,  and  landing 
at  Elm  Lake,  S.  Dak. 

August  26:  Soviet  Union  successfully 
launched  a  "super  longdistance  inter- 
continental multistage  ballistic  rocket 
...  a  few  days  ago,"  according  to 
Toss,  Soviet  News  Agency. 

August  28:  Supplemental  Appropriation 
Act,  1958,  appropriated  $34,200,000  for  the 
U.S.  scientific  satellite  "to  be  derived  by 
transfer  from  such  annual  appropriations 
available  to  the  Department  of  Defense 
as  may  be  determined  by  the  Secretary  of 
Defense,  to  remain  available  imtil 
expended." 

August  30:  Department  of  Defense  an- 
nounced that  four  to  six  Soviet  ICBM 
tests  took  place  in  the  spring  of  1957. 

:  USAF  accepted  first  C-133A  turbo- 
prop transport. 

During  August:  Estimated  operational 
capability  date  for  Atlas  changed  from 
March  1959  to  June  1959. 

September  3:  NACA  "Study  of  the  Feasi- 
bility of  a  Hypersonic  Research  Airplane" 
("Round  Three")  was  submitted  to  the 
Air  Force. 

:    Navy    XKDT-1,    solid-propellant, 

rocket-powered  drone,  made  its  first  flight 
from  F3H  aircraft  over  NAMTC,  Point 
Mugu,  Calif. 

September  13:  1st  Missile  Division  of 
USAF  activated  under  ARDC  at  Cooke 
AFB,  Calif. 

September  20:  Complete  USAF  Thor 
IRBM  first  successfully  launched  from 
Cape  Canaveral. 

September  26~November  9:  Thirty-six 
Rockoons  (balloon-launched  rockets) 
^^ere  launched  from  Navy  icebreaker, 
U.S.S.  Glacier,  in  Atlantic,  Pacific,  and 
Antarctic  areas  ranging  from  75  N.  to 
72  S.  latitude,  as  part  of  the  U.S.-IGY 
scientific  program  headed  by  James  A. 
Van  Allen  and  Lawrence  J.  Cahill  of  the 
State  University  of  Iowa  (SUI).  These 
were  the  first  known  upper  atmosphere 
rocket  soundings  in  the  Antarctic  area. 


87 


1957— Continued  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences,  Wash- 

ington,    D.C.,   under   the  sponsorship  of 
Septemher  30-Octo'ber  5:  Scientists  from       CSAGI. 

12  countries,  including  the  United  States  During  Octoher:  Project  Vanguard  world- 
and  U.S.S.R.,  attended  International  wide  tracking  system  (minitrack) 
Rocket  and  Satellite  Conference  held  at      became  operational. 


88 


PART  TWO 


The  First  Three  Years  of 
the  Space  Age 

OCTOBER  1957-DECEMBER  1960 


THE  SPACE  AGE  was  bom  October  4, 1957.  Launching  of  the  first  man- 
made  object  into  orbit  around  the  earth,  SPUTNIK  I,  greatly 
prodded  man's  scientific  conquest  of  space  and  animated  a  chain 
reaction  of  subsequent  events  which  lias  not  yet  expired.  One  of 
the  immediate  consequences  was  the  creation  of  the  National  Aero- 
nautics and  Space  Administration  by  October  1958. 

Scientific  and  technological  progress  cannot  be  either  prevented  or 
ignored.  The  pace  of  events  since  the  dawn  of  the  space  age  swiftly 
documented,  as  the  following  pages  help  demonstrate,  that  advances 
in  aeronautics  and  astronautics  will  greatly  benefit  all  of  mankind 
in  its  peaceful  pursuits.  The  feasibility  of  reliable  global  com- 
munications and  improved  weather  forecasting  with  the  use  of  satel- 
lites has  already  been  demonstrated.  It  is  often  hard  to  realize  that 
not  until  the  flight  of  TIROS  I  in  April,  May,  and  June,  1960,  had 
men  viewed  the  earth's  cloud  cover  from  above  on  a  global  scale. 
Not  many  young  Americans  do  not  know  about  the  Van  Allen  radi- 
ation belts,  although  it  has  only  been  since  early  1958  that  their  exist- 
ence was  confirmed  by  EXPLORER  I  and  PIONEER  III. 

In  many  ways,  the  world  has  been  further  shrunken  in  time-distance 
size  and  is  now  more  clearly  viewed  in  its  celestial  orbit  in  the  minds 
of  most  of  its  human  passengers.  Rocket  propulsion  and  associated 
developments  provided  new  tools  and  techniques  for  the  scientist 
in  his  quest  for  basic  knowledge.  The  newly  available  environment 
of  space  offers,  for  the  first  time,  an  extraterrestrial  laboratory  of  al- 
most unpredictable  potential.  Scientists  had  no  hard  data  on  the 
space  environment  22-million  miles  away  from  earth  until  the  flight 
of  PIONEER  V  in  the  spring  of  1960.  Increased  understanding  con- 
cerning the  true  nature  of  the  earth's  environment  itself — geodesy, 
weather,  ionospheres,  radiation  belts,  Sun-Earth  relationships  includ- 
ing solar  storms,  and  cosmic  rays — appears  of  immediate  importance 

89 


to  all  of  the  physical  and  life  sciences.  Substantiation  of  theories 
concerning  the  origin  of  the  universe  or  of  the  existence  of  life  forms 
on  nearby  planets  seems  possible  of  early  confirmation  in  the  lunar 
and  planetary  exploration  programs  now  underway. 

This,  then,  seems  the  fundamental  challenge  presented  by  the 
recently  accessible  frontier  in  space  facing  mankind  in  this  seventh 
decade  of  the  20th  century,  and  one  which  requires  a  broad-based  and 
sound  response.  It  is  also  something  entirely  new"  and  exciting  in 
the  history  of  mankind.  Man  can  now  physically  project  his  vehicles 
and  instruments,  and  himself  soon,  into  that  about  which  he  could 
previously  only  observe  from  the  surface  of  the  earth. 

Passage  of  time  and  studied  analysis  will  inevitably  provide  clearer 
perspective  from  which  to  discern  the  basic  significance  of  many  of 
the  recent  events  cited  in  the  following  pages.  Therefore,  the  chron- 
icle of  events  which  follows  must  not  be  considered  complete  or 
explanatory.  Full  documentation  of  the  events  of  the  past  three  dy- 
namic years  alone  will  require  much  detailed  research  and  evaluation. 
Behind  almost  every  major  event  is  generally  a  complex  technical, 
organizational,  and  human  story.  The  historical  process  has  only 
been  initiated  here. 


90 


1957 


Ociohcr  J,:  SPUTNIK  I,  the  first  man- 
made  earth  satellite,  launched  by  U.S.S.R. 
and  remained  in  orbit  until  January  4, 
lf.58.     (For  details  see  Appendix  A.) 

:  The  National  Rocket  Club  was  or- 
ganized in  Washington,  D.C. 

October  6:  Eighth  lAF  Congress  began  at 
Barcelona,  Spain. 

October  9:  President  Eisenhower  in  a 
White  House  press  release  congratulated 
the  Soviet  scientists  on  SPUTNIK  I.  He 
gave  a  brief  history  of  the  development  of 
the  U.S.-IGY  satellite  program  and 
pointed  to  the  separation  of  Project  Van- 
guard from  work  on  ballistic  missiles. 

October  11:  Thor  missile  launched  at 
Cape  Canaveral,  the  second  tested, 
achieved  its  designed  1,500-mile  range. 

October  14:  USAF  and  NACA  reviewed 
preliminary  studies  dating  from  1954  on 
a  boost-glide  research  vehicle  to  follow 
the  X-15 ;  all  studies  were  combined  into 
a  single  plan  which  was  accepted  by  the 
Air  Force  and  later  designated  as  Dyna- 
Soar. 

:  American  Rocket  Society  presented 

to  President  Eisenhower  a  program  for 
outer  space  development  which  proposed 
establishment  of  an  Astronautical  Re- 
search and  Development  Agency  similar 
to  NACA  and  AEC  with  responsibility  for 
all  space  projects  except  those  directly 
related  to  the  military  defense. 

October  16:  USAF  successfully  launched 
pellets  at  a  speed  faster  than  33,000  mph 
(some  8,000  mph  faster  than  the  velocity 
necessary  to  escape  from  the  earth)  by  an 
Ac-robee  rocket  to  a  height  of  35  miles ; 
the  nose  section  then  ascended  to  a  height 
of  54  miles  where  shaped  charges  blasted 
the  pellets  into  space. 

October  18:  Lt.  Comdrs.  Malcolm  Ross 
(USNR)  and  L.  Lewis  (USN)  ascended 
lo  unofficial  two-man  altitude  record  of 
85,700  feet  in  STRATO-LAB  HIGH  II 
balloon. 

October  18-20:  NACA  "Round  Three" 
Steering  Committee  met  at  Ames  Labora- 
tory. 


October  22:  Army  Jupiter  (IRBM)  mis- 
sile successfully  fired  at  Cape  Canaveral, 
Fla. 

:  Four-stage  rocket  fired  from  a  bal- 
loon at  100,000  feet  above  Eniwetok,  in 
Operation  Far  Side,  penetrated  at  least 
2,700  miles  into  outer  space. 

October  23:  IGY  Vanguard  prototype 
(TV-2)  with  simulated  second  and  third 
stage  successfully  met  test  objectives,  by 
reaching  109-mile  altitude  and  4,250 
mph. 

October  2};  Thor  long-range  flight  test 
successful  from  AMR,  impacting  2,645 
miles  downrange. 

October  26:  SPUTNIK  I  ceased  trans- 
missions. 

October  31:  Snark  intercontinental  mis- 
sile launched  from  Cape  Canaveral  first 
flew  5,000  miles,  to  a  target  near  Ascen- 
sion Island. 

During  October:  Aerospace  Medical  Cen- 
ter's SAM  continued  experimental  studies 
with  space-cabin  simulator  with  20 
Strategic  Air  Command  volunteers,  each 
man  completing  the  full-scale  run  of 
7  or  8  days  of  confinement  in  the  cabin 
simulator. 

November  3:  SPUTNIK  II,  the  world's 
second  manmade  satellite,  launched  by 
U.S.S.R.  and  remained  in  orbit  imtil 
April  13,  1958,  carrying  a  dog  named 
"Laika."  It  was  the  first  vehicle  to 
carry  a  living  organism  into  orbit.  (See 
Appendix  A.) 

November  7;  President  Eisenhower  in 
major  address  on  science  and  security 
announced  that  scientists  had  solved  the 
problem  of  ballistic  missile  reentry  and 
showed  the  nose  cone  of  an  Army 
Jupiter-C  missile  which  was  intact  after 
a  flight  through  space.  He  announced 
the  creation  of  the  office  of  Special  As- 
sistant to  the  President  for  Science  and 
Technology  and  the  appointment  of 
James  R.  Killian,  president  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Institute  of  Technology,  to  the 
new  post. 


91 


1957 — Continued 

November  8:  Secretary  of  Defense  Mc- 
Elroy  directed  the  Department  of  the 
Army  to  launch  a  scientific  satellite  with 
the  modified  Jupiter-C  test  rocket.  The 
satellite,  carrying  instruments  selected 
by  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences, 
would  be  a  part  of  this  country's  con- 
tribution to  the  IGY.  William  M.  Hola- 
day.  Assistant  to  the  Secretary  of  De- 
fense for  Guided  Missiles,  was  given  au- 
thority for  coordinating  this  ABMA- 
JPL  project  with  the  overall  U.S.-IGY 
satellite  program. 

Novemier  10:  SPUTNIK  II  ceased  trans- 
missions. 

November  11:  KC-135  tanker  flown 
6,350  miles  from  Westover  AFB,  Mass., 
to  Buenos  Aires,  in  13  hours  2  minutes, 
by  Gen.  Curtis  LeMay,  a  world  record  for 
nonstop  nonrefueled  jet  flight. 

November  13:  President  Eisenhower,  in 
a  speech  on  future  security,  proposed 
adoption  of  a  formula  for  decisions  on 
undertaking  space  projects,  which  would 
include  the  following  criteria :  "If  the 
project  is  designed  solely  for  scientiflc 
purposes,  its  size  and  its  cost  must  be 
tailored  to  the  scientific  job  it  is  going 
to  do.  If  the  project  has  some  ultimate 
defense  value,  its  urgency  for  this  pur- 
jjose  is  to  be  judged  in  comparison  with 
the  probable  value  of  competing  defense 
projects." 

:  1,000-mile,  Navy  Regulus  II  fired 

in  first  launch  with  rocket  boosters  at 
Edwards  AFB,  and  returned  to  base  by 
control  aircraft  after  a  48-minute  flight. 

November  15:  William  M.  Holaday,  spe- 
cial assistant  to  the  Secretary  of  De- 
fense, was  named  Director  of  Guided 
Missiles  by  Secretary  of  Defense  Mc- 
Elroy.  Under  terms  of  the  Defense  De- 
partment directive :  "The  Director  of 
Guided  Missiles  will  direct  all  activities 
in  the  DOD  relating  to  research,  develop- 
ment, engineering,  production,  and  pro- 
curement of  guided  missiles." 

November  19:  An  ANP  (Aircraft,  Nu- 
clear Powered)  project,  an  integrated 
AEG-DOD  atomic  aircraft  project  within 
the  AEC,  was  announced,  with  Maj.  Gen. 
Donald  Keirn  (USAF)  as  its  head. 


November  21:  The  National  Advisory 
Committee  for  Aeronautics  authorized 
establishment  of  a  special  committee  on 
space  technology,  headed  by  H.  Guyford 
Stever.  This  committee  would  both 
supervise  and  help  formulate  a  space  re- 
search program  and  would  be  assisted  by 
specialized  subcommittees. 

November  22:  First  hydrogen-fluorine 
rocket  engine  successfully  operated  at 
NACA  Lewis  Laboratory,  demonstrating 
a  40-percent  performance  improvement 
over  other  propellant  combinations. 

November  25:  USAF  awarded  contract 
for  a  surveillance  satellite  to  Lockheed. 

:    The    Preparedness    Investigating 

Subcomuiittee  of  the  Senate  Committee 
on  Armed  Services  began  extensive  hear- 
ings on  the  Nation's  satellite  and  mis- 
sile programs. 

November  21:  Thor  and  Jupiter  IRBM's 
ordered  into  production  for  ultimate  de- 
ployment by  the  USAF. 

During  November:  NACA  1957  Flight 
Propulsion  Conference  at  Cleveland  was 
review  of  analysis  of  space  missions,  nu- 
clear propulsion  systems,  chemical  pro- 
pulsion systems,  electrical  propulsion 
systems,  auxiliary  power  systems,  and 
propellants. 

:  First  Baker-Nunn  precision  optical 

satellite  tracking  camera  installed  at 
White  Sands,  N.  Mex.,  the  first  of  12 
such  optical  tracking  installations  as  a 
part  of  the  IGY  under  the  supervision 
of  the  Smithsonian  Astrophysical  Ob- 
servatory. 

:    Development   of   satellite  launch 

vehicle  focused  upon  all  solid  fuel  sys- 
tems at  NACA  Langley,  a  major  step 
in  the  origin  of  Scout. 

December  4'  The  American  Rocket 
Society's  proposal  for  an  Astronautical 
Research  and  Development  Agency, 
which  was  presented  to  President  Eisen- 
hower on  October  14,  1957,  was 
announced. 

December  6:  IGY  Vanguard  (TV-3),  the 
flrst  with  three  live  stages,  failed  to 
launch  a  test  satellite. 

December  9:  Secretary  McElroy  ordered 
acceleration  of  the  Polaris  program. 


92 


Decemier  13:  The  Air  Force  order  of 
December  10  creating  a  Directorate  of 
Astronautics  under  Brig.  Gen.  Homer  A. 
Boushey  was  suspended  by  Secretary 
William  H.  Douglas,  as  creation  of  such 
a  group  before  establishment  of  the  pro- 
posed Advanced  Research  Projects 
Agency  was  considered  premature. 

Decemhcr  17:  First  successful  test  firing 
of  USAF  Atlas  ICBM,  the  missile  land- 
ing in  the  target  area  after  a  flight  of 
some  500  miles,  on  the  54th  anniversary 
of  the  Wright  brothers'  first  flight. 

December  18:  First  full-scale  production 
of  electricity  for  commercial  use  by  civil- 
ian nuclear  power  station,  at  Shipping- 
port,  Pa. 

December  19:  A  Thor  missile,  the  eighth 
tested  and  the  fourth  successfully,  com- 
pleted the  first  fully -guided  Thor  IRBAI 
flight  using  an  all-inertial  guidance 
system. 

December  28:  USAF  awarded  B-70  Mach 
3  bomber  development  contract  to  North 
American  Aviation. 

December  2S:  World  altitude  record  of 
30,335  feet  for  helicopters  set  by  Capt. 
J.  E.  Bowman  (USA)  in  a  Cessna  YH41 
Seneca  at  Wichita,  Kans. 

During  December:  Maxime  Faget  of 
NACA  Langley  proposed  ballistic  shape 
of  Mercury  capsule,  while  A.  Eggers  of 
Ames  and  E.  S.  Love  and  J.  V.  Becker 
of  Langley  proposed  glider  confi.:jjura- 
tions  of  manned  spacecraft  later  incor- 
porated in  Dyua-Soar  and  Apollo  studies. 

During  1957:  NACA  Technical  Note,  "A 
Comparative  Analysis  of  Long-Range 
Hypervelocity  Vehicles,"  by  Ames  sci- 
entists Eggers,  Allen,  and  Neice  pre- 
pared and  issued.  It  was  considered  a 
landmark  in  the  development  of  scientific 
thought  on  manned  reentry. 

:  Experiments   at  USAF  School   of 

Aviation  Medicine  .showed  that  soil  bac- 
teria  could   not    only   survive   but   also 


multiply  under  certain  simulated  Mar- 
tian atmospheric  conditions. 

:  NACA  Lewis  Laboratory  com- 
pleted major  phases  of  pioneering  re- 
search on  high-energy  turbojet  and  ram- 
jet fuels  including  boron.  This  research 
included  flight  test  in  piloted  aircraft 
and  air-launched  free  flight  models. 
Theoretical  performance  and  experi- 
mental thrust  chamber  injector  experi- 
ments were  also  performed  at  NACA 
Lewis,  aiding  in  design  of  X-15  rocket 
engine. 

:  Single-spool    JOS    turbojet    engine 

placed  under  intensive  development  at 
General  Electric.  The  J79  turbojet,  the 
first  high-compression  variable-stator  en- 
gine built  in  United  States  by  GE,  pow- 
ered most  Mach  2  U.  S.  aircraft,  includ- 
ing the  F-104,  B-58,  FllF-lF,  F4H,  and 
A3  J,  as  well  as  the  Regulus  II  missile. 

:  First     operation     by     the    NACA 

Lewis  Laboratory  of  a  20,000-pound 
thrust  hydrogen-oxygen  rocket  engine 
completely  self-cooled  by  the  liquid  hy- 
drogen, which  led  to  Centaur  engine 
development. 

:  The  NACA  proposed   and   led  in 

the  development  of  the  Polaris  reentry 
body  based  on  the  work  done  at  Langley 
Laboratory,  1952-56. 

:  State  University  of  Iowa  com- 
pleted balloon-launched  rocket  (Rockoon) 
research  at  high  latitudes  begun  in  1952. 
James  A.  Van  Allen  reported  that  prin- 
cipal scientific  measurements  attained 
included :  first  latitude  survey  of  total 
cosmic-ray  intensity  at  high  altitude  and 
high  latitude ;  survey  of  latitude  varia- 
tion of  heavy  nuclei  in  primary  cosmic 
radiation ;  discovery  of  X-radiation  as- 
sociated with  aurorae ;  first  arctic 
measurements  of  atmospheric  density, 
pressure,  and  temperature  at  high  alti- 
tudes; measurement  of  ultraviolet  and 
soft  X-radiation  during  solar  flares ;  first 
measurements  of  terrestrial  magnetic 
fields  at  high  altitudes  in  the  auroral 
zone. 


93 


1958 


January  1:  Strategic  Air  Command  as- 
signed responsibility  for  U.S.  operational 
ICBM  capability ;  while  the  672nd  Stra- 
tegic Missile  Squadron,  first  to  be 
equipped  with  USAF  Douglas  Thor 
IRBM,  was  actiTated. 

January  4:  SPUTNIK  I  reentered  the 
atmosphere  and  disintegrated. 

:  American  Rocket  Society  and  the 

Rocliet  and  Satellite  Research  Panel  is- 
sued a  summary  of  their  proposals  for  a 
National  Space  Establishment.  Prefer- 
ably independent  of  the  Department  of 
Defense,  but  in  any  event  not  under  one 
of  the  military  services,  this  establish- 
ment would  be  responsible  for  the  "broad 
cultural,  scientific,  and  commercial  ob- 
jectives" of  outer  space  development. 

January  9:  In  his  state-of-the-Union  mes- 
sage, President  Eisenhower  reported  :  "In 
recognition  of  the  need  for  single  control 
in  some  of  our  most  advanced  develop- 
ment projects,  the  Secretary  of  Defense 
has  already  decided  to  concentrate  into 
one  organization  all  antimissile  and  sat- 
ellite technology  undertaken  within  the 
Department  of  Defense." 

January  11:  James  H.  Doolittle,  Chair- 
man of  the  National  Advisory  Committee 
for  Aeronautics,  announced  that  a  special 
committee  on  space  technology  was 
formed  on  November  21,  1957. 

January  12:  President  Eisenhower,  in 
answering  the  December  10,  1957,  letter 
of  Soviet  Premier  Nikolai  A.  Bulganin 
regarding  a  summit  conference  and  dis- 
armament, proposed  that  the  Soviet 
Union  and  the  United  States  "agree  that 
outer  space  should  be  used  only  for 
peaceful  purposes."  This  proposal  was 
compared  with  the  194G  offer  of  the 
United  States  to  cease  production  of  nu- 
clear weapons  and  dedicate  atomic  en- 
ergy to  peaceful  uses,  an  offer  which  was 
not  accepted  by  the  Soviet  Union. 

January  13:  Secretary  of  Defense  Neil  H. 
McElroy  testified  before  the  House  Armed 
Services  Committee:  "Such  long-range 
programs  as  the  antimissile  missile  and 
the  military  satellite  programs  are  in  the 
research  and  exploratory  development 
stages.    They  are  important  and  must  be 


pursued,  but  they  must  not  distract  us 
from  the  speedy  development  of  our  other 
missile  systems.  To  handle  them,  I  am 
establishing  within  the  Department  of 
Defense  an  Advanced  Research  Projects 
Agency,  which  will  be  responsible  to  the 
Secretary  of  Defense  for  the  unified  di- 
rection and  management  of  the  antimis- 
sile missile  program  and  for  outer  space 
projects." 

■ :  In  his  budget  message  to  Congress, 

President  Eisenhower  stated  :  "Funds  are 
provided  for  an  expanded  research  and 
development  effort  on  military  satellites 
and  other  outer  space  vehicles  and  on 
antimissile-missile  systems,  to  be  carried 
out  directly  under  the  Secretary  of  De- 
fense." The  budget  for  fiscal  year  1959 
showed  that  $340  million  in  new  obliga- 
tional  authority  was  being  asked  for  the 
Advanced  Research  Projects  Agency.  No 
new  authorizations  were  sought  for  the 
International  Geophysical  Year,  but  esti- 
mated obligations  for  earth  satellite  ex- 
ploration of  the  upper  atmosphere  under 
this  program  were  $8,139,834  for  fiscal 
year  1958  and  $21  million  for  fiscal  year 
1959. 

January  14-'  NACA  issued  a  staff  study 
entitled  "A  National  Research  Program 
for  Space  Technology." 

:   Senator  Lyndon  B.  Johnson  in  a 

CBS  radio  address  urged  the  United 
States  "to  demonstrate  its  initiative  be- 
fore the  United  Nations  by  inviting  all 
member  nations  to  join  in  this  adventure 
into  outer  space  together." 

January  15:  4751st  Air  Defense  Missile 
Wing  to  develop  and  conduct  training 
program  for  Bomarc  units,  and  the  864th 
Strategic  Missile  Squadron  to  be  equipped 
with  Jupiter  IRBM,  were  both  activated. 

January  16:  The  NACA  adopted  resolu- 
tion I'ecommending  that  national  space 
program  can  be  most  effectively  imple- 
mented by  the  cooperative  effort  of  the 
Department  of  Defense,  the  NACA,  the 
National  Academy  of  Sciences,  and  the 
National  Science  Foundation,  together 
with  universities,  research  institutions, 
and  industrial  companies  of  the  Nation, 
with  military  development  and  operation 
of  space  vehicles  a  respousibilty  of  the 


94 


Department  of  Defeuse,  and  research 
and  scientific  space  operations  the  re- 
sponsibility of  tlie  NACA. 

:    Special    Subcommittee    on    Outer 

Space  Propulsion  created  by  the  Joint 
Congressional  Committee  on  Atomic  En- 
ergy, Senator  Clinton  P.  Anderson  as 
chairman. 

:  Secretary  of  State  Dulles  proposed 

the  formation  of  an  international  com- 
mission to  insure  the  use  of  outer  space 
exclusively  for  peaceful  purposes. 

January  17:  First  launch  of  Navy  Polaris 
test  vehicle  at  Cape  Canaveral. 

January  27;  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Dryden,  Direc- 
tor of  the  NACA,  in  a  speech  to  the  In- 
stitute of  the  Aeronaiitical  Sciences, 
stressed  the  importance  of  a  well-planned 
and  logical  space  program  embracing  both 
civilian  and  military  uses.  He  stated 
that  the  national  space  program  should 
be  under  the  joint  control  of  the  De- 
partment of  Defense,  the  NACA,  the  Na- 
tional Academy  of  Sciences,  and  the  Na- 
tional Science  Foundation ;  in  addition 
to  research  flights,  the  NACA  would 
"coordinate  and  conduct  research  in 
space  technology  in  its  own  laboratories 
and  by  contract  in  support  of  both  mili- 
tary and  nonmilitary  projects." 

January  28:  Thor  IRBM  successfully 
fired  from  Cape  Canaveral,  flew  pre- 
scribed course,  and  impacted  in  prese- 
lected area. 

January  29:  The  DOD  announced  plans 
to  establish  the  National  Pacific  Missile 
Range  (PMR)  as  part  of  the  Naval  Air 
Missile  Test  Center  at  Point  Mugu,  Calif., 
the  range  to  be  designed  for  long-range 
guided  missile  and  ICBM  testing. 

January  31:  EXPLORER  I,  first  U.S. 
earth  satellite,  launched  by  modified 
ABMA-JPL  Jupiter-C,  with  US-IGY 
scientific  experiment  of  James  A.  Van 
Allen,  which  discovered  the  radiation  belt 
around  the  earth.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

February  3:  Soviet  Premier  Nikolai  A. 
Rulganin  in  a  letter  to  President  Eisen- 
hower stated  that  the  Soviet  Union  "is 
ready  to  examine  also  the  question  of 
the  intercontinental  rockets  if  the  West- 
ern powers  are  willing  to  reach  agree- 


ment to  ban  atomic  and  hydrogen  weap- 
ons, to  end  tests  thereof,  and  to  liquidate 
foreign  military  bases  in  other  nations' 
territories.  In  that  case,  an  agreement 
on  the  use  of  outer  space  for  peaceful 
purposes  only  would  unquestionably  meet 
no  difficulties." 

•:   Scientists  at   the  Jet  Propulsion 

Laboratory  at  the  California  Institute  of 
Technology  reported  that  initial  data 
from  EXPLORER  I  showed  that  cosmic 
radiation  on  its  orbit  did  not  exceed  12 
times  the  amount  on  earth. 

February  4'  President  Eisenhower  di- 
rected James  R.  Killian,  Jr.,  to  head  a 
committee  to  study  and  make  recom- 
mendations on  the  governmental  organi- 
zation of  the  Nation's  space  and  missile 
program. 

February  5:  Trial  firing  of  IGY  Vanguard 
(TV-SBu)  satellite  failed  at  Cape  Ca- 
naveral, Fla.,  57  seconds  after  launch. 

February  6:  The  Senate  passed  S.  Res. 
256,  creating  a  Special  Committee  on 
Space  and  Astronautics  to  frame  legisla- 
tion for  a  national  program  of  space  ex- 
ploration and  development. 

February  7:  The  Advanced  Research 
Projects  Agency  (ARPA)  was  estab- 
lished by  the  DOD,  and  Roy  W.  Johnson, 
a  vice  president  of  General  Electric  Co., 
was  appointed  by  Secretary  of  Defense 
McElroy  as  its  Director.  ARPA  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  Nation's  outer 
space  program. 

February  10:  First  successful  radar  re- 
turns from  Venus  (27,530,000  miles 
away)  detected  by  MIT's  Lincoln  Lab- 
oratory Millstone  Hill.  It  took  1  year  to 
process  confirmation  of  this  event. 

:    Airman    1/C    Donald    G.    Farrell 

spent  the  week  of  February  10-16  in  a 
space-cabin  simulator  at  SAM,  Randolph 
AFB,  Tex. 

February  1//:  "Basic  Objectives  of  a  Con- 
tinuing Program  of  Scientific  Research 
in  Outer  Space,"  a  report  by  the  Tech- 
nical Panel  on  the  Earth  Satellite  Pro- 
gram of  the  National  Academy  of  Sci- 
ences IGY  Committee,  was  published.  It 
proposed  a  program  of  space  research 
extending  beyond  the  International  Geo- 
physical Year. 


95 


1958 — Continued 

February  17:  In  a  letter  to  Soviet  Pre- 
mier Nilcolai  A.  Bulganin,  President 
Eisenliower  repeated  liis  plea  for  the 
dedication  of  outer  space  to  peaceful 
uses.  Denying  that  this  proposal  was 
intended  "to  gain  strategic  advantages 
for  the  United  States,"  he  stressed  the 
urgency  of  dealing  with  outer  space  be- 
fore its  use  for  military  purposes  had, 
like  nuclear  weapons,  advanced  to  the 
point  where  complete  international  con- 
trol was  almost  impossible. 

February  18:  USAF  revealed  that  an  air- 
flow speed  of  32,400  mph  had  been  at- 
tained for  one-tenth  of  a  second  in  a 
wind  tunnel  test  at  the  Arnold  Engineer- 
ing Development  Center,  Tallahoma, 
Tenn.,  on  an  undisclosed  date. 

February  21:  U.S.S.R.  fired  a  single-stage 
rocket  to  294-mile  altitude  with  3,340 
pounds  of  experiments  for  measuring  ion 
composition  of  the  atmosphere,  pressure, 
temperature,  micrometeorites,  etc.,  ac- 
cording to  the  Soviet  IGY  Committee. 

February  26:  James  H.  Doolittle,  Chair- 
man of  the  NACA,  testified  before  Senate 
Committee  on  Appropriations  that  "four 
years  ago,  about  10  percent  of  our  ac- 
tivities were  associated  with  space ;  two 
years  ago,  about  25  percent ;  and  in  1959 
we  will  be  devoting  almost  half  of  our 
time  on  missiles,  autimissiles,  and  satel- 
lites and  other  space  objectives." 

February  28:  Department  of  Defense  as- 
signed responsibility  for  land-based 
ICBM/IRBM  development  to  the  USAF, 
and  directed  it  to  develop  Minuteman 
solid-propellant  ICBM  capable  of  being 
launched  from  underground  sites. 

During  February:  NACA  Langley's 
PARD  conceived  and  placed  in  operation 
the  "opposed  gun"  technique  for  studying 
projectile  impacts. 

March  5:  EXPLORER  II  launched  by 
Army  Jupiter-C  failed  to  orbit  due  to 
failure  of  last  stage  to  ignite,  a  joint 
JPL-ABMA  project. 

:  H.  Res.  496,  passed  by  the  House 

of  Representatives,  established  a  Select 
Committee  on  Astronautics  and  Space 
Exploration  to  investigate  the  problems 
of  outer  space  and  to  submit  recom- 
mendations for  the  control  and  develop- 
ment of  astronautical  resources. 


March  15:  U.S.S.R.  Foreign  Ministry 
statement  proposed  that  ban  on  use  of 
outer  space  for  military  purposes,  as 
suggested  by  President  Eisenhower,  be 
coupled  with  the  liquidation  of  foreign 
military  bases  in  Europe,  the  Middle 
East,  and  North  Africa. 

■:     Contract    awarded    for    inertial 

guidance  system  for  the  Titan  ICBM  to 
American  Bosch  Arma  by  the  USAF. 

March  17:  Second  U.S.-IGY  satellite, 
VANGUARD  I,  launched  into  orbit  with 
life  expectancy  of  perhaps  a  1,000  years, 
a  highly  successful  scientific  satellite 
which  proved  that  the  earth  is  slightly 
pear  shaped.  Operating  on  solar-powered 
batteries,  it  was  still  transmitting  after 
3  years  in  orbit.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

:  An  experiment  testing  the  behavior 

of  crews  under  conditions  of  long  con- 
finement was  concluded  at  Wright  Air 
Development  Center,  as  five  Air  Force 
ofiicers  ended  a  5-day  simulated  space 
flight. 

March  IS:  Dr.  Herbert  F.  York  was  ap- 
pointed as  Chief  Scientist  for  DOD's  Ad- 
vanced Research  Projects  Agency. 

March  19:  Space  program  for  the  United 
States  proposed  by  the  U.S.-IGY  Satel- 
lite Panel. 

March  21:  Two-stage  monorail  rocket- 
propelled  sled  exceeded  2,700  mph  at 
Holloman  AFB. 

March  23:  Navy  demonstrated  first 
dummy  test  of  Polaris  missile  from 
"popup"  launcher  off  San  Clemente  Is- 
land, from  submerged  launching  plat- 
form. 

March  26:  Third  U.S.-IGY  Satellite,  EX- 
PLORER III,  a  joint  ABMA-JPL  proj- 
ect, successfully  launched  by  Army  Juno 
II,  yielded  valuable  data  on  radiation 
belt,  micrometeorite  impacts,  and  tem- 
perature before  returning  to  earth  on 
June  27. 

:   President  Eisenhower  in  a  brief 

statement  released  the  President's 
Science  Advisory  Committee's  report, 
"Introduction  to  Outer  Space :  an  Ex- 
planatory Statement."  This  report  set 
forth  the  basic  factors  making  the  ad- 
vancement of  space  technology  a  national 
necessity  and  explained  to  the  nonteclmi- 


96 


cal  reader  the  principles  and  potentiali- 
ties of  space  travel.  The  many  uses  of 
space  technology  for  scientific  and  mili- 
tary purposes  were  summarized,  and  a 
timetable  for  carrying  out  these  objec- 
tives was  included. 

:  Military  telephone  and  telegraph 

system  using  the  troposphere  to  bounce 
radio  signals  over  long  distances,  called 
"White  Alice,"  was  activated. 

March  27:  President  Eisenhower  gave  his 
approval  to  the  plans  for  outer  space  ex- 
ploration announced  by  Secretary  of  De- 
fense Neil  H.  McElroy.  The  Advanced 
Research  Projects  Agency  (ARPA)  was 
to  undertake  several  space  projects  in- 
cluding the  launching  of  certain  earth 
satellites  and  five  space  probes  as  a  part 
of  this  country's  contribution  to  the  IGY 
program.  The  Air  Porce  Ballistic  Mis- 
sile Division  was  authorized  by  ARPA  to 
carry  out  three  lunar  probes  with  a  Thor- 
Vanguard  system,  and  lunar  probes  uti- 
lizing the  Jupiter-C  rocket  were  assigned 
to  the  Army  Ballistic  Missile  Agency. 

April  2:  In  a  message  to  Congress,  Presi- 
dent Eisenhower  proposed  the  establish- 
ment of  a  National  Aeronautics  and 
Space  Agency  into  which  the  National 
Advisory  Committee  for  Aeronautics 
would  be  absorbed.  This  agency  was  to 
have  responsibility  for  civilian  space 
science  and  aeronautical  research.  It 
would  conduct  research  in  these  fields  in 
it«;  own  facilities  or  by  contract  and 
would  also  perform  military  research  re- 
quired by  the  military  departments.  In- 
terim projects  pertaining  to  the  civilian 
program  which  were  under  the  direction 
of  the  Advanced  Research  Projects 
Agency  v.ould  be  transferred  to  the 
civilian  space  agency.  A  National  Aero- 
nautics and  Space  Board,  appointed  by 
the  President  and  composed  of  eminent 
persons  outside  the  Government  and  rep- 
resentatives of  interested  Government 
agencies  (with  at  least  one  member  from 
the  Department  of  Defense),  was  to 
assist  the  President  and  the  Director  of 
the  National  Aeronautics  and  Space 
Agency. 

:   Original  budget  request   of  $340 

million  in  new  obligational  authority  for 
the  Advanced  Research  Projects  Agency 
for  fiscal  year  1959  was  raised  to  $520 
million  for  advanced  research  projects  in 
a  letter  from  the  Director  of  the  Bureau 


of  the  Budget,  Maurice  H.  Stans,  which 
was  transmitted  to  Congress  by  Presi- 
dent Eisenhower. 

April  3;  In  a  message  to  Congress  on  the 
organization  of  the  Nation's  Defense 
Establishment,  President  Eisenhower 
recommended  creation  of  the  position  of 
Director  of  Defense  Research  and  Engi- 
neering, which  would  have  a  higher  rank 
and  replace  the  present  Assistant  Secre- 
tary of  Defense  for  Research  and  Engi- 
neering. 

April  5:  USAF  Atlas  ICBM  was  success- 
fully flown  from  Cape  Canaveral,  Fla.,  to 
the  impact  area  some  600  miles  away. 

April  8:  USAF  KC-135  Stratotanker 
ended  a  nonstop,  nonrefueled  record 
distance  jet  flight  of  10,228  miles,  from 
Tokyo  to  Lajes  Field,  Azores. 

April  13:  SPUTNIK  II  reentered  earth's 
atmosphere. 

April  IJf:  Proposal  for  a  National  Aero- 
nautics and  Space  Agency  drafted  by  the 
Bureau  of  the  Budget  was  submitted  to 
the  Congress  by  the  President,  and  was 
contained  in  the  following  congressional 
bills: 

S.  3609,  Senator  Lyndon  B.  Johnson  and 

Senator  Styles  Bridges 
H.R.     11881,     Representative    John    W. 

McCormack 
H.R.    11882,    Representative    Leslie    C. 

Arends 
H.R.    11887,    Representative    Harry    G. 

Haskell,  Jr. 
HR.     11888,     Representative     Kenneth 

Keating 
H.R.   11946,  Representative  William  H. 

Natcher 
H.R.    11961,    Representative   Peter   Fre- 

linghuysen,  Jr. 
H.R.    11964,    Representative    James    G. 

Fulton 
H.R.    11996,    Representative   Gordon   L. 

McDonough 

April  15:  Select  Committee  on  Astronau- 
tics and  Space  Exploration  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  opened  hearings  on 
outer  space  leading  toward  formulation 
of  a  national  space  program. 

April  16:  Grumman  FllF-lF  Super 
Tiger  flown  to  world  altitude  record  of 
76,828  feet  for  ground-launched  planes, 
piloted  by  Cdr.  George  C.  Watkins,  at 
Edwards  AFB. 


97 


1958 — Continued 

April  17:  Simulated  7-day  trip  to  the 
looon  made  by  six  Navy  men  in  chamber 
at  Philadelphia  Naval  Base. 

:  British  Skylark  reached  an  alti- 
tude of  90  miles  at  Woomera,  Australia. 

April  23:  USAF  Thor-Able  missile  was 
launched  from  Cape  Canaveral  in  a  re- 
entry test ;  flew  short  of  its  goal  and  the 
nose  cone  was  not  recovered.  The  nose 
cone  carried  a  mouse  as  a  biomedical 
experiment. 

April  24:  Navy  rocket  sled  attained  speed 
of  2,827.5  mph  at  China  Lake,  Calif. 

April  25:  First  sviccessful  launching  and 
erection  in  space  of  a  12-foot  inflatable 
sphere  for  air  density  measurements, 
using  a  Nike-Cajun  booster  system,  by 
NACA  Langley's  PARD  at  Wallops 
Island,  Va. 

April  27:  Pravda  reported  on  Soviet  satel- 
lite findings  that  Laika's  heartbeat  had 
taken  three  times  as  long  as  expected  to 
return  to  normal.  Weightlessness  af- 
fecting the  nerve  centers  was  suggested 
as  the  cause.  The  Soviet  report  dis- 
closed that  the  density  and  temperature 
of  the  atmosphere  at  a  given  altitude 
were  not  uniform,  and  that  cosmic  ray 
intensity  was  40  percent  greater  at  400 
miles  than  at  135  miles. 

April  28:  Vanguard  (TV-5)  failed  to 
orbit  due  to  malfunction  of  minor  com- 
ponents in  the  firing  circuit  of  third  stage. 

May  1:  Scientific  findings  from  the  two 
Explorer  satellites  disclosed  an  unex- 
pected band  of  high-intensity  radiation 
extending  from  600  miles  above  earth  to 
possibly  an  8,000-mile  altitude.  The  ra- 
diation was  described  by  Dr.  James  A. 
Van  Allen  as  "1.000  times  as  intense  as 
could  be  attributed  to  cosmic  rays." 

:  Responsibility  for  the  Project  Van- 
guard portion  of  the  U.S.-IGY  scientific 
satellite  program  was  transferred  from 
Navy  to  Advanced  Research  Project 
Agency  monitorship  by  the  Department 
of  Defense. 

May  6-7:  Lt.  Comdr.  M.  Ross  (USNR) 
and  A.  Mikesell  (Naval  Observatory) 
used  open  gondola  STRATO-LAB  balloon 
to  reach  40,000-feet  altitude  from  Crosby, 


Minn. ;  Mikesell  becoming  the  first  as- 
tronomer to  observe  stratosphere,  and  it 
was  first  flight  in  which  crew  remained 
in  stratosphere  in  open  basket  after 
sunset. 

May  7:  Flying  a  Lockheed  F-104A  Star- 
fighter  at  Edwards  AFB,  Calif.,  Maj. 
Howard  C.  Johnson  (USAF)  set  a  91,249- 
foot  world  altitude  record  for  ground- 
launched  planes. 

May  11:  Lt.  Comdr.  Jack  Neiman  com- 
pleted 44-hour  simulated  high  altitude 
flight  at  between  80,000  and  100,000  feet 
in  pressure  chamber  at  NAS  Norfolk. 

May  14-17:  Symposium  on  "Possible  Uses 
of  Earth  Satellites  for  Life  Sciences  Ex- 
periments" held  in  Washington,  D.C., 
under  sponsorship  of  National  Academy 
of  Sciences,  National  Science  Foundation, 
and  American  Institute  of  Biological 
Science. 

May  15:  SPUTNIK  III  placed  into  orbit 
by  the  U.S.S.R.  with  a  total  payload 
weight  of  about  7,000  pounds,  and  called 
a  "flying  laboratory."  (See  Appendix 
A.) 

May  16:  In  level  flight  over  a  10-mile 
course  at  Edwards  AFB,  Calif.,  Capt. 
Walter  W.  Irwin  (USAF),  flying  a  F- 
104A  Starfighter,  set  a  world  speed  rec- 
ord of  1,404.19  mph. 

May  18:  First  U.S.  full-size  tactical  nose 
cone  was  recovered  from  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  4%  hours  after  launching  from 
Cape  Canaveral  on  a  Jupiter  missile. 

May  20:  NACA-USAF  Memorandum  of 
Understanding  signed,  "Principles  for 
Participation  of  NACA  in  Development 
and  Testing  of  the  Air  Force  System  4G4L 
Hypersonic  Boost  Glide  Vehicle  (Dyna- 
Soarl)." 

May  24:  Gravity  load  of  83  g's  for  a  frac- 
tion of  a  second  withstood  by  Capt.  E.  L. 
Breeding  in  deceleration  of  a  rocket  sled 
at  HoUomau  AFB. 

May  27;  First  USAF  Republic  F-105 
Thunderchief  fighter-bomber  delivered  to 
the  USAF. 

:  First  launching  of  production  Van- 
guard satellite  vehicle  (SLV-1)  generally 
successful  witli  exception  of  second-stage 
burnout  which  prevented  achievement  of 
satisfactory  orbit. 


98 


Diirim;  May:  Four-stage  rocket  launched 
a  9-ponnd  inflatable  sphere  to  50-mile 
altitude  at  NACA  Wallops  Island. 

:  Dr.  Abe  Silverstein,  Associate  Di- 
rector of  Lewis  Flight  Propulsion  Labo- 
ratory, was  transferred  to  NACA  head- 
quarters to  help  plan  the  organization 
and  programs  of  the  National  Aeronau- 
tics and  Space  Administration,  subse- 
quently becoming  Director  of  the  O&ee 
of  Space  Flight  Programs. 

June  3:  USAF  and  NACA  jointly  an- 
nounce details  on  the  inertial  guidance 
system  to  be  used  on  the  X-15  research 
aircraft,  a  flight  instrument  system  to 
allow  the  pilot  to  prevent  the  aircraft 
from  reentering  dense  atmosphere  too 
steeply  or  too  shallow. 

Jinic  J,:  USAF  Thor  flight  tested  for  the 
first  time  from  a  tactical-tyiie  launcher 
at  Cape  Canaveral. 

June  8:  Test  firing  of  a  full-scale  upper 
stage  rocket  under  simulated  altitude 
conditions  was  made  in  an  engine  test 
cell  at  the  USAF's  Arnold  Engineering 
Development  Center  at  TuUahoma,  Tenn. 

June  16:  Phase  I  development  contract 
for  Dyna-Soar  boost-glide  orbital  space- 
craft awarded  by  USAF  to  two  teams  of 
contractors  headed  by  Martin  Co.  (Bell, 
American  Machine  &  Foundry,  Bendix, 
Goodyear,  and  Minneapolis-Honeywell ) 
and  the  Boeing  Co.  (Aerojet,  General 
Electric,  Ramo-Wooldridge,  North  Amer- 
ican, and  Chance  Vought). 

:  Pacific  Missile  Range,  Point  Mugu, 

Calif.,  ofiicially  established  under  Navy 
management  to  provide  range  support  to 
the  Department  of  Defense  and  other 
governmental  agencies  engaged  in  mis- 
sile, satellite,  and  space  vehicle  research, 
development,  evaluation  and  training. 

June  26:  Production  Vanguard  satellite 
(SLV-2)  failed  to  orbit  duo  to  failure 
of  second  stage,  but  demonstrated  struc- 
tural integrity  of  tankage  which  with- 
stood pressure  exceeding  design  values. 

June  21:  First  successful  launching  by 
NACA  Langley's  Aircraft  Research  Divi- 
sion of  a  ]\Iach  18  five-stage  rocket  vehi- 
cle at  Wallops  Island,  Va. 

:   USAF  strategic  missile  squadron 


successfully  completed  first  military 
launch  of  a  Snark  intercontinental  mis- 
sile at  Cape  Canaveral. 

June  28:  EXPLORER  III  reentered  the 
e^arth's  atmosphere. 

June  30:  The  NACA  reported  that  50 
percent  of  its  research  effort  was  being 
devoted  to  problems  associated  with  mis- 
siles and  space  vehicles. 

During  June:  Space  Science  Board  of  IG 
members  established  by  National  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences,  with  Dr.  Lloyd  V.  Berk- 
ner  as  Chairman,  to  advise  and  assist  in 
formulation  of  U.S.  post-IGY  space  re- 
search program  and  to  foster  coopera- 
tion with  space  scientists  in  other 
nations. 

:  NACA-USAF  meetings  concern- 


ing applicability  of  all  solid-propellant 
launch  vehicle  (later  named  Scout)  to 
meet  USilF  requirements. 

— :  Recovery  of  first  data  capsule  at 
AMR  after  successful  separation  from 
a  Thor  IRBM  at  reentry. 

Julij  1:  Japanese  Kappa-6tw  two-stage 
rocket  flown  to  30-mile  altitude  over 
Michikawa  Rocket  Center,  Japan, 

July  S:  First  launching  of  a  10-inch- 
diameter  spherical  i-ocket  motor  with 
spin  stabilization,  at  NACA  Wallops 
Island. 

Jtily  9:  Second  AF  Thor- Able  reentry 
test  vehicle  was  launched,  traveling  6,000 
miles  (no  nose  cone  recovery). 

July  11:  Nose  cone  of  Jupiter  missile  suc- 
cessfully recovered  after  intermediate 
range  flight. 

July  21:  Standing  Committee  on  Science 
and  Astronautics  established  by  House 
of  Representatives. 

July  23:  Thor-Able  reentry  test  vehicle 
made  another  successful  6,000-mile  flight ; 
the  nose  cone  and  mouse  passenger  were 
not  recovered. 

July  23-31:  Feasibility  of  creating  or 
destroying  cloud  formations  by  relea.se 
of  carbon  black  was  established  in  tests 
conducted  off  Florida  coast  by  the  Navy 
Weather  Service's  Comdr.  N.  Brango  and 
Dr.  Florence  Van  Straten. 


99 


1958 — Continued 

July  24:  Senate  established  Standing 
Committee  on  Aeronautical  and  Space 
Sciences. 

July  26:  EXPLORER  IV,  fourth  U.S.- 
IGY  satellite,  successfully  launched  by 
Army  Jupiter-C.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

:  Capt.  Ivan  C.  Kincheloe  (USAF) 

killed  when  F-104  crashed  at  Edwards 
AFB.  He  had  been  scheduled  to  test-fly 
the  X-15, 

July  26-27:  Comdrs.  M.  Ross  and  L. 
Lewis  (USN)  reached  maximum  alti- 
tude of  82,000  feet  in  STRATO-LAB 
HIGH  III  flisht  from  Crosby,  Minn., 
which  set  new  unofficial  record  for  strato- 
spheric flight  of  34.7  hours. 

July  29:  President  Eisenhower  signed 
H.R.  12.57.5,  malting  it  the  National  Aero- 
nautics and  Space  Act  of  11)58  (Public 
Law  85-508).  In  his  statement,  he  said : 
"The  present  National  Advisory  Com- 
mittee for  Aeronautics  (NACA)  with  its 
large  and  competent  staff  and  well- 
equipped  laboratories  will  provide  the 
nucleus  for  NASA.  The  NACA  has  an 
established  record  of  re.search  perform- 
ance and  of  cooperation  with  the  armed 
services.  The  coordination  of  space  ex- 
ploration responsibilities  with  NACA's 
traditional  aeronautical  research  func- 
tions is  a  natural  evolution  .  .  .  [one 
which]  should  have  an  even  greater  im- 
pact on  our  future." 

July  SO:  President  Eisenhower  requested 
$125  million  to  initiate  the  National  Aero- 
nautics and  Space  Administration 
(NASA). 

:  Successful   proof   tests  subjecting 

humans  to  over  20  times  the  force  of 
gravity  were  conducted,  with  NACA's 
Maxime  Faget  conceiving  concept  of  the 
contour  couch  on  centrifuge  at  Navy 
AMAL,  Johnsville,  Pa.  This  couch  be- 
came integral  part  of  the  Project  Mer- 
cury concept. 

July  31:  Army  Redstone  No.  50  success- 
fully fired  off  Johnson  Island  in  the 
South  Pacifle  as  a  part  of  Project  Hard- 
tack. 

:  First  comprehensive  Sputnik  data 

was  released  by  U.S.S.B.  to  foreign 
scientists. 


August  1:  AFBMD  announced  develop- 
ment of  a  complete  inertial  guidance  sys- 
tem to  replace  radio  inertial  system  now 
in  use. 

August  2:  First  full-powered  flight  of 
USAF  Atlas  ICBM  using  both  the  sus- 
tainer  and  booster  engines. 

August  6:  Rocketdyne  Division  of  North 
American  announced  an  Air  Force  con- 
tract for  a  1-million-pound  thrust  engine. 

August  7:  First  launching  of  USAF  Bo- 
marc  interceptor  missile  from  Cape  Ca- 
naveral on  a  signal  sent  by  the  SAGE 
Control  Center  at  Kingston,  N.Y. 

August  S:  President  nominated  Dr.  T. 
Keith  Glennan  to  be  Administrator  of  the 
National  Aeronautics  and  Space  Admin- 
istration, and  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Dryden  as 
Deputy  Administrator. 

August  11:  Army  Redstone  No.  51  suc- 
cessfully fired  off  Johnson  Island  in  the 
South  Pacific  as  a  part  of  Project  Hard- 
tack. 

:  After  program  review  and  discus- 
sions, NACA  drafted  specifications  of  the 
Scout  launch  vehicle  based  upon  prelim- 
inary designs  for  a  hypervelocity  re- 
search vehicle  and  orbiting  system. 

August  14:  Nominations  of  Dr.  T.  K. 
Glennan  and  Dr.  H.  L.  Dryden  were  ap- 
proved by  the  Senate  Special  Committee 
on  Space  and  Astronautics. 

August  15:  Saturn  Project  initiated  by 
ARPA  order  to  Army  Ordnance  Missile 
Command,  and  it  was  assigned  to  Red- 
stone Arsenal. 

:   Dr.   T.   Keith  Glennan   confirmed 

by  the  Senate  as  Administrator  of  the 
National  Aeronautics  and  Space  Admin- 
istration. 

:  Federal  Aviation  Agency  created 

with  passage  by  Congress  of  the  Federal 
Aviation  Act. 

August  17:  USAF  Thor-Able-l  launch  ve- 
hicle with  first  U.S.-IGY  lunar  payload 
exploded  77  seconds  after  launch  because 
of  a  failure  of  first-stage  engine. 

August  19:  Dr.  T.  Keith  Glennan  sworn 
In  as  Administrator,  and  Dr.  Hugh  L. 
Dryden  as  Deputy  Administrator,  of  the 


100 


National  Aeronautics  and  Space  Admin- 
istration ;  40  days  later,  as  of  October  1, 
1958,  NASA  was  declared  to  be  i-eady 
to  function. 

:  Navy  Tartar  surface-to-air  missile 

made  successful  first  flight  and  inter- 
ception at  NOTS  Cbina  Lake,  Calif. 

August  21:  The  National  Advisory  Com- 
mittee for  Aeronautics  held  its  final  meet- 
ing, and  invited  Dr.  T.  Keith  Glennan, 
newly  appointed  Administrator  of  NASA, 
to  receive  best  wishes  for  the  future. 

August  2.',:  EXPLORER  V  successfully 
launched  by  ABMA-.J1'L  Jupiter-C  and 
all  stages  fired,  but  orbit  not  achieved  be- 
cause of  collision  between  parts  of  booster 
and  instrument  compartment. 

August  25:  Ninth  lAF  meeting  began  at 
The  Hague,  which  witnessed  the  first 
colloquium  on  space  law. 

August  26:  Gen.  Thomas  D.  White,  USAF, 
wrote  James  H.  Doolittle,  Chairman, 
NACA:  "There  was  regret  at  the  passing 
of  an  agency  that  for  43  years  has  set 
the  world's  standard  in  aeronautical  re- 
search. .  .  .  There  has  always  been  for 
us  in  the  Air  Force,  the  knowledge  that 
NACA  was  ready  to  help  in  any  aero- 
dynamic trouble." 

:  Two  mice  lived  36  days  sealed  in 

a  chamber  and  dependent  upon  oxygen 
production  of  algae  in  an  experiment  at 
the  University  of  Texas. 

August  21:  The  first  Argus  experiment 
(ARPA)  was  conducted  (based  upon  Oc- 
tober 1957  proposal  of  N.  C.  Christofilos 
of  the  University  of  California,  Liver- 
more),  in  which  a  small  A-bomb  was 
detonated  beyond  the  atmosphere  over 
the  South  Atlantic.  Launched  from  the 
rocketship  Norton  Sound,  the  initial  flash 
was  followed  by  an  auroral  luminescence 
extending  upward  and  downward  along 
the  magnetic  lines  where  the  burst  oc- 
curred. 


lion  for  NASA,  including  $50  million  for 
research  and  development,  $'J5  million 
for  construction  and  expenses,  and  $5 
million  for  salaries  and  expenses. 

August  29:  Second  full-powered  flight  of 
USAF  Atlas  ICBM  traveled  3,000  miles 
with  radio-inert ial  guidance. 

August  30:  The  second  Argus  small 
A-bomb  detonation  beyond  the  atmos- 
phere was  conducted  in  the  South  At- 
lantic. 

During  August:  In  3-week  period,  19  five- 
stage  Argo  E5  sounding  rockets  were 
launched  in  USAF-NACA  program  to 
measure  radiation  caused  by  Project 
Argus,  rockets  reaching  500-niile  altitude 
and  were  launched  from  Wallops  Island, 
AMR,  and  Ramey  AFB,  Puerto  Rico. 

:      Experimental      "weightlessness" 

flights  in  C-131B  aircraft  begun  at 
Wright  Air  Development  Center. 

September  2:  U.N.  Ambassador  Henry 
Cabot  Lodge  announced  that  United 
States  would  propose  a  plan  for  inter- 
national cooperation  in  the  exploration 
of  outer  space  to  the  United  Nations. 

September  4-"  President  Eisenhower  ap- 
pointed Detlev  W.  Bronk,  president  of 
the  National  Academy  of  Sciences;  Wil- 
liam A.  M.  Burden;  James  H.  Doolittle; 
and  Alan  T.  Waterman,  Director  of  the 
NSF,  to  the  National  Aeronautics  and 
Space  Council.  Additionally,  the  Space 
Council  including  the  Administrator  of 
NASA,  the  Secretary  of  Defense,  the 
Secretary  of  State,  and  the  Chairman  of 
the  AEC  as  statutory  members. 

September  6:  The  third  of  the  Argus 
small  A-bomb  detonations  beyond  the 
atmosphere  was  conducted  over  the 
South  Atlantic.  Instruments  of  EX- 
PLORER IV  satellite  recorded  and  re- 
ported to  ground  stations  resultant  elec- 
tron densities,  subsequently  reported  by 
James  Van  Allen. 


:  Soviet  Union  reportedly  sent  two 

dogs  to  an  altitude  of  281  miles  and 
safely  returned  them  to  earth,  single- 
stage  rocket  boosting  a  total  payload  of 
3,726  pounds. 

:  President  Eisenhower  signed  Pub- 
lic Law  85-766  which  included  $80  mil- 


September  7:  Black  Knight  missile  of  the 
United  Kingdom  was  launched  from  the 
Australian  range  at  Woomera  to  an  alti- 
tude of  over  300  miles. 

September  8:  Unmanned  ONR  balloon 
carried  telescope  and  camera  to  an  alti- 
tude of  104,000  feet. 


692561—61- 


101 


1958— Continued 

September  8:  Wearing  a  Goodrich  light- 
weight full-pressui'e  suit,  Lt.  R.  H.  Tabor 
(USN)  completed  a  72-hour  simulated 
flight  in  pressure  chamber  at  NAS  Nor- 
folk, in  which  he  was  subjected  to  alti- 
tude conditions  as  high  as  139,000  feet. 

September  17:  Joint  NASA-ARPA 
Manned  Satellite  Panel  established  to 
make  final  recommendation  for  manned 
space  flight  program. 

September  2Ji:  Fii'st  senior  staff  meeting 
of  the  newly  created  National  Aero- 
nautics and  Space  Administration 
(NASA)  held,  with  Dr.  T.  Keith  Glennan 
as  Administrator,  and  Dr.  Hugh  L. 
Dryden  as  Deputy  Administrator. 

:    KC-135    jet    Stratotanker    lifted 

77,350-pound  payload  to  an  altitude  of 
1.25  miles. 

:   First  use  of   Sidewinder  aircraft 

rocket  with  heatseeker  nose,  by  Chinese 
Nationalist  F-86's  over  the  Formosa 
Straits.  Chinese  Nationalists  claimed  10 
Communist  planes. 

:    General    Electric    delivered    first 

prototype  of  MIT-developed  Polaris 
guidance  system. 

September  25:  Dr.  T.  Keith  Glennan 
signed  proclamation  declaring  that  "as 
of  the  close  of  business  September  30, 
1958,  the  National  Aeronautics  and 
Space  Administration  has  been  organized 
and  is  prepared  to  discharge  the  duties 
and  exercise  the  powers  conferred  on  it." 
Entered  upon  the  Federal  Register,  this 
proclamation  instituted  the  National 
Aeronautics  and  Space  Administration 
as  of  October  1, 1958. 

:  First  launching  of  an  Exos  sound- 
ing rocket  in  USAF-NASA  joint  effort 
from  Wallops  Island,  Va. 


September  28:  Nike-Asp  test  flight  from 
Navy  LSD  Point  Defiance  near  Puka 
Island  reached  800,000  feet,  the  highest 
altitude  ever  reached  by  ship-launched 
rocket,  in  preliminary  test  of  Nike-Asp 
for  vise  in  IGY  solar  eclipse  studies. 

September  29:  United  States  announced 
as  policy  that  all  measures  to  prevent 
contamination  of  the  moon  would  be 
taken  in  all  lunar  probes. 

During  September:  Saturn  design  studies 
authorized  to  proceed  at  Redstone  Ar- 
senal for  development  of  1.5-million- 
pound-thrust  clustered  first  stage. 

:  Dr.  W.  Albert  Noyes  was  ap- 
pointed chairman  of  U.S.  committee  to 
draft  proposals  for  international  coopera- 
tion in  the  space  sciences  for  the  consid- 
eration of  the  International  Council  of 
Scientific  Unions  (ICSU). 

October  1:  First  official  day  of  the  Na- 
tional Aeronautics  and  Space  Adminis- 
tration (NASA).  Existing  NACA  facili- 
ties, personnel,  policies,  and  advisory 
committees  were  transferred  to  NASA, 
and  the  NACA  laboratories  were  re- 
named Research  Centers. 

:  By  Executive  order  of  the  Presi- 
dent, DOD  responsibilities  for  the  re- 
maining U.S.-IGY  satellite  and  space 
prol)e  projects  were  transferred  to  the 
National  Aeronautics  and  Space  Admin- 
istration ;  included  were  Project  Van- 
guard, and  the  four  lunar  probes  and 
three  satellite  IGY  projects  remaining, 
which  had  previously  been  assigned  by 
ARPA  to  AFBMD  and  ABMA.  Also 
transferred  were  a  number  of  engine  de- 
velopment research  programs. 

October  2:  Executive  Board  of  the  Inter- 
national Council  of  Scientific  Unions 
(ICSU)  proposed  a  plan  to  establish  a 
Committee  on  Space  Research,  which  be- 
came known  as  COSPAR. 


September  2G:  Vanguard  (SLV-8) 
reached  265  miles'  altitude  and  was  de- 
stroyed 9,200  miles  downrange  over 
Central  Africa  on  reentry  into  the  atmos- 
phere. 

:  Boeing  B-52D  set  a  world  distance 

in  a  closed-circuit  record  of  6.233.981 
miles,  with  Lt.  Col.  V.  L.  Sandacz  at  the 
controls. 


October  //.-  Vandenberg  AFB,  first  opera- 
tional ICBM  base  in  free  world,  was 
dedicated.    ■ 

:  Jet  transatlantic  passenger  serv- 
ice inaugurated  by  British  Overseas  Air- 
ways. 

October  7:  NASA  formally  organized 
Project  Mercury  to:  (1)  place  a  manned 


102 


space  capsule  in  orbital  flight  around  the 
earth;  (2)  investigate  man's  reactions 
to  and  capabilities  in  this  environment ; 
and  (3)  recover  capsule  and  pilot  safely. 
A  NASA  Space  Task  Group  organized 
at  Langley  Research  Center  drew  up 
specitications  for  the  Mercury  capsule, 
based  on  studies  by  the  National  Advi- 
sory Committee  for  Aeronautics  during 
the  preceding  12  months,  and  on  discus- 
sions with  the  Air  Force  which  had  been 
conducting  related  studies. 

October  S:  U.S.S.R.  supplied  telemetry 
code  of  SPUTNIK  III  to  other  IGY  mem- 
bers, covering  only  radiation  measure- 
ments. 

■:  In     MAN      HIGH      III      balloon 

launched  from  Holloman  AFB,  Lt.  Clif- 
ton M.  McCIure  attained  a  near-record 
altitude  of  99,900  feet. 

October  11:  PIONEER  I,  U.S.-IGY  space 
probe  under  direction  of  NASA  and  with 
the  AFBMD  as  executive  agent,  launched 
from  AMR,  Cape  Canaveral,  Fla.,  by  a 
Thor-Able-I  booster.  It  traveled  70,700 
miles  before  returning  to  earth,  deter- 
mined radial  extent  of  great  radiation 
belt,  first  observations  of  earth's  and 
interplanetary  magnetic  field,  and  first 
measurements  of  micrometeorite  density 
in  interplanetary  space. 

October  12:  Naval  Research  Laboratory 
rocket  firings  in  Danger  Island  region  of 
the  South  Pacific  from  U.S.S.  Point 
Defiance,  reached  139,  148,  152,  and  150 
miles  altitude  to  chart  solar  spectrum  in 
the  ultraviolet  and  X-ray  portion. 

October  Iff:  NASA  requested  transfer  of 
Jet  Propulsion  Laboratory  and  the  space 
activities  of  Army  Redstone  Arsenal  to 
NASA. 

October  15:  First  of  a  series  of  three 
X-15  experimental  rocket  -  powered 
manned  research  aircraft  was  rolled  out 
at  the  Los  Angeles  plant  of  North  Ameri- 
can Aviation,  Inc.,  in  the  joint  USAF- 
USN-NASA  program. 

October  21:  Three  weeks  after  NASA 
officially  began  operating,  prospective 
contractors  were  invited  to  a  briefing  at 
NASA  headquarters  on  development  of 
li/^-million-pound-thrust  engine. 


:  First    launching    of    two     USAF 

Bomarc  missiles  within  less  than  10  sec- 
onds of  each  other  at  Cape  Canaveral; 
launches  signaled  from  SAGE  at  Kings- 
ton, N.Y.,  and  both  missiles  scored  suc- 
cessful intercepts  against  different  target 
aircraft. 

October  23:  NASA— with  the  Army  as 
executive  agent — attemi)ted  to  launch  a 
12-foot-diameter  inflatal)le  satellite  of 
micro-thin  plastic  covered  with  aluminum 
foil  known  as  BEACON.  Launched  from 
AMR  by  a  Juno  I — a  modified  Redstone, 
the  payload  prematurely  separated  prior 
to  booster  burnout. 

October  26:  Pan  American  World  Air- 
ways began  regular  daily  jet  service  be- 
tween New  York  and  Paris  using  Boeing 
707's. 

October  SO:  William  M.  Holaday  ap- 
pointed by  the  President  to  be  Chairman 
of  the  NASA-DOD  Civilian-Military 
Liaison  Committee   (CMLC). 

During  October:  Air  Force  awarded  con- 
tract to  Pratt  &  Whitney  for  Centaur  ve- 
hicle with  hydrogen-burning  chamber 
based  on  research  of  Lewis  Research 
Center  between  1953  and  1957.  Ceutavir 
project  later  transferred  to  NASA. 

November  6:  Army  completed  Redstone 
flight  testing  with  a  perfect  250-mile  shot. 

November  7;  Bidders  conference  held  by 
NASA  on  manned-satellite  capsule  for 
Project  Mercury. 

November  8:  Second  U.S.-IGY  space 
probe  under  direction  of  NASA  with  Air 
Force  as  execvitive  agent,  PIONEER  II, 
was  launched  from  AMR.  Unseparated 
third- and  fourth  stages  reached  an  alti- 
tude of  about  1,000  miles  and  flew  some 
7,500  miles  before  burning  out. 

November  IJ,:  First  launch  of  a  3,750,000- 
cubic-foot  plastic  balloon  at  Holloman 
AFB;  payload  was  a  parachute  test  ve- 
hicle for  development  of  high-Mach 
parachute  systems. 

November  15:  First  meeting  of  COSPAR 
( Committee  on  Space  Research )  px'oposed 
bylaws  and  rules  for  the  approval  of 
the  ICSU,  at  London. 


103 


1958 — Continued 

Novemter  19:  United  States  and  19  other 
nations  jointly  introduced  resolution  in 
U.N.  General  Assembly  calling  for  cre- 
ation of  ad  hoc  committee  to  bring  about 
full  international  cooperation  in  the 
peaceful  uses  of  outer  space. 

November  21:  NASA  formed  new  Special 
Committee  on  Life  Sciences  to  provide 
advice  on  human  factors,  medical,  and 
allied  problems  on  NASA's  manned  space 
vehicle  program. 

November  26:  Project  Mercury,  U.S. 
manned-satellite  program,  was  oflBcially 
named  by  NASA. 

November  28:  USAF  Atlas  made  its  first 
successful  operational  test  flight  in  a 
632.5  statute-mile  flight,  landed  close  to 
its  target. 

Diiriiifj  November:  NASA  requested  DX 
priority  for  1..5-million-pound-thrust  F-1 
engine  project  and  Project  Mercury. 

:    Second   International    Symposium 

on  Physics  and  Medicine  of  the  Atmos- 
phere and  Space  was  held  at  San  Antonio, 
Texas. 

December  3:  President  transferred  the 
functions  and  facilities  of  the  Jet  Pro- 
pulsion Laboratory  of  the  California  In- 
stitute of  Technology,  Pasadena.  Calif., 
from  the  Army  to  NASA.  JPL  built,  de- 
signed, and  tested  ui)per  stages,  payloads, 
and  tracking  systems  for  the  first  IGY 
Explorer  satellites. 

• :  NASA  and  the  Army  reached  an 

agreement  whereby  ABMA  and  its  sub- 
ordinate organizations  at  Redstone  Arse- 
nal, Huntsville,  Ala.,  would  be  responsive 
to  NASA  requirements. 

:  DOD  announced  details  of  Project 

Discoverer,  series  of  polar  orbiting 
satellites. 


agent — was  launched  at  12 :4.5  a.m.,  from 
AMR  by  Juno  II  rocket.  The  primary 
mission  of  PIONEER  III,  to  place  the 
scientific  payload  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
moon,  was  not  accomplished  although 
an  altitude  of  63,580  miles  was  achieved 
and  it  discovered  that  radiation  belt  was 
comprised  of  at  least  two  bands. 

December  9:  The  first  meeting  of  the  new 
NASA  Inventions  and  Contributions 
Board  was  held  to  evaluate  scientific  or 
technical  contributions  and  to  recom- 
mend monetary  awards. 

December  10:  First  domestic  jet  airline 
passenger  service,  by  National  Airlines 
between  New  York  and  Miami. 

December  12-16:  SMALL  WORLD  bal- 
loon with  four  passengers  failed  in  trans- 
atlantic attempt,  lifting  from  Canary 
Islands  and  landing  at  sea  northeast  of 
Barbados. 

December  IS:  U.N.  General  Assembly 
adopted  resolution  bringing  into  being  an 
18-member  Ad  Hoc  Conmiittee  on  the 
Peaceful  Uses  of  Outer  Space. 

:  Squirrel  monkey  Gordo  made  1,. 500- 
mile  flight  in  nose  cone  of  Army  Jupiter 
v/ith  no  known  adverse  effects,  but  float 
mechanism  failed  and  nose  cone  was  not 
recovered. 

December  16:  Two  Thor  shots,  one  from 
Cape  Canaveral  and  one  from  Vanden- 
berg  AFB,  were  successful.  Intermedi- 
ate range  ballistic  mi.ssile  portion  of 
PMR  was  inaugurated  with  successful 
firing  of  USAF  Thor  from  Vandenberg 
AFB. 

:   MATS  C-133  Cargomaster  lifted 

117,900  pounds  of  cargo  to  10,000  feet,  a 
weight-lifting  record,  at  Dover  AFB,  Del. 

December  11:  NASA  awarded  contract  to 
Rocketdyne  of  North  American  to  build 
single-chamber  1.5-million-iiound-thrust 
rocket  engine. 


December  5:  Modified  Navy  Terrier 
rocket  with  camera  launched  to  an  alti- 
tude of  86  miles  from  Wallops  Island, 
providing  a  1,000-mile  composite  photo- 
graph of  a  frontal  cloud  formation. 

December  6:  The  third  U.S.-IGY  space 
probe — the  second  under  direction  of 
NASA  and  with  the  Army  as  executive 


:    Project    Mercury    announced    as 

name  of  U.S.  man-in-space  program  by 

NASA. 

December  IS:  Plastic  balloon  fiight  No. 
1,000  launched  by  the  Balloon  Branch  of 
the  Missile  Development  Center  at  Hol- 
loman  AFB,  a  series  beginning  in  July 
1950. 


104 


:  Entire  USAF  Atlas  boosted  into 

orbit  communications  relay  satellite, 
PROJECT  SCORE  or  the  "talking  atlas." 
A  total  of  8,750  pounds  were  placed  in 
orbit,  of  which  150  pounds  was  payload. 

December  19:  President  Elsenhower's 
Christmas  message  beamed  from  PROJ- 
ECT SCORE  satellite  in  orbit,  the  first 
voice  beamed  in  from  space. 

:  BOLD  ORION  (WS-199)  launched 

from  B-58  Hustler  traveling  at  about 
1,100  mph  over  Cape  Canaveral,  Fla. 

December  20:  White  Sands  Proving 
Ground  announced  missile  range  firing 
record :  2,000  "hot"  firings  in  1  year. 

:  First  Titan  test  launch  exploded 

on  the  pad  at  Cape  Canaveral. 

:  New  voice  and  teletype  messages 

were  received  and  rebroadcast  on  com- 
mand by  PROJECT  SCORE  satellite, 
and  a  series  of  experiments  were  con- 
tinued in  subsequent  days. 

December  23:  First  Atlas-C  fired  success- 
fully at  AMR. 

December  24 :  Dr.  Herbert  F.  York,  Chief 
Scientist  of  ARPA,  was  named  as  Direc- 
tor of  Defense  Research  and  Engineering 
for  the  Department  of  Defense  by  Presi- 
dent Eisenhower. 

December  27:  Federal  Council  for  Science 
and  Technology  to  be  headed  by  Dr. 
James  R.  Killian,  Jr.,  was  approved  by 
President  Eisenhower. 

:  PIONEER  III  data  indicated  that 

the  earth  is  surrounded  by  two  bauds  of 
radiation. 

December  31:  PROJECT  SCORE  ceased 
transmissions,  concluding  12  days  of  op- 
erations and  97  successful  contacts. 

:    IGY   scheduled    to   close,   but   in 

October  1958  the  International  Council 
of  Scientific  Unions,  meeting  in  Wash- 


ington, api)roved  extension  of  IGY 
through  December  1959  under  name  of 
International  Geophysical  Cooperation — 
1959  (IGC-59)  and  also  approved  estab- 
lishment of  Comujittee  on  Simce  Research 
(COSPAR)  to  continue  international  co- 
operation in  the  scientific  exploration  of 
space.  National  Academy  of  Sciences  is 
U.S.  adhering  body  to  COSPAR. 

During  December:  National  booster  pro- 
gram developed  by  NASA  and  DOD  to 
provide  basis  for  long-range  planning. 

:  First  vacuum  tank  for  use  in  ion 

and  plasma  electric  propulsion  research 
received  at  NASA  Lewis  Research  Cen- 
ter, three  more  of  which  were  later  put 
to  research,  and  two  large  models  to  be 
completed  by  19G2. 

During  1958:  NASA  Langley  research 
scientists,  Paul  Purser  and  Maxime  Fa- 
get,  conceived  Little  Joe  research  rocket ; 
the  Scout  vehicle  system  was  conceived 
from  PARD's  multistage  hypersonic 
solid-propellant  rocket  program. 

:  Twistor  and  other  thin-film  semi- 
conductors were  developed  suitable  as 
memory  elements. 

:  NASA  Lewis  Research  Center  com- 
pleted 14  years  of  extensive  research  on 
all  U.S.  turbojet  engines. 

:   NASA  Lewis  Center  successfully 

demonstrated  first  use  of  flnoriue  gas  to 
provide  reliable  ignition  for  practical 
hydrogen-oxygen  engine  (20K  thrust)  ; 
same  year  first  throttling  of  hydrogen- 
fluorine  thrust  chamber  demonstrated 
o^  er  wide  range. 

:  First  year  that  the  total  number 

of  transatlantic  air  passengers  exceeded 
the  number  of  sea  ijassengers. 

:  Experimental  tests  for  launching 

satellites  via  rocket  fired  from  fighter 
aircraft  conducted  by  Navy  Project  Pilot. 


105 


1959 


January  2:  U.S.S.R.  launched  LUNIK  I 
into  a  solar  orbit,  with  a  total  weight  of 
a  reported  3,245  pounds,  the  first  mau- 
made  object  placed  in  orbit  around  the 
sun.  It  was  called  MECHTA  ("dream") 
by  the  Russians.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

— — :  Defense  officials  indicated  fiscal 
year  1960  budget  would  begin  major  in- 
tegration of  long-range  missiles  into 
weapons  arsenal  and  replacement  of 
manned  aircraft  on  a  large  scale. 

January  h:  Vandenberg  Air  Force  Base 
and  the  Pacific  Missile  Range  declared 
ofiicially  operational  for  firings. 

January  5:  LUNIK  I  transmissions 
ceased  373,125  miles  from  earth. 

Jamiary  S:  NASA  requested  eight  Red- 
stone-type launch  vehicles  from  the  Army 
to  be  used  in  Project  Mercury  develop- 
ment flights. 

January  9:  NASA-DOD  agreement 
signed  for  a  "National  Program  To  Meet 
Satellite  and  Space  Vehicle  Tracking  and 
Surveillance  Requirements"  for  fiscal 
year  1959  and  fiscal  year  1960. 

January  12:  NASA  announced  selection 
of  McDonnell  Aircraft  Corp.,  as  source 
for  design,  development,  and  construc- 
tion of  Mercury  capsule. 

January  15:  First  successful  castings  of 
molybdenimi  made  at  U.S.  Bureau  of 
Mines  Laboratory  at  Albany,  Oreg. 

January  19:  The  AEC  demonstrated  a 
5-watt  radioisotope  thermoelectric  gener- 
ator (designated  SNAP  3)  to  President 
Eisenhower  as  an  example  of  the  poten- 
tial use  of  radioisotopes  and  static  ther- 
moelectric conversion  for  providing  long- 
lived  electric  power  for  space. 

January  21:  First  Chrysler-made,  opera- 
tional version  of  Army  Jupiter  IRBM, 
successfully  launched  from  AMR. 

January  23:  Dr.  T.  Keith  Glennan,  NASA 
Administrator,  announced  appointment  of 
chairmen  of  13  new  research  advisory 
committees  to  provide  technical  counsel 
from  industry,  universities,  and  govern- 
ment organizations. 


January  2S:  Nike-Cajun  successfully 
launched  12-foot-diameter  test  inflatable 
sphere  to  a  height  of  75  miles  over  NASA 
Wallops  Island,  the  sphere  inflating  sat- 
isfactorily. 

■ :  One  hundred  ten  candidates  were 

selected  by  NASA  in  the  first  screening 
for  Project  Mercury  astronauts  from  Air 
Force,  Navy,  and  Marine  Corps  test-pilot 
schools. 

January  29:  First  jet  passenger  service 
across  the  United  States  begun  by  Amer- 
ican Airlines  with  Boeing  707's. 

During  January:  Rocketdyne  demon- 
strated 1-million-pound-thrust  liquid- 
propellant  rocket  combustion  chamber  at 
full  power. 

February  2:  First  annual  report  on  Aero- 
nautical and  Space  Activities,  covering 
all  U.S.  activities  during  the  year  1958, 
was  forwarded  to  the  Congi'ess  by  the 
President 

February  6:  First  test  launch  of  USAF 
Titan  ICBM  (A-3)  from  Cape  Canaveral. 

February  11:  Army  announced  that  a 
weather  balloon,  launched  at  the  Signal 
Research  and  Development  Laboratory, 
Fort  Monmouth,  N.J.,  had  established  a 
world  altitude  record  of  146,000  feet. 

February  17:  VANGUARD  II  (SLV-4), 
the  fifth  U.S.-IGY  satellite,  successfully 
launched  payload  containing  photocells 
designed  to  produce  cloud  cover  images 
for  2  weeks ;  precessing  or  wobbling  pre- 
vented significant  interpretation  of  data. 
(See  Appendix  A.) 

:  USAF  Committee  presided  over  by 

Dr.  J.  Allen  Hynek,  Associate  Director 
of  the  Smithsonian  Astrophysical  Observ- 
atory at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  recommended 
that  the  USAF  continue  to  take  a  posi- 
tive approach  to  UFO's,  investigate  re- 
ported sightings  by  all  scientific  means, 
and  keep  the  public  fully  informed  of 
existing  policy.  Of  the  unknown  ob- 
jects sighted,  it  reported,  no  scientific 
evidence  supports  the  conclusion  that  the 
objects  were  spacecraft. 


106 


Fehruary  19:  Monorail  two-stage  rocket- 
research  sled  attained  3,0!)0  uiph,  or 
roughly  Mach  4.1,  at  HoUomau  AFB. 

February  20:  NASA  awarded  $105  mil- 
lion in  contracts  for  1959  projects  (15 
satellites). 

February  23:  Navy  revealed  development 
of  steerable  molybdenum  nozzle  used  in 
the  solid-proi)ellant  Polaris  missile. 

February   2S:   DISCOVERER   I,   ARPA 

satellite  weighing  1,450  pounds,  success- 
fully launched  into  polar  orbit  by  USAF 
Thor-Hustler  booster  from  Pacific  Mis- 
sile Range ;  stabilization  difficulties  ham- 
pered tracking  acquisition.  (See  Ap- 
pendix A.) 

March  1:  ''Poor  man's  I'ocket,"  Scout, 
was  jointly  announced  by  NASA  and  AF. 
The  concept  of  Scout  originated  at  Lang- 
ley  Research  Center  in  1958,  based  upon 
extensive  experience  with  staged  solid- 
propellant  rockets. 

March  3:  PIONEER  IV,  fourth  U.S.-IGY 
space  probe,  a  joint  ABMA-JPL  project 
under  direction  of  NASA,  was  launched 
by  a  Juno  II  rocket  from  AMR  and 
achieved  earth-moon  trajectory,  passing 
within  37,000  miles  of  the  moon  before 
going  into  permanent  solar  orbit.  Radio 
contact  was  maintained  to  a  record  dis- 
tance of  406,620  miles.  It  was  the  first 
U.S.  sun-orbiter.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

:  NASA's  Langley  Research  Center 

launched  first  in  a  series  of  six-stage 
solid-fuel  rocket  research  vehicles,  the 
w^orld's  first,  from  Wallops  Island,  Va., 
to  a  speed  of  Mach  26  in  a  reentry 
physics  program. 

March  Jf:  British  National  Committee  on 
Space  Research,  H.  S.  W.  Massey  as 
chairman,  held  its  first  meeting. 

March  6:  Radio  signals  received  from 
PIONEER  IV  from  a  distance  of  406,620 
miles  from  earth,  a  new  communications 
record. 

March  7:  First  French  Veronique  sound- 
ing rocket  launche^l  from  Columb  Bechar 
to  an  altitude  of  155  miles. 

March  10:  First  captive  flight  of  X-15 
(No.  1)  imder  modified  B-52  with  A. 
Scott  Crossfield  in  the  cockpit ;  additional 
captive  flights  were  made  on  April  1, 
April  10,  and  May  21. 


March  11:  NASA  granted  $350,000  to  Na- 
tional Academy  of  Sciences-National  Re- 
search Council  for  program  of  research 
appointments  in  theoretical  and  experi- 
mental physics  to  stimulate  basic  re- 
search in  the  space  sciences. 

March  12:  Second  British  Black  Knight 
rocket  reached  350-mile  altitude  at  Woo- 
mera,  Australia. 

March  12-lJf:  Second  meeting  of  COSPAR 
held  at  The  Hague,  the  Netherlands. 

March  13:  The  President  announced  the 
establishment  of  the  Federal  Council  for 
Science  and  Technology  to  promote  closer 
cooperation  among  Federal  agencies  in 
planning  their  respective  research  and 
development  programs. 

:     From   an   altitude    of   123   miles 

boosted  by  an  NRL  Aerobee-Hi  rocket, 
fired  from  White  Sands,  N.  Mex.,  the 
first  ultraviolet  photos  of  the  sun  were 
taken  and  recorded. 

March  llf:  National  Academy  of  Sciences 
delegate  to  COSPAR  transmitted  to 
COSPAR  President  the  offer  of  NASA  to 
carry  experiments  by  scientists  of  other 
nations  in  U.S.  space  vehicles. 

March  15:  Army  Redstone  ejected  minia- 
ture TV  camera  which  transmitted  pic- 
tures of  its  target  impact  area. 

March  17:  First  flight  launching  of  a 
spin-stabilized  20-inch-diameter  spherical 
rocket,  by  NASA  Langley's  PARD  at  Wal- 
lops Station,  Va. 

:  ARPA  announced  that  DISCOV- 
ERER I  was  no  longer  in  orbit. 

March  18:  Army  Signal  Corps  and  RCA 
announced  development  of  micromodules 
for  electronic  devices  which  ultimately 
could  permit  500,000  components  to  be 
packed  into  a  cubic  inch  of  space. 

March  19:  Deputy  Secretary  of  Defense 
Quarles  announced  that  three  atomic 
blasts  were  fired  in  space  (Project  Argus) 
in  1958,  using  modified  X-17  rockets. 

March  20:  MIT  announced  successful 
radar  signal  returns  from  Venus  had' 
been  performed  on  February  10  and  12, 
1958,  return  signals  being  one  ten-mil- 
lionth as  strong  as  transmission  signals. 


107 


1959— Continued 

March  2//.-  NASA  announced  that  Wallops 
Station  had  made  over  3,300  rocket  fir- 
ings since  1945. 

April  2:  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.  Chosen 
from  a  field  of  110  candidates,  the  final- 
ists were  all  qualified  test  pilots :  Capts. 
Leroy  G.  Cooper,  Jr.,  Virgil  I.  Grissom, 
and  Donald  K.  Slayton,  (USAF)  ;  Lt. 
Malcolm  S.  Carpenter,  Lt.  Comdr.  Alan 
B.  Shepard,  Jr.,  and  Lt.  Comdr.  Walter 
M.  Schirra,  Jr.  (USN)  ;  and  Lt.  Col. 
John  H.  Glenn  (USMC). 

:    Lt.   Gen.   Bernard   A.    Schriever, 

Commander  AFBMD,  was  named  Com- 
mander of  Air  Research  and  Develop- 
ment Command. 

:   USAF  Bold  Orion  ballistic  missile 

test  launched  from  B-47  jet  bomber. 

April  7;  AEC  Los  Alamos  Scientific  Lab- 
oratory announced  development  of 
plasma  thermocouple  for  direct  conver- 
sion of  energy  from  a  nuclear  reactor 
into  electricity,  offering  potential  auxil- 
iary power  source  for  space  applications. 

:    First  operational  flight  of  USAF 

Snark  to  target  on  AMR. 

April  S:  Reentry  body  of  USAF  Thor- 
Able  recovered  at  the  far  end  of  the  At- 
lantic Missile  Range  :  first  recovery  after 
an  ICBM  range  flight  by  AFMTC  task 
force. 

April  13:  DISCOVERER  II  satellite  suc- 
cessfully placed  into  polar  orbit  by  Thor- 
Agena  A  booster,  but  capsule  ejection 
malfunctioned  causing  it  to  imjiact  in 
vicinity  of  Spitsbergen  on  April  14  in- 
stead of  vicinity  of  Hawaii.  It  was  first 
vehicle  known  to  have  been  placed  in  a 
polar  orbit  and  was  the  first  attempt  to 
recover  an  object  from  orbit. 

:    VANGUARD    (SLV-5)    failed   to 

achieve  payload  orbit  because  of  loss  of 
second-stage  pitch  attitude  control. 

April  16:  First  Thor  IRBM  launched  by 
British  crew  at  Vandeuberg  AFB. 

April  /7:  United  States  formally  re- 
quested that  the  United  Nations  Commit- 


tee on  the  Peaceful  Uses  of  Outer  Space 
convene  in  New  York  on  May  6. 

April  20:  NASA  announced  acceptance  of 
proposals  by  the  Canadian  Defense  Re- 
search Telecommunications  Establish- 
ment for  continuing  joint  rocket  and 
satellite  ionospheric  experiments  of  a 
nonmilitary  nature. 

April  23:  Fourth  recovery  of  a  data 
capsule  at  AMR,  USAF  Thor  1,500-mile 
accuracy  test  flight. 

:  President  announced  the  resigna- 
tion of  Richard  E.  Horner,  Assistant 
Secretary  of  the  Air  Force  for  Research 
and  Development,  to  become  Associate 
Administrator  of  NASA  effective  July 
1st. 

:   First  test  flight  of  USAF  GAM-77 

Hoimd  Dog  at  AJMR. 

April  2.'i:  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Dryden  and 
Loftus  E.  Becker  appointed  to  assist 
Ambassador  Henry  Cabot  Lodge  in  the 
forthcoming  meetings  at  the  United 
Nations  of  the  Committee  on  Peaceful 
Uses  of  Outer  Space. 

April  21:  Meeting  of  DOD  working  group 
on  Project  Mercury  search  and  recovery 
operations  was  held  at  Patrick  Air  Force 
Base,  with  major  emphasis  placed  on  the 
first  two  ballistic  Atlas  shots,  and  com- 
mand relationships. 

:    The  1958   Annual   Report   of  the 

National  Advisory  Committee  for  Aero- 
nautics, the  44th  and  final  report  of 
NACA  established  in  1915,  was  submitted 
to  Congress  by  the  President.  It  con- 
tained historical  sections  by  Jerome  C. 
Hunsaker  and  James  H.  Doolittle. 

:    DX    priority     (highest    national 

priority)  assigned  to  Project  Mercury. 

April  28:  NASA  announced  the  signing 
of  a  $24  million  contract  with  Douglas 
Aircraft  Co.,  Inc.,  for  a  three-stage  Thor- 
Vanguard  launching  rocket  called  Delta. 

April  29-30:  Symposium  spon.sored  by  the 
Space  Science  Board  of  the  National 
Academy  of  Sciences,  NASA,  and  the 
American  Physical  Society,  held  in  Wash- 
ington to  review  space  research  findings 
and  the  objectives  of  future  research 
programs  in  the  space  sciences. 


108 


During  April:  The  Tiros  meteorological 
satellite  i)rogram  was  transferred  from 
the  Department  of  Defense  to  the  re- 
sponsibility of  NASA  for  the  national 
meteorological  satellite  program.  At  the 
same  time,  a  Joint  Meteorological  Satel- 
lite Advisory  Committee  was  established. 

May  1:  NASA's  Administrator  announced 
the  naming  of  Goddard  Space  Flight 
Center  under  construction  near  Green- 
belt,  Md.,  in  commemoration  of  Robert 
H.  Goddard,  American  pioneer  in  rocket 
research.  Dr.  Harry  J.  Goett  was  ap- 
pointed Director  in  September. 

:  Smithsonian  Optical  Tracking  Sta- 
tion at  Woomera,  Australia,  successfully 
photograjjhed  VANGUARD  I  earth  satel- 
lite at  the  apogee  of  its  orbit,  nearly 
2,r)()0  miles  from  earth.  Compared  to 
taking  picture  of  golf  ball  (100  miles  away, 
this  feat  was  repeated  on  May  3  and  4. 

May  8:  Dr.  Otto  Struve  of  the  University 
of  California  was  appointed  Director  of 
the  National  Radio  Astronomy  Observa- 
tory, to  be  located  at  Green  Bank,  W.  Va. 

May  Jf:  National  Bureau  of  Standards  re- 
leased details  on  the  effect  on  the  iono- 
sphere of  the  high-altitude  nuclear  shots 
called  Teak  and  Orange  on  August  1  and 
12,  1958,  over  Johnston  Island. 

May  6:  NASA  created  a  committee  to 
study  problems  of  long-range  lunar  ex- 
ploration to  be  headed  by  Dr.  Robert 
Jastrow. 

:  ARMA  Jupiter  IRBM  made  suc- 
cessful l,oOO-mile  flight  at  Cape  Canav- 
eral and  was  declared  operational  by  the 
USAF. 


:  University  of  Minnesota  scientist 

under  OXR  contract  launched  unmanned 
balloon  to  100,000  feet,  where  first  posi- 
tive measurement  of  intense  solar  pro- 
tons associated  with  a  solar  flare  was 
made. 

:  USAF  Thor  launched  GE  Mark  2 

nose  cone  1,500  miles  down  AMF,  re- 
covered data  capsule  contained  photo- 
graph of  the  earth  from  300-mile  altitude. 

May  IS:  British  plan  for  launching  an 
earth  satellite  was  revealed  by  Prime 
iSlinister  Harold  Macmillan  before  the 
House  of  Commons. 

May  IJf:  Use  of  moon  as  relay  station 
for  intercontinental  transmission  made 
from  Jodrell  Bank,  p:ngland,  to  the  USAF 
Cambridge  Research  Center  at  Bedford, 
Mass. 

May  15:  Lt.  Gen.  Bernard  A.  Schriever, 
Commander  of  ARDC,  unveiled  first  re- 
entry vehicle  ever  to  be  recovered  after 
a  full  intercontinental  range  flight. 

May  IS:  NASA  announced  formation  of 
Committee  on  Long-Range  Studies 
headed  by  John  A.  Johnson  to  fulfill 
charge  of  National  Aeronautics  and  Space 
Act  of  1958  (sec.  102),  calling  for  "estab- 
lishment of  long-range  studies  of  the  po- 
tential benefits  to  be  gained  from,  the 
opportunities  for,  and  the  problems  in- 
volved in  the  utilization  of  aeronautical 
and  space  activities  for  peaceful  and  sci- 
entific purposes." 

3Jay  26:  ABMA  static  fired  a  single  H-1 
Saturn  engine  at  Redstone  Arsenal,  Ala. 

May  21:  First  flight  test  of  USAF  Bo- 
marc  B  long-range  interceptor  missile. 


:  NASA  awarded  contract  to  Con- 

vair  for  development  of  Vega  launch  ve- 
hicle for  deep  space  probes  and  satellites. 

May  6-June  25:  Ad  Hoc  Committee  on 
the    Peaceful   Uses    of    Outer    Space   of 

U.N.  met  in  .session  at  U.N.  headquarters 
in  New  York. 

May  12:  NASA  announced  training  pro- 
gram for  seven  Project  Mercury  astro- 
nauts to  provide  them  with  technical 
knowledge  and  skills  required  to  pilot 
the  Nation's  manned  orbital  capsule. 


May  28:  Dr.  George  B.  Kistiakowsky  of 
Harvard  University  named  special  assist- 
ant to  the  President  for  science  and  tech- 
nology, replacing  Dr.  James  R.  Killian, 
Jr. 

:  Army  Jupiter  IRBM  launched  a 

nose  cone  carrying  two  living  passen- 
gers— Able,  an  American-born  rhesus 
monkey,  and  Baker,  a  South  American 
squirrel  monkey,  to  a  300-mile  altitude, 
and  both  were  recovered  alive.  The  med- 
ical portions  of  the  experiment  were 
carried  out  by  the  Army  Medical  Service 
and  Army  Ballistic  Missile  Agency,  Army 


109 


1959— Continued 

Ordnance  Missile  Command,  with  tlie  co- 
operation of  tlae  USN  School  of  Aviation 
Medicine  and  the  USAF  School  of  Avia- 
tion Medicine. 

June  1:  Rhesus  monlvey  Able  died  from 
effects  of  anesthesia  given  for  removal 
of  electrode  instrumentation,  autopsy  re- 
vealing no  effects  from  flight  on  May  28, 
at  Army  Research  Laboratory,  Fort 
Knox,  Ky. 

June  3:  Moon  relay  transmission  of  Pres- 
ident Eisenhower's  voice  by  recording 
was  made  from  Millstone  Hill  Radar 
Observatory,  Westford,  Mass.,  to  Prince 
Albert,  Saskatchewan,  Canada. 


■:  DISCOVERER 

achieve  orbit. 


Ill      failed      to 


June  5:  Construction  at  Cape  Canaveral 
for  the  Saturn  begun. 

June  6:  Army  announced  that  sea  urchin 
eggs  fertilized  before  Jupiter  nose  cone 
flight  continued  to  grow  normally. 

June  8:  X-15  (No.  1)  research  airplane 
made  its  first  glide  flight  with  A.  Scott 
Crossfield  as  pilot,  after  being  carried 
by  the  B-52  mother  ship  to  an  altitude 
of  38,000  feet. 

:   Mail  carried  by  missile  as  3,000 

letters  were  delivered  by  a  Regulus  I 
from  the  submarine  Barhero  to  NAS 
Mayport,  Fla. 

June  9:  Fii'st  Polaris-carrier  nuclear  sub- 
marine launched  at  Groton,  Conn.,  the 
George  Washington. 

June  12:  Scientific  subcommittee  of  the 
U.N.  Committee  on  Peaceful  Uses  of 
Outer  Space  proposed  creation  of  a 
center  to  promote  international  coopera- 
tion in  outer  space  research. 

June  11:  First  USAF  test  firing  of  an 
experimental  escape  capsule. 

June  18:  Six  U.S.  Navy  enlisted  men  be- 
gan an  8-day  experiment  in  a  simulated 
space  cabin  at  the  Air  Crew  Equipment 
Laboratory  of  the  Naval  Air  Material 
Center  at  the  Philadelphia  Naval  Base. 

June  22:  VANGUARD  (SLV-6)  satellite 
designed  to  measure  the  radiation  bal- 


ance of  the  earth,  its  atmosphere,  and 
the  solar  energy  flux,  failed  to  go  into 
orbit. 

June  23:  USAF  Arnold  Engineering  De- 
velopment Center  was  directed  by  ARDC 
to  prepare  operating  and  design  require- 
ments for  a  "Large  Space  Environments 
Test  Facility"  for  testing  and  developing 
military  space  weapons. 

June  25:  DISCOVERER  IV  failed  to 
achieve  orbit. 

Ju>ie  29:  NASA  welcomed  announcement 
of  United  Kingdom  approval  of  proposals 
for  cooperative  scientific  research  in 
space  with  the  United  States  pending 
formal  arrangements. 

June  30:  Considerable  effort  devoted  to 
determining  the  causes  of  the  malfunc- 
tions that  resulted  in  the  explosion  of 
four  out  of  five  Atlas  missiles  launched 
before  June  30. 

During  June:  NASA  issued  Research 
Memo  (4-17-59L)  entitled  "Airplane 
Measurements  of  Atmospheric  Turbu- 
lence at  Altitudes  between  20,000  and 
5.5,000  feet  for  Four  Geographic  Areas," 
analyzing  data  acquired  by  Lockheed 
U-2  aircraft  over  western  United  States, 
England  and  Western  Europe,  Tux'key, 
and  Japan. 

:  Deployment  of  first  USAF  opera- 
tional Thor  IRBM  squadron  to  the  United 
Kingdom. 

:  Operating  velocity  of  Mach  6  was 

achieved  in  AEDC  wind  tunnel  with  a 
40-  by  40-iuch  test  section  at  TuUahoma, 
Tenn. 

July  1:  The  first  experimental  reactor 
(Kiwi-A)  in  the  nuclear  space  roclvet 
program  operated  successfully  at  full 
temperature  and  duration  at  Jackass 
Flats,  Nev. 

July  6:  Comdr.  M.  Lee  Lewis  (USN) 
killed  in  accident  shortly  befoi*e  scheduled 
launching  of  high-altiti;de  balloon  at  St. 
Paul,  Minn.  He  is  credited  with  orig- 
inating the  Rockoon  concept. 

July  7."  Four-stage  Argo  D4  rocket  with 
an  ARDC  Javelin  payload  fired  from 
Wallops  Island  to  an  altitude  of  750 
miles,  first  in  a  series  of  USAF-NASA 
launchings  to  measure  natural  radiation 
surrounding  the  earth. 


110 


July  8:  As  developmental  planning  for 
Project  Mercury  evolved,  NASA  notified 
the  Army  that  to  reduce  the  variety  of 
hiunching  vehicles  the  Jupiter  missile 
would  not  he  used  for  Project  Mercury 
tests. 

Juli/  9:  NASA  Lewis  Research  Center 
operated  a  research  model  of  an  ion 
rocket  in  a  newly  completed  electric- 
rocket  test  facility  designed  for  basic  in- 
vestigations into  the  problems  associated 
with  a  reliable  ion  rocket  with  a  mini- 
uuim  life  of  1  year. 

Julu  10:  A  10-page  report  of  Soviet,  Brit- 
ish, and  United  States  scientists  recom- 
mended that  satellites  be  used  to  detect 
nuclear  explosions  in  space. 

July  11:  ONR  STRATOSCOPE  I  balloon 
with  camera  to  photograph  the  sun  was 
launched  from  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  to  an  alti- 
tude of  81,250  feet. 

July  IS:  Largest  plastic  balloon  to  date 
(6  million  cubic  feet)  launched  by  OflSce 
of  Naval  Research  with  173  pounds  of 
instruments,  at  Fort  Churchill,  Canada. 

July  l/f:  U.N.  Assembly  Document  No. 
A/4141,  Report  of  the  Ad  Hoc  Committee 
on  the  Peaceful  Uses  of  Outer  Space,  was 
released. 

July  16:  NASA,  with  Army  as  executive 
agent  of  a  joint  ABMA-JPL  project,  at- 
tempted Explorer  satellite  launch  with 
Juno  II  booster,  but  it  was  destroyed  5^/y 
seconds  after  launch  by  range  safety 
officer. 

:  Second  largest  reflector  telescope 

in  the  world,  the  120-inch  telescope  at 
the  Lick  Observatory,  was  dedicated. 

July  20:  NASA  selected  Western  Electric 
Co.  to  build  worldwide  network  of  track- 
ing and  ground  instrument  stations  to  be 
used  in  Project  Mercury. 

July  21:  A  full-scale  USAF  Atlas  ICBM 
nose  cone  recovered  for  the  first  time 
after  flight  down  the  AMR. 

July  2/,:  USAF  Thor  data  capsule  re- 
covered near  Antigua  which  contained 
movie  film  showing  nose  cone  separation. 

July  29:  Two-stage  Nike- Asp  fired  from 
Naval  Missile  Facility,   Point  Arguello, 


the  first  of  12  designed  to  record  radia- 
tion 150  miles  up  and  also  the  first  bal- 
listic missile  fired  from  this  new  facility. 

During  July:  Project  Mercury  astronauts 
completed  disorientation  flights  on  three- 
axis  space-flight  simulator,  the  MASTIF 
(Multiple  Axis  Space  Test  Inertia  Fa- 
cility), at  NASA  Lewis  Research  Center. 

:    Portion    of    Chincoteague    (Va.) 

Naval  Air  Station  transferred  to  NASA 
for  use  in  connection  with  Wallops  Sta- 
tion rocket  range. 

August-December:  Conference  of  the  In- 
ternational Telecommunications  Union 
which  was  held  at  Geneva,  Switzerland, 
allocated  radio  frequency  bands  for  space 
and  earth-space  use. 

During  summer:  Under  joint  sponsorship 
of  National  Science  P^'oundation  and  the 
Office  of  Naval  Research,  Princeton  Uni- 
versity scientists  successfully  photo- 
graphed sunspots  with  unprecedented 
clarity  by  means  of  12-inch  solar  tele- 
scope, STRATOSCOPE  I,  mounted  on  a 
balloon  platform  at  an  altitude  of  near 
80,000  feet.     (See  July  11  and  13.) 

August  S:  First  flight  test  of  Navy  Sub- 
roc  antisub  missile  from  NOTS,  China 
Lake,  Calif. 

August  7:  EXPLORER  VI,  popularly 
called  the  "Paddlewheel  Satellite," 
launched  by  NASA  Thor- Able  3,  con- 
tained 14  experiments,  and  a  photocell 
scanner  which  transmitted  a  crude  pic- 
ture of  the  earth's  surface  and  cloud 
cover  from  a  distance  of  17,000  miles. 
Placed  in  highly  elliptical  orbit  (26,000 
miles  out,  156  miles  in),  it  gave  a  broad 
sample  of  readings.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

:  Comdr.  M.  Ross   (USNR)   and  R. 

Cooper  (High  Altitude  Observatory) 
flew  STRATO-LAB  open  gondola  balloon 
to  38,000  feet  for  solar  studies  with  a 
coronagraph. 

:   USAF  launched  30-inch  weather 

balloon  w-ith  radar  reflector  (Robin) 
from  rocket  at  50-mile  altitude. 

August  10:  USAF  canceled  research  pro- 
gram to  develop  exotic  chemical  fuels  for 
proposed  Mach  3  B-70  bomber  and  F-IOS 
interceptor. 


Ill 


1959— Continued 

August  IS:  DISCOVERER  V  placed  into 
polar  orbit  by  AF  Thor-Agena  A,  but 
reentry  capsule  not  recovered  due  to 
postejection  malfunctions. 

August  14:  With  Army  as  executive  agent 
of  ABMA-JPL  Project,  Beacon  satellite 
launched  by  Juno  II  failed  to  go  into 
orbit. 

:    While    EXPLORER   VI    satellite 

was  passing  over  Mexico  at  an  altitude 
of  about  17,000  miles,  it  successfully 
transmitted  a  crude  picture  of  a  sunlit, 
crescent-shaped  portion  of  the  North  Cen- 
tral Pacific  Ocean.  The  area  of  earth 
photographed  was  20,000  square  miles. 

August  17:  First  of  NIKE-ASP  sound- 
ing rockets  to  provide  geophysical  in- 
formation on  wind  activity  between  50 
and  ir)0  miles  high  was  launched  suc- 
cessfully from   NASA   Wallops   Station. 

August  19:  DISCOVERER  VI  satellite 
orbited  successfully,  but  reentry  capsule 
not  recovered. 

August  21:  Launching  of  Mercury  cap- 
sule mocknp  from  Wallops  Station  to  test 
the  escape  and  recovery  systems;  emer- 
gency escape  rocket  accidentally  fired  30 
minutes  before  scheduled  firing  of  the 
Little  Joe  booster. 

:  NASA  established  Bioscience  Ad- 
visory Committee,  headed  by  Dr.  Sey- 
mour S.  Kety,  to  study  U.S.  capability  in 
space-oriented  life  science  research  and 
development  and  to  recommend  future 
NASA  role  in  this  area  in  terms  of  a 
national  space  program. 

August  2J,:  USAF  fired  Atlas-G  5.000 
miles  and  recovered  nose  cone  camera 
with  photographs  of  one-sixth  of  earth's 
surface  taken  from  700  miles  up,  near 
Ascension  Island. 

August  25:  NASA  Western  Operations 
Office,  Santa  Monica,  Calif.,  made  re- 
sponsible for  liaison,  administrative,  and 
management  support  west  of  Denver, 
Colo.,  for  rapidly  expanding  NASA  re- 
search and  development  activities. 

:  Reflected  signals  off  the  moon  suc- 
cessfully received  at  the  University  of 
Texas  from  the  Royal  Radar  Establish- 
ment at  Malvern,  England. 


August  27:  Satellite  tracking  station  at 
Woomera,  Australia,  successfully  photo- 
graphed EXPLORER  VI  at  a  distance 
of  14,000  miles. 

:  First  British  Commonwealth  Sym- 
posium on  Space  Flight  began  in  London. 

August  29:  Navy  technician  withstood 
record  31  g's  in  centrifuge  at  AMAL, 
Johnsville,  Pa. 

August  31:  Tenth  lAF  meeting  opened 
in  London. 

September  1:  USAF  Atlas  ICBM  offi- 
cially declared  operational  and  taken 
over  by  the  Strategic  Air  Command,  at 
Vandenberg  AFB. 

September  2:  Dr.  Theodore  von  KArmAn 
named  chairman  of  a  committee  to  estab- 
lish an  International  Academy  on  Astro- 
nautics. 

September  4:  ONR  SKYHOOK  unmanned 
balloon  launched  from  Sioux  Falls, 
S.  Dak.,  by  Raven  Industries,  establish- 
ing new  unofficial  altitude  record  of 
148,000  feet  for  unmanned  balloon. 

September  9:  NASA  boilerplate  model  of 
Mercury  capsule  successfully  launched 
on  an  Atlas  (Big  Joe)  missile  from  AMR 
and  i-ecovered  in  South  Atlantic  after 
surviving  reentry  heat  of  more  than 
10,000°  F. 

:    First  launch   of  operational  AF 

Atlas  ICBM  from  Vandenberg  AFB  was 
successful,  and  second  Atlas  ICBM  fired 
from  Cape  Canaveral  the  same  day. 

September  12:  Russia's  LUNIK  II 
launched  with  a  total  payload  weight  of 
858.4  pounds,  became  the  first  manmade 
object  to  hit  the  moon  on  the  following 
day.  Its  launching  coincided  with  the 
departure  of  Premier  Nikita  Khrushchev 
for  the  United  States  in  turboprop  Tu- 
114.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

September  15:  First  static  test  firing  of 
USAF  Minuteman,  a  second  generation 
solid-fuel  ICBM. 

:     Premier    Khrushchev    presented 

President  Eisenhower  with  a  replica  of 
the  Soviet  coat  of  arms  inpacted  on  the 
moon  on  September  13. 


112 


September  16:  Army  Jupiter  launched 
with  NASA  hiomedical  experiment  from 
Cape  Canaveral,  destroyed  by  a  range 
oflacer  after  fishtailing. 

:  Full-sized  USAF  Minuteman  ICBM 

model  launched  from  underground  silo. 

September  17:  ARPA-Navy  TRANSIT 
lA  navigation  satellite  was  successfully 
launched  by  Thor-Able  booster,  but  did 
not  orbit  due  to  third-stage  malfunction, 

:  First  powered  flight  of  X-15  (No. 

2)  research  airphine,  released  from  its 
B-52  mother  ship  approximately  3(5  min- 
utes after  takeoff  (Interim  Thiokol-RMD 
XLR-11  engines),  A.  Scott  Crossfield  as 
pilot. 

September  18:  VANGUARD  III,  sixth 
U.S.-IGY  satellite,  successfully  injected 
into  orbit,  marking  the  end  of  Vanguard 
launching  activities.  VANGUARD  III 
provided  comprehensive  survey  of  mag- 
netic field,  lower  edge  of  radiation  belts, 
and  accurate  micrometeorite  impacts. 

:  Secretary  of  Defense  McElroy  is- 
sued order  entitled  "Satellite  and  Space 
Vehicle  Operations,"  assigning  basic  re- 
sponsibilities. 

September  22:  Nuclear  submarine  Patrick 
Henry  launched  at  Groton,  Conn. 

September  23:  Director  of  Defense  Re- 
search and  Engineering,  Dr.  Herbert  F. 
York,  announced  reorganization  of  mili- 
tary space  and  missile  program,  with 
major  role  going  to  Air  Force.  Four 
ARPA  space  projects  were  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  services. 

September  2J,:  NASA  Atlas-Able-4  launch 
vehicle,  minus  its  payload,  undergoing 
static  tests  at  AMR,  exploded  while  being 
prepared  for  the  launch  of  a  375-pound 
satellite  into  a  lunar  orbit  in  October. 

September  21:  NASA  renamed  High 
Speed  Flight  Station  at  Edwards,  Calif., 
to  be  NASA  Flight  Research  Center, 
consistent  with  mission  responsibility  for 
all  but  STOL  and  VTOL  flight  research 
at  low-speed  ranges  conducted  at  NASA 
Ames  Research  Center,  Moffett  Field, 
Calif. 

September  28:  Pictures  taken  from  satel- 
lite EXPLORER  VI  over  lAIexico  at 
19,500  miles  altitude  on  August  14,  were 


released  by  NASA.  Picture  showed 
crescent  shape  of  the  sunlit  portion  of  the 
earth  and  crude  cloud-cover  image. 

During  September:  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Dryden, 
Deputy  Administrator  of  NASA,  took 
part  in  a  number  of  discussions  with 
European  scientific  community  to  assess 
space  interest  there  and  to  indicate 
NASA's  desire  to  work  out  possible  co- 
operative space  research  programs. 

October  1:  NASA  personnel  total  reached 
9,347. 

October  2:  AFMTC  Commander  Maj. 
Gen.  Donald  N.  Yates,  appointed  Depart- 
ment of  Defense  representative  for  Proj- 
ect Mercury  support  operations. 

October  4;  NASA  LITTLE  JOE  launch 
vehicle  carrying  a  boilerplate  Mercury 
capsule  with  a  dummy  escape  system 
successfully  launched  from  Wallops  Sta- 
tion, Va. 

:   LUNIK   III,   Russia's  ti'anslunar 

earth  satellite  began  photographing  trip 
around  the  moon,  while  Premier  Khru- 
shchev was  visiting  Peiping.  (See  Ap- 
pendix A.) 

October  6:  EXPLORER  VI  ceased  trans- 
missions. 

:   USAF  launched  an  Atlas  ICBM 

and  a  Thor  IRBM  at  their  full  range 
from  Cape  Canaveral. 

October  S:  PIONEER  IV  reached  first 
aphelion  (estimated  107,951,000  miles) 
in  its  orbit  around  the  sun  at  8  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. 

October  IS:  EXPLORER  VIII,  the 
seventh  and  last  U.S.-IGY  earth  satel- 
lite, and  now  under  direction  of  NASA 
with  the  Army  as  executive  agent, 
launched  into  an  earth  orbit  by  modified 
Army  Juno  II.  By  late  December,  data 
from  the  satellite  indicated  possible  re- 
lationships between  sohir  events  and 
geomagnetic  storms,  and  revealed  in- 
formation about  trapped  radiation  and 
cosmic  rays  near  the  earth.  With 
launching  of  this  ABMA-JPL  project,  all 
experiments  for  the  U.S.-IGY  space  pro- 
gram had  been  successfully  placed  into 
orbit. 


113 


1959— Continued 

October  13:  USAF  Bold  Orion  launched 
from  B-47  near  Patrick  AFB  passed 
within  4  miles  of  EXPLORER  VI  at  an 
altitude  of  100  miles  in  test  firing. 

October  14:  First  successful  flight  test  of 
Nike-Zeus  at  WSPG. 

October  17:  A  second  powered  free  flight 
of  the  X-15  (No.  2)  research  airplane 
accomplished  most  planned  objectives. 

October  IS:  LUNIK  III  provided  man's 
first  look  at  70  percent  of  the  backside  of 
the  moon,  2  weeks  after  launch,  by  trans- 
mitting automatically  taken  pictures. 
Pictures  were  released  on  October  2G. 

October  21:  The  President  by  Executive 
Order  indicated  that  the  Development 
Operations  Division  of  ABMA  would  be 
transferred  to  NASA,  subject  to  the  ap- 
proval of  Congress. 

October  26:  USSR  released  photo  of 
the  far  side  of  the  moon  taken  by  LUNIK 
IIL 

October  28:  100-foot-diameter  inflatable 
sphere  launched  on  a  suborbital  test 
flight  from  NASA  Wallops  Station,  Va., 
to  an  altitude  of  250  miles  by  a  flrst 
Sergeant-Delta  rocket;  aluminum-coated 
Mylar-plastic  sphere  to  be  used  as  pas- 
sive electronic  reflector  in  Echo  was  de- 
veloped by  NASA  Langley's  Space 
Vehicle  Group  under  the  direction  of 
William  J.  O'Sullivan. 

October  29:  USAF  Atlas  successfully 
launched  from  Cape  Canaveral  carrying 
a  nose-cone  camera  which  took  a  series 
of  photographs  of  the  earth's  cloud  cover 
from  a  300-mile  altitude. 

November  2:  President  Eisenhower  an- 
nounced his  intention  of  transferring  the 
Saturn  project  to  NASA,  which  became 
effective  on  March  15, 1960. 

November  4:  NASA  launched  a  second 
LITTLE  JOB  from  Wallops  Station,  to 
test  the  Mercury  escape  system  under 
severe  dynamic  pressure;  launch  ve- 
hicle functioned  perfectly,  but  the  escape 
rocket  ignited  several  seconds  too  late. 

November  5:  Third  powered  flight  of  the 
X-15  (No.  2). 


November  7:  USAF  DISCOVERER  VII 
satellite  placed  into  polar  orbit,  but  cap- 
sule recovery  not  achieved. 

November  9:  Entire  outer  Van  Allen 
radiation  belt  broke  up  and  disappeared 
for  several  days,  according  to  data  anal- 
ysis from  EXPLORER  VII  reported  at 
AAAS  meeting  in  New  York,  December 
29,  1960. 

November  10:  Five-stage  sounding  rocket 
launched  from  NASA  Wallops  Island  to 
an  altitude  of  1,050  miles  to  measure 
density  of  electrons  in  upper  atmosphere. 

:  The  AEC's  SNAP  2  Experimental 

Reactor  (SER)  achieved  initial  design 
power  of  50  thermal  kilowatts  in  de- 
velopmental tests  at  the  Atomics  Inter- 
national, Santa  Susana,  Calif.,  test  site. 
SER,  the  flrst  reactor  designed  for  use 
in  space,  was  being  developed  for  Air 
Force  surveillance  satellite  systems. 

:  Air    Force    placed    contracts    for 

Dyna-Soar  project  with  Boeing  and 
Martin. 

November  11-22:  Under  sponsorship  of 
COSPAR,  an  internationally  coordinated 
program  of  scientific  rocket  soundings  of 
the  upper  atmosphere  was  conducted. 
The  U.S.  contribution  included  10  rocket 
firings. 

November  13:  National  Science  Founda- 
tion and  the  Office  of  Naval  Research  re- 
leased select  photographs  from  the  more 
than  1,000  taken  of  the  sun  on  Strato- 
scope  balloon  flights  over  Minnesota  on 
July  11,  August  17,  and  September  4. 

November  IJf:  World's  largest  balloon 
(10"  cubic  feet)  launched  from  Strato- 
bowl  near  Rapid  City,  S.  Dak.,  by  Winzen 
Research,  reaching  maximum  altitude  of 
near  118,000  feet  with  a  1-ton  payload 
suspended. 


:  New    Aerospace    Medical 

dedicated  at  Brooks  AFB,  Tex. 


Center 


November  16:  Capt.  Joseph  W.  Kittinger, 
Jr.  (USAF),  made  record  parachute 
jump  from  open  balloon  gondola  at  an 
altitude  of  76,400  feet  (EXCELSIOR  I). 

November  17:  Based  on  September  de- 
cision that  all  Department  of  Defense 
satellite  and  space  vehicle  programs 
would  be  assigned  to  the  military  service 


114 


of  primary  interest,  various  projects 
were  assigned.  Discoverer,  Midas,  and 
Samos  were  transferred  from  ARl'A  to 
tlie  Air  Force, 

:  Pending   formal    transfer    of    the 

Saturn  project,  tlie  Associate  Adminis- 
trator of  NASA  requested  the  Director 
of  Space  Fliglit  Development  to  form  a 
study  group  witli  membership  from 
NASA,  the  Directorate  of  Defense  Re- 
search and  Engineering,  ARPA,  ABMA, 
and  the  Air  Force  to  prepare  recom- 
mendations for  the  development,  and  se- 
lection of  upper  stage  configurations. 

Novcmhcr  IS:  Nilve-Asp  sounding  rocliet 
fired  from  NASA  Wallops  Station  emitted 
sodium  vapor  at  50-mile  altitude  to  150 
miles,  revealing  powerful  windshear 
effects. 

:  NASA-DOD  memorandum  of  un- 
derstanding signed  providing  for  interim 
management  of  Project  Saturn  pending 
its  formal  transfer  to  NASA. 

Novemhcr  19:  Second  sodium-vapor-trail 
experiment  in  Nike- Asp  launch  from  Wal- 
lops Island  was  not  successful. 

November  20:  DISCOVERER  VIII  satel- 
lite successfully  placed  into  polar  orbit, 
but  capsule  was  not  recovered. 

:  Polaris   test  missiles   successfully 

launched  from  launching  ship.  Observa- 
tion Island,  off  Cape  Canaveral. 

November  26:  Pioneer  lunar  probe  was 
normally  lifted  by  Atlas-Able  4  launch 
vehicle,  but  failure  of  plastic  fairing 
covering  payload  (at  45  seconds  after 
launch)  caused  payload  to  break  away. 

November  21:  Hiller  X-18  tilt-wing  re- 
search transport  made  first  flight  at 
Edwards  AFB. 

November  2S:  During  severe  geomagnetic 
storm,  two  Geiger  tubes  on  EXPLORER 
VII  found  anomalies  in  the  outer  radia- 
tion zone  at  about  1,000-km  altitude, 
which  appeared  to  be  correlated  in  space 
and  time  with  optical  emissions  from  the 
atmosphere  below.  Very  intense  narrow 
zones  of  radiation  were  detected  over  a 
visible  aurora  during  one  orbit. 

November  28-29:  Comdr.  M.  Ross  and 
Dr.  C.  B.  Moore  flew  ONR  STRATO-LAB 
HIGH  IV  balloon  to  an  altitude  of  81,000 
feet,  using  a  16-inch  telescope  and  spectro- 


graph, and  observing  water  vapor  in  the 
atmosphere  of  the  planet  Venus. 

During  November:  Prototype  Goodrich 
full-pressure  Mercury  astronaut  suits 
(modified  Navy  Mark  IV)  were  delivered 
to  NASA.  Navy  Air  Crew  Equipment 
Laboratory  (NACEL)  of  Philadelphia 
fitted  suits  and  indoctrinated  the  astro- 
nauts on  their  use. 

:  Cooi^erative  space  efforts  were  dis- 
cussed with  Soviet  scientists  attending 
the  American  Rocket  Society  meeting  in 
AVashington,  D.C. 

December  1: 12  nations  (including  United 
States  and  U.S.S.R.)  signed  Antarctic 
Treaty  promoting  scientific  research  and 
barring  any  military  activity  in  the  area. 

:   New   Bureau  of  Naval  Weapons, 

consolidating  the  Bureau  of  Ordnance 
and  the  Bureau  of  Aeronautics,  began 
functioning. 

:  USAF  reduced  order  for  the  B-70 

bomber  to  only  two  prototypes. 

December  2:  Construction  of  a  missile 
tracking  station  on  Roi  Namur  Island 
near  Kwajalein  in  the  Central  Pacific 
was  announced  by  DOD. 

December  4:  Third  LITTLE  JOE  suc- 
cessfully launched  at  NASA  Wallops 
Station  as  part  of  Project  Mercury  de- 
velopment program,  carried  a  monkey 
named  "Sam"  55  miles  into  space  which 
was  recovered  safely. 

December  7:  Unofficial  altitude  record  of 
98,560  feet  set  by  Navy  McDonnell  F4H 
carrier  jet  at  Edwards  AFB,  Comdr.  L.  E. 
Flint  as  pilot. 

:  Administrator    of    NASA,    Dr.    T. 

Keith  Glennan,  offered  services  of  U.S. 
worldwide  tracking  network  in  support 
of  any  manned  space  flight  the  U.S.S.R. 
might  plan  to  undertake,  in  a  speech  be- 
fore the  Institute  of  World  Affairs  in 
Pasadena,  Calif. 

:  Nine  nations  including  the  Soviet 

Union  approved  a  new  charter  for 
COSPAR  at  The  Hague,  which  oi>ened 
membership  in  COSPAR  to  all  national 
academies  of  science  engaged  in  space 
research,  and  created  a  nine-representa- 
tive executive  board.  The  U.S.S.R.  had 
not  participated  in  COSPAR  delibera- 
tions since  November  1958. 


115 


1959— Continued 

December  8:  Maj.  Gen.  Don  R.  Ostrander 
(USAF)  named  Director  of  NASA's  Of- 
fice of  Launch  Vehicle  Programs  and  re- 
sponsible for  launch  vehicle  development 
and  operations. 

:  Brig.  Gen.  Austin  W.  Betts  (USA) 

was  named  Director  of  ARPA  to  replace 
Acting  Director,  Gen.  D.  Ostrander 
(USAF). 

December  9:  USAF  Goodyear  unmanned 
balloon  launched  from  Akron,  Ohio,  to 
an  altitude  of  100,000  feet,  where  radar 
photographs  of  the  earth's  surface  were 
taken. 

:    Kaman    H^3B    establi.shed    new 

helicopter  altitude  record  of  30,100  feet. 

December  10:  U.S.  Ambassador  Lodge 
presented  a  resolution  to  the  Assembly  of 
the  United  Nations  recommending  that 
an  international  conference  on  the  peace- 
ful uses  of  outer  space  be  convened  in 
1960  or  1961. 

December  11:  Capt.  J.  Kittinger  (USAF) 
flew  EXCELSIOR  II  balloon  from  Hollo- 
man  AFB  to  an  altitude  of  74,700  feet 
and  bailed  out,  establishing  stable  free 
fall  for  55,000  feet. 

:  New  world  speed  record  for  100-km 

closed  course  set  by  Brig.  Gen.  J.  H. 
Moore  (USAF)  in  F-105B,  at  1,216.48 
mph. 

:     NASA    discontinued    multistage 

"Vega  vehicle  program  to  reduce  number 
of  rocket  vehicles  and  to  exploit  reliabil- 
ity factor  in  future  satellite  and  space 
projects. 

December  12:  First  Titan  ICBM  launch- 
ing testing  second  stage  was  unsuccessful 
at  AMR. 

:  United  Nations  created  permanent 

24-nation  committee  to  study  Peaceful 
Uses  of  Outer  Space  and  to  arrange  for 
an  international  conference. 

December  14:  Lockheed  F-104C  piloted 
by  Capt.  J.  B.  .Jordan  (USAF)  climbed 
to  new  world's  record  for  jet  aircraft  of 
103,389  feet. 


December  15:  Convair  F-106A  broke 
straightaway  course  record  at  1,525.95 
mph,  piloted  by  Maj.  J.  W.  Rogers 
(USAF). 

:  NASA  released  detailed  compari- 
son of  United  States  and  U.S.S.R.  space 
sciences  programs  prepared  by  Dr. 
Homer  E.  Newell,  which  pointed  up  the 
importance  of  leadtime  in  vehicle  tech- 
nology. 

Mid-December:  NASA  team  completed 
study  design  of  upper  stages  of  Saturn 
launch  vehicle. 

December  16:  Transmitters  of  VAN- 
GUARD III,  launched  on  September  18, 
became  silent  after  providing  tracking 
signals  and  scientific  data  for  85  days. 
Satellite  was  expected  to  remain  in  orbit 
40  years. 

December  17:  Launching  of  NASA- 
AFBMD  Thor-Able  space  probe  designed 
to  boost  90-pound  payload  to  explore 
space    between   Earth    and   Venus    was 

postponed. 

December  18:  Atlas  ICBM  made  second 
successful  6,325-mile  flight  at  AMR. 

December  19:  The  Chairman,  AEC,  in  a 
letter  to  the  Administrator  of  NASA, 
proposed  a  flight  test  objective  be  estab- 
lished for  the  nuclear  rocket  program 
and  proposed  a  technical  program  and 
division  of  agency  responsibilities  to 
achieve  those  objectives. 

December  20:  Dr.  Melvin  Calvin  reported 
that  molecules  in  meteorites  resembled 
basic  constituents  of  genetic  material 
found  on  earth. 

December  22:  In  a  United  States-Cana- 
dian cooperative  project,  NASA  launched 
the  first  four-stage  Javelin  sounding 
rocket  from  Wallops  Station  to  an  alti- 
tude of  560  miles  to  measure  the  inten- 
sity of  galactic  radio  noise. 

December  21:  NASA  proposed  joint  space 
el^'orts  with  other  nations  to  promote 
international  cooperation  in  space 
research. 

December  SO:  U.S.S.  George  Waahington, 
the  first  fleet  Polaris  submarine,  was 
commissioned. 


116 


:  Scientists  associated  witli  EX- 
PLORER VII  esperiiueuts  reported  their 
preliminary  findings  in  a  press  confer- 
ence at  NASA  Headquarters,  wliicli  indi- 
cated sporadic  burst  of  radiation  from 
the  sun  could  influence  manned  space 
flight. 

Dccemher  St:  Mercury  astronauts  com- 
pleted basic  and  theoretical  studies  in 
their  training  program  and  started  prac- 
tical engineering  studies. 

:  More  than  100  drop  tests  of  boiler- 
plate Mei'cury  capsules  had  been  com- 
pleted from  aircraft  to  test  and  develop 
the  parachute  system. 

:   Approximately  300  U.S.  research 

rockets  were  launched  during  the  30- 
month  IGY/IGC-59  period :  221  of  these 
were  launched  during  the  IGY.  This 
compared  with  the  some  400  U.S.  re- 
search rockets  fired  during  the  entire  pre- 
ceding 12-year  period  from  the  beginning 
of  high-altitude  rocket  research  circa 
1945  to  July  1,  1957. 

:  The  IGY/IGC-59  program  ended, 

but  international  cooperation  in  geo- 
physics was  to  continue  without  a  formal 
name  under  the  sponsorship  of  Inter- 
national Council  of  Scientific  Unions. 
NASA  continued  to  make  data  froni 
scientific  satellites  and  space  probes 
available  to  the  world  scientific  com- 
munity utilizing  COSPAR  and  World 
Data  Centers  established  during  the  IGY. 

During  December:  National  Radio 
Astronomy  Observatory  at  Green  Bank, 
W.  Va.,  placed  its  85-foot  equatorially 
mounted  radio  telescope  in  full  operation 
and  continued  construction  of  its  140- 
foot  telescope  which  was  planned  for  op- 
eration in  1961.  All  qualified  U.S. 
astronomers  have  access  to  these  facili- 
ties sponsored  by  the  National  Science 
Foundation,  with  priorities  determined 
by  the  scientific  merit  of  their  respective 
projects. 

:  USAF  Test  Pilot  School  at  Edwards 

AFB  proposed  curriculum  for  Space  Re- 
search Pilot  Course  in  defining  training 
needs  for  1960-65. 

:  Briefing  on  the  orbiting  Astronom- 
ical Observatory  Satellite  (AOS)  pro- 
gram was  given  for  interested  members 
of  industry  at  NASA  headquarters. 


During  li)59:  Lewis  Research  Center  de- 
veloped general  method  for  automatic 
computation  of  theoretical  rocket  per- 
formance for  propellant  combinations  in- 
volving up  to  10  chemical  elements ; 
method  permitting  rapid  performance 
calculation  for  virtually  any  conceivable 
fuel-oxidant  combination. 

:  Pratt  &  Whitney  conducted  thrust 

chamber  tests  of  high-energy  upper  stage 
rocket  engine  using  liiiuid  hydrogen 
(RCIO). 

:    Previous    experience    led    NASA 

Lewis  Research  Center  to  design  and 
construct  experimental  high-temperature 
jet  engine  which  demonstrated  feasibil- 
ity of  gas  turbine  operation  at  inlet  gas 
temperatures  up  to  2,.500°  F,  almost  1,000° 
above  conventional  gas-turbine  engine. 
This  test  engine  had  a  cooled  turbine. 

:  Aeromedical  Laboratory  completed 

development  and  testing  of  the  fuU-pi-es- 
sure  pilot  suit  for  use  by  pilots  of  the 
X-15. 

:  The  National  Science  Foundation 

sited  a  national  observatory  on  Kitt 
Peak,  Ariz.,  40  miles  southwest  of  Tucson, 
for  construction  of  a  36-inch  reflector  and 
an  80-iuch  telescope,  and  a  60-iuch  solar 
telescope.  The  solar  telescope  is  sched- 
uled for  completion  in  1961  and  will  be 
several  times  larger  than  the  largest  in- 
strument of  its  kind  in  existence. 

:  NASA  Lewis  Research  Center  first 

operated  hydrogen  fluorine  thrust  cham- 
bers at  simulated  high-altitude  condi- 
tions obtaining  unusually  high  perform- 
ance. 

:  Aeromedical  Field  Laboratory  at 

Holloman  AFB  began  training  of  chim- 
panzees for  flights  in  ballistic  and  orbital 
flights  for  Project  Mercury. 

:  School  of  Aviation  Medicine  un- 
dertook to  evolve  a  system  for  maintain- 
ing animals  in  sealed,  self-contained 
ecological  systems  under  a  variety  of 
physical  conditions,  such  as  weight- 
lessness, acceleration,  vibration,  and 
spinning. 

:  Transatlantic  air  passengers  to- 
taled 1,367,000  persons  on  scheduled 
flights  and  173,000  on  charter  and  special 
flights  for  the  year,  as  compared  to  884,- 
000  sea  passengers. 


592561— Bi- 


ll? 


1960 


January  1:  NASA  headquarters  reorgani- 
zation became  effective,  including  a  new 
Office  of  Launch  Veliicle  Programs. 

January  6:  Second  full-range  Atlas  ICBM 
impacted  target  area  6,325  miles  down 
AMR. 

January  7:  In  his  State-of-the-Union  mes- 
sage, President  Eisenhower  requested  re- 
vision of  the  National  Aeronautics  and 
Space  Act  of  1958,  to  abolish  the  National 
Aeronautics  and  Space  Council  and  the 
Civilian-Military  Liaison  Committee 
(CMLC). 

. :  Polaris  test  vehicle  achieved  first 

fully  guided  flight  from  AMR. 

January  S-16:  First  International  Space 
Science  Symposium  held  at  Nice,  France, 
under  sponsorship  of  COSPAR.  U.S.  del- 
egation from  the  National  Academy  of 
Sciences  participated. 

Jamiary  11:  Skybolt  air-launched  ballis- 
tic missile  announced  by  USAF,  proto- 
types of  which  had  already  been  launched 
from  subsonic  and  supersonic  aircraft. 

January  14 :  The  President  formally  asked 
Congress  to  amend  the  National  Aero- 
nautics and  Space  Act  of  1958,  "to  clarify 
management  responsibilities  and  to 
streamline  organizational  arrangements 
concerning  the  national  program  of  space 
exploration." 

:  The  President  directed  NASA  Ad- 
ministrator to  examine  need  for  addi- 
tional money  for  high-thrust  launching 
vehicles,  which  resulted  ultimately  in 
NASA's  request  for  $113  million  addi- 
tional for  the  fiscal  year  1961  budget, 

January  15:  Research  Division  created  in 
USAF  Research  and  Development  Com- 
mand to  coordinate  basic  research. 

Jamiary  16:  Second  Sergeant-Delta 
launched  lOO-foot-diameter  inflatable 
sphere  to  an  altitude  of  250  miles  from 
Wallops  Station,  a  development  flight  of 
Project  Echo. 

:   House   Science   and   Astronautics 

Committee  announced  members  of  its 
Panel  on  Science  and  Technology  to  pro- 
vide consultation  on  major  problems. 

January  20:  NASA  presented  its  10-year 


plan  of  space  activities  to  Congress ;  the 
plan  included  25  major  vehicle  launch- 
ings  per  year  of  increasing  mission 
capability  as  research  and  development 
programs  proceed. 

:  Navy  Polaris  successfully  tested  in 

900-mile  flight  from  Cape  Canaveral. 

:  U.S.S.R.  fired  long-range  ballistic 

missile  into  Pacific. 

January  21:  Fourth  LITTLE  JOE  fired 
Mercury  capsule  in  successful  test  of 
emergency-escape  system  to  an  altitude 
of  9  miles  from  Wallops  Station ;  rhesus 
monkey  passenger,  Miss  Sam,  success- 
fully recovered  after  20-g  and  48,900-foot- 
altitude  flight. 

January  22:  Director  of  USIA,  George  V. 
Allen,  stated  that  the  United  States  was 
facing  a  loss  of  prestige  in  world  opinion 
because  of  Soviet  successes  in  space,  in 
testimony  before  the  House  Science  and 
Astronautics  Committee. 

January  25:  NASA's  Bioscience  Advisory 
Committee  submitted  its  report  recom- 
mending establishment  of  an  office  to 
concern  itself  with  the  role  of  life  sci- 
ences in  space  exploration. 

:  United  States  and  Britain  an- 
nounced cooperative  satellite  project 
using  a  Scout  launch  vehicle  and  several 
British  experiments. 

January  26:  Javelin  four-stage  sounding 
rocket  reached  an  altitude  of  600  miles 
from  Wallops  Station, 

:    Navy    173-foot-diameter    balloon 

launched  from  USS  Valley  Forge  east  of 
Puerto  Rico,  carrying  1,630-pound  pay- 
load  to  record  cosmic  ray  and  secondary 
particles.  Payload  film  packs  were  re- 
covered the  next  day  by  the  destroyer 
Ilyman. 

January  28:  NRL  Communications  Moon 
Relay  (CMR)  system  using  the  moon  as 
a  reflector  of  radio  signals  between 
Hawaii  and  Annapolis,  Md.,  was  first 
publicly  demonstrated. 

Januai-y  29:  In  agreement  with  the  de- 
sire of  the  Department  of  State,  NASA 
established  the  Office  for  the  United  Na- 
tions Conference  to  prepare  for  U.S.  par- 


118 


ticipation  in  an  International  scientific 
conference  on  the  [leaceful  uses  of  outer 
space.  Ur.  John  1*.  Ilagen  was  named 
as  Director  of  OUNC. 

January  80:  USS  Valhy  Forge  launched 
second  cosmic  ray  research  balloon  south 
of  Puerto  Kico,  the  payload  of  which 
was  recovered  the  next  day. 

:  Airman  B.  Barwise  (USAF)  com- 
pleted 72-hour  test  afloat  in  survival 
capsule  designed  for  B-70. 

January  31:  U.S.S.R.  fired  second  long- 
range  missile  into  the  Pacific. 

During  January:  SPACETRACK  (Na- 
tional Space  Surveillance  Control  Cen- 
ter) at  Bedford,  Mass.,  began  operations. 

:  Initial  experimental  investigation 

of  the  plug-nozzle  rocket  engine  was  com- 
pleted by  General  Electric,  a  NASA  con- 
tractor. 

February  1:  NASA  Administrator  re- 
quested another  $113  million  for  fiscal 
year  1961  to  increase  large  launch  ve- 
hicle program  based  on  study  directed  by 
the  President  on  January  14. 

:     University    of    Chicago    Project 

ICEF  (International  Cooperative  Emul- 
sion Flights),  sponsored  by  the  NSF  and 
OXR,  launched  10-million-cubic-foot 
SKYHOOK  balloon  to  21.4-mile  altitude, 
capturing  ultra-high-energy  cosmic  ray 
particles  for  analysis  by  international 
groups  of  physicists. 

February  2:  Titan  ICBM  fired  from 
AMR,  successfully  achieving  separation 
and  ignition  of  second  stage. 

February  S:  Simulated  weightlessness 
experiment  at  USAF  Aerospace  Medical 
Laboratory  ended,  in  which  Dr.  Duane 
E.  Graveline  was  submerged  in  a  liquid 
in  centrifuge  with  a  5-g  spin,  and  which 
demonstrated  muscle  deterioration  with- 
out exercise. 

February  4"  Stanford  University  scien- 
tists reported  on  successful  reflection  of 
radar  signals  off  the  sun's  corona  on 
April  7, 10,  and  12, 1959. 

:  DISCOVERER  IX  failed  to  orbit 

from  Vandenberg  AFB. 


February  7:  New  EXPLORER  VII  data 
showed  that  outer  Van  Allen  belt  rim 
moved  north  and  south  as  much  as  500 
miles  in  latitude  and  varied  in  intensity 
tenfold  within  a  few  hours. 

February  9:  X-15  (No.  1)  rocket  re- 
search airplane  was  delivered  by  North 
American  to  NASA  for  further  testing. 

:  Test-stand    construction    progress 

announced  for  the  development  of  large 
F-1  rocket  engine,  near  Edwards  AFB, 
Calif. 

:  Air  Force  dedicated  the  National 

Space  Surveillance  Control  Center 
(SPACETRACK)  at  Bedford,  Mass. 

February  10:  Department  of  Defense  an- 
nounced that  "mystery  satellite"  in  near- 
polar  orbit  since  last  January  may  be 
ejected  DISCOVERER  V  recovery  cap- 
sule launched  August  1959. 

:  President  Eisenhower  toured  Cape 

Canaveral. 

February  11:  X-15  (No.  2)  ascended  to 

86,700  feet  in  powered  flight. 

February  13:  France  became  fourth  nu- 
clear power  with  explosion  of  plutonium 
bomb  in  the  Sahara  Desert. 

February  16:  Reaction  Motors  Division 
of  Thiokol  Chemical  reported  successful 
completion  of  a  series  of  36  tests  on  the 
final  XLR-99  engine  for  the  X-15,  at  the 
Arnold  Engineering  Development  Center, 
Tullahoma,  Tenn. 

:  First    color    photographs    of    the 

earth  taken  at  high  altitude,  secured 
with  recovery  of  data  capsule  of  Thor 
launched  on  December  1, 1959. 

February  19:  DISCOVERER  X  launched 
but  did  not  attain  orbit, 

:  Exos   four-stage   rocket   launched 

reached  6S-mile  altitude  at  Eglin  AFB, 
Fla. 

February  24 :  Titan  ICBM  successfully 
fired  5,000  miles  from  Cape  Canaveral, 
its  longest  flight  to  date. 

:  NASA  plans  were  outlined  for  the 

conduct  of  a  nuclear  rocket  flight  test 
program  in  a  letter  from  the  Administra- 
tor to  the  Chairman,  AEC. 


119 


1960— Continued 

Fehruary  25:  First  test  launch  of  Army's 
Pershing  tactical  missile  from  Cape 
Canaveral. 

February  26:  First  USAF  Midas  test 
launch  with  Atlas-Agena  from  AMR 
failed  when  a  malfunction  at  staging 
damaged  Agena. 

:  Establishment  of  Project  Mercury 

tracking  networks  in  Australia  was  sanc- 
tioned by  joint  agreement. 

Fehruary  27:  100-foot-dia meter  inflatable 
sphere  successfully  launched  on  third 
suborbital  test  to  an  altitude  of  225  miles, 
from  NASA  Wallops  Station,  Va.  Radio 
transmissions  were  reflected  via  the 
sphere  from  Holmdel,  N.J.,  to  Round  Hill, 
Mass. 

:   Atmosphere    entry    simulator    at 

NASA  Ames  Research  Center  completed 
first  successful  launch  and  recovery  of 
test  model  launched  at  satellite  speed 
of  17,000  mph.  First  proposed  by  A. 
Eggers  in  1955,  it  had  previously  pro- 
vided important  information  at  ballistic 
speeds.  Throughout  1959-60,  Ames  sci- 
entists contributed  to  understanding  of 
flight  characteristics  at  altitudes  over 
100  miles,  using  low  density  research 
apparatus. 

During  early  1960:  NASA  Lewis  Re- 
search Center  completed  flight  safety 
research  program  involving  over  30  full- 
scale  experimental  crashes  and  labora- 
tory studies  leading  to  improved  criteria 
for  survivability. 

March  1:  NASA  announced  establish- 
ment of  the  Ofiice  of  Life  Sciences  to 
provide  focal  point  for  broad-based  sci- 
entific study  of  life  processes  provided  by 
the  space  exploration  program,  not  to 
duplicate  existing  effort  in  military  lab- 
oratories. Dr.  Clark  T.  Randt  was  named 
as  Director. 

:  House    Science   and   Astronautics 

Committee  voted  .$915  million  for  NASA 
in  fiscal  year  1961. 

March  8:  First  USAF  Atlas  flight  using 
inertial  guidance  system. 

March  9:  Navy  fired  Polaris  900  miles  in 
successful  test  of  flight  control  equip- 
ment. 


March  10:  Office  of  Reliability  and  Sys- 
tems Analysis  was  established  in  NASA 
Headquarters  to  conduct  program  design 
to  evaluate  and  improve  operational  re- 
liability of  launch  vehicles  and  pay- 
loads.  Landis  S.  Gephardt  was  named  as 
Director. 

March  11:  PIONEER  V,  NASA  space 
probe,  successfully  launched  by  Thor- 
Able-4,  the  start  of  a  historic  flight  to 
measure  radiation  and  magnetic  fields 
between  Earth  and  Venus,  and  to  com- 
municate over  great  distances.  Managed 
by  AFBMD  and  Space  Technology  Lab- 
oratories for  NASA,  PIONEER  V  carried 
experiments  designed  by  various  civilian 
and  governmental  scientists.  (See  Ap- 
pendix A.) 

March  13:  PIONEER  V  transmitted  radio 
signals  from  a  distance  of  more  than 
409,000  miles,  a  new  communications 
record. 

:  Lunar  atlas  published  by  the  USAF, 

representing  a  comprehensive  collection 
of  high-quality  photographs  of  the  visible 
surface  of  the  moon  prepared  by  G.  P. 
Kuiper. 

March  15:  Saturn  project  officially  trans- 
ferred to  NASA  from  ABMA. 

■ -:  George  C.  Marshall  Space  Flight 

Center  at  Huntsville,  Ala.,  named  by 
Executive  Order  of  the  President. 

March  16:  Ban  on  nuclear  weapons  being 
placed  in  orbit  around  the  earth  in  the 
future  proposed  by  the  representatives  of 
the  Western  nations  at  the  Geneva  Dis- 
armament Conference. 

March  17:  VANGUARD  I  still  in  orbit 
and  transmitting  on  its  second  anniver- 
sary after  traveling  131,318,211  miles. 
NASA  reported  that  VANGUARD  I  orbit 
was  being  altered  by  solar  pressure. 


X-15   (No.  2)   passed  stress  flight 


test. 


March  18:  PIONEER  V  reported  on  com- 
mand to  NASA  Headquarters  at  2  a.m. 
from  1,002,700  miles  away  and  trans- 
mitting seven  kinds  of  scientific  readings. 

:    Princess    Margaret    of    England 

commanded  PIONEER  V  1,040,000  miles 
away  and  received  answer  25  seconds 
later. 


120 


March  19:  United  States-Spanish  agree- 
ment on  Project  Mercury  tracking  sta- 
tion in  Canary  Islands  was  announced 
(1  of  16  similar  agreements  with  other 
nations). 

March  22:  USAF  Titan  fired  5,000  stat- 
ute miles  and  data  capsule  recovered. 

March  2S:  Explorer  satellite  launched  by 
Juno  II  but  did  not  orbit. 

:  Los  Alamos  Scientific  Laboratories 

disclosed  controlled  thermonuclear  fusion 
was  achieved  by  Scylla  II  device  for  less 
than  a  millionth  of  a  second  at  about  13 
million  degrees  centigrade. 

March  25:  Aerobee  150-A,  a  new  type, 
fired  from  new  launch  tower  at  Wallops 
Station,  reached  an  altitude  of  150  miles 
and  achieved  rocket  performance  objec- 
tives as  well  as  micrometeorite  impact 
counts. 


During  March:  NASA  let  contract  with 
Naval  Ordnance  Test  Station,  Inyokern, 
Calif.,  to  study  the  feasibility  of  control- 
ling the  direction  of  thrust  from  a  nozzle 
by  injecting  gas  or  liquid  into  the  nozzle 
expansion  cone. 

April  1:  First  known  weather  observa- 
tion satellite,  TIROS  I  (Television  lufra- 
Red  Observation  Satellite),  launched  into 
orbit  by  Thor-Able,  and  took  pictures  of 
earth's  cloud  cover  on  a  global  scale  from 
450  miles  above  until  June  29.  TIROS  I 
was  liailed  as  ushering  in  "a  new  era  of 
meteorological  observing."  (See  Appen- 
dix A.) 

:  Fourth  suborbital  Shotput  test  of 

the  100-foot-diameter  sphere  later  known 
as  Echo  was  launched  from  NASA  Wal- 
lops Station  to  an  altitude  of  235  miles 
and  inflated  successfully. 

April  2:  LUNIK  I  completed  first  orbit 
around  the  sun. 


:  First  flight  and  first  powered  flight 

of  the  X-15  (No.  1)  in  the  NASA/USAF 
research  program,  NASA's  Joseph  A. 
Walker  as  pilot. 

:  First  launch  of  missile  from  a  nu- 
clear submarine  when  a  Regulus  I  was 
fired  from  the  Ealiliut  off  Oahu,  Hawaii. 

:  DOD  formally  announced  high  pri- 
ority for  Midas  project. 

:  Signals  received  from  a  distance  of 

2  million  miles  from  PIONEER  V. 

March  2S:  Two  of  Saturn's  first-stage 
engines  passed  initial  static  firing  test  of 
7.83  seconds  duration  at  Huntsville,  Ala. 

:  NASA  announced  selection  of  Aero- 
jet-General to  build  the  power  conversion 
equipment  for  the  SNAP-8  (System  for 
Nuclear  Auxiliary  Power),  and  to  inte- 
grate the  reactor  into  an  operational 
system.  SNAP-8  is  a  joint  NASA-AEC 
project. 

March  29:  Naval  Weapons  Annex, 
Charleston,  S.C,  was  opened,  providing 
capability  for  missile  final  assembly  and 
loading  of  submarines. 

:  First  fully  guided  flight  of  Polaris 

from  Observation  Island. 


April  4-'  Project  Ozma  initiated  to  listen 
for  possible  signal  patterns  from  outer 
space  other  than  natural  "noise,"  at  the 
National  Radio  Astronomy  Observatory 
at  Green  Bank,  W.  Va. 

April  6:  Four  Saturn's  first-stage  engines 
successfully  tested  at  Huntsville,  Ala. 

:  SPUTNIK  III  reentered  the  earth's 

atmosphere. 

April  7;  Maj.  Gen.  Donald  N.  Yates 
(USAF)  named  Deputy  Director  of  De- 
fense Research  and  Engineering  for 
Ranges  and  Space  Ground  Support. 

April  12:  First  production  model  of  Mc- 
Donnell-built Mercury  capsule  was  de- 
livered to  NASA. 

April  IS:  Navy  TRANSIT  I-B  launched 
into  orbit  by  Thor-Able-Star  with  navi- 
gation payload  experiment  at  Cape  Ca- 
naveral. Flight  demonstrated  the  first 
engine  restart  in  space  and  the  feasibility 
of  using  satellites  as  navigational  aids. 
( See  Appendix  A. ) 

April  14:  First  underwater  launch  of 
Polaris  missile,  from  an  underwater  tube 
oft  San  Clemente  Island,  Calif. 

:  William  M.  Holaday's  resignation 

as  Chairman  of  the  Civil-Military  Liaison 
Committee  accepted  by  the  President. 


121 


1960— Continued 

April  14:  One  week  in  self -sustained  sim- 
ulated space  capsule  environment  con- 
cluded by  C.  A.  Metzgen  at  USAF  Aero- 
space Medical  Laboratory. 

April  15:  DISCOVERER  XI  launched 
from  Vandenberg  AFB  and  stayed  in 
orbit,  reentry  capsule  was  not  recovered. 
( See  Appendix  A. ) 

April  11:  PIONEER  V  transmitted  telem- 
etry a  distance  of  5  million  miles  from 
earth. 

April  18:  Scout  test  vehicle,  with  live  first 
and  third  stages,  fired  from  Wallops  Sta- 
tion, but  vehicle  broke  up  after  first- 
stage  burnout. 

:  NASA  selected  Avco  Manufactur- 
ing and  General  Electric  to  conduct  en- 
gineering and  development  studies  on  an 
electric  rocket  engine. 

April  19:  NASA  announced  negotiation 
of  a  contract  for  development  of  a  space- 
craft solar  powerplant,  Sunflower  I,  with 
Thompson-Ramo-Woolridge. 

:   ONR  Aerobee-Hi  made  series  of 

X-ray  photographs  of  the  sun  from  an 
altitude  of  130  miles. 

April  20:  Spin  of  TRANSIT  I-B  was  re- 
duced from  170  to  4  rpm  by  ground 
control. 

April  22:  Radar  beam  transmitted  along 
electron  lines  of  the  earth's  magnetic 
field  extending  into  the  exosphere,  first 
confirmation  of  theory  and  work  of  Roger 
M.  Gallet  of  the  National  Bureau  of 
■Standards  and  Henry  G.  Booker  of  Cor- 
nell University.  Echo  reflected  from  the 
earth  successfully  received  0.2  of  a  sec- 
ond later  after  traveling  37,000  miles, 
perhaps  offering  a  new  tool  to  study  the 
effect  of  solar  eruptions  on  the  earth's 
magnetic  field  and  a  new  long-range  sur- 
veillance method  using  radar. 

April  23:  NASA  fired  first  of  five  Aero- 
bee-Hi sounding  rockets  from  Wallops 
Station  in  program  to  measure  ultra- 
violet radiation. 

:  NASA  announced   that  Robert  E. 

Gottfried  of  GSFC  Lad  successfully  "i-e- 
paired"  faulty  diode  in  PIONEER  V  (5.5 

122 


million  miles  from  earth)  by  reworking 
of  telemetry. 

April  26:  IRAC  Table  of  Frequency  Al- 
locations (official  allocation  of  frequency 
table  for  United  States  and  possessions) 
was  approved,  relating  to  frequency  as- 
signments for  space  research  based  on 
1959  ITU  Conference  in  Geneva,  Switzer- 
land. 

:  NASA  announced  selection  of  Doug- 
las Aircraft  for  construction  of  second 
(S— 4)  stage  of  initial  C-1  Saturn  launch 
vehicle. 

April  27:  Completion  of  technical  review 
of  Dyna-Soar  program  announced  by  the 
Air  Force. 

:  NASA  signed  contract  with  Aero- 

nutronic,  a  division  of  Ford  Motor  Co., 
for  development  and  production  of  the 
first  survivable  capsule  for  landing  in- 
struments on  the  moon. 

Apj'il  29:  Milestone  achieved  in  comple- 
tion of  interim  or  formal  agreements 
concluded  for  all  oversea  Mercury  track- 
ing stations. 

:  NASA  press  conference  with  par- 
ticipating scientists  reporting  on  the 
correlation  of  data  received  from  EX- 
PLORERS VI  and  VII,  and  PIONEER 
V  during  the  solar  storm  on  March  21. 

April  29:  All  eight  engines  of  the  Saturn 
engine  were  fired  for  the  first  time  at 
Huntsville,  Ala. 

Duritiff  April:  Seven  Mercury  astronauts 
completed  training  session  at  the  Navy 
Aviation  Medical  Acceleration  Labora- 
tory, Johnsville,  Pa- 
il/a?/ ^;  Lewis  Research  Center  began 
testing  of  high-energy  hydrogen-oxygen 
engines  in  an  altitude  test  facility  capa- 
ble of  subjecting  an  entire  propulsion 
system  to  a  space  environment.  On  June 
17,  LRC  began  similar  testing  of  hydro- 
gen-fiuorine  engines. 

May  5:  NASA  held  a  press  conference  on 
high-altitude  weather  research  using 
Lockheed  U-2  aircraft,  one  of  which  was 
reportedly  lost  on  May  1  over  Turkey. 


Map  S:  150-watt  transmitter  on  PIO- 
NEER V  interplanetary  spacecraft  was 
commanded  at  5  :04  a.m.  e.d.t.,  and  oper- 


ated  satisfactorily  while  it  was  8,001,000 
miles  from  earth,  another  commimica- 
tious  record. 

Map  9:  First  production  model  of  Proj- 
ect Mercury  spacecraft  was  successfully 
launched  from  NASA  Wallops  Station  to 
test  escape,  landing,  and  recovery  sys- 
tems. Known  as  the  "beach  abort"  shot, 
the  Mercury  capsule  reached  2,540  feet 
before  parachute  landing  and  piclvup  by 
Marine  helicopter  returned  it  to  Wallops' 
hangar  17  minutes  after  launch. 

May  10:  Submarine  U.S.S.  Triton  com- 
pleted 41,519-mile  submerged  cruise 
around  the  world. 

May  12:  Speed  of  Mach  3.2  and  78,000- 
foot  altitude  attained  in  X-15  (No.  1) 
with  interim  engines  by  NASA's  Joseph 
A.  AValker.  This  was  the  first  remote- 
launch  operation  (100  miles  from  release 
from  "mother"  aircraft  to  landing  site  at 
Edwards  AFB). 

May  13:  Echo  satellite,  a  100-foot  passive 
reflector  sphere,  failed  to  orbit  with  first 
complete  three-stage  Thor-Delta  launch 
vehicle. 


Uray  2/,:  MIDAS  II  test  satellite  success- 
fully launched  into  orbit  from  AMR  by 
an  Atlas-Agena  launch  vehicle,  a  tost  of 
an  USAF  surveillance  system  designed 
to  provide  warning  of  long-range  missile 
Inunching,  the  first  anti-missile  early- 
warning  satellite. 

May  27:  Rate  of  spin  of  TIROS  I  satel- 
lite was  increased  by  ground  command. 

:  ONR  Aerobee-Hi  launched  to  135- 
mile  altitude  carrying  eight  telescopes  to 
map  sky  by  means  of  ultraviolet  light, 
from  WSPG. 

May  80:  NASA  established  Office  of  Tech- 
nical Information  and  Educational  Pro- 
grams (OTIEP)  in  Headquarters  to  carry 
out  pertinent  requirements  of  the  Na- 
tional Aeronautics  and  Space  Act  of  1958 
and  related  functions.  Shelby  Thompson 
of  AEG  was  named  as  Director. 

May  31:  100-foot  inflatable  sphere 
launched  from  NASA  Wallops  Station 
to  an  altitude  of  210  miles  to  test  payload 
configuration  carrying  two  beacon  trans- 
mitters, a  development  flight  of  Project 
Echo. 


May  llf:  Founding  of  the  International 
Academy  of  Astronautics  announced  by 
the  lAF  and  the  Daniel  and  Florence 
Guggenheim  Foundation. 


:  NASA  disseminated  telemetry  cali- 
bration for  EXPLORER  VII  to  members 
of  the  Committee  on  Space  Research 
(COSPAR). 


May  15:  SPACECRAFT  I  weighing  10,- 
000  pounds  launched  into  orbit  by  the 
U.S.S.R.,  the  first  successful  effort  to  or- 
bit a  vehicle  large  enough  to  contain  a 
human  passenger,  although  efforts  to  re- 
cover the  space  capsule  failed.  (See 
Appendix  A.) 

May  19:  TIROS  I  weather  satellite 
spotted  a  tornado  storm  system  in  the 
vicinity  of  Wichita  Falls,  Tex. 

:  X-15  (No.  1)  flown  to  107.000  feet, 

its  highest  altitude  to  date,  by  Maj.  Rob- 
ert M.  White  (USAF),  at  Edwards  AFB. 

May  20:  Atlas  ICBM  fired  9,040  statute 
miles  from  AMR  to  Indian  Ocean,  longest 
known  flight  of  an  ICBM  to  date.  Mis- 
sile attained  an  apogee  of  about  1,000 
miles. 

May  21:  First  public  showing  of  F-1  en- 
gine mock  up. 


:  NASA  selected  Rocketdyne  Divi- 
sion of  North  American  Aviation  to 
develop  a  200,000-pound-thrust  engine 
utilizing  hydrogen  and  oxygen  propel- 
lants.  This  engine  is  second  only  to  the 
F-1  in  single-thrust  chamber  level. 

Jtine  1:  Navy  assumed  operational  re- 
sponsibility for  PMR. 

June  2-3:  Panel  on  Science  and  Technol- 
ogy of  the  House  Committee  on  Science 
and  Astronautics  held  its  second  meeting 
in  Washington. 

June  5:  Winzen  Research  launched  10'- 
cubic-foot  balloon  from  Nx\.S  Glynco,  Ga., 
for  cosmic  ray  studies ;  after  10  days  of 
flight  the  balloon  disappeared  over  the 
Pacific  on  a  westerly  heading. 

June  7;  Contract  for  ion  engine  develop- 
ment was  awarded  by  NASA  to  Hughes 
Aircraft. 


123 


1960 — Continued 

Jvne  8:  Complete  eight-engine  static 
firing  of  Saturn  successfully  conducted 
for  110  seconds  at  MSFC,  the  longest 
firing  to  date. 

:  XLR-99  engine  mounted  in  X-15 

(No.  3)  during  test-stand  runs  by  the 
contractor  exploded,  which  damaged  air- 
craft but  did  not  injure  contractor's  test 
pilot  in  the  cockpit. 

Juno  14:  AEC's  SNAP-2  Experimental 
Reactor  (SER)  reached  147,300  kilowatt- 
hours  of  operation  at  design  tempera- 
tures and  power  during  which  1,000  hours 
of  continuous  operation  was  attained. 

:     NASA     announced     creation     of 

Launch  Operations  Directorate  (LOD) 
to  become  operational  on  July  1,  to  be 
headed  by  Dr.  Kurt  Debus  of  Marshall 
Space  Flight  Center,  who  headed  the 
Army  launch  operations  of  EXPLORER 
I  and  the  first  American  payload  to  orbit 
the  sun,  PIONEER  IV. 

:     Small    explosive    charge    ignited 

flare  package  on  side  of  Titan  ICBM  at 
AMR,  causing  first  missile  fatality  (J. 
G.  Sibole)  in  10  years  of  missile  launch- 
ings  at  Cape  Canaveral. 

Jtme  15:  Saturn  static  test  firing  of  121 
seconds  successful  at  MSFC. 

Jurw  22:  Navy  TRANSIT  II-A,  an  ex- 
perimental navigation  satellite  with  two 
payloads  (navigation  and  radiation 
measurement),  successfully  launched 
into  orbit  by  Thor-Able-Star  vehicle. 
This  was  the  first  time  that  two  instru- 
mented satellites  have  been  placed  into 
orbit  at  the  same  time.  (See  Appendix 
A.) 

June  24:  500-w  SNAP  mercury-Rankin 
cycle-turbine  alternator  package  endur- 
ance test  was  successfully  terminated  at 
2,.500  hours  of  operation  at  design  condi- 
tions, by  AEC. 

June  25:  Aerospace  Corp.,  a  nonprofit 
civilian  organization  to  manage  engineer- 
ing, research,  and  development  aspects  of 
missile  and  military  space  programs,  was 
established  by  the  USAF. 

June  26:  Six-minute  message  received 
by  Jodrell  Bank,  England,  was  last  com- 


munication received  from  PIONEER  V, 
then  22.5  million  miles  from  earth  mov- 
ing at  a  relative  velocity  of  21,000  mph. 
Since  March  11  when  launched,  PIO- 
NEER V  traveled  some  180  million  miles, 
and  it  would  fly  18  million  miles  closer 
to  the  sun  than  any  manmade  object. 

June  28:  The  Smithsonian  Institution 
awarded  its  highest  honor,  the  Langley 
Medal,  to  Robert  H.  Goddard  posthu- 
mously. 

:  U.S.S.R.  announced  that  it  would 

conduct  new  series  of  long-range  missile 
shots  into  the  Pacific,  July  5-31,  1960. 

June  29:  DISCOVERER  XII  failed  to  go 
into  polar  orbit. 

:  TIROS  I  ended  its  operational  life- 
time, transmitting  a  total  of  22,952  pic- 
ture frames  of  the  earth's  cloud  cover 
and  completing  1,302  orbits  since  launch 
on  April  1. 

July  1:  NASA  George  C.  Marshall  Space 
Flight  Center,  with  Dr.  Wernher  von 
Braun  as  its  Director,  ofl5cially  opened 
with  formal  transfer  to  NASA  from 
ABMA,  at  Redstone  Arsenal,  Huntsville, 
Ala. 

:  First  complete  Scout  launch  ve- 
hicle fired  from  NASA  Wallops  Station, 
but  fourth  stage  separation  and  firing 
was  not  accomplished. 

:  Pacific  Missile  Range  (PMR)  Fa- 
cility established  at  Eniwetok,  Marshall 
Islands. 

— — ■:  First  operational  version  of  Titan 
ICBM  failed  to  launch  at  Cape  Canav- 
eral. 

July  4'  Soviet  Tass  announced  that 
Russia  last  month  successfully  launched 
a  new  4,400-pound-thrust  rocket  carrying 
a  rabbit  and  two  dogs  to  a  reported  alti- 
tude of  124.8  miles. 

:  Piper  Comanche  set  a  world  dis- 
tance record  in  a  closed  circuit  of  6,921.28 
miles,  Max  Conrad  as  pilot. 

July  8:  Second  experimental  reactor 
(Kiwi-A  Prime)  in  the  Project  Rover 
nuclear  rocket  program  was  successfully 
tested  at  full  power  and  duration  at  Jack- 
ass Flats,  Nev. 


124 


July  11:  NASA  selected  Hughes,  North 
American,  Space  Technology  Laboratory, 
and  McDonnell  to  study  designs  for  the 
first  lunar  soft-landing  spacecraft. 

— — :  Dr.  Ivan  A.  Getting  of  Raytheon 
was  named  first  president  of  the  Aero- 
space (3orp. 

:  Bell  Telephone  outlined  to  FCC  a 

plan  for  worldwide  service  based  upon 
a  network  of  50  satellites  in  polar  orbit 
at  3,000-mile  altitude. 

July  12:  Mistran  (Missile  trajectory 
measurement  system)  for  AFMTC  initi- 
ated by  USAF  contract  with  General 
Electric. 

July  11:  First  of  three  NASA  experiments 
carried  by  USAF  balloons,  carrying  a 
NASA  capsule  containing  12  mice  to  130,- 
000-foot  altitude  for  11 1^  hours,  in  sup- 
port of  study  of  effects  of  heavy  primary 
cosmic  ray  particles. 

July  IS:  Dr.  Robert  C.  Seamans,  Jr., 
formerly  chief  engineer  of  RCA  Missile 
Electronics  and  Control  Division,  was 
named  Associate  Administrator  of  NASA 
to  replace  Richard  E.  Horner. 

July  20:  Two  Polaris  (A-IX)  test  mis- 
siles successfully  launched  from  sub- 
merged submarine,  the  George  Washiny- 
ton,  marking  a  major  milestone  in  the 
Navy  ballistic  missile  program. 

July  21:  NASA  fired  a  Nike-Cajun  sound- 
ing rocket  from  Fort  Churchill,  Mani- 
toba, Canada,  containing  an  instrumented 
payload  to  measure  data  on  energetic 
pai'ticles  during  a  period  of  low  solar 
activity. 

July  22:  First  flight  of  NASA's  Iris 
sounding  rocket  successful,  designed  for 
100-i)ound  payloads  to  altitudes  of  about 
200  miles,  from  Wallops  Station. 

July  23:  Second  of  USAF-NASA  balloon 
flights  carrying  NASA  life  science  experi- 
ment to  an  altitude  of  over  130,000  feet 
for  liy2  hours. 

July  24:  Donald  Piccard  established  Class 
I  world  altitude  record  of  3,740  feet  in 
plastic  balloon  HOLIDAY,  from  Minne- 
apolis, Minn. 

July  26:  End  of  series  of  Army  Bell  HU-1 
Iroquois  helicopter  flights  which  estab- 
lished four  new  world  records. 


July  2S-29:  First  NASA-Industry  Pro- 
gram Plans  Conference  held  in  Washing- 
ton, D.C. 

July  29:  Project  Apollo,  advanced 
manned  spacecraft  program,  was  first 
announced  at  NASA's  Industry  Confer- 
ence. 

:  Atlas  launch  vehicle  carrying  un- 
manned Mercury  capsule  exploded  65  sec- 
onds after  launch  from  AMR. 

:  The  300-kw(e)  static  reactor  elec- 
tric power  system  attained  first  critical- 
ity.  SNAP  10,  utilizing  thermoelectric 
conversion  with  no  moving  parts,  was 
being  developed  for  satellite  application. 

July  31:  Dr.  John  F.  Victoi-y,  the  first 
employee  of  NACA  hired  in  1915  and 
recently  Assistant  to  the  Administrator 
of  NASA,  retired  after  52  years  of  con- 
tinuous Government  service,  including 
many  important  contributions  in  formu- 
lating national  air  policies  and  in  estab- 
lishing aeronautical  research  facilities 
and  programs. 

August  2:  NRL  Aerobee  reached  90-mile 
altitude  from  WSPG  with  instruments  to 
measure  ultraviolet  spectrum  of  the  sun. 

■:  Army  Ordnance  five-stage  Strong- 
arm  sounding  rocket  launched  from  Wal- 
lops Station,  reaching  an  altitude  of  300 
miles,  although  fifth  stage  did  not 
function. 

August  3:  First  Sparrowbee  sounding 
rocket  launched  from  Wallops  Station, 
lifting  56-pound  University  of  Michigan 
payload  to  260-mile  altitude. 

August  If:  X-15  (No.  1)  rocket  airplane 
with  interim  engines  established  new 
unofiicial  world  speed  record  of  2,196 
mph,  with  Joseph  Walker,  NASA  test 
pilot,  at  the  controls.  This  topped 
Captain  Apt's  speed  of  2,094  mph  at- 
tained in  the  X-2  on  September  27,  1956. 

August  5:  NASA  and  the  Department  of 
Defense  announced  the  settlement  of 
patent  infringement  claim  by  the  estate 
of  the  late  Robert  II.  Goddard,  which 
had  been  pending  since  1951,  for  .$1  mil- 
lion ($705,000  by  USAF,  $125,000  by 
USA,  $100,000  by  NASA,  and  $10,000  by 
USN). 


125 


1960— Continued 

August  5:  IGY  data  released  indicated 
that  upper  atmospliere's  density  becomes 
twice  as  great  iu  December  as  in  June. 

Augttst  6:  While  over  Blossom  Point, 
Md.,  simultaneously  with  a  Class  1  solar 
flare,  TRANSIT  II-A  satellite  trans- 
mitted 6  minutes  of  clear  reception  show- 
ing history  of  development  of  ultraviolet 
and  X-ray  emission  in  relation  to  iono- 
spheric behavior  and  to  solar-radio 
noise. 

August  10:  DISCOVERER  XIII  launched 
successfully  into  a  polar  orbit, 

August  11:  First  manmade  object  re- 
covered from  an  orbiting  satellite,  the 
85-pound  instrumented  capsule  of  DIS- 
COVERER XIII  recovered  from  the 
ocean  off  Hawaii  after  16  orbits.  Silken 
50-star  American  flag  it  carried  was  pre- 
sented to  the  President  on  August  15. 

August  12:  X-15  (No.  1)  with  interim 
engines  and  with  Maj.  Robert  M.  White 
(USAF)  at  the  controls,  established  a 
new  altitude  record  for  a  manned  ve- 
hicle of  136,500  feet.  This  topped  Cap- 
tain Kincheloe's  record  altitude  of  126,- 
200  feet  attained  on  September  7,  1956, 
In  the  X-2  rocket  research  aircraft. 

:   NASA's  ECHO  I,  the  flrst  passive 

communications  satellite,  successfully 
launched  into  orbit  by  a  Thor-Delta.  It 
reflected  a  radio  message  from  the  Presi- 
dent across  the  Nation,  thus  demonstrat- 
ing the  feasibility  of  global  radio  com- 
munications via  satellites.  The  100-foot- 
diameter  aluminized  Mylar-plastic  sphere 
was  the  most  visible  and  largest  satellite 
launched  to  date.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

:    USAF    Atlas    carrying    radiation 

experiments  in  nose  cone  was  fired  5,000 
miles  from  Cape  Canaveral,  but  nose 
cone  was  not  recovered. 

:   Navy   Polaris  missile  fired  1,000 

miles  down  AMR. 

August  13:  Army  announced  completion 
of  a  project  for  mapping  lunar  landing 
sites. 

August  15:  NASA  announced  selection  of 
Plasmadyne  Corp.  for  contract  negotia- 
tions on  a  1-kilowatt  electric  arc  jet 
rocket  engine. 


:  Two  pilots  sealed  in  "space  cabin" 

for  17-day  simulated  flight  to  the  moon, 
at  SAM,  Brooks  AFB,  Tex. 

August  16:  Capt.  Joseph  W.  Kittinger, 
Jr.  (USAF),  parachuted  from  EXCEL- 
SIOR III  balloon  at  103,000  feet,  falling 
17  miles  before  chute  was  employed  at 
17,500  feet,  a  new  parachute  record. 

:  11th  Congress  of  the  lAF  opened  in 

Stockholm. 

August  17:  ECHO  I  visible  to  sky- 
watchers  and  provided  reflection  for 
numerous  long-range  radio  transmissions 
by  private  and  governmental  research 
agencies  in  the  United  States. 

August  IS:  ECHO  I  utilized  for  trans- 
atlantic communications  when  carrier 
signal  was  received  by  the  French  Tele- 
communications Establishment  (CNET). 
Subsequently,  voice  and  music  transmis- 
sions were  received  by  the  University  of 
Manchester  at  Jodrell  Bank  and  other 
British  installations. 

:     USAF     DISCOVERER    XIV 

launched  into  polar  orbit  from  Vanden- 
berg  AFB,  Calif.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

:  USAF- Army  COURIER  lA  com- 
munications satellite  failed  to  orbit  due 
to  premature  shutdown  of  first  stage  of 
Thor-Able-Star. 

August  19:  SPACECRAFT  II  launched 
into  orbit  by  the  U.S.S.R.  weighing  5  tons 
and  carrying  a  biological  payload  includ- 
ing two  dogs.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

:  Second  time  a  manmade  object  was 

recovered  intact  from  earth  orbit  and  the 
first  midair  recovery  of  an  object  from 
space,  when  USAF  C-119  transport 
snared  the  300-pound  capsule  of  DIS- 
COVERER XIV  at  10,000  feet,  Capt. 
H.  F.  Mitchell  (USAF)  as  pilot  of  the 
C-119. 

:  Wirephoto  of  President  Eisenhower 

transmitted  from  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa, 
to  Dallas,  Tex.,  via  ECHO  I  satellite. 

August  21:  U.S.S.R.  announced  safe  re- 
covery of  biologic  payloads  of  SPACE- 
CRAFT II  after  17  orbits,  and  reported 
that  2  dog  passengers  were  in  excellent 
physical  condition.  This  was  the  first 
successful  recovery  of  life  forms  from 
orbit. 


126 


Avgnst  22:  Smithsonian  Astrophysical 
Observatory  reported  tliat  solar  pressure 
was  pushing  ECHO  I's  perigee  IVi  miles 
closer  to  the  earth  every  24  hours. 

August  28:  Bell  Laboratory  technicians 
successfully  transmitted  a  voice  and 
music  message  from  New  Jersey  to  Jod- 
rell  Bank,  England,  via  ECHO  I. 

:  Aerobee-Hi  with  208-pound  pay- 
load  launched  from  NASA  Wallops  Sta- 
tion llS-mile  altitude. 

August  24 :  ECHO  I  first  went  into  earth's 
shadow  with  its  two  tracking  beacons 
still  opei'ating.  Since  going  into  orbit  on 
August  12,  it  had  relayed  hundreds  of 
telephonic  experiments  and  transmis- 
sions. 

August  26:  Construction  begun  on  the 
world's  largest  radar  at  Arecibo,  P.R., 
capable  of  bouncing  signals  off  Venus, 
Mars,  and  Jupiter,  with  Cornell  Univer- 
sity as  the  prime  contractor  under  direc- 
tion of  ARPA  and  USAF. 

August  SO:  First  Industry  Conference 
conducted  by  NASA  Goddard  Space 
Flight  Center. 

August  81:  Joint  NASA-AEC  Nuclear 
Propulsion  Office  (NPO)  created  at  Ger- 
mantown,  Md.,  with  Harold  B.  Finger  as 
Manager. 

During  August:  NASA  suspended  work 
on  geodetic  satellite  program  pending 
determination  of  whether  it  was  to  be  a 
civilian  or  military  program. 

:     USAF   Atlas    squadrons   became 

operational  at  Warren  AFB,  Wyo. 

September  5:  McDonnell  F4H-1  Phan- 
tom II  Navy  fighter  flown  1,216.78  m])h 
on  500-km  closed  course  for  a  new  record, 
Lt.  Col.  T.  H.  Miller  (USMC)  as  pilot. 

September  8:  ONR  announced  that  radio 
signals  had  been  received  from  the  planet 
Saturn  and  a  star  3,000  light-years  away 
by  the  University  of  Michigan's  85-foot 
radio  telescope. 

:     President    Eisenhower    formally 

dedicated  the  NASA  George  C.  Marshall 
Space  Flight  Center  at  Huntsville,  Ala. 

September  10:  X-15  flown  at  more  than 
2,100  mph  and  to  80,000  feet. 


September  13:  NASA  and  DOD  an- 
nounced the  creation  of  the  Aeronautics 
and  Astronautics  Coordinating  Board  "to 
review  planning,  avoid  duplication,  co- 
ordinate activities  of  common  interest, 
identify  problems  requiring  solution 
either  by  NASA  or  the  Department  of 
Defense  and  insure  a  steady  exchange 
of  information."  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Dryden, 
Deputy  Administrator  of  NASA,  and  Dr. 
Herbert  F.  York,  Director  of  Research 
and  Engineering  of  DOD,  were  named 
co-chairmen  of  the  Board. 

:     DISCOVERER   XV    placed    into 

polar  orbit.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

:  NASA  gave  bidders  briefing  to  in- 
dustry representatives  on  Project  Apollo 
study  contract  at  Space  Task  Group, 
Langley  AFB,  Va. 

:    Bilateral   agreement  with   South 

Africa  ratified  providing  for  construction 
of  new  tracking  station  in  South  Africa. 

September  18-1 1^:  First  meeting  of  the 
NASA  Advisory  Committee  on  Space  Bi- 
ology, chaired  by  Dr.  Melvin  Calvin. 

September  H:  Recovery  capsule  of  DIS- 
COVERER XV  located  from  aircraft,  but 
bad  weather  prevented  surface  pickup 
before  it  sank. 

September  15:  Two  USAF  pilots,  Capt. 
W.  D.  Habluetzel  and  Lt.  J.  S.  Har- 
greaves,  completed  a  30-day,  8-hour,  and 
24-minute  simulated  round  trip  to  the 
moon  in  the  space  cabin  simulator  at  the 
School  of  Aviation  Medicine,  Brooks 
AFB,  Tex. 

September  16-22:  27  research  rockets 
were  launched  by  U.S.  scientists  as  a  part 
of  the  COSPAR  International  Rocket 
Interval  for  1960. 

September  19:  Atlas  ICBM  fired  9,000 
miles  from  Cape  Canaveral  to  the  Indian 
Ocean  in  50  minutes,  the  second  record 
distance  flight. 

:  NERV  (Nuclear  Emulsion  Recov- 
ery Vehicle)  experiment  successfully 
launched  from  Point  Arguello,  Calif.,  by 
an  Argo  D-8  rocket,  the  first  NASA 
launching  at  PMR.  NERV  instrumented 
capsule  reached  an  altitude  of  1,260  miles 
before  landing  1,300  miles  downrange 
where  it  was  picked  up  by  Navy  ships  3 
hours    later.      It    reached    the    highest 


127 


]  960— Continued 

known  altitude  that  any  manmade  object 
had  attained  to  be  recovered  successfully 
from  space. 

September  20:  Aero  Commander  680F 
set  a  world  class  altitude  record  of  36,932 
feet  for  light  aircraft,  Jerrie  Cobb  as 
pilot. 

September  21:  USAF  Blue  Scout  rocket 
fired  from  Cape  Canaveral  placed  in- 
strumented payload  16,600  miles  above 
the  earth,  the  first  of  11  such  tests,  but 
no  data  were  received  due  to  radio 
malfunction. 

September  22:  President  Eisenhower's  ad- 
dress to  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
United  Nations  pointed  to  the  importance 
of  international  agreement  on  measures 
to  "enable  future  generations  to  find 
peaceful  and  scientific  progress  not  an- 
other fearful  dimension  in  the  arms  race, 
as  they  explore  the  universe." 

September  25:  Atlas-Able  3  lunar  orbital 
probe  of  NASA  failed  to  achieve  trajec- 
tory because  of  malfunction  in  one  of  the 
upper  stages. 

:    McDonnell    F4H-1    Phantom    II 

Navy  fighter  flown  record  1,390.21  mph 
over  100-km  closed  course  at  Edwards 
AFB,  Comdr.  J.  F.  Davis  as  pilot. 

September  26:  NASA  and  Weather  Bu- 
reau issued  joint  invitation  to  scientists 
of  21  nations  to  participate  in  meteoro- 
logical research  connected  with  future 
Tiros  satellite. 

:  Heat  balance  between  atmos- 
pheric pressure  areas  near  the  earth's 
surface  and  temperature  readings  in 
space,  reported  as  a  result  of  experiments 
in  EXPLORER  VII  launched  October  13, 
1959,  by  Dr.  Verner  E.  Suomi  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  "Wisconsin. 

:  Formal  meeting  of  the  DOD-NASA 

Aeronautics  and  Astronautics  Coordinat- 
ing Board  (AACB). 

September  27:  Parachute  designed  to 
slow  reentry  speed  of  space  capsules  suc- 
cessfully tested  at  a  speed  of  2,000  mph 
after  rocket  boost  to  30-mile  altitude, 
over  Eglin  AFB,  Fla. 


:  Massive  Soviet  news  buildup  for 

this  as  "a  day  in  the  history  of  the 
world,"  while  Premier  Khrushchev  was 
at  the  U.N.  General  Assembly  meeting  in 
New  York.  Rumored  space  spectacular 
did  not  apparently  take  place. 

September  SO:  To  date,  the  Smithsonian 
Astrophysical  Observatory  had  photo- 
graphed approximately  17,200  satellite 
passages  with  the  Baker-Nunn  Optical 
Network,  and  had  recorded  17,000  visual 
observations   by   Moonwatch, 

:  Soviet  test  pilot  K.  K.  Kokkinaki 

established  world  speed  record  of  2,148.3 
km/hr  in  delta-wing  E-66  jet  aircraft 
over  100-km  closed  course. 

:  Formal  agreements  for  all  NASA 

tracking  stations,  planned  at  present, 
were  either  concluded  or  near  conclusion. 

Oetober  1:  First  BMEWS  (Ballistic  Mis- 
sile Early  Warning  System)  station  went 
into   operation,   at   Thule,   Greenland. 

Oetober  2:  JPL  announced  that  85-foot 
receiving  antenna  for  space  tracking  at 
Woomera,  southwestern  Australia,  would 
be  operational  by  November  1. 

October  S:  ONR  STRATOSCOPE  balloon 
carrying  equipment  to  photograph  the 
halo  around  the  sun  was  launched  at 
80,000  feet  in  a  series  of  high-altitude 
coronascope  flights. 

October  h-  COURIER  I-B  active  com- 
munications satellite  successfully  placed 
into  orbit  by  Thor-Able-Star  launch  ve- 
hicle from  Cape  Canaveral.  After  com- 
pleting one  orbit  it  received  and  recorded 
a  transcribed  message  to  the  United  Na- 
tions by  President  Eisenhower  trans- 
mitted from  Fort  Monmouth,  N.J.,  and 
retransmitted  it  to  another  earth  station 
in  Puerto  Rico.  This  marked  the  100th 
launch  of  the  Douglas  Thor,  military  and 
scientific  combined,  and  a  Thor  record 
of  60  percent  of  the  U.S.  satellites 
boosted  into  orbit. 

:  Second  complete  NASA  Scout  vehi- 
cle fired  successfully  to  its  predicted 
3,500-mile  altitude  and  5,800-mile  impact 
range,  from  Wallops  Station. 

October  7:  AEC  briefing  held  at  the  Ne- 
vada Test  Site  at  Jackass  Flats,  Nev.,  for 
representatives  of  26  companies  for  pro- 
posals to  study  the  requirements  for  a 


128 


National  Nuclear  Rocket  Engine  Devel- 
opment Facility.  Existing  test  facilities 
are  fully  eonunitted  to  the  development 
of  nuclear  reactors. 

:  F(§deration  A^ronautique  Interna- 
tionale meeting  at  Barcelona,  Spain,  ac- 
cepted first  rules  to  govern  establishment 
of  official  records  for  manned  spacecraft. 
The  first  record  to  be  recognized  must  be 
at  least  100  km,  and  later  records  must 
exceed  existing  record  by  10  percent. 
Four  categories  for  records  are  duration 
of  flight,  altitude  without  orbiting  earth, 
altitude  in  orbit,  and  mass  lifted  above 
100  km. 

October  10:  Interagency  meeting  on  the 
establishment  of  an  operational  metero- 
logical  satellite  system  was  held  at  NASA 
Headquarters. 

October  11:  USAF  SAMOS  I  launched 
from  Vandenberg  AFB,  but  failed  to 
orbit. 

October  12:  Dr.  T.  Keith  Glennan,  NASA 
Administrator,  announced  that  communi- 
cations satellites  developed  by  private 
companies  on  a  commercial  basis  would 
be  launched  by  NASA  at  cost  to  assist 
private  industry  in  developing  a  commu- 
nications network. 

:   Heavy-equipment  parachute  drop 

record  of  41,740  pounds,  from  Lockheed 
C-130  Hercules  transport  to  ground  at 
El  Centre,  Calif. 

October  13:  USAF  Atlas  launched  at 
AMR  placed  nose  cone  containing  three 
black  mice  650  miles  up  and  .5,000  miles 
downrange  at  17,000  mph.  Nose  cone 
was  recovered  in  target  area  near  Ascen- 
sion Island,  the  three  mice  surviving  the 
flight  in  "good  condition." 

:    Transmitter  of  EXPLORER  VII 

failed  to  stop  as  programed. 

:    Camera  mounted  in  nose  of  Atlas 

photographed  stars  at  700-mile  altitude, 
providing  first  color  picture  of  the  earth 
from  600-mile  altitude. 

October  15-18:  Four  operational-type  Po- 
laris missiles  successfully  launched  from 
submerged  Patrick  Henry  off  the  Florida 
coast. 

October  17:  Project  Mercury  weather 
support  group  established  at  NASA's  re- 


quest in  the  Office  of  Meteorological  Re- 
search of  the  Weather  Bureau. 

October  18:  Second  Iris  rocket  rose  to 
140  miles  with  a  payload  of  125  pounds 
from  Wallops  Station. 

October  19:  Kiwi-A  No.  3  static  test  of 
nuclear  rocket  propulsion  was  success- 
fully conducted  at  AEC  Nevada  test  site, 
resulting  in  NASA-AEC  call  for  bids  for 
industrial  development  phase  of  Project 
Rover  on  November  1, 1960. 

:  NASA  announced  award  of  pre- 
liminary design  contracts  for  solid-fuel 
rockets  with  thrusts  between  2  and  15 
million  pounds  to  Aerojet-General,  Grand 
Central,  and  Thiokol. 

:  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Dryden  received  the 

Elliott  Cresson  Medal  of  the  Franklin 
Institute. 

October  21:  FCC  received  formal  appli- 
cation of  American  Telephone  &  Tele- 
graph for  authority  to  operate  a  commu- 
nications satellite. 

October  23:  COURIER  I-B  stopped  trans- 
mitting, but  radio  tracking  beacon  con- 
tinued to  function.  In  18  days  it  had 
transmitted  118  million  words. 

October  24:  Titan  ICBM  fired  6,100  miles, 
100  miles  longer  than  any  previous  shot, 
with  tactical-type  nose  cone. 

October  25:  NASA  selected  Convair,  Gen- 
eral Electric,  and  Martin  to  conduct  in- 
dividual feasibility  studies  of  an  ad- 
vanced manned  spacecraft  as  part  of 
Project  Apollo. 

October  26:  USAF  DISCOVERER  XVI 
successfully  launched  with  new  payload, 
but  failed  to  go  into  polar  orbit. 

October  21 :  Institute  of  the  Aeronautical 
Sciences  (IAS)  changed  its  name  to  the 
Institute  of  the  Aerospace  Sciences. 

October  31:  DOD  ordered  a  stepup  in  de- 
velopment of  the  mach  3  B-70  supersonic 
bomber. 

•:  USAF  announced  consideration  of 

proposals  for  "aerospace  plane"  capable 
of  scooping  up  tons  of  oxygen  in  upper 
atmosphere  before  space  flight,  then  re- 
entering for  landing  as  an  airplane. 


129 


1960— Continued 

During  October:  Construction  of  space 
simulator  began  at  Rye  Canyon  Research 
Center  of  Locliheed  for  study  of  disinte- 
gration of  materials  at  simulated  800,000 
feet  at  temperature  of  —320°  F. 

:    Structures   Research   Division   of 

NASA  Laugley  continued  ablation  studies 
begun  in  1956  with  electric  arc-powered 
jet,  achieving  9,000°  F  for  105  seconds 
on  an  illustrative  test. 

November  2:  Lunar  atlas  prepared  for 
USAF  by  group  under  technical  direction 
of  G.  P.  Kuiper  was  released,  an  "Ortho- 
graphic Atlas  of  the  Moon"  charted  5,000 
base  points  combined  with  best  available 
photos  and  grids. 

November  3:  EXPLORER  VIII  launched 
into  an  elliptical  orbit  from  AMR  by 
four-stage  Juno  II,  containing  instru- 
mentation for  detailed  measurements  of 
the  ionosphere.  This  was  the  10th  time 
that  JPL-developed  upper  stage  rocket 
clusters  had  successfully  placed  satel- 
lites or  deep  space  probes  into  orbit. 
( See  Appendix  A. ) 

November  4'  New  results  in  sustaining 
hydrogen  fusion  for  1  millisecond  at  60° 
F  reported  by  University  of  California 
scientists. 

November  5:  Operational  date  of  first 
Miuuteman  squadron  advanced  a  full 
year  to  July  1962  by  USAF. 

November  6:  U.S.S.R.  published  atlas  on 
the  far  side  of  the  moon  based  on  LUNIK 
III  photographs. 

:  Japanese       Space       Development 

Council  recommended  initiation  of  basic 
studies  for  launching  an  earth  satellite. 

November  8:  USAF  Blue  Scout  Junior 
with  radiation-study  payload  reached 
24, .500-mile  altitude,  but  second  stage  did 
not  burn  full  program. 

:  NASA  LITTLE  JOE  test  flight  of 

Mercury  capsule,  capsule  did  not  sep- 
arate from  booster. 

November  9:  XRL  Aerobee-Hi  collected 
data  on  ultraviolet  radiation  in  the  night 
sky  131  miles  above  WSPG. 


:  Post  Office  Department  transmitted 

a  "speed  mail"  letter  from  Washington 
to  Newark,  N.J.,  by  bouncing  microwave 
transmission  off  ECHO  I. 

Early  November:  NASA-DOD  Aeronau- 
tics and  Astronautics  Coordinating  Board 
(AACB)  and  cognizant  members  agreed 
that  NASA  could  drop  the  tracking  light 
geodetic  satellite  and  utilize  other  space 
projects  to  obtain  geodetic  data  for  the 
scientific  community. 

November  10:  Advanced  Polaris  (A-2) 
successfully  launched  on  record  1,600- 
mile  flight  at  AMR. 

:    Department    of    Defense    placed 

Navy's  SPASUR  (Space  Surveillance  De- 
tection Net)  and  the  Air  Force's  SPACE- 
TRACK  (National  Space  Surveillance 
Control  Center)  under  the  North  Ameri- 
can Air  Defense  Command  for  military 
functions.  NASA  would  assume  SPACE- 
TRACK's  function  of  passing  on  infor- 
mation on  space  vehicles  to  the  world's 
scientific  community. 

November     12:     DISCOVERER      XVII 

placed  into  polar  orbit  from  Vandenberg 
AFB,  restartable  Agenda  B  second  stage 
successfully  flown  for  the  first  time. 

:    Navy  announced  development  of 

techniques  for  low-cost  satellite-launch- 
ing facilities  from  airplanes,  barges, 
ships,  or  from  underwater. 

November  11,:  Capsule  of  DISCOVERER 
XVII  ejected  after  31  orbits  and  success- 
fully snared  at  9,000  feet  by  USAF  C-119 
aircraft,  the  second  such  recovery  in 
midair  of  a  space  object. 

:  IGY  Warning  Center  reported  that 

solar  flares  were  causing  "extremely  se- 
vere" magnetic  disturbance  of  the  earth's 
atmosphere,  an  event  detected  by  EX- 
PLORER VII  and  later  analyzed  as 
greatest  burst  of  solar  radiation  in  the 
satellite's  13  months  of  operation. 

:      DOD    announced     that    NASA, 

USAF,  USA.  and  USN  were  jointly  build- 
ing a  geodetic  satellite  to  map  the  earth 
accurately. 

:  USAF  reported  that  printed  mes- 
sages and  weather  maps  had  been  sent 
up  to  900  miles  by  bouncing  radio  signals 
off  meteor  trails. 


130 


:  First  letter  carried  by  satellite  mail 

(31  orbits  and  a  distance  of  about  a 
million  miles),  a  letter  from  USAF  Cbief 
of  Staff  to  the  Secretary  of  Defense  car- 
ried in  capsule  recovered  from  DIS- 
COVEREIl  XVII. 

November  15:  X-15  (No.  2)  with  new 
XLR-99  engine  (57,000-pound  thrust) 
flown  to  nearly  80,000  feet  and  2,000  mph 
on  first  test  flight  by  A.  Scott  Crossfield 
at  Edwards  AFB,  Calif.  Earlier  interim 
engine,  XLR-11  with  one-quarter  of  the 
thrust  of  the  XLR-99,  had  pushed  the 
X-lo  to  new  world  speed  and  altitude 
records  of  2,196  mph  and  136,500  feet. 

:    Prof.  A.  Gib  DuBusk,  geneticist  at 

Florida  State  University,  reported  that 
bread  mold  specimens,  rocketed  to  1,200- 
mile  altitude  on  Argo  D-8  capsule  on 
September  19,  had  shown  30  times  as 
many  changes  as  control  cells. 


USAF  Mace-B  flight  tested  1,000 


miles. 


:     Data    capsule   fired    5,000   miles 

downrange  from  AMR  by  Atlas  ICBM, 
which  was  recovered  1  hour  later. 

:    Aerobee-Hi  launched  to  145-mile 

altitude  from  NASA  Wallops  Station,  Va. 

November  17:  NASA  established  Test 
Support  Office  at  the  Pacific  Missile 
Range  (PMR),  to  function  under  Launch 
Operations  Directorate,  Marshall  Space 
Flight  Center. 

:  Last  test  of  Polaris  (A-1,  1,300- 
mile  series)  from  AMR  unsuccessful. 

:   U.S.   proposed  upper   atmosphere 

rocket  probes  from  Woomera  Rocket 
Range  in  Australia. 

November  19:  Albert  Hibbs  of  JPL  re- 
ported that  EXPLORER  I  had  also  dis- 
covered clouds  of  cosmic  dust  in  its  orbit, 
information  found  by  continued  exam- 
ination of  data  obtained  during  4  months 
of  payload  transmission  after  launch  on 
January  31,  1958.  EXPLORER  I  re- 
mained in  orbit. 

November  21:  Mercury  Redstone  flight 
test  (MR-I)  at  AMR  terminated  prior 
to  liftoff  because  of  faulty  ground-sup- 
port circuitry  which  had  not  been  noted 
on  some  60  previous  Redstone  firings. 


:      500-pound      capsule     of     USAF 

launched  to  32-mile  altitude  and  recov- 
ered intact  by  means  of  drag  balloon  and 
parachute  known  as  the  "Ballute" 
system. 

November  22:  India  and  United  States 
announced  joint  program  of  some  40 
high-altitude  balloon  flights  from  India, 
starting  in  December. 

:  Aerobee-Hi  fired  to  105-mile  alti- 
tude from  NASA  Wallops  Station  with 
four  stellar  spectrometers  developed  for 
an  experiment  by  the  University  of 
Rochester's  Institution  of  Optics. 

:  National  Science  Foundation  an- 
nounced that  the  National  Center  for 
Atmospheric  Research,  operated  by  a 
group  of  universities,  would  be  sited  at 
Table  Mountain,  near  Boulder,  Colo. 
Walter  Orr  Roberts  was  named  as  Direc- 
tor of  this  NSF  Center  which  will  do 
fundamental  research  and  serve  as  a  co- 
ordinating center  for  a  network  of  at- 
mospheric investigations, 

:    ARPA   technical   advisory   group 

established  to  facilitate  exchange  of  in- 
formation between  technical  manage- 
ment and  research  personnel  on  Project 
Defender. 

November  23:  X-15  (No.  2)  flown  on 
second  test  flight  with  XLR-99  engine  by 
A.  Scott  Crossfleld,  restarting  the  engine 
in  flight  for  the  first  time. 

:     TIROS      II     weather     satellite 

launched  by  Thor-Delta  at  AMR,  the  14th 
successful  U.S.  satellite  launched  to  date 
in  1960.      (See  Appendix  A.) 

:  In  a  letter  to  the  chairman  of  the 

Senate  Committee  on  Aeronautical  and 
Space  Sciences,  NASA  Administrator 
Glennan  defined  low-altitude  (orbits  of 
2,000  to  6,000  miles)  active  communica- 
tions satellite  development  to  "stimulate 
those  developments  which  promise  early 
benefits  to  our  citizens." 

:  Plastic  balloon  launched  from  Sioux 

Falls,  S.  Dak.,  with  University  of  Michi- 
gan instrument  package  designed  to  take 
cloud  pictures  to  compare  with  those 
taken  by  cameras  in  TIROS  II. 

November  25:  NASxV  scientists  increased 
the  speed  of  spin  of  TIROS  II  by  means 
of  ground  radio  command. 


131 


]  960— Continued 

Novem'ber  27:  Report  of  the  President's 
Commission  on  National  Goals  was  re- 
leased, which  stated  that  the  United 
States  "should  be  highly  selective  in  our 
space  objectives  and  unexcelled  in  their 
pursuit.  Prestige  arises  from  sound  ac- 
complishment, not  from  the  merely  spec- 
tacular, and  we  must  not  be  driven  by 
nationalistic  competition  into  programs 
so  extravagant  as  to  divert  funds  and 
talents  from  programs  of  equal  or  greater 
importance  .  .  .  ." 

November  2S:  Discussions  on  creation  of 
an  European  space  research  organization 
undertaken  by  scientific  representatives 
of  Belgium,  Denmark,  France,  West  Ger- 
many, Italy,  the  Netherlands,  Norway, 
Sweden,  Switzerland,  and  the  United 
Kingdom,  with  an  observer  from  Spain. 

:  TIROS  II  had  successfully  trans- 
mitted 998  pictures  to  receiving  stations 
at  Fort  Monmouth,  N.J.,  and  San  Nich- 
olas Island,  Calif.,  85  percent  of  narrow 
angle  and  5  to  10  percent  of  the  wide- 
angle  pictures  having  some  value. 

November  28-Decembcr  3:  Space  Re- 
search Symposium  sponsored  by  Argen- 
tina in  which  Dr.  Hugh  Dryden  and  other 
U.S.  scientists  participated. 

November  30:  TRANSIT  III-A  naviga- 
tion satellite,  with  two  instrumented  pay- 
loads,  was  destroyed  40  minutes  after 
launch  from  AMR  by  Thor-Able-Star 
booster. 

During  November:  Under  arrangements 
of  the  AACB  (Aeronautics  and  Astro- 
nautics Coordinating  Board),  NASA  will 
utilize  existing  NASA  tracking  stations 
for  initial  Centaur  development  vehicles 
and  switch  to  the  Advent  network 
(which  is  to  be  planned,  funded,  and 
constructed  by  DOD)  when  Centaur  is 
operational,  perhaps  as  early  as  the 
fourth  of  10  development  launchings  of 
Centaur. 

December       1:       SPACECRAFT       III 

launched  by  U.S.S.R.,  weighing  over  5 
tons  and  carrying  a  biological  payload  in 
its  "space  cabin."      (See  Appendix  A.) 

:  USAF  delivered  to  JPL  the  first 

1 :1,000,000  scale  map  of  the  lunar  land- 
ing site  selected  by  NASA,  the  second  in 


a  continuing  series  of  1 :1, 000,000  charts 
prepared  on  USAF  contract  in  response 
to  NASA  requirements. 

:  Army  Nike-Zeus  A-ICBM  missile 

with  guidance  successfully  test  fired 
from  WSPG. 

:  Delegates  of  11  Western  European 

nations  approved  an  agreement  aimed  at 
establishing  an  organization  for  space 
research.  Proposed  intergovernmental 
agency  would  concentrate  on  satellites 
rather  than  rockets  for  launch  vehicles. 

December  2:  First  of  new  series  of  static 
firings  of  Saturn  considered  only  50  per- 
cent successful  in  2-second  test  at  MSFC. 

:   Human  tissues  exposed  to  heavy 

radiation  during  50-hour  flight  of  re- 
covered DISCOVERER  XVII  capsule 
according  to  USAF. 

December  3:  Moscow  Radio  reported  that 
SPACECRAFT  III  descended  along  an 
"uncalculated  trajectory"  and  burned  up 
in  the  dense  atmosphere. 

:  Titan  ICBM  exploded  in  its  silo  at 

Vandenberg  AFB  during  night  fueling 
operations. 

:  Senate  Committee  on  Science  and 

Astronautics  issued  staff  study  entitled 
"Policy  Planning  for  Space  Communi- 
cations," which  stated  that  the  United 
States  "must  have  a  unified  policy  which 
effectively  coordinates  all  our  diverse 
and  extensive  resources  in  this  area." 

December  4'  American  Bar  Association's 
"Report  to  NASA  on  the  Law  of  Outer 
Space"  was  released,  which  contained 
collation  of  legal  opinion  on  the  broad 
spectrum  of  space  activities. 

:  Attempt  to  launch  a  Beacon  satel- 
lite with  a  four-stage  solid-propellant 
Scout  from  Wallops  Station  did  not  suc- 
ceed due  to  failure  of  second  stage. 

December  5:  Polaris  A-2  successfully 
test  fired  1,400  nautical  miles  down 
AMR. 

:  USAF  completed  Snark  R&D  pro- 
gram with  a  5,000-mile  fiight  from  Cape 
Canaveral. 

December  6:  Civil  Service  Commission 
approved    new    examination   for    career 


132 


professional  positions  in  aerospace  tech- 
nology, part  A  covering  work  in  the 
physical  sciences,  engineering,  and  math- 
ematics, and  part  B  covering  v*'ork  in 
the  life  sciences  and  related  systems. 

Dccemher  7:  DISCOVERER  XVIII 
launched  into  polar  orbit  by  new  Thor- 
Agena  B  from  A'andeaberg  AFB,  carry- 
ing surveillance-system  equipment  and 
human  tissue  in  recovery  capsule. 

:  X-15  (No.  2)  flown  on  final  con- 
tractor's test  flight  by  A.  Scott  Crossfield, 
making  two  midair  engine  shutdowns 
and  restarts. 

December  7-10:  Series  of  upper  atmos- 
phere sounding  rockets  from  NASA 
Wallops  Station,  sodium  vapor  being 
ejected  at  about  212  miles  altitude  and 
a  lithium  flare  released  near  peak  alti- 
tude of  about  450  miles  to  measure  wind 
velocities  and  temperatures. 

December  9:  X-15  made  first  flight  with 
ball-shaped  "hot  nose,"  reaching  50,000 
feet  and  1,254  mph,  NASA's  Neil  Arm- 
strong making  his  second  familiarization 
flight. 

:  Tory  IIA  reactor,  part  of  AEC- 

USAF  Pluto  program  to  demonstrate 
feasibility  of  nuclear  ramjet  propulsion, 
achieved  criticality  of  1-watt  nominal 
power,  and  later  in  day  was  run  up  to 
200  watts. 

December  10:  300-pound  capsule  of  DIS- 
COVERER XVIII  caught  at  14,000  feet 
by  USAF  C-119  crew,  after  making  48 
polar  orbits.  Capsule  contained  human 
eye-lid  tissue  and  blood  and  bone  mar- 
row to  study  effect  of  radiation  in  space. 
This  was  the  second  DISCOVERER 
capsule  catch  by  C-119  crew  headed  by 
Capt.  Gene  Jones,  while  precision  of  the 
entire  operation  beginning  with  launch 
3  days  previous  was  considered  the  most 
successful  to  date. 

December  11:  SAM  scientists  reported 
that  human  tissue  recovered  from  the 
capsule  of  DISCOVERER  XVII  after 
about  50  hours  on  31  orbits  (November 
14),  survived  radiation  in  space,  includ- 
ing that  generated  by  one  of  the  largest 
solar  storms  ever  observed. 


December  12:  SAM  scientists  at  Brooks 
AFB  reported  that  biological  specimens 
including  human  tissue  recovered  from 
the  capsule  of  DISCOVERER  XVIII  two 
days  ago,  showed  far  less  radiation  ef- 
fects than  specimens  recovered  from  DIS- 
COVERER XVII  in  November. 

:  Initial  flight  test  of  new  guidance 

system  of  Army  Pershing  missile  suc- 
cessful. 

December  13:  North  American  A3-J  Vigi- 
lante set  a  world  altitude  record  with 
1.000  kilogram  payload  of  01,450.8  feet, 
Comdr.  Leroy  Heath  (USN)  as  pilot. 

:  Palaemon,  a  180-foot  barge  built  to 

transport  the  Saturn  launch  vehicle  from 
MSEC  to  Cape  Canaveral  by  water,  was 
formally  accepted  by  MSFC  Director 
from  Maj.  Gen.  Frank  S.  Besson,  Chief  of 
Army  Transportation. 

December  1^:  USAF  B-52G  completed 
10,000-mile  nonstop  flight  without  refuel- 
ing in  19  hours  and  45  minutes,  at  Ed- 
wards AFB,  which  broke  world  and  jet 
distance  records  over  a  closed  course 
without  refueling. 

December  15:  Atlas-Able  launch  vehicle 
with  NASA  cisluuar  spacecraft  exploded 
70  seconds  after  launch  from  Cape 
Canaveral. 

December  16:  Scientists  from  Great  Brit- 
ain and  NASA  completed  a  series  of 
meetings  leading  to  planning  for  British 
scientific  satellite  to  be  flown  on  a  Scout 
vehicle. 

:  Atlas-D  with  Mark  3  nose  cone  fired 

4,384  nautical  miles  into  Eniwetok  Atoll 
in  first  SAC  launching  from  Vandenberg 
AFB. 

:    AEC-NASA    Nuclear    Propulsion 

Office  announced  selection  of  TALANT 
industrial  team  proposal  to  conduct  study 
of  the  requirements  for  a  National  Nu- 
clear Rocket  Engine  Development 
Facility. 

December  17:  National  Science  Founda- 
tion announced  grants  totaling  $22.7  mil- 
lion to  support  summer  institutes  for 
20,000  teachers  of  science,  mathematics, 
and  engineering  in  high  schools  and 
colleges. 


592561—61- 


-10 


133 


1960— Continued 

December  19:  Unmanned  Project  Mer- 
cury spacecraft  launched  by  modified 
Redstone  booster  (MR-1)  in  a  suborbital 
trajectory,  impacting  235  miles  down- 
range  after  reaching  an  altitude  of  135 
miles  and  a  speed  of  near  4,200  mph. 
Capsule  was  recovered  about  50  minutes 
after  firing. 

:   Secretariat  of  COSPAR  released 

official  Soviet  data  on  27  U.S.S.R.  rockets 
launched  in  a  series  of  high-altitude  ex- 
periments from  a  research  ship  in  the 
Pacific,  and  a  total  of  73  rocket  launch- 
ings  in  the  first  half  of  the  year  1960. 

December  20:  USAF  DISCOVERER 
XIX  successfully  launched  into  polar  or- 
bit from  PMR  carrying  Project  Midas 
test  payload.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

:  President-elect  Kennedy  announced 

that  Vice  President-elect  Lyndon  B. 
Johnson  would  chair  the  National  Aero- 
nautics and  Space  Council. 

:  Founded  in  1912  by  Glenn  L.  Mar- 
tin, the  Martin  Co.  delivered  its  last  air- 
plane, a  P.5M-2,  to  the  Navy,  having 
produced  more  than  12,000  aircraft  and 
entering  the  missile/space  business  with 
the  NRL  Viking  research  rocket  in  1948. 

:   Second  stage  of  near-operational 

Titan  ICBM  failed  to  ignite  over  Cape 
Canaveral. 

December  21:  Space  Technology  Labora- 
tories was  selected  by  NASA  for  contract 
negotiations  for  an  orbiting  geophysical 
observatory  (OGO)  satellite  program. 
To  be  managed  by  GSFC,  OGO  will  be 
NASA's  first  standardized  satellite,  often 
referred  to  as  the  "streetcar''  satellite, 
capable  of  placing  50  different  geophysi- 
cal experiments  on  any  one  flight. 

:    Eight-engine    cluster    of    Saturn 

successfully  static  fired  for  65  seconds  at 
MSFC,  the  filing  generating  1,300,000 
pounds  of  thrust. 

December  22:  Nuclear  submarine  Robert 
E.  Lee  fired  Polaris  A-1  IRBM  1,300 
miles  in  an  Atlantic  shot. 

December  23:  Goddard  Space  Flight  Cen- 
ter scientists,  Robert  Jastrow  and 
Robert  Bryant,  reported  that  atmos- 
pheric drag  acting  on  ECHO  I  during  the 


severe  solar  storm  of  November  12,  was 
increased  by  about  a  factor  of  two.  Sci- 
entists had  previously  noted  the  rise  and 
fall  of  the  density  of  the  upper  atmos- 
phere, and  the  heating  effect  of  a  solar 
flare  had  been  noted  on  the  orbit  of 
SPUTNIK  III  in  1959. 

December  25:  Jet  Propulsion  Laboratory 
announced  selection  of  Blaw-Knox 
Equipment,  Hughes  Aircraft,  North 
American  Aviation,  and  Westinghouse 
Electric  to  study  feasibility  of  a  large 
space-tracking  antenna. 

December  26:  Successful  firing  of  a 
solid-propellant  rocket  motor  using 
"building  block"  method  was  announced 
by  NASA. 

December  27:  EXPLORER  VIII  ceased 
transmitting  ionospheric  measurement 
data  acquired  in  20,866,706  miles  and 
694.3  orbits,  which  produced  more  than 
700  miles  of  magnetic  tape  since  launch 
on  November  3. 

December  28:  U.S.  Weather  Bureau  sent 
TIROS  II  cloud-cover  picture  to  Aus- 
tralia, which  was  taken  over  the  Indian 
and  South  Pacific  Oceans  and  served  as 
a  basis  for  forecasting  a  break  in  severe 
heat  wave. 

December  29:  Dr.  T.  Keith  Glennan  of- 
fered his  resignation  as  Administrator 
of  NASA,  to  be  effective  January  20, 
1961. 

December  31:  To  date,  the  United  States 
had  successfully  launched  31  earth  satel- 
lites (9  of  16  still  in  orbit  were  still 
transmitting)  and  2  deep  space  probes 
into  orbit  around  the  sun.  The  U.S.S.R. 
had  launched  seven  satellites  (one  of 
which  remained  in  orbit)  and  one  deep 
space  probe.  The  U.S.S.R.  had  also 
launched  one  lunar  impact  mission 
(LUNIK  II),  while  LUNIK  III  had 
passed  once  around  the  moon  and  then 
went  into  earth  orbit  before  decaying. 

During  1960:  World  Data  Center  A, 
Rockets  and  Satellites,  of  the  National 
Academy  of  Sciences,  continued  to  pro- 
vide a  means  for  international  exchange 
of  scientific  data. 

:   JPL  turned   the   Army   Sergeant 

missile  over  to  Sperry  Gyroscope  Co.  as 
production  contractor. 


134 


:  Through  a  contract  with  the  Uui-  over  two-thirds  of  which  were  fully  suc- 

versity    of   Chicago,    the    USAF's   Aero-  cessful. 
medical    Field    Laboratory    and    Missile 

Test  Center  developed  a  system  for  ascer-      :  World's  scheduled  airlines  (exclud- 

tainiug    the    types    and    intensities    of  ing  U.S.S.K.  and  Communist  China)  car- 
primary  cosmic  particles  in  space.  ried  108  million  passengers  during  the 

year  according  to  ICAO,  the  first  year 

:   NASA  launching   record   for   the  air  passenger  traffic  exceeded  100  million 

year:   22   major   space    flight   attempts,  persons. 


135 


Appendices 


APPENDIX  A 


Chronicle  of  Earth  Satellites 
and  Space  Probes 

1957-1960 


THIS  APPENDIX  was  Compiled  from  statistics  prepared  by  tlie  NASA 
Office  of  Public  Information,  Washington,  D.C.  It  does  not  include 
description  of  spent  rocket  casings,  etc.,  that  have  gone  into  orbits  or 
trajectories  along  with  payloads.  For  more  detail  on  instrumenta- 
tion and  other  items,  the  reader  is  advised  to  consult  "Space  Activi- 
ties Summary,"  prepared  and  issued  by  the  NASA  Office  of  Public 
Information.     Russian  data  are  unofficial. 


139 


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stability  of  orbit  provided 
geodetic    observations    in- 
cluding determination  that 
the  earth  is  slightly   pear 
shaped. 

status:  Still  In  orbit  and 
still  transmitting  with  esti- 
mated orbit  lifetime  of  200  to 
1,000  years. 

Yielded  data  on  radiation 
belt  discovered  by  Explorer 
I,    on    mlcrometeorite    im- 
pacts and  temperature. 

Status:    Down  6/28/58  (93 
days). 

Provided  data  on  radiation 
belts,  etc. 
Status:  Down  5/6/60. 

Provided  data  on  radiation 
belts,  etc. 
Status:  Down  10/23/59. 

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Electrical  malfunction  pre- 
vented stabilization  in  orbit 
and  separation  of  capsule. 

Status:  Down  on  11/26/59 
(19  days). 

Capsule    ejected    but    not 
located. 

Status:  down   3/8/60    (110 
days). 

Highly    successful    explora- 
tion of  interplanetary  space 
between  orbits  of  Earth  and 
Venus;     established     com- 
munication   record    of   22.5 
million    miles    on     6/26/60; 
made  1st  measurements  of 
solar  fiare  efitects,   particle 
energies    and    distribution, 
and     magnetic    field    phe- 
nomona    in    interplanetary 
space. 

Status:  In    orbit    around 
sun. 

Provided   1st  global  cloud- 
cover    photographs    (22,500 
total)    from    near    circular 
orbit. 
Status:  In  stable  orbit. 

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Objective:  Gather  data  on 
propulsion,  communications, 
orbital  performance,  stabiliza- 
tion and  recovery  techniques. 

Also  carried  10-lb.  tracking 
experiment  as  part  of  Navy 
Transit  satellite. 

Satellite  weight  without  final 
stage  of  rocket:  10,120  lbs. 

Objective:  Test  capsule  and 
recovery  system  for  ultimate 
development  of  manned  space 
flight. 

Experiments:  Capsule  con- 
tained 2  dogs,  rats,  mice,  flies, 
plants,  fungi,  seeds,  etc.,  with 
TV  cameras  and  transmitter. 

Total  weight:  1,700  lbs..  In- 
cluding 2d-stage  casing  and 
300-1  b.  capsule. 

Objective:  Gather  data  on 
propulsion,  communications, 
orbital  performance,  stabiliza- 
tion and  recovery  techniques. 

Instrumentation  included 
reentry  capsule,  retrorocket 
and  parachute  for  recovery, 
radio  beacon  and  aluminum 
radar  chaff  for  recovery. 

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151 


APPENDIX  B 


Chronicle  of  World 
Airplane  Records 


THE  FOLLOWING  official  records  are  those  compiled  by  the  Federation 
Aeronautique  Internationale,  Paris,  France,  as  supplied  by  its  Ameri- 
can representative,  the  National  Aeronautic  Association.  It  does  not 
include  seaplane  records  or  discontinued  categories. 

1.  Airplanes:  Distance  (1925-46). 

2.  Airplanes :  Distance  in  closed  circuit  ( 1906-60) . 

3.  Airplanes:  Maximumspeedover  straightaway  course  (1906-59). 

4.  Airplanes:  Altitude  (1909-59). 


153 


1.  AIRPLANES:  DISTANCE  IN  A  STRAIGHT  LINE 

Record  holder  and  country  ;  date  and  place  Miles 

Capts.  Ludovic  Arrachart  and  Heuri  LeMaitre.     France, 

Feb.  3-4,  1925.     Etampes  to  Cisneros 1,  967.  257 

Capts.  Ludovic  Arrachart  and  Paul  Arrachart.     France. 

June  26-27,  1926.      Le  Bourget  to  Shaibah 2,  674.  998 

Capt.  Andre  Girier  and  Lt.  Francis  Dordilly.     France. 

July  14-15,  1926.     Le  Bourget  to  Omsk 2,930.319 

Lt.  Leone  Challe  and  Capt.  Rene  Weiser.     France. 

Aug.  31-Sept.  1, 1926.     Le  Bourget  to  Bender  Abbas 3,  214.  968 

Lt.  Dieudonne  Costes  and  Capt.  Georges  Rignot.     France. 

Oct.  28-29,  1926.     Le  Bourget  to  Jask 3,  352.  912 

Charles  A.  Lindbergh.     United  States. 

May  20-21,  1927.    New  York  to  Paris 3,  609.  538 

Clarence  Chamberlin  and  Charles  A.  Levine.     United  States. 

June  4-6,  1927.     New  York  to  Isleben,  Germany 3,  910.  902 

Majs.  A.  Ferrarin  and  C.  P.  Del  Prete.     Italy. 

July  3-5,  1928.     Rome  to  Touros 4,  466.  569 

Dieudonne  Costes  and  Maurice  Bellonte.     France. 

Sept.  27-29,  1929.     Le  Bourget  to  Moulant 4,  911.  929 

Russell  N.  Boardman  and  J.  Polando.     United  States. 

July  28-30,  1931.     Brooklyn  to  Istanbul 5,  Oil.  349 

O.  R.  Gayford  and  C.  E.  Nicholetts.     Great  Britain. 

Feb.  6-8,  1933.     Cranwell  to  Walvis  Bay 5,  308.  985 

Maurice  Rossi  and  Paul  Codos.     France. 

Aug.  5-7, 1933.     New  York  to  Rayack,  Syria 5,  656.  932 

Mikhail  Gromov,  Andre  Youmachev,  and  Sergei  Danilin.     U.S.S.R. 

July  12-14,  1937.     Moscow  to  San  Jacinto,  Calif 6,  305.  662 

R.  Kellett,  R.  T.  Gething,  and  M.  L.  Gaine,  one  flight.     A.  N.  Combe,  B.  K. 
Burnett,  and  H.  B.  Gray,  second  plane.     Great  Britain. 

Nov.  5-7,  1938.     Ismalia,  Egypt,  to  Darwin,  Australia 7, 158.  440 

Col.  C.  S.  Irvine,  Lt.  Col.  G.  R.  Stanley  and  crew,  United  States  Army 
Air  Force.     United  States. 

Nov.  19-20,  1945.     Guam  to  Washington,  D.C 7,  916.  000 

Comdrs.  T.   D.   Davies,   E.  P.  Rankin,  W.   S.  Reid ;   Lt.  Comdr.  R.   A. 
Tabeling,  United  States  Navy.     United  States. 

Sept  29-Oct.  1,  1946.     Perth,  Australia  to  Columbus,  Ohio 11,  235.  600 


2.  AIRPLANES:  DISTANCE— IN  CLOSED  CIRCUIT  RETURNING 
TO  POINT  OF  DEPARTURE  (WITHOUT  PAY  LOAD) 

Record  holder  and  country;  date  and  place 

A.  Santos  Dumont.  France.                                                                                                Miles 

Nov.  12,  1906.     Bagatelle 0. 136 

Henri  C.  Farman.  France. 

Oct.  26,  1907.     Issy-Ies-Moulineaux .478 

Henri  C.  Farman.  France. 

Jan.  13,  1908.     Issy-les-Moulineaux .621 

Henri  C.  Farman.  France. 

Mar.  21,  1908.     Issy-les-Moulineaux 1. 242 

154 


Record  holder  and  country;  date  and  place  Miles 

Leon  Delagrange.     France. 

Apr.  11,  1908.     Issy-les-Moulineaux 2.438 

Leon  Delagrange.     Italy. 

May  30,   1908.     Cantocelle 7.922 

Leon  Delagrange.     France. 

Sept.  IG,  1908.     Issy-les-Moulineaux 14.989 

Wilbur  Wright.     France. 

Sept.  21,  1908.     Auvours 41.382 

Wilbur  Wright.     France. 

Dec.   18,   1908.     Auvours 62.012 

Wilbur  Wright.     France. 

Dec.  31,  1908.     Auvours 77.485 

Louis  Paulhan.     France. 

Aug.  25,  1909.     Betheny 83.263 

Hubert  Latham.     France. 

Aug.  26,  1909.      Betheny 96.  064 

Henri  C.  Farman.     France. 

Aug.  27,   1909.     Betheny 111.846 

Henri  C.  Farman.     France. 

Nov.   4,   1909.     Mourmelon 145.531 

Rene  Labouchere.     France. 

July  9,  1910.     Rheims 211.265 

Jan  Olieslagers.     France. 

July  20,  1910.     Rheims 244.043 

Maurice  Tabuteau.     France. 

Oct.  20,   1910.     Etampes 289.414 

Georges  Legagneux.     France. 

Dec.  11,  1910.     Pan 320.564 

Maurice  Tabuteau.     France. 

Dec.  30,   1910.     Buc 363.344 

Jan  Olieslagers.     Belgium. 

July  16,   1911.     Kiewit 388.356 

Georges  Fourny.     France. 

Sept.    1,    1911.     Buc 449.  SiOO 

Andre  Gobe.     France. 

Dec.  24,  1911.     Pau 459.998 

Georges  Fourny.     France. 

Sept.  11,  1912.     Etampes 628.142 

Augustin  Seguin.     France. 

Oct.  13,   1913.     Buc-Ie-Barp 634.541 

Lucien  Bossoutrot  and  Jean  Bernard.     France. 

May  3-4,  1920.     Villesauvage 1, 189.  992 

Lts.  Oakley  C.  Kelly  and  John  A.  Macready,  USAS.     United  States. 

Apr.  16-17,  1923.     Dayton,  Ohio 2,516.548 

Maurice  Drouhin  and  Jules  Landry.     France. 

Aug.  7-9,  1925.     Etampes-Chartres 2,734.026 

(Cornelius  Edzard  and  Johann  Risztics.     Germany. 

Aug.  3-5,  1927.     Dessau 2,895.970 

Arturo  Ferrarin  and  C.  P.  Del  Prete.     Italy. 

May  31-June  1-2,  1928.     Casale  del  Prati 4,  763.  798 

Dieudonne  Costes  and  Paul  Codos.     France. 

Dec.  15-17,  1929.     Istres 4,988.969 

155 


Record  holder  and  country  ;  date  and  place  Miles 

Maj.  Umberto  Maddalen  and  Lt.  Fausto  Ceceoni.     Italy. 

May  31-June  1-2,  1930.     Montecelio-Stazion  Ladispoli 5,  088.  267 

Lucien  Bossoutrot  and  Aime  Rossi.     France. 

Feb.    26-28,    1931.     Oranie 5,481.927 

Anthoine  Paillard  and  Jean  Mermoz.     France. 

Mar.  30-Apr.  2,  1931.     Oran 5,567.475 

Joseph  LeBrix  and  Marcel  Doret.     France. 

June  7-10,  1931.     Istres 6,444.881 

Lucien  Bossoutrot  and  Maurice  Rossi.     France. 

Mar.  23-26,   1932.     Oran 6,587.  441 

Yuzo  Fujita  and  F.  Takahashi.     Japan. 

May  13-15,    1938.     Kisarasu 7,239.588 

Angelo  Toudi,  Roberto  Dagasso  and  Ferrucio  Vignoli.     Italy. 

July  30-Aug.  1,  1939.     Rome 8,  037.  899 

Lt.  Col.  O.  F.  Lassiter,  Capt.  W.  J.  Valentine,  and  crew,  USAAF.     United 
States. 

Aug.  1-2,  1947.     Tampa,  Fla 8,  854.  308 

Lt.  Col.  J.  R.  Grissom  and  crew,  USAF.     United  States. 

Dec.  14,  1960.     Edwards,  Calif 10,  078.  84 


3.  AIRPLANES:    MAXIMUM    SPEED    OVER    STRAIGHTAWAY 
COURSE 

Record  holder  and  country;  date  and  place  ^.^ 

A.  Santos  Dumont.     France.  per  hour 

Nov.  12,1906.     Bagatelle 25.66 

Henri  C.  Farman.     France. 

Oct.  26,  1907.     Issy-les  Moulineaux 32.  75 

Paul  Tissandier.     France. 

•  May  20,  1909.     Pau 34.  06 

Glenn  H.  Curtiss.     France. 

Aug.  23,  1909.     Rheims 43.  38 

Louis  Bleriot.     France. 

Aug.  24,  1909.     Rheims 46.18 

Louis  Bleriot.     France. 

Aug.  28,  1909.     Rheims 47.84 

Hubert  Latham.     France. 

Apr.  23,  1910.     Nice 48.21 

Leon  Morane.     France. 

July  10,  1910.     Rheims- 66.18 

Alfred  Leblanc.     United  States. 

Oct.  29,  1910.     New  York 68.  20 

Alfred  Leblanc.     France. 

Apr.  12,  1911.     Pau 69.  47 

Edouard  Nieuport.     France. 

May  11,  1911.     Chalons 74.42 

Alfred  Leblanc.     France. 

June  12,   1911.     Etampes 77.67 

Edouard  Nieuport.     France. 

June  16,  1911.     Chalons 80.81 

156 


Record  holder  and  country  ;  date  and  place  Miles 

Edonard  Nieiiport.     France.  per  hour 

June  21,  1911.     Chalons 82.73 

Jules  Vedrines.     France. 

Jan.  13,1912.     Pan 90.20 

Jules  Vedrines.     France. 

Feb.  22,  1919.     Pau 100.22 

Jules  Vedrines.     France. 

Feb.  29,  1912.     Pau 100.94 

Jules  Vedrines.     France. 

Mar.  1,  1912.     Pau ■- 103.66 

Jules  A'edrines.     France. 

Mar.  2,  1912.     Pau 104.33 

Jules  Vedrines.     France. 

July  13,  1912.     Rheims 106.12 

Jules  Vedrines.     United  States. 

Sept.  9,  1912.     Chicago 108.18 

Marcel  Prevost.     France. 

June  17,  1913.     Rheims 111.  73 

Marcel  Prevost.     France. 

Sept.  27, 1913.    Rheims 119.24 

Marcel  Prevost.     France. 

Sept.  29,  1913.     Rheims 126.67 

Sadi  Lecointe.     France. 

Feb  7,  1920.     Villacoublay 171.04 

Jean  Casale.     France. 

Feb.  28,  1920.    Villacoublay 176. 14 

Bernard  de  Romanet.     France. 

Oct.  9,  1920.     Buc 181.86 

Sadi  Lecointe.     France. 

Oct.  10,  1920.     Buc 184.36 

Sadi  Lecointe.     France. 

Oct.  20,  1920.     Villacoublay 187.98 

Bernard  de  Romanet.     France. 

Nov.  4,  1920.     Buc 192.  01 

Sadi  Lecointe.     France. 

Dec.  12,  1920     Buc 194.52 

Sadi  Lecointe.     France. 

Sept.  26,  1921.     Villesauvage 205.  22 

Sadi  Lecointe.     France. 

Sept.  21,  1922.     Villesauvage 211.  90 

W.  E.  Mitchell.     United  States. 

Oct.  13,  1922.     Detroit,  Mich 222.  97 

Sadi  Lecointe.     France. 

Feb.  15,  1923.     Istres 233.01 

Lt.  R.  L.  Maughan,  USAS.     United  States. 

Mar.  29,  1923.     Dayton,  Ohio 236.  59 

Lt.  Harold  J.  Grow,  USN.     United  States. 

Nov.  2,  1923.     Mineola,  N.Y 259.15 

Lt.  A.  J.  Williams,  USN.     United  States. 

Nov.  4,  1923.     Mineola,  N.Y 266.  58 

Adj.  A.  Bonnet.     France. 

Dec.  11,  1924.     Istres 278.48 


157 


Record  holder  and  country;  date  and  place  Miles 

per  hour 

J.  H.  Doolittle.     United  States. 

Sept.  5,  1932.     Cleveland,  Ohio 294.  38 

J.  R.  Wedell.     United  States. 

Sept.  4,  1933.     Glenview,  111 304.  98 

Raymond  Delmotte.     France. 

Dee.  25,  1934.     Istres 314.319 

Howard  R.  Hughes.     United  States. 

Sept.  13,  1935.     Santa  Anna,  Calif 352.  388 

Herman  Wurster.     Germany. 

Nov.  11,  1937.     Augsburg,  Germany 379.626 

Hans  Dieterle.     Germany. 

Mar.  30,  1939.     d'Orianenburg,  Germany 463.  917 

Fritz  Wendel.     Germany. 

Apr.  26,  1939.     Augsburg,  Germany 469.  220 

Grp.  Capt.  H.  Wilson.     Great  Britain. 

Nov.  7,1945.     Heme  Bay 606.255 

Grp.  Capt.  E.  M.  Donaldson.     Great  Britain. 

Sept.  7, 1946.     Little  Hampton 615.  778 

Col.  A.  Boyd,  USAAF.     United  States. 

June  19,  1947.     Muroc,  Calif 623.  738 

Comdr.  T.  F.  Caldwell,  USN.     United  States. 

Aug.  20,  1947.     Muroc,  Calif 640.663 

Maj.  Marion  Carl,  USMC.     United  States. 

Aug.  25,  1947.     Muroc,  Calif 650.796 

Maj.  R.  L.  Johnson,  USAF.     United  States. 

Sept.  15,  1948.     Muroc,  Calif 670.981 

Capt.  James  S.  Nash,  USAF.     United  States. 

Nov.  19,  1952.     Salton  Sea,  Calif 698.505 

Lt.  Col.  Wm.  F.  Barnes.     United  States. 

July  16,  1953.     Salton  Sea,  Calif 715.  745 

Sqd.  Ldr.  N.  F.  Duke.     Great  Britain. 

Sept.  7,  1953.     Little  Hampton 727.624 

Michael  J.  Lithgow.     Great  Britain. 

Sept.  25,  1953.     Azizia,  Tripoli 735.  702 

Lt.  Comdr.  J.  B.  Verdin,  USN.     United  States. 

Oct.  3,  1953.     Salton  Sea,  Calif 752.943 

Lt.  Col.  F.  K.  Everest,  Jr.,  USAF.     United  States. 

Oct.  29,  1953.     Salton  Sea,  Calif 755.149 

Col.  H.  A.  Hanes,  USAF.     United  States. 

Aug.  20,  1955.     Palmdale,  Calif 822.266 

L.  Peter  Twiss.     Great  Britain. 

Mar.  10,  1956.     Ford-Chichester 1,132.136 

Maj.  Adrian  E.  Drew,  USAF.     United  States. 

Dec.  12,  1957.     Edwards,  Calif 1,207.6 

Capt.  Walter  W.  Irwin,  USAF.     United  States. 

May  16,  1958.     Edwards,  Calif 1,404.09 

Gueorgui  Mossolov.     U.S.S.R. 

Oct.  31,  1959.     Joukovski-Petrovskoe 1,  483.  85 

Maj.  Joseph  W.  Rogers,  USAF.     United  States. 

Dec.  15,  1959.     Edwards,  Calif 1,  525.  965 


158 


4.  AIRPLANES:  ALTITUDE 

Record  holder  and  country  J  date  and  place  Feet 

Hubert  Latham.     France. 

An.ii.  2!).   1000.     Rheims 509 

Comte  Charles  de  Lambert.     France. 

Oct.  18.  3909.     Paris 984 

Hubert  Latham.     France. 

Dec.  1,  1909.     Chalons 1,486 

Hubert  Latham.     France. 

Jan.  7,  1910.     Chalons 3,281 

Louis  Paulhan.     United  States. 

Jan.  12,  1910.     Los  Angeles 3,967 

Walter  R.  Brookins.     United  States. 

.Tune  14.   1010.     Indianapolis 4, 380 

Hubert  Latham.     France. 

July  7,  1910.     Rheims 4,541 

Walter  R.  Brookins.     United  States. 

July  10,  1910.     Atlantic  City,  N.J 6,234 

Anthony  Drexel.     United  States. 

Aug.  11,  1910.     Lamark 6,601 

Leon  Morane.     France. 

Sept.  3,  1910.     Deauville 8,471 

Georges  Chavez.     France. 

Sept.  8,  1910.     Issy-les-Moulineaux 8,488 

Henri  Wijnmalen.     France. 

Oct.  1,  1910.     Mourmelon 9,121 

Anthony  Drexel.     United  States. 

October  1910.     Philadelphia 9,449 

Ralph  Johnstone.     United  States. 

Oct.  31,  1910.     Belmont  Park 9,  711 

Georges  Legagneaux.     France. 

Dec.  8,  1910.     Pau 10,171 

Marcel  Loridan.     France. 

July  8,  1911.     Chalons 10,423 

Capt.  Julien  Felix.     France. 

Aug.  9,  1911.     Etampes 10,466 

Roland  Garros.     France. 

Sept.  4,   1911.     Saint-Malo : 12,828 

Roland  Garros.     France. 

Sept.  6,  1912.     Houlgate 16,076 

Georges  Legagneaux.     France. 

Sept.  17,  1912.     Corbaulieu 17,881 

Roland  Garros.     France. 

Dec.  11,  1912.     Tunis 18,405 

Edmond  Perreyon.     France. 

Mar.  11,  1913.     Buc 19,291 

Georges  Legagneaux.     France. 

Dec.  28,  1913.     Saint-Raphael 20,079 

Maj.  R.  W.  Schroeder,  USAS.     United  States. 

Feb.  27,  1920.     Dayton,  Ohio 33,113 

Lt.  J.  A.  Macready,  USAS.     United  States. 

Sept.  18,  1921.     Dayton,  Ohio 34,508 


159 


Record  holder  and  country;  date  and  place  Feet 

Sadi  Lecointe.     France. 

Sept.  5,  1923.    Villacoublay 35,243 

Sadi  Lecointe.     France. 

Oct.  30,  1923.     Issy-les-Moulineaux 36,  565 

Lt.  C.  C.  Champion,  USN.     United  States. 

July  25,  1927.     Wasliington,  D.C 38,  419 

Lt.  Apollo  Soucek,  USN.     United  States. 

May  8,  1929.     Washington,  D.C 39,140 

Willi  Neuenhofen.     Germany. 

May  26,  1929.     Dessau 41,  795 

Lt.  Apollo  Soucek,  USN.     United  States. 

June  4,  1930.     Washington,  D.C 43, 166 

Capt.  C.  F.  Uwins.     Great  Britain. 

Sept.  16,  1932.     Filton,  Bristol 43,976 

G.  Lemoine.     France. 

Sept.  28,  1933.     Villacoublay 44,819 

Comdr.  Renato  Donati.     Italy. 

Apr.  11,  1934.     Rome 47,352 

Georges  Detre.     France. 

Aug.  14,  1936.     Villacoublay 48,  697 

F.  R.  D.  Swain.     Great  Britain. 

Sept.  28,  1936.     South  Farnborough 49,  944 

Mario  Pezzi.     Italy. 

Mays,  1937.     Montecello 51,361 

Fl.  Lt.  M.  J.  Adam.    Great  Britain. 

June  30,  1937.     Farnborough : 53,937 

Col.  Mario  Pezzi.     Italy. 

Oct.  22,  1938.     Montecello 56,  046 

John  Cunningham   (Jet).     Great  Britain. 

Mar.  23,  1948.     Hatfield 59,445 

Walter  F.  Gibb.     Great  Britain. 

May  4,  1953.     Bristol 63,  668 

Walter  F.  Gibb.     Great  Britain. 

Aug.  29,  1955.     Bristol 65,  889 

George  E.  Watkins.     United  States. 

Apr.  18,  1958.     Edwards,  Calif 76,932 

Maj.  Howard  C.  Johnson,  USAF.     United  States. 

May  7,  1958.     Palmdale,  Calif 91,243 

Vladimir  Iljiuchin.     U.S.S.R. 

July  14,  1959.     Podmoskounoie 94,635 

Comdr.  Lawrence  E.  Flint,  USN.     United  States. 

Dec.  6,  1959.     Edwards,  Calif 98,557 

Capt.  Joe  B.  Jordan,  USAF.     United  States. 

Dec.  14,  1959.     Edwards,  CaUf 103,389 


160 


APPENDIX  C 


Chronicle  of  Select 
Balloon  Flights 


1927-1961 


THIS  CHRONICLE  provides  appreciation  of  balloon  flights  and  opera- 
tions in  man's  conquest  of  the  air,  and  helps  illustrate  the  more  recent 
use  of  the  balloon  as  a  research  tool  in  the  scientific  exploration  of 
space.  It  includes  both  official  and  unofficial  record  flights.  The 
guidance  of  Comdr.  Malcolm  Ross  (USNR)  of  the  Office  of  Naval 
Research  and  Maj.  Gen.  Orvil  A.  Anderson  (USAF  retired)  of  the 
Air  Force  Historical  Foundation  is  gratefully  acknowledged. 


161 


March  9,  1927:  Capt.  H.  C.  Gray  (AAC) 
ascended  to  28,910  feet  in  a  free  balloon 
for  an  American  altitude  record.  World 
record  was  held  by  Siiring  and  Berson  of 
Germany  who  ascended  to  35,433  feet  on 
June  30,  1901. 

May  4,  1927:  Record  balloon  flight  by 
Capt.  H.  C.  Gray  (AAC)  reached  42,470 
feet  over  Scott  Field,  111.,  but  he  was 
forced  to  bail  out  so  that  record  was  not 
official. 

November  4,  1927:  Capt.  H.  C.  Gray 
(AAC)  ascended  to  42,470  feet,  the 
identical  altitude  of  his  May  4  flight, 
but  he  did  not  survive  the  flight  and 
thereby  again  failed  to  achieve  official 
world  record. 

May  27,  1931 :  Auguste  Piccard  and  Paul 
Kipfer  made  first  successful  manned  as- 
cent into  stratosphere  from  Augsburg, 
Germany,  establishing  new  world  altitude 
record  of  51,777  feet  in  Belgian  FNRS 
balloon. 

August  18,  1932:  Auguste  Piccard  and 
Max  Cosyns  flew  FNRS  balloon  from 
Zurich,  Switzerland,  to  a  record  altitude 
of  53,152  feet. 

September  SO,  1933:  Russian  balloon 
USSR  launched  at  Moscow  reached  al- 
titude of  60,695  feet  which  never  became 
an  official  record,  crew  including  Proko- 
vief,  Birnbaum  and  Godrenow. 

November  29,  1933:  Lt.  Comdr.  T.  G.  W. 
Settle  (USN)  and  Maj.  C.  Fordney 
(USMC)  established  official  world  al- 
titude record  of  61,237  feet  over 
Akron,  Ohio,  in  balloon  CENTURY  OF 
PROGRESS. 

January  80,  193 Jf:  Russian  balloon  OSA- 
VIAKHIM  reached  73,000-foot  altitude 
but  crew  perished  when  gondola  fell  free, 
personnel  including  Fedosienko,  Wa- 
sienko,  and  Vsyskin. 

July  28,  1934:  EXPLORER  I  balloon 
launched  from  Stratobowl  near  Rapid 
City,  S.  Dak.,  failed  at  60,613  feet,  Maj. 
W.  Kepner  (AAC)  and  Capts.  O.  A. 
Anderson  and  A.  W.  Stevens  (AAC) 
parachuted  safely. 

Avguxt  IS,  193-'/:  .Teanette  and  .lean  Pic- 
card flew  CENTURY  OF  PROGRESS 
balloon  from  Dearborn,  Mich.,  to  an 
altitude  of  57,579  feet.    Jeanette  Piccard 


setting  an  unofficial  record  for  w^omen 
and  becoming  first  woman  to  enter  the 
stratosphere. 

July  26,  1935:  Russian  balloon  USSR 
reached  52,000  feet,  crew  including 
Warigo,  Christofil,  and  Prilucki. 

November  11,  1935:  Army  Air  Corps-Na- 
tional Geographic  EXPLORER  II  estab- 
lished new  official  world  record  of  72,395 
feet  in  ascent  from  Stratobowl,  crew  per- 
sonnel were  Capts.  Orvil  A.  Anderson  and 
A.W.Stevens  (AAC). 

During  1935:  Dr.  Jean  Piccard,  in  collab- 
oration with  Dr.  Thomas  Johnson  of 
Bartol  Research,  flew  first  unmanned 
plastic  balloon  (cellophane)  at  Swarth- 
more,  Pa. 

During  summer-fall  1936:  Dr.  Jean  Pic- 
card and  John  Ackerman  flew  flrst  con- 
stant-level plastic  (cellophane)  balloons 
from  the  University  of  Minnesota 
stadium. 

During  1937:  First  manned  cluster  bal- 
loon flight  (PLEIADES)  made  by  Dr. 
Jean  Piccard  using  rubber  meteorological 
balloons  from  Rochester,  Minn. 

During  1944-45:  Japan  launched  approx- 
imately 10,000  unmanned  Fugo  balloons 
(30-foot  diameter).  They  floated  at 
30,000  feet,  carried  incendiaries,  and 
were  aimed  at  the  North  American  con- 
tinent. 

During  March  1947:  First  test  flights  of 
plastic  balloons  conducted  by  General 
Mills  for  ONR  Project  Helios. 

June  5, 1947:  First  AAF  research  balloon 
launch  (cluster  of  rubber  balloons)  at 
Holloman,  by  New  York  University  team 
under  AMC  contract. 

July  3,  1947:  Start  of  polyethylene  bal- 
loon operations  at  Holloman,  a  10-balloon 
cluster  launched  by  New  York  University 
staff  with  a  payload  of  less  than  50 
pounds,  which  reached  an  altitude  of 
18,500  feet. 

Sept  ember  25,  1947:  First  successful  ONR 
SKYHOOK  polyethylene  plastic  balloon 
(220.000  cubic  feet)  launched  from  St. 
Cloud,  Minn.,  carrying  63-pound  cosmic 
ray  emulsions  to  100,000  feet. 


162 


September  28,  19.'i8:  Army  Signal  Corps 
balloon  set  a  140,0()0-foot  altitude  un- 
manned record,  at  Belmar,  N.J. 

January  SO,  1949:  U.S.  Navy  launched 
first  polyethelene  SKYHOOK  balloons 
from  ship,  USS  Saipan  off  the  coast  of 
Cuba,  in  a  series  of  12  flights. 

November  S,  J9.'f9:  Charles  B.  Moore 
(General  Mills)  made  first  manned  flight 
in  a  plastic  balloon,  over  Minneapolis, 
Minn. 

During  May  1950:  New  York  University 
research  balloon  released  from  HoUoman 
AFB  drifted  7,000  miles  and  was  recov- 
ered in  Myrdal,  Norway,  several  days 
later. 

July  21,  1950:  First  polyethylene  balloon 
launched  by  USAF  personnel  at  Hollo- 
man  AFB,  N.  Mex. 

August  28, 1952:  First  successful  Rockoon 
(balloon-launched  rocket)  launched  from 
icebreaker  off  Greenland  by  University  of 
Iowa  team  headed  by  J.  A.  Van  Allen  and 
on  ONR  contract,  rocket  was  launched 
from  balloon  at  70,000  feet  and  reached 
maximum  altitude  of  37.9  miles. 

February  19-26, 195S:  First  of  the  MOBY 
DICK  balloon  flights  to  60,000-100,000 
feet  to  study  high-altitude  winds  and 
carrying  capsule  containing  fruit  flies, 
launched  from  NAS  Vernalles.  Calif.,  by 
USAF  Cambridge  Research  Center. 

May  18,  195 Jf:  Super  Skyhook.,  largest 
polyethylene  balloon  built  to  date  (3,000,- 
000  cubic  feet)  was  successfully  launched 
by  General  Mills  for  ONR  and  carried 
emulsions  to  115,000  feet. 

July  18,  1955:  First  Aeromedical  Labo- 
ratory's (2^  cubic  feet)  plastic  balloons 
manufactured  by  Winzen  Research, 
launched  at  Fleming  Field,  Minn.,  at- 
tained an  altitude  of  over  120,000  feet; 
the  second  launched  on  the  nest  day  at- 
tained a  record  altitude  of  126,000  feet. 

August  10,  1956:  Lt.  Comdrs.  Malcolm  D. 
Ross  (USNR)  and  M.  Lee  Lewis  (USN) 
made  first  stratospheric  manned  flight  on 
a  polyethylene  balloon  from  Minneapolis 
as  a  part  of  ONR  Project  Strato-Lab, 
flying  in  open  basket  and  reaching  an 
altitude  of  40,000  feet. 


September  7,  1956:  University  of  Minne- 
sota launched  ONR  Mylar  plastic  balloon 
from  Minneapolis,  establishing  an  unof- 
ficial world  altitude  record  of  145,000  feet 
for  unmanned  balloon. 

September  2/f,  1956:  H.  Froehlich  and  K. 
Long  (General  Mills)  flew  ONR 
STRATO-LAB  balloon  to  new  altitude 
record  of  42,000  feet  for  an  open  basket 
gondola. 

November  S,  1956:  Lt.  Comdrs.  M.  D.  Ross 
(USNR)  and  M.  L.  Lewis  (USN)  set 
unofiicial  world  altitude  record  of  76,000 
feet  in  STRATO-LAB  HIGH  I  a.scent 
from  Stratobowl,  bringing  balloon  down 
safely  although  it  failed. 

June  2,  1957:  Capt.  Joseph  Kittinger 
(USAF)  made  first  solo  balloon  flight 
into  statosphere  in  MANHIGH  I,  setting 
a  new  unofl3cial  world  altitude  record  of 
96,000  feet  after  launch  from  St.  Paul, 
Minn. 

Ju7ie  28,  1957:  First  phase  of  Project  Far 
Side  completed,  with  the  lifting  by 
world's  largest  plastic  balloon  (3,700,000 
cubic  feet)  of  a  load  of  2,306  pounds  of 
military  equipment  and  instruments  to 
a  height  of  more  than  104,000  feet. 

August  19-20,  1957:  Maj.  David  G. 
Simons  (USAF  MC)  set  official  world 
altitude  record  of  101,516  feet  in  MAN- 
HIGH  II  balloon,  setting  unofl3cial  dura- 
tion record  of  32  hours,  and  becoming 
first  person  to  remain  in  stratosphere 
overnight,  over  Crosby,  Minn. 

August  19,  1957:  Stratoscope  I,  an  un- 
manned balloon-telescope  system, 
launched  by  General  Mills  under  Navy 
contract  for  Princeton  University  astron- 
omers, produced  first  "clear"  photos  of 
the  sun  taken  at  80,000-foot  altitude  with 
12-inch  telescope. 

September  18,  1957:  Donald  Piccard 
made  first  successful  manned  low-level 
flight  on  a  cluster  of  plastic  balloons, 
from  Swarthmore,  Pa. 

October  18,  1957:  Lt.  Comdrs.  M.  D.  Ross 
(USNR)  and  M.  L.  Lewis  (USN)  as- 
cended to  unoflScial  two-man  altitude 
record  of  85,700  feet  in  STRATO-LAB 
HIGH  II  balloon. 


163 


May  6-7,  195S:  Lt.  Comdr.  M.  D.  Ross 
(USNR)  and  A.  Mikesell  (Naval  Ob- 
servatory) used  open-gondola  STRATO- 
LAB  to  ascend  to  40,000  feet  from 
Crosby,  Minn.,  Mikesell  becoming  first 
astronomer  to  observe  from  stratosphere 
and  first  flight  in  which  crew  remained 
in  stratosphere  in  open  basket  after 
sunset. 

July  26-27,  195S:  Comdrs.  M.  D.  Ross 
(USNR)  and  M.  L.  Lewis  (USN  ret.) 
reached  maximum  altitude  of  82,000  feet 
in  STRATO-LAB  HIGH  III  flight  from 
Crosby,  Minn.,  which  set  new  unoflicial 
record  for  stratospheric  flight  of  34.7 
hours  at  —65°  C. 

October  8,  1958:  Lt.  D.  McClure  (USAF) 
flew  MANHIGH  III  balloon  to  an  alti- 
tude of  99,000  feet  from  Holloman  AFB, 
N.  Mex. 

December  12-16,  1958:  Balloon  SMALL 
WORLD  with  four  passengers  failed  in 
transatlantic  attempt,  lifting  from 
Canary  Islands  and  landing  at  sea  north- 
east of  Barbados. 

December  18,  1958:  Balloon  Flight  No. 
1;000  launched  at  Holloman  AFB,  a  series 
of  USAF  plastic  balloon  flights  begun  in 
July  1950. 

Febriiary  11,  1959:  Army  weather  bal- 
loon, launched  at  Signal  Research  and 
Development  Laboratory,  Fort  Mon- 
mouth, N.J.,  established  world  altitude 
record  of  146,000  feet. 

April  22,  1959:  A,  Dollfus  flew  from 
Paris,  France,  on  a  cluster  of  100 
weather  balloons  to  an  altitude  of 
42,000  feet. 

May  12,  1959:  University  of  Minnesota 
scientists  under  Navy  contract  launched 
unmanned  balloon  to  100,000  feet,  where 
first  positive  measurement  of  intense 
solar  protons  associated  with  a  solar 
flare  were  measured. 

Jnly  13,  1959:  Largest  plastic  balloon  to 
date  (6'  cubic  feet)  launched  by  ONR  at 
Fort  Churchill,  Canada. 

August  7,  1959:  Comdr.  M.  D.  Ross 
(USNR)  and  R.  Cooper  (High  Altitude 
Observatory)  flew  Navy  STRATO-LAB 
open  gondola  balloon  from  Stratobowl 
to  38,000  feet  for  solar  studies  with  a 
coronagraph. 


September  4,  1959:  Raven  Industries 
launched  Ofiice  of  Naval  Research  Sky- 
hook unmanned  balloon  from  Sioux  Falls, 
So.  Dakota,  establishing  new  unofficial 
altitude  record  of  148,000  feet  for  un- 
manned balloon. 

November  1^,  1959:  Winzen  Research 
successfully  launched  world's  largest 
balloon  (10^  cubic  feet)  from  Strato- 
bowl, reading  maximum  altitude  of  near 
118,000  feet  with  a  ton  load  suspended. 

November  16,  1959:  Capt.  J.  Kittinger 
(USAF)  flew  EXCELSIOR  I  balloon 
from  Holloman  AFB  to  an  altitude  of 
76,400  feet  and  successfully  bailed  out  of 
open  gondola. 

November  28-29,  1959:  Comdr.  M.  Ross 
(USNR)  and  C.  Moore  (Arthur  D.  Little, 
Inc.)  flew  Navy  STRATO-LAB  HIGH 
IV  from  the  Stratobowl  to  an  altitude  of 
81,000  feet  using  a  16-inch  telescope  and 
spectrograph,  observing  water  vapor  in 
the  atmosphere  of  the  planet  Venus. 

December  16,  1959:  Capt.  J.  Kittinger 
(USAF)  flew  EXCELSIOR  II  balloon 
from  Holloman  AFB  to  an  altitude  of 
74,700  feet  and  successfully  bailed  out 
and  established  stable  free  fall  for 
55,000  feet. 

January  26,  1960:  Navy  292-foot-diameter 
balloon  launched  from  U.S.S.  Valley 
Forge  east  of  Puerto  Rico,  carrying 
1,630-pound  payload  to  record  cosmic  ray 
and  secondary  particles,  film  packs  being 
recovered  by  a  destroyer  the  next  day. 

February  1,  1960:  University  of  Chicago 
Project  ICEF  (International  Coopera- 
tive Emulsion  Flights)  sponsored  by  the 
National  Science  Foundation  and  the 
Office  of  Naval  Research  launched  SKY- 
HOOK (10'  cubic  feet)  balloon  to  21.4- 
mile  altitude. 

June  5,  1960:  Navy  launched  10'  SKY- 
HOOK balloon  from  NAS  Glencoe,  Ga., 
which  disappeared  over  the  Pacific 
Ocean  2  weeks  later  carrying  3,300- 
pound  payload. 

July  2Jt,  1960:  Donald  Piccard  estab- 
lished Class  I  world  altitude  record  of 
3,740  feet  in  plastic  balloon  HOLIDAY, 
from  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

July  17,  1960:  First  of  three  NASA  ex- 
periments carried  by  USAF  balloons  to 


164 


an  altitude  of  130,000  feet  for  II14  bours 
from  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  NASA  capsule 
containing  12  mice  for  study  of  effects  of 
heavy  primary  cosmic  ray  particles, 

August  12,  1960:  First  "balloon  satellite," 
NASA  ECHO  I  (a  100-foot  diameter  in- 
flatable sphere)  was  launched  into  orbit 
from  AMR  and  inflated ;  while  not  a 
balloon  in  sense  of  being  dependent  upon 
atmospheric  displacement  for  lift  and  its 
orbit  altitude,  it  became  popularly  known 
as  the  "balloon  satellite"  because  of  its 
bright  star  intensity  as  viewers  observed 
it  around  the  world.  ECHO  I  provided 
basis  for  numerous  passive  communica- 
tions experiments  as  well  as  significant 


data  on  solar  pressure  and  atmospheric 
drag.     (See  Appendix  A.) 

August  16,  1960:  Capt.  J.  Kittinger 
(USAF)  flew  EXCELSIOR  III  from 
HoUoman  AFB  and  successfully  bailed 
out  of  open  gondola  at  102,800  feet,  estab- 
lishing unofiicial  new  altitude  record  for 
manned  balloon  and  parachute  descent 
record. 

May  i,  1961:  ONR  STRATO-LAB  HIGH 
V  flight  from  carrier  Antietam  reached 
113,740-foot  altitude  (21.5  miles),  a 
record  ascent  for  manned  balloon,  Comdr. 
Malcolm  Ross  (USNR)  and  Lt.  Comdr. 
Victor  G.  Prather  (MC  USN)  as  crew. 


592561-61- 


-12 


165 


APPENDIX  D 


Select  Awards  and  Honors  in 
Aeronautics  and  Astronautics 


THE  FOLLOWING  LISTING  of  recipients  of  major  awards  and  honors 
over  the  years  provides  one  index  to  some  of  the  individuals  con- 
sidered to  have  contributed  to  the  advancement  of  aeronautics  and 
astronautics  and  related  fields.  This  listing  is  focused  upon  those 
honors  most  related  to  research  and  development  activities,  and  it 
does  not  necessarily  include  the  "elder  statesman"  type  of  an  award. 

Contents 

Page 

1.  Apphed  Meteorology  Award  (AMS),  1956-     ....        169 

2.  Astronautics  Award  (ARS),  1954- 169 

3.  Astronautics     Engineer     Achievement     Award     (NRC), 

1959- 169 

4.  Thurman  H.  Bane  Award  (IAS),  1943-56 170 

5.  Laura  Taber  Barbour  Award,   1956- 170 

6.  Louis  H.  Bauer  Award  (AMA),  1961- 171 

7.  Grover  E.  Bell  Award  (IAS,  AHS),  1957- 171 

8.  Bioclimatology  Outstanding  Achievement  Award  (AMS), 

1960- 171 

9.  Melbourne  W.  Boynton  Space  Medicine  Award   (AAS), 

1957- 172 

10.  Frank  G.  Brewer  Trophy  (NAA),  1943- 172 

11.  Octave  Chanute  Award  (IAS),  1939- 172 

12.  Robert  J.  Collier  Trophy  (NAA),  1911- 173 

13.  Federation    A^ronautique    Internationale    Gold    Medal, 

1925- 175 

14.  Fhght  Achievement  Award  (AAS),  1958- 176 

15.  Robert  H.Goddard  Memorial  Award  (ARS),  1 948-.      .      .  176 

16.  Daniel  Guggenheim  Medal,   1929- 176 

17.  Harmon  International  Trophies,  1926- 177 

18.  Louis  W.Hill  Space  Transportation  Award  (LVS),  1958-     .  180 


167 


Page 

19.  Nelson  P.  Jackson  Aerospace  Award  (NRC),  1961-     .      .  180 

20.  John  Jefferies  Award  (IAS),  1940- 180 

21.  Alexander  Klemin  Award  (AHS),  1951- 181 

22.  The  Langley  Medal,  1909- 181 

23.  Eric  Liljencrantz  Award  (AM A),  1957- 182 

24.  Raymond  F.  Longacre  Award  (AM A),  1947-    ....  182 

25.  Robert  M.  Losey  Award  (IAS),  1940- 182 

26.  Theodore  C.  Lyster  Award  (AM A),  1947- 183 

27.  The  Mackay  Trophy  (USAF),  1912- 184 

28.  Charles  M.  Manly  Memorial  Award  (SAE),  1928-.      .      .  185 

29.  Clarence  L.  Meisinger  Award  (AMS),  1938-      ....  186 

30.  Harry  G.  Mosley  Award  (AMA),  1961- 187 

31.  NACA/NASA  Distinguished  Service  Medal,  1956-       .      .  187 

32.  NACA/NASA  Exceptional  Service  Medal,  1956-    ...  188 

33.  NASA  Invention  and  Contribution  Award,  1961-  ...  188 

34.  National  Air  Council  Research  Award,  1948-51       .      .      .  189 

35.  National  Rocket  Club  Award,  1961- 189 

36.  G.  Edward  Pendray  Award  (ARS),  1951- 189 

37.  Propulsion  Award  (ARS),  1948- 190 

38.  Sylvanus  A.  Reed  Award  (IAS),  1934- 190 

39.  Carl-Gustaf  Rossby  Award  (AMS),  1951- 192 

40.  David  C.  SchilUng  Award  (AFA),  1948- 192 

41.  Science  Trophy  (AFA),  1948- 193 

42.  Space  Fhght  Award  (AAS),  1955- 193 

43.  Lawrence  B.  Sperry  Award  (IAS),  1936-      .      .      .      .      .  193 

44.  Spirit  of  St.  Louis  Medal  (ASME),  1929- 195 

45.  Thomas  L.  Thurlow  Navigation  Award,  1945-  ....  195 

46.  Arnold  D.  Tuttle  Memorial  Award  (AMA),  1952-       .      .  196 

47.  Wright  Brothers  Medal  (SAE),  1928- 196 

48.  Wright  Brothers  Lecturers  (IAS),  1937- 197 

49.  Wright  Brothers  Memorial  Trophy  Award  (NAA),  1948- .  198 

50.  James  H.  Wyld  Memorial  Award  (ARS),  1954-      ...  198 

51.  Miscellaneous  NASA  Award  winners: 

Flemming  Award 199 

National  Civil  Service  League  Award 199 

Rockefeller  Public  Service  Award 199 


168 


1.  APPLIED  METEOROLOGY  AWARD  (AMS) 

The  award  for  Applied  Meteorology  is  administered  by  the  American 
Meteorological  Society. 

1956.  Joseph  J.  George,  for  contributions  make  weather  information  over  teletype 
to  the  improvement  of  practical  forecast-  facilities  available  to  private  meteor- 
ing  for  airways  operations.  ologists  without  charge.     In  1927  under 

the  Daniel  Guggenheim  Fund  for  Aero- 

1957.  Vincent  J.  Schaefer,  for  contribu-  nautics  he  established  the  first  model  air- 
tions  in  the  field  of  experimental  and  way  weather  service  in  the  United  States, 
physical    meteorology,    particularly    his 

pioneering  work  in  artificial  nucleation.         1960.  Henry  T.  Harrison,  for  pioneering 

work  in  aviation  meteorology  and  con- 
1959.  Carl-Gustaf   Arvid   Rossby    (post-       tinued  key  role  in   the  development  of 
huiuously ) ,   for  convincing   industry   of       modern  aeronautical  meteorology  and  its 
the  importance  of  meteorology  and  for      application  to  the  jet  era. 
persuading  the  U.S.  Weather  Bureau  to 


2.  ASTRONAUTICS  AWARD  (ARS) 

This  award  is  given  annually  for  outstanding  contribution  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  space  flight.  It  is  administered  by  the  American  Rocket 
Society. 

1954.  Theodore  von  KarmSn.  1957.  Krafft  Ehricke. 

1955.  Wernher  von  Braun.  1958.  Iven  C.  Kincheloe,  Jr. 

1956.  Joseph  Kaplan.  1959.  Walter  Dornberger. 

1960.  A.  Scott  Crossfleld. 


3.  ASTRONAUTICS  ENGINEER  ACHIEVEMENT  AWARD  (NRC) 

Established  in  1959,  the  Astronautics  Engineer  Achievement  Award  is 
given  annually  to  an  accredited  engineer  who  has  made  an  outstanding 
contribution  to  the  advancement  of  space  teclinology,  an  award  based 
on  personal  accomplisliment.  It  is  administered  by  the  National  Rocket 
Club. 

1959.  Rudolf  F.  Hoelker. 

1960.  Richard  C.  Canright. 

1961.  WiUlam  J.  O' Sullivan,  Jr. 


169 


4.  THURMAN  H.  BANE  AWARD  (IAS) 


The  Thurman  H,  Bane  Award  was  given  "to  an  officer  or  civilian  of  the 
Air  Research  and  Development  Command  of  the  U.S.  Air  Force,  for  an 
outstanding  achievement  in  aeronautical  development  during  the  year." 
It  was  administered  by  the  Institute  of  Aeronautical  Sciences  until  sus- 
pended in  1956. 


1943.  Lt.  Col.  Hollingsworth  F.  Gregory, 
for  his  contribution  to  the  military  and 
commercial  development  of  the  helicopter. 

1944.  Col.  Donald  J.  Keirn,  for  his  con- 
tribution to  the  development  and  utiliza- 
tion of  the  jet  propulsion  engine. 

194.5.  Capt.  Myron  Tribus,  for  reducing 
the  icing  hazards  of  high-speed  flying 
through  research  and  flight  testing. 

1946.  Col.  Leighton  I.  Davis,  for  gyro 
computing  sights  for  aiming  guns,  bombs, 
and  rockets  from  fighter  aircraft. 

1947.  Adolph  L.  Berger,  for  development 
and  applications  of  high-temperature 
ceramic  materials  to  military  aircraft 
engines. 

1948.  Col.  James  M.  Gillespie,  who  was 
responsible  for  the  preparation  of  the 
fir.sst  long-range  automatic  "Push  Button" 
flight. 

1949.  Capt.  Harold  W.  Robbing,  for  his 
contribution  to  the  development  of  jet- 
assisted  takeoff  for  cargo  aircraft. 

1950.  Col.  George  W.  Goddard,  for  his 
development  of  a  new  system  of  night 
aerial  photography  at  low  altitudes. 


1951.  J.  B.  Johnson,  for  outstanding  con- 
tributions In  the  field  of  high-tempera- 
ture materials  used  in  aircraft  propulsion 
units. 

19.52.  Maj.  Patrick  L.  Kelly,  for  develop- 
ing techniques  providing  for  artificial 
stability  and  control  of  aircraft  during 
high-performance  phases  of  operation. 

.  Henry   Seeler.   for  developing  and 

standardizing  a  resuscitator,  capable  of 
operating  at  varying  altitudes,  for  use  in 
combat  or  evacuation  aircraft. 

19.53.  Benjamin  F.  Greene,  Jr.,  for  the 
development  of  an  electronic  system  for 
airport  traffic  control  which  greatly  in- 
creases the  landing  rate  of  aircraft  un- 
der high-density  traffic  or  poor  visibility 
conditions. 

1954.  Helmut  G.  Heinrich,  for  his  out- 
standing accomplishments  in  the  field  of 
personnel  parachute  development. 

1955.  Gottfried  Guderley,  for  his  out- 
standing contributions  to  the  develop- 
ment of  transonic  aerodynamics  essential 
to  the  engineering  design  of  supersonic 
aircraft. 

1956.  Award  suspended. 


5.  LAURA  TABER  BARBOUR  AWARD 

The  Laura  Taber  Barbour  Award  was  established  in  1956  and  is  given 
annually  for  notable  achievement  which  shall  tend  to  advance  safety  in 
aeronautics  and  which  contributes  toward  a  method  of  avoiding  or  mini- 
mize suffering  or  loss  of  life  in  air  travel.  It  is  administered  by  the 
Flight  Safety  Foundation. 

1956.  I.    Irving    Pinkel    and    associates,       1958.  James  Martin. 
NACA. 

1959.  Al  Morse. 

1957.  Harry  F.  Guggenheim. 

1960.  Melvin  Gough. 


170 


6.  LOUIS  H.  BAUER  AWARD  (AMA) 

Established  in  1960  in  honor  of  the  founder  of  Aerospace  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, the  Louis  H.  Bauer  Award  will  be  awarded  for  the  first  time  in 
1961  for  the  most  significant  contribution  in  space  medicine.  It  is  admin- 
istered by  the  Aerospace  Medical  Association. 


7.  GROVER  E.  BELL  AWARD  (IAS) 

Established  under  the  terms  of  the  will  of  the  late  Lawrence  D.  Bell  in 
memory  of  his  brother  Grover  E,  Bell,  aviation  pioneer,  the  Grover  E. 
Bell  Award  is  given  jointly  by  the  Institute  of  the  Aerospace  Sciences, 
the  American  Helicopter  Society,  and  the  Helicopter  Coimcil  of  the  Air- 
craft Industries  Association.  It  is  presented  "for  the  purpose  of  fostering 
and  encouraging  research  and  experimentation  in  the  important  and  rela- 
tively new  field  of  helicopter  development  to  the  person  or  persons  making 
an  outstanding  contribution  to  helicopter  development  during  the  pre- 
ceding calendar  year  in  the  United  States."  It  is  administered  by  the 
IAS. 

1957.  Kurt  H.  Hohenemser,  McDonnell  1959.  Igor  I.  Sikorsky,  for  his  foresight 
Aircraft  Corp.,  for  outstanding  achieve-  and  personal  contributions  to  the  suc- 
ment  in  solving  the  complex  dynamic  cessful  development  and  demonstration 
problem  required  in  the  development  of  of  the  helicopter  crane  concept  with  the 
the  world's  first  successful  convertiplane,  Sikorsky  S-60  Skycrane. 

the  McDonnell  XV-1. 

1960.  Combat   Development   Office,    U.S. 

1958.  Engineers  of  the  Vertol  Aircraft  Army  Aviation  School,  Fort  Rucker,  Ala., 
Corp.,  for  the  development  of  the  Vertol  for  the  development  of  the  helicopter  as 
76,  the  first  tilt-wing  aircraft  to  perform  a  close  air-support  combat  vehicle, 
successful  transition  from  vertical  to  thereby  significantly  increasing  its  mili- 
horizontal  flight  and  back.  tary  effectiveness. 


8.  BIOCLIMATOLOGY  OUTSTANDING  ACHIEVEMENT  AWARD 

(AMS) 

Established  in  1959,  the  Bioclimatology  Outstanding  Achievement  Award 
is  administered  by  the  American  Meteorological  Society. 

1960.  Frederick  Sargent  II,  for  organ- 
izing the  field  of  bioclimatology  in  this 
country  and  for  outstanding  studies  on 
the  effects  of  weather  on  man. 


171 


9.  MELBOURNE  W.  BOYNTON  SPACE  MEDICINE  AWARD 

Awarded  annually  for  outstanding  contributions  to  aeronautics  through 
medical  research,  this  award  is  administered  by  the  American  Astro- 
nautical  Society. 

1957.  Lt.    Col.    David   G.    Simon,    USAF       1959.  Lt.  Col.  Stanley  C.  White,  USAF. 

(MO). 

1960.  Brig.  Gen.  Don  Flickinger,  USAF 

1958.  Capt.  Charles  F.  Cell,  MC  USN.  (MC). 


10.  FRANK  G.  BREWER  TROPHY  (NAA) 

Established  in  1943,  the  Frank  G.  Brewer  Trophy  is  awarded  annually 
"for  the  greatest  achievement  in  the  field  of  Air  Youth  Education  and 
Training,  accomplished  by  any  individual,  group  of  individuals,  or  organ- 
ization."   It  is  administered  by  the  National  Aeronautic  Association. 

1943.  Civil  Aeronautics  Administration.       1953.  Leslie    A.    Bryan,    University    of 

Illinois. 

1944.  Edgar  Fuller. 

1945.  H.  W.  Hurt. 


1954.  John  H.  Furbay,  TWA. 


1946.  Frank  E.  Sorenson,  University  of  1^55.  Willis    C.    Brown,    U.S.    Office  of 
Nebraska.  Education. 

1947.  Nickolaus  L.  Englehardt,  Jr.  1956.  Ray  C.  Mertes. 

1948.  Philip  S.  Hopkins,  Link  Aviation.  1957.  Edwin  A.  Link,  Link  Aviation. 

1949.  Elsie  W.  Adams.  ^g^g   Evan  Evans,  NAEC. 

1950.  Lt.  John  H.  Burton,  USN.  .^^«    „     ,  -,.    ^     ^       ^  ... 

1959.  Paul  E.  Garber,  Curator,  National 

1951.  Harold  E.  Mehrens,  CAA.  Air  Museum. 

1952.  Civil  Air  Patrol.  1960.  George  N.  Gardner,  PAA. 


11.  OCTAVE  CHANUTE  AWARD  (IAS) 

Established  by  the  Institute  of  the  Aeronautical  Sciences  in  1939  in  honor 
of  Octave  Chanute,  American  aeronautical  pioneer,  it  is  awarded  "for  a 
notable  contribution  made  by  a  pilot  to  the  aeronautical  sciences."  It  is 
administered  by  the  Institute  of  the  Aerospace  Sciences. 

1939.  Edmund  T.  Allen,  Boeing  Aircraft.      1942.  Albert   Lewis    MacClain,   Pratt   & 

Whitney. 

1940.  Howard  Hughes. 

1943.  William  H.  McAvoy,  NACA. 

1941.  Melvin  N.  Gough,  NACA. 

172 


1944.  Col.  Benjamin  S.  Kelsey,  USAAF. 

1945.  A.   Elliott   Merrill   and    Robert  T. 
Lanison,  Boeing  Aircraft. 

1946.  Ernest  A.   Cutrell,   Air   Transport 
Command. 

1947.  Lawrence  A.  Clousing,  NACA. 

1948.  Herbert  H.  Hoover,  NACA. 

1949.  Capt.  Frederick  M.  Trapnell,  USN. 

1950.  Comdr.    Donald    B.    MacDiarmid, 
USCG. 

1951.  Lt.  Col.  Marion  E.  Carl,  USMC. 

1952.  John   Clifford   Seal,  Cornell  Aero- 
nautical Laboratory. 


1953.  William    T.    Bridgeman,    Douglas 
iVircraft. 

1954.  George  E.  Cooper,  NACA. 

1955.  Maj.  Gen.  Albert  Boyd,  WADC. 
195G.  A.  M.  Johnston,  Boeing  Airplane. 

1957.  Lt.    Col.    Frank    K.    Everest,    Jr., 
USAF. 

1958.  A.   Scott  Crossfield,  North  Ameri- 
can. 

1959.  John  P.  Reeder,  NASA. 

1960.  Joseph  J.  Tymczyszyn. 

1961.  Joseph  A.  Walker,  NASA 


12.  THE  ROBERT  J.  COLLIER  TROPHY  (NAA) 

Donated  in  1911  by  Robert  J.  Collier,  to  be  awarded  each  year  for  the 
greatest  achievement  in  aviation  in  America,  it  is  administered  by  the 
National  Aeronautic  Association.  It  is  considered  a  premier  award  and 
it  is  presented  by  the  President  of  the  United  States. 


1911.  Glenn  H.  Curtiss,  for  development 
of  the  hydroaeroplane. 

1912.  Glenn   H.    Curtiss,   for   the  flying 
boat. 

1913.  Orville  Wright,  for  development  of 
the  automatic  stabilizer. 

1914.  Elmer    A.    Sperry,   for   gyroscopic 
control. 

1915.  W.  Sterling  Burgess,  for  the  Bur- 
gess-Dunn hydroaeroplane. 

1916.  Elmer   A.    Sperry,   for   drift  indi- 
cator. 

1917-20.  No  awards  because  of  the  war. 

1921.  Grover  Loening,  for  development  of 
the  aerial  yacht. 

1922.  Personnel   of    the   U.S.    Air    Mail 
Service. 

1923.  Personnel    of   the    U.S.    Air   Mail 
Service,  for  night  flying. 


1924.  The  U.S.  Army,  for  its  round-the- 
world  flight. 

1925.  S.  Albert  Reed,  for  development  of 
the  metal  propeller. 

1926.  Maj.  E.  L.  Hoffman,  for  develop- 
ment of  a  practical  parachute. 

1927.  Charles  L.  Lawrance,  for  his  radial 
air-cooletl  engine. 

1928.  Aeronautics  Branch  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce,  for  development  of 
airways  and  air  navigation  facilities. 

1929.  The  National  Advisory  Committee 
for  Aeronautics,  for  the  NACA  cowling. 

1930.  Harold  Pitcairn  and  his  staff,  for 
their  autogiro. 

1931.  The  Packard  Motor  Car  Co.,  for  the 
aircraft  Diesel  engine. 

1932.  Glenn  L.  Martin,  for  development 
of  an  outstanding  bi-engined,  high-speed 
weight-carrying  airplane. 


173 


1933.  Tlie  Hamilton  Standard  Propeller 
Co.  and  chief  engineer,  Frank  W.  Cald- 
well, for  the  controllable  pitch  propeller. 

1934.  Maj.  Albert  F.  Hegenberger,  for 
blind  landing  experimentation. 

1935.  Donald  Douglas  and  his  staff,  for 
development  of  the  DC-2. 

1936.  Pan  American  Airways,  for  its 
transpacific  and  overwater  operations. 

1937.  The  Army  Air  Cori^s,  for  design 
and  equipment  of  a  substratosphere 
airplane. 

1938.  Howard  Hughes  and  his  crew,  for 
his  round-the-world  flight. 

1939.  Airlines  of  the  United  States  for 
their  record  of  safety  in  air  travel. 

1940.  Dr.  Sanford  Moss  and  the  Army 
Air  Corps,  for  development  of  the 
turbosupercharger. 

1941.  The  Air  Forces  and  the  airlines,  for 
the  worldwide  operations  typified  in  the 
routes  of  the  Air  Transport  Command. 

1942.  Gen.  H.  H.  Arnold,  for  organiza- 
tion and  leadership  of  the  mightiest  air 
force  in  the  world. 

1943.  Capt.  Luis  de  Florez,  USNR,  for  de- 
velopment of  synthetic  training  devices 
for  flyers. 

1944.  Gen.  Carl  A.  Spaatz,  for  demon- 
strating the  airpower  concept  through 
employment  of  American  aviation  in  the 
war  against  Germany. 

1945.  Dr.  Luis  W.  Alvarez,  for  develop- 
ment of  the  ground-controlled  approach 
radar  landing  system. 

1946.  Lewis  A.  Rodert,  NACA,  for  de- 
velopment of  thermal  ice-prevention 
system. 

1947.  John  Stack  (NACA),  Lawrence  D. 
Bell  and  Capt.  Charles  E.  Teager 
(USAF),  for  supersonic  flight. 

1948.  Radio  Technical  Commission  for 
Aeronautics,  for  the  development  of  a 
system  of  air  traflic  control  to  permit  safe 
and  unlimited  operations  under  all 
weather  conditions. 


1949.  William  P.  Lear,  for  development 
of  the  Lear  F-5  automatic  pilot  and  au- 
tomatic control  coupler  system. 

1950.  The  helicopter  industry,  the  mili- 
tary services,  and  the  Coast  Guard,  for 
development  and  use  of  rotary-wing  air- 
craft for  air-rescue  operations. 

1951.  John  Stack  and  associates  at  the 
Langley  Aeronautical  Laboratory,  NACA, 
for  the  conception,  development,  and 
practical  application  of  the  transonic 
wind  tunnel  throat. 

1952.  Leonard  S.  Hobbs  of  United  Air- 
craft Corp.,  for  design,  development,  and 
production  of  the  J-57  jet  engine. 

1953.  James  H.  Kindleberger  and  Ed- 
ward H.  Heinemann,  for  development  of 
the  first  supersonic  airplanes  in  service. 

1954.  Richard  Travis  Whitcomb,  NACA 
research  scientist,  for  discoveiy  and 
experimental  verification  of  the  area  rule, 
yielding  higher  speed  and  greater  range 
with  same  power. 

1955.  Willian  M.  Allen  and  the  Boeing 
Airplane  Co.  and  to  Gen.  Nathan  F. 
Twining  and  the  U.S.  Air  Force,  for  de- 
velopment and  operational  use  of  the 
B-52. 

1956.  Charles  J.  McCarthy  and  associates 
of  Chance  Vought  Aircraft,  Inc.,  and 
Vice  Adm.  James  S.  Russell  and  associ- 
ates of  the  U.S.  Navy  Bureau  of  Aero- 
nautics, for  conception,  design,  and 
development  of  the  F8U  Crusader. 

1957.  Edward  P.  Curtis,  for  his  report 
entitled  "Aviation  Facilities  Planning," 
developed  while  he  was  special  assistant 
to  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

1958.  The  U.S.  Air  Force  and  industry 
team  responsible  for  the  F-104  Inter- 
ceptor :  Clarence  L.  Johnson  of  Lockheed 
Aircraft  Corp.  for  design  of  the  airframe ; 
Neil  Burgess  and  Gerhard  Neumann  of 
the  Flight  Propulsion  Division,  General 
Electric  Co.,  for  development  of  its  J-79 
turbojet  engine ;  Maj.  Hovt^ard  C.  John- 
son, USAF,  for  establishing  a  world  land- 
plane  altitude  record ;  and  Capt.  Walter 
W.  Irwin,  USAF,  for  establishing  a 
world  straightaway  speed  record. 


174 


1959.  The  U.S.  Air  Force,  Convair,  and  intercontinental  ballistic  missile,  so  vital 

Space  Technology   Laboratories  for   de-  to    the   security    and    space    exploration 

veloping,  testing,  producing,  and  putting  needs  of  the  United  States  and  the  free 

into  operation  the  Athis,  America's  first  world. 


13.  FEDERATION  AERONAUTIQUE  INTERNATIONALE  GOLD 
MEDAL 

The  FAI  Gold  Medal  is  awarded  to  those  who  have  contributed  highly 
to  the  development  of  aeronautics.  It  is  administered  by  the  Federation 
Aeronautique  Internationale,  U.S.  representative  of  which  is  the  National 
Aeronautic  Association. 


1925.  Gen  Francesco  de  Pinedo,  Italy. 
1026.  Sir  Alan  Cobham,  Great  Britain. 

1927.  Col.  Charles  A.  Lindbergh,  United 
States. 

1928.  H.  J.  L.  Hinkler,  Great  Britain. 

1929.  Dieudonne  Costes,  France. 

1930.  Gen.  Italo  Balbo,  Italy. 

1931.  Dr.  Hugo  Eckener,  Germany. 

1932.  Juan  de  la  Cierva,  Spain. 

1933.  Wiley  Post,  United  States. 

1934.  C.  W.  A.  Scott,  Great  Britain. 

1935.  No  award. 

1936.  Jean  Mermoz,  France. 

1937.  Miss  Jean  Batten,  Great  Britain. 

1938.  No  award  (tie  on  third  vote). 
1939-45.  No  awards. 

1946.  Igor  I.  Sikorsky. 


1947.  No  award  made. 

1948.  Capt.   Charles  E.   Yeager,   United 
States. 

1949.  No  award  made. 

1950.  Frank  Whittle. 

1951.  Dr.    Edward    P.    Warner,    United 
States. 

1952.  No  award  made. 

1953.  Jacqueline  Cochran,  United  States. 

1954.  Lt.  Gen.  James  H.  Doolittle,  United 
States. 

1955.  Maurice  Hurel,  France. 

1956.  L.  Peter  Twiss,  Great  Britain. 

1957.  Maj.    David    G.     Simons,    United 
States. 

1958.  Audrey      Micholaevich      Tupolev, 
U.S.S.R. 

1959.  Pierre  Satre,  France. 


175 


14.  FLIGHT  ACHIEVEMENT  AWARD  (AAS) 

Established  in  1958,  this  award  is  "presented  annually  to  the  pilot  or 
crew  who,  by  outstanding  ability  and  courage,  has  personally  extended 
the  frontiers  of  flight  from  the  earth's  environment  mto  space,"  The 
Flight  Achivement  Award  is  administered  by  the  American  Astronautical 
Society. 

1958.  Capt.  Iven  O.  Kincheloe,  USAF  (posthumously). 

1959.  A.  Scott  Crossfield. 

1960.  No  award. 


15.  ROBERT  H.  GODDARD  MEMORIAL  AWARD  (ARS) 

Established  in  1947,  the  Robert  H.  Goddard  Memorial  Award  is  pre- 
sented annually  for  outstanding  work  in  liquid  propellant  rockets.  It  is 
the  highest  award  of  the  American  Rocket  Society. 


1948.  John  Shesta. 

1949.  Calvin  M.  Bolster. 

1950.  Lovell  Lawrence,  Jr. 

1951.  Robert  C.  Truax. 

1952.  Richard  W.  Porter. 

1953.  David  A.  Young. 

1954.  A.  M.  O.  Smith. 


1955.  E.  N.  Hall. 

1956.  Chandler  C.  Ross. 

1957.  Thomas  F.  Dixon. 

1958.  Richard  B.  Canright. 

1959.  Samuel  K.  Hoffman. 

1960.  Theodore  von  Kdrmdn. 


16.  DANIEL  GUGGENHEIM  MEDAL 

Established  by  the  Daniel  Guggenheim  Fund  for  the  Promotion  of  Aero- 
nautics in  1928,  this  medal  is  given  for  notable  achievement  in  the  advance- 
ment of  aeronautics.  It  is  administered  by  the  Institute  of  Aeronautical 
Sciences,  the  Society  of  Automotive  Engineers,  the  American  Society  of 
Engineers,  and  the  United  Engineering  Trustees,  Inc. 


1929.  Orville  Wright. 

1930.  Ludwig  Prandtl. 

1931.  Frederick  W.  Lanchester. 

1932.  Juan  de  la  Cierva. 

1933.  Jerome  C.  Hunsaker. 


1934.  William  E.  Boeing. 

1935.  William  F.  Durand. 

1936.  George  W.  Lewis. 

1937.  Hugo  Eckener. 

1938.  Alfred  H.  R.  Fedden. 


176 


1939.  Donald  W,  Douglas. 

1940.  Glenn  L.  Martin. 

1941.  Juan  T.  Trippe. 

1942.  James  H.  Doolittle. 

1943.  Edmund  Turney  Allen. 

1944.  Lawrence  D.  Bell. 

1945.  Theodore  P.  Wright. 

1946.  Frank  Whittle. 

1947.  Lester  Durand  Gardner. 

1948.  Leroy  Randle  Grumman. 

1949.  Edward  P.  Warner. 


1950.  Hugh  L.  Dryden. 

1951.  Igor  I.  Sikorsky. 

1952.  Sir  Goeffrey  de  Havilland. 

1953.  Charles  A.  Lindbergh. 

1954.  Clarence  D.  Howe. 

1955.  Theodore  von  Kdrmdn. 

1956.  Frederick     B.     Rentschler     (post- 
humous). 

1957.  Arthur  E.  Raymond. 

1958.  William  Littlewood. 

1959.  Sir  George  R.  Edwards. 

1960.  Grover  Loening. 


17.  HARMON  INTERNATIONAL  TROPHIES 

Established  in  1926  by  Clifford  B.  Harmon,  early  balloonist  and  aviator, 
trophies  are  awarded  for  outstanding  achievements  in  the  arts  and/or 
sciences  of  aeronautics  for  the  preceding  year,  with  the  art  of  flying 
receiving  first  consideration.  It  is  administered  by  the  Clifford  B.  Har- 
mon Trust. 


Aviators 

1926.  Lt.  Col.  George  Pelletier-Doixy, 
France. 

1927.  Col.  Charles  A.  Lindbergh,  United 
States,  for  his  New  York  to  Paris  flight. 

1928.  Col.  Arturo  Ferrarin,  Italy,  for  his 
flight  from  Rome  to  Natal,  Brazil. 

1929.  Maj.  Dieudonne  Costes,  France. 

1930.  Maj.  Dieudonne  Costes,  France. 

1931.  Air  Marshall  Italo  Balbo,  Italy,  for 
leading  a  mass  flight  of  10  planes  from 
Orteballo,  Italy,  to  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
Brazil. 

1932.  Wolfgang  von  Gronau,  Germany. 

1933.  Wiley  Post,  United  States,  for  his 
world's  flight. 


1934.  Charles  W.  A.  Scott,  Great  Britain, 
for  winning  the  MacRobertson  race  from 
London  to  Melbourne. 

1935.  Capt.  Edwin  Musick,  United  States, 
for  his  pioneer  work  in  "China  Clipper" 
flights. 

1936.  Howard  Hughes,  United  States,  for 
his  fast  coast-to-coast  flight,  Los  Angeles 
to  Newark  in  7  hours  28  minutes  and 
25  seconds. 

1937.  Henry  T.  (Dick)  Merrill,  United 
States,  for  his  successful  return  flight  in 
the  scheduled  first  commercial  flight  be- 
tween New  York  and  London,  bringing  to 
the  United  States  the  first  motion  pic- 
tures of  the  British  coronation  cere- 
monies. 

1938.  Howard  Hughes,  United  States,  for 
outstanding  performance  in  his  world 
flight — 3  days  19  hours  8  minutes  and 
10  seconds. 


177 


1939.  Alexander  P.  de  Seversky,  United 
States. 

1940—49  (only  one  award  made).  Lt. 
Gen.  James  H.  Doolittle,  United  States, 
for  his  outstanding  personal  leadership, 
skill,  and  courage,  he  is  symbolic  of  all 
who  flew  in  the  Allied  cause  during  the 
World  War  II. 

1950.  Col.  David  C.  Schilling,  USAF,  for 
the  first  nonstop  jet  flight  between  Great 
Britain  and  the  United  States. 

1951.  Capt.  Charles  F.  Blair,  USAF,  for 
being  the  first  person  to  fly  a  single- 
engine  fighter  nonstop  across  the  North 
Pole  from  Europe  to  North  America. 

1952.  Col.  Bernt  Balchen,  USAF,  for  Arc- 
tic operations  including  many  flights. 

1953.  Maj.  Charles  E.  Yaeger,  USAF,  for 
piloting  the  Bell  X-IA  rocket  research 
plane  at  a  speed  of  1,650  mph. 

1954.  J.  F.  Coleman,  Convair  test  pilot, 
for  history's  first  transitional  flight  from 
vertical  takeoff  to  level  flight  in  the 
Navy's  XFY-1  VTO  experimental  flghter. 

1955.  Group  Capt.  John  Cunningham, 
RAP,  for  piloting  the  de  Havilland  Comet 
III  on  the  first  around-the-world  com- 
mercial jet  flight. 

1956.  Lt.  Col.  Frank  Everest,  USAF,  for 
flights  in  the  Bell  X-2  in  which  he  be- 
came the  first  man  to  fly  near  Mach  3. 

1957.  Gen.  Curtis  E.  LeMay,  USAF,  for 
piloting  a  KC-135  on  a  nonrefueling  rec- 
ord flight  from  Westover  AFB,  Mass.,  to 
Buenos  Aires,  Argentina. 

1958.  Maj.  Andr6  Turcat  of  France,  for 
the  first  flight  at  twice  the  speed  of 
sound. 

1959.  Capt.  Joe  B.  Jordan,  USAF,  for 
taking  an  F-104  to  an  altitude  record  of 
103,395.5  feet ;  and  Capt.  Joseph  W.  Kit- 
tinger,  Jr.,  USAF,  for  ballooning  to  a 
record  76,400  feet  in  an  open  gondola 
and  then  parachuting. 


Aviatrices 

1927.  Lady  Mary  Bailey,  Great  Britain. 

1928.  Lady  Mary  Bailey,  Great  Britain. 

1929.  Winifred  Spooner,  Great  Britain. 

1930.  Amy  Johnson  Mollison,  Great 
Britain. 

1931.  Maryse  Bastie,  France,  for  Paris- 
Tokyo  round-trip  flight. 

1932.  Amelia  Earhart  Putnam,  United 
States,  for  solo  transatlantic  flight. 

1933.  Maryse  Helsz,  France. 

1934.  Hel^ne  Boucher,  France. 

.  Maryse  Bastie,  France  (posthu- 
mously), for  speed  record. 

1935.  Amelia    Earhart    Putnam,    United 

States. 

.  Jean  Batten,  Great  Britain. 

1936.  Jean  Batten,  for  England-New  Zea- 
land flight. 

1937.  Jean  Batten,  for  Darwin  to  Eng- 
land flight. 

1938.  Jacqueline  Cochran,  United  States, 
wiimer  of  Bendix  race. 

1939.  Jacqueline  Cochran. 
1940—49.  Jacqueline  Cochran. 

1950.  No  award. 

1951.  Mme.  Jacqueline  Auriol,  France, 
for  jet  speed  record. 

1952.  Mme.  Jacqueline  Auriol,  France. 

1953.  Jacqueline  Cochran,  United  States, 
for  being  the  first  woman  to  break  the 
sound  barrier. 

1954.  No  award, 

1955.  Mme.  Jacqueline  Auriol,  France,  for 
becoming  w^orld's  fastest  woman  pilot. 

1956.  No  award. 


178 


Spherical  Balloonist   (Aeronauts) 
1026.  Gen.  Umberto  Nobile,  Italy. 

1927.  Comdr.     Charles     E.     Rosendahl, 

USN. 

1928.  Dr.  Hugo  Eckener,  Germany. 

1929.  Dr.  Hugo  Eckeuer,  Germany. 

1930.  Dr.  Hugo  Eckener,  Germany. 

.  Ward     T.     Van     Orman,     United 

States. 

1931.  Dr.  Hugo  Eckener,  Germany. 

1932.  Auguste  Piccard,  Switzerland. 

.  Capt.    Ernest    A.    Lehmann,    Ger- 
many. 

1933.  Dr.  Hugo  Eckener,  Germany. 
.  Lt.  Comdr.  T.  G.  W.  Settle,  USN. 

1934.  Capt.    Ernest    A.    Lehmann,    Ger- 
many. 

.  Jeannette  Piccard,  Switzerland. 

1935.  Capt.   Orvil   A.   Anderson,   United 
States. 

.  Capt.  H.  von  Schiller,  Germany. 

1936.  Capt.    Ernest    A.    Lehmann,    Ger- 
many. 

.  Ernest  De  Muyter,  Belgium. 

1940-49.  Vice  Adm.   Charles   E.   Rosen- 
dahl, USN. 

1950.  No  award. 

1951.  Lt.  Carl  J.  Seiberlieh,  USN. 

1952.  Walter  L.  Massie,  United  States. 

1953.  No  award. 

1954.  Capt.  Marion  H.  Eppes,  USN. 

1955.  Lt.  Comdr.  Charles  A.  Mills,  USN. 

1956.  Lt.  Comdr.  Malcolm  D.  Ross. 


National  Winners  United  States 
(Discontinued) 

Aviatois 

1926.  Shirley  J.  Short. 

1927.  Charles  A.  Lindbergh. 

1928.  Capt.  Carl  Ben  Eielson. 

1929.  Lt.  James  H.  Doolittle. 

1930.  Lt.  Comdr.  Frank  Hawks. 

1931.  Clyde  Pangborn. 

1932.  Lt.  Col.  Roscoe  Turner. 

1933.  Wiley  Post. 

1934.  Dean  Smith. 

1935.  Capt.  Edwin  C.  Musick. 

1936.  Howard  Hughes. 

1937.  Henry  T.  (Dick)  Merrill. 

1938.  Howard  Hughes. 

1939.  Col.  Robert  E.  Olds. 

Aviatrices 

1932.  Amelia  Earhart  Putnam. 

1933.  Anne  Morrow  Lindbergh. 

1934.  Laura  Ingalls. 

1935.  Amelia  Earhart  Putnam. 

1936.  Louise  Thaden. 

1937.  Jacqueline  Cochran. 

Dirigible  Pilots 

1932-33.  Comdr.  Charles  E.  Rosendahl. 

1934.  Herbert  V.  Wiley. 

Spherical  Balloon  Pilots 

1932-33.  Lt.  Comdr.  T.  G.  W.  Settle. 

1934.  Maj.  William  E.  Kepner. 

1935.  Capt.  Orvil  A.  Anderson. 


179 


18.  LOUIS  W.  HILL  SPACE  TRANSPORTATION  AWARD  (IAS) 

The  Louis  W.  Hill  Space  Transportation  Award  is  given  for  "significant 
contribution  indicative  of  American  enterprise  and  ingenuity  in  the  art 
and  science  of  space  flight."  Named  after  a  transportation  pioneer,  this 
award  is  administered  by  the  Institute  of  the  Aerospace  Sciences. 

1958.  Robert  H.  Goddard  (posthu-  1960.  S.  K.  Hoffman  and  Thomas  E. 
mously),  for  significant  contributions  in-  Dixon,  Roclietdyne  Division  of  North 
dicative  of  American  ingenuity  in  the  art  American  Aviation,  for  continuous 
and  sciences  of  space  flight.  leadership  in  the  development,  and  for 

extraordinary  improvements  in  the  thrust 

1959.  James  A.  Van  Allen,  State  Univer-  efficiency  and  reliability  of  powerplants 
sity  of  Iowa,  by  combining  simple  and  for  major  ballistic  missiles  and  space 
direct  techniques,  he  established  beyond      vehicle  boosters 

doubt  the  existence,  intensity,  and  extent 
of  the  radiation  belts  above  the  earth's 
surface  that  now  carry  his  name. 


19.  NELSON   P.   JACKSON  AEROSPACE  MEMORIAL  AWARD 

(NRC) 

Established  in  1960  in  honor  of  a  founder  of  the  National  Rocket  Club, 
the  Nelson  P.  Jackson  Aerospace  Memorial  Award  is  awarded  annually 
to  an  aerospace  industry  "for  an  outstanding  contribution  to  the  missile, 
aircraft,  and  space  field."     It  is  administered  by  the  National  Rocket  Club. 

1961.  The  U.S.  Air  Force  and  the  industry 
(Bell,  Douglas,  General  Electric,  Lock- 
heed, and  Rocketdyne  of  North  Ameri- 
can) responsible  for  the  Discoverer 
satellite  program,  which  made  the  first 
successful  recovery  of  an  object  from 
space  on  August  11,  1960. 


20.  JOHN  JEFFRIES  AWARD  (IAS) 

Established  in  1940  by  the  IAS  for  the  purpose  of  honoring  the  memory 
of  the  American  physician  who  made  the  first  flight  across  the  English 
Channel  with  Blanchard,  the  French  balloonist,  in  1785.  The  John 
Jeffries  Award  is  given  for  "outstanding  contributions  to  the  advancement 
of  aeronautics  through  medical  research."  It  is  administered  by  the 
Institute  of  the  Aerospace  Sciences. 

1940.  Dr.  Louis  H.  Bauer,  editor  of  1942.  Dr.  Edward  C.  Schneider,  Wes- 
Journal  of  Aviation  Medicine.  leyan  University. 

1941.  Maj.  Harry  G.  Armstrong,  USA  1943.  Brig.  Gen.  Eugene  G.  Reinartz, 
MO,  School  of  Aviation  Medicine.  AAF  School  of  Aviation  Medicine. 

180 


1944.  Sir  Harold  E.  Whittingham,  Royal 
Air  Force. 

1945.  Commodore  John  C.  Adams,  USN 
Aviation  Medicine. 

1946.  Dr.    Malcolm    C.    Grow,    8th    Air 
Force. 

1947.  Dr.  James  W.  Tice,  RCAF. 

1948.  Dr.  W.  Randolph  Lovelace  II. 

1949.  Dr.  Arnold  D.  Tuttle,  United  Air 
Lines. 

1950.  Brig.    Gen.    Otis    O.    Benson,    Jr., 
School  of  Aviation  Medicine. 

195L  Capt.  John  R.  Poppen,  USN  (MC). 

1952.  Lt.  Col.  John  P.  Stapp,  USAF. 


1953.  Capt.  Chas.  F.  Gell,  USN. 

1954.  Dr.  James  P.  Henry,  Aeromedical 
Laboratory. 

1955.  Capt.    Wilbur    E.    Kellum,    Naval 
Medical  Research  Institute. 

1956.  Ross  A.  McFarland,  Harvard  Uni- 
versity. 

3957.  Maj.     David     G.     Simons,     USAF 
(MC). 

1958.  Dr.    Hubertus    Strughold,    USAF 
School  of  Aviation  Medicine. 

1959.  Brig.  Gen.  Don  Flickinger,  USAF. 

1960.  Capt.    Joseph    W.    Kittinger,    Jr., 
USAF. 


21.  ALEXANDER  KLEMIN  AWARD  (AHS) 

Established  in  1951  in  honor  of  the  memory  of  the  late  Dr.  Alexander 
Klemin,  eminent  aeronautical  engineer,  educator,  author,  and  pioneer  of 
rotary- wing  aeronautics,  it  is  awarded  each  year  for  "engineering,  design, 
and  invention  in  the  field  of  rotary-wing  aircraft."  It  is  administered 
by  the  American  Helicopter  Society. 


1951.  Igor  I.  Sikorsky. 

1952.  Louis  Breguet,  France. 

1953.  Raoul  Hafner,  England. 

1957.  Capt.  Wayne  Eggert,  USAF  (post- 
1954.  Michael    Glubareff,    Sikorsky  Air-      humously). 
craft. 


1955.  Bartram  Kelley,  Bell  Aircraft. 

1956.  Charles    H.     Zimmerman,    NACA 
Langley  Aeronautical  Laboratory. 


22.  THE  LANGLEY  MEDAL 

Established  in  1908  by  the  Regents  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  the 
Langley  Medal  was  initiated  by  Alexander  Graham  Bell  for  the  purpose 
of  presenting  an  American  award  to  the  Wright  Brothers.  Presented 
only  upon  occasion,  the  medal  is  awarded  by  motion  of  the  Secretary  of 
the  Smithsonian  and  a  designated  committee  "for  specially  meritorious 
investigations  in  connection  with  the  science  of  aerodromics  and  its  appli- 
cation to  aviation." 


1909.  Wilbur  and  Orville  Wright. 
1913.  Glenn  H.  Curtiss. 


1913.  Gustave  Eiffel. 

1927.  Charles  A.  Lindbergh. 


692561—61- 


-13 


181 


1929.  Richard  E.  Byrd.  1955.  Dr.  Jerome  C.  Hunsaker. 

1929.  Charles  M.  Manly.  1960.  Dr.    Robert    H.    Goddard     (post- 

humously). 
1935.  Dr.  Joseph  S.  Ames. 


23.  ERIC  LILJENCRANTZ  AWARD  (AMA) 

Established  in  1956,  the  Eric  Liljencrantz  Award  is  given  annually  for 
the  best  paper  on  basic  research  in  the  problems  of  acceleration  and  alti- 
tude.   It  is  administered  by  the  Aerospace  Medical  Association. 

1957.  Col.  John  P.  Stapp,  USAF  (MC).         1960.  James    D.    Hardy,    Ph.    D,    Bala- 

Cynwyd,  Pa. 

1958.  Brig.  Gen.  Victor  A.  Byrnes,  USAF 

(MC).  1961.  Capt.  Ashton  Graybiel,  MC  USN. 

1959.  Capt.    Edward    L.    Beckman,    MC 

USN. 


24.  RAYMOND  F.  LONGACRE  AWARD  (AMA) 

Established  in  1947,  the  Raymond  F.  Longacre  Award  is  annually 
awarded  for  "outstanding  achievement  in  the  psychiatric  and  psychologic 
aspects  of  aviation  medicine."  It  is  administered  by  the  Aerospace  Med- 
ical Association. 

1947.  Ross  A.  McFarland  (Boston,  19.54.  John  C.  Flanagan  (University  of 
Mass.).  Pittsburgh). 

1948.  Detlev  Bronk  (Baltimore,  Md.).  1955.  Roy  R.  Grinker  (Chicago,  111.). 

1949.  Sir  Charles  P.  Symonds  (London,  1956.  Saul  B.  Sells,  SAM  (San  Antonio, 
England).  Tex.), 

1950.  Donald  W.  Hastings  (Minneapolis,  1957.  Brig.  Gen.  Eugene  G.  Runartz, 
Minn.).  USAF  (MC). 

1951.  Col.  Neely  C.  Mashburn,  USAF  1958.  Col.  Harry  G.  Moseley,  USAF 
(San  Antonio,  Tex.).  (MC). 

1952.  Sir  Frederick  Bartlett  (Cambridge,  1959.  Capt.  George  E.  Ruff,  USAF  (MC). 
England). 


1953.  Walter  F.  Grether  (Wright-Patter- 
son AFB,  Ohio). 


1960.  Brant  Clark   (San  Jose,  Calif.). 


25.  ROBERT  M.  LOSEY  AWARD  (IAS) 

Established  by  the  Institute  of  the  Aeronautical  Sciences  in  1940  in  mem- 
ory of  the  first  U.S.  officer  in  military  service  to  die  in  World  War  II, 

182 


the  Robert  M.  Losey  Award  is  annually  given  "in  recognition  of  out- 
standing contributions  to  the  science  of  meteorology  as  applied  to  aero- 
nautics."   It  is  administered  by  the  Institute  of  the  Aerospace  Sciences. 


1940.  Henry  G.  Houghton,  Jr.,  MIT. 

1941.  Horace    R.    Byers,    University   of 
Chicago. 

1942.  Francis    W.     Reichelderfer,     U.S. 
Weather  Bureau. 

1943.  Lt.  Col.  Joseph  J.  George,  USAAF. 

1944.  John   C.   Bellamy,   AAF  Weather 
Service. 

1945.  Lt.     Col.     Harry     Wexler,     U.S. 
Weather  Bureau. 

1946.  Carl  G.  Rossby,  University  of  Chi- 
cago. 

1947.  Col.  Benjamin  G.  Holzman,  USAF. 

1948.  Paul  A.  Humphrey,  U.S.  Weather 
Bureau. 


1949.  William     Lewis,     U.S. 
Bureaii. 


Weather 


1951.  Ivan  R.  Tannehill,  U.S.  Weather 
Bureau. 

1952.  Dr.  Vincent  J.  Schaefer,  General 
Electric. 

1953.  Henry  T.  Harrison,  Jr.,  United  Air 
Lines. 

1954.  Hermann  B.  Wobus,  NAS  Norfolk. 

1955.  Lt.  Col.  Robert  C.  Bundgaard, 
USAF  Weather  Service. 

1956.  Ross  Gunn,  U.S.  Weather  Bureau. 

1957.  Jule  G.  Charney,  MIT. 

1958.  Patrick  B.  McTaggart-Cowan, 
Canadian  Meteorology  Office,  Toronto, 
Canada. 

1959.  Herbert  Riehl,  University  of  Chi- 
cago. 

1960.  Thomas  F.  Malone,  Travelers  In- 
surance Co. 


1950.  Roscoe   R.   Braham,   New   Mexico 
School  of  Mines. 


26.  THEODORE  C.  LYSTER  AWARD 


Established  in  1947  by  the  Aero  Medical  Association,  this  award  is  given 
"for  outstanding  achievement  in  the  general  field  of  aviation  medicine." 
It  is  administered  by  the  Aerospace  Medical  Association. 


1947.  Louis  H.  Bauer. 

1948.  Wilbur  R.  Franks   (Toronto,  Can- 
ada). 

1949.  Brig.    Gen.    Harry   G.   Armstrong, 
USAF  (MC). 

1950.  Capt.  Ashton  Graybiel,  MO  USN. 

1951.  Rear  Adm.  Bertram  Groesbeck,  Jr., 
MC  USN. 

1952.  Kenneth     A.     Evelyn     (Montreal, 
Canada). 

1953.  Capt.  Wilbur  E.  KeUum,  MC  USN. 


1954.  WiUiam  R.  Stovall,  CAA. 

1955.  Brig.    Gen.    Otis   O.    Benson,    Jr., 
USAF  (MC). 

1956.  Brig.    Gen,    Don    Flickinger,    Jr., 
USAF  (MC). 

1957.  Capt.  Charles  F.  Cell,  MC  USN. 

1958.  Dr.    Hubertus    Strughold,     USAF 
SAM. 

1959.  Capt.    Clifford    P.    Phoebus,    MC 

USN. 

1960.  Air  Commodore  A.  A.  G.  Corbet, 
RCAF. 


183 


27.  THE  MACKAY  TROPHY  (USAF) 


The  Mackay  Trophy  is  awarded  "to  the  Air  Force  person  or  persons  who 
made  the  most  meritorious  flight  of  the  year."  It  is  administered  by  the 
U.S.  Air  Force. 


1912.  Lt.  Henry  H.  Arnold,  for  recon- 
naissance flight. 

1913.  Lt.  J.  E.  Carberry  and  Lt.  F. 
Snydel,  for  reconnaissance  flight. 

1914.  Capt.  T.  F.  Dodd  and  Lt.  S.  W. 
Fitzgerald,    for    reconnaissance     flight. 

1915.  Lt.  B,  Q.  Jones,  for  American 
duration  record. 

1916-17.  No  award  due  to  war. 

1918.  Capt.  E.  V.  Rickenbacker,  for 
ofljcial  record  in  combat. 

1919.  Lt.  Belvin  N.  Maynard  and  others, 
for  their  flights  between  Atlantic  and 
Paciflc  and  return. 

1920.  Capt.  St.  Clair  Streett,  leader  of 
Alaskan  flight. 

1921.  Lt.  J.  A.  Maeready,  for  world's 
altitude  record. 

1922.  Lts.  J.  A.  Maeready  and  C.  G. 
Kelly,  for  world's  duration  record. 

1923.  Lts.  J.  A.  Maeready  and  C.  G. 
Kelly,  for  nonstop  transcontinental  flight. 

1924.  Capt.  Lowell  H.  Smith  and  others, 
for  first  round-the-world  flight. 

1925.  Lt.  James  H.  Doolittle  and  Lt. 
Cyrus  K.  Bettis,  for  Schneider  Trophy 
and  Pulitzer  race  awards,   respectively. 

1926.  Maj.  H.  A.  Dargue  and  others,  for 
Pan  American  good-will  flight. 

1927.  Capts.  L.  J.  Maitland  and  A.  F. 
Hegenberger,  for  nonstop  flight  to 
Hawaii. 

1928.  Lt.  Harry  A.  Sutton,  for  spinning 
tests. 

1929.  Capt.  Albert  W.  Stevens,  for  his 
long-distance  and  high-altitude  photog- 
raphy. 


1930.  Maj.  Ralph  Royce,  for  "Arctic 
Patrol"  flight. 

1931.  Brig.  Gen.  B.  D.  Foulois,  for 
leadership  in  1931  maneuvers. 

1932.  Lt.  Chas.  H.  Howard  and  others, 
for  Navajo  relief  flights. 

1933.  Capt.  Westside  T.  Larson,  for 
frontier  defense  flights. 

1934.  Brig.  Gen.  Henry  H.  Arnold,  for 
Alaskan  flight. 

1935.  Major  A.  W.  Stevens  and  Capt. 
O.  A.  Anderson,  for  stratosphere  flight 
in  Explorer  II  balloon. 

1936.  Capt.  Richard  E.  Nugent  and 
others,  for  successful  flight  under  ad- 
verse conditions  from  Langley  Field  to 
Allegan,  Mich. 

1937.  Capt.  Carl  J.  Crane  and  George  V. 
Holloman,  for  developing  and  demon- 
strating automatic  landing  system. 

1938.  Lt.  Col.  Robert  Olds  and  others,  for 
B-17  flight  to  Argentina. 

1939.  Officers  and  men  flying  medical 
supplies  from  Langley  Field  to  Santiago, 
Chile. 

1940-45.  No  awards, 

1947.  Capt.  Charles  E.  Yeager,  for  the 
first  supersonic  flight  in  XS-1. 

1948.  Lt.  Col.  Emil  Beaudry,  for  rescue 
of  12  airmen  from  Greenland  Icecap. 

1949.  Capt.  James  G.  Gallaher  and  crew 
for  Lucky  Lady  II,  for  first  round-the- 
world  nonstop  flight. 

1950.  The  27th  Fighter  Wing,  for  its  1950 
mass  flight  across  the  Atlantic. 

1951.  Col.  Fred  J.  Ascani,  for  new  world 
speed  record  at  National  Air  Races. 


184 


1952.  Maj.  Louis  H.  Carrington,  Jr.,  Maj. 
Fred  W.  Shook,  and  Capt.  Wallace  D. 
Taney,  for  the  first  nonstop  transpacific 
flight  of  an  RB^5  jet  flight,  3,460  nauti- 
cal miles  with  two  air  refuelings. 

1953.  SAC'S  40th  Air  Division,  for  long- 
est nonstop  flight  over  water  ever  flown 
by  single-engine  jet  aircraft. 

1954.  SAC'S  38th  Air  Division,  for  inter- 
continental maneuver  with  B^7  and  de- 
termining fatigue  limits  of  combat 
crews. 

1955.  Col.  Horace  A.  Hanes,  for  estab- 
lishing world's  speed  record. 


1956.  Capt.  Iven  C.  Kincheloe,  Jr.,  for 
flight  of  X-2  to  world  altitude  record. 

1957.  SAC'S  93d  Bombardment  Wing,  for 
Operation  Powerflight. 

1958.  TAC's  Composite  Air  Strike  Force, 
for  deployment  to  the  Far  East. 

1959.  USAF  Thunderbird  Aerial  Team, 
for  good-will  tour  of  Far  East. 

1960.  USAF  6593d  Test  Squadron  (Spe- 
cial), Hickam  AFB,  Hawaii,  which 
made  the  first  aerial  recovery  of  an  ob- 
ject from  space  orbiL 


28.  CHARLES  MATTHEWS  MANLY  MEMORIAL  AWARD  (SAE) 

Awarded  "to  the  author  of  the  best  paper  relating  to  theory  or  practice 
in  the  design  or  construction  of,  or  research  on,  aerospace  engines,  their 
parts,  components,  or  accessories  which  shall  have  been  presented  at  a 
meeting  of  the  society  (SAE)  or  any  of  its  sections  during  the  calendar 
year."    It  is  administered  by  the  Society  of  Automotive  Engineers. 


1928.  Sam  D.  Heron,  "The  In-Line  Air- 
Cooled  Engine." 

1929.  No.  award. 

1930.  Dr.  Oscar  C.  Bridgeman,  "The  Ef- 
fect of  Airplane  Fuel-Line  Design  on  Va- 
por Lock." 

1931.  No  award. 

1932.  Ford  L.  Prescott,  "Indicators  as  a 
Means  of  Improving  Aircraft  Engine 
Performance." 

1933.  A.  H.  R.  Fedden,  "Possible  Future 
Developments       in       Air-Cooled      Aero 

Engines.'' 

1934.  Rex  B.  Beisel,  A.  L.  MacClain,  and 
F.  M.  Thomas,  "Cowling  and  Cooling  of 
Radial  Air-Cooled  Aircraft  Engines." 

1935.  Guy  E.  Beard.sley,  Jr.,  "Automatic 
Power  and  Mixture  Control  for  Aircraft 
Engines." 

1936.  Raymond  W.  Young,  "Air-Cooled 
Radial  Aircraft  Engine  Performance." 

1937.  Richard  S.  Buck,  "Flight  Testing 
With  an  Engine  Torque  Indicator." 


1938.  A.  L.  Berger  and  Opie  Chenoweth, 
"Supercharger  Installation  Problems." 


1939.  E.    W.    Hives    and    F.    L. 
"High  Output  Aircraft  Engines." 

1940.  No  award. 


Smith, 


1941.  No  award. 

1942.  John  Dolza  and  H.  C.  Karcher, 
"Correlation  of  Ground  and  Altitude 
Performance  of  Oil  Systems." 

1943.  J.  O.  Almen,  "Shot  Blasting  To 
Increase  Fatigue  Resistance." 

1944.  Kenneth  Campbell,  "Engine  Cool- 
ing Fan  Theory  and  Practice." 

1945.  No  award. 

1946.  Cearcy  D.  Miller,  "Roles  of  Deto- 
nation Waves  and  Auto-Ignition  in  Spark 
Ignition  Engine  Knock  as  Shown  by 
Photographs  Taken  at  40,000  and  200,000 
Frames  per  Second." 

1947.  Erold  F.  Pierce  and  Harvey  W. 
Welsh,  "Engine  Compounding  for  Power 
and  EflSciency." 


185 


1948.  Andrew  Kalitinsky,  "Atomic  Power 
and  Aircraft  Propulsion." 

1949.  No  award. 

1950.  No  award. 

1951.  J.  M.  Mergen  and  J.  H.  Kasley, 
"Operating  Characteristics  of  Propellers 
for  Turboprop  Airplanes." 

1952.  R.  B.  Gorton  and  B.  E.  Miller,  "In- 
strumentation for  Aircraft  Gas  Turbine 
Development." 

1953.  No  award. 

1954.  John  M.  Tyler  and  E.  C.  Perry,  Jr., 
"Jet  Noise." 


1955.  George  F.  Wislicenus,  "Principles 
and  Applications  of  By-Pass  Turbojet 
Engines." 

1956.  William  A.  Benser  and  Harold  B. 
Finger,  "Compressor  Stall  Problems  in 
Gas  Turbine  Type  Aircraft  Engines." 

1957.  R.  E.  MatzdorfE  and  C.  F.  New- 
berry, "Requirements,  Parameters,  and 
Design  Considerations  for  Pneumatic 
and  Inlet  Control  Systems." 

1958.  Robert  H.  Boden,  "Ion  Rocket  En- 
gine." 

1959.  No  award. 

1960.  Donald  B.  Mackay,  "Secondary 
Power  Systems  for  Space  Vehicles." 


29.  CLARENCE  L.  MEISINGER  AWARD  (AMS) 

The  Clarence  Leroy  Meisinger  Award  is  given  from  time  to  time  for 
outstanding  research  contributions  by  meteorologists  under  35  years  of 
age.     It  is  administered  by  the  American  Meteorological  Society. 


1938.  Jerome  Namias,  for  application  of 
thermodynamic  tools  to  weather  fore- 
casting. 

1941.  Joseph  Johnson  George,  for  fog 
forecasting  studies. 

1946.  Morris  Nerburger,  for  studies  of 
stratus  clouds. 

1947.  Herbert  Riehl,  for  aerological 
studies  in  tropical  and  subtropical  mete- 
orology. 

1948.  James  Edward  Miller,  for  studies 
in  vertical  motion. 

1949.  Jule  Gregory  Charney  and  Amt 
Eliassen,  for  applying  numerical  methods 
to  weather  prediction. 

1950.  John  C.  Freeman,  Jr.,  and  Morris 
Tepper,  for  contributions  in  the  applica- 
tion of  hydraulic  analogies. 


1951.  Dave  Fultz,  for  application  of  ex- 
perimental fluid  mechanics  to  problems 
of  atmospheric  circulation. 

1953-55.  No  award. 

1956.  Ernest  J.  Fawbush  and  Robert  C. 
Miller,  for  pioneering  studies  on  tor- 
nadoes and  other  local  storms. 

1957.  Dave  Atlas,  for  pioneering  contri- 
butions in  radar  meterology. 

1958.  No  award. 

1959.  Robert  G.  Fleagle,  for  research 
contributions  on  the  dynamics  of  large- 
scale  motions  of  the  atmosphere. 

1960.  Philip  D.  Thompson  and  Norman 
A.  Phillips,  for  theoretical  and  applied 
research  in  the  field  of  numerical 
weather  prediction. 


186 


30.  HARRY  G.  MOSELEY  AWARD  (AMA) 

Established  in  memory  of  Colonel  Moseley,  this  award  is  given  for  an 
outstanding  contribution  to  flight  safety.  First  award  will  be  given  in 
1961.    Administered  by  the  Aerospace  Medical  Association. 


31.  NACA/NASA  DISTINGUISHED  SERVICE  MEDAL 

The  NASA  Distinguished  Service  Medal  is  awarded  to  NASA  personnel 
for  "outstanding  scientific  achievement,  outstanding  leadership  in  aero- 
nautical and  space  science,  an  outstanding  contribution  to  public  admin- 
istration, or  outstanding  bravery."  Recommendations  for  this  award  are 
reviewed  by  the  NASA  Incentive  Awards  Board.  It  is  NASA's  highest 
award. 


NACA 

Jauuary  19,  1956.  Richard  T.  Whitcomb, 
for  discovery  and  experiineutal  verifica- 
tion of  the  area  rule  nialiing  possible 
supersonic  flight  by  military  aircraft. 

April  19,  1956.  Charles  W.  Littleton  and 
John  W.  Moise,  for  outstanding  bravery 
beyond  the  call  of  duty  following  explo- 
sion of  X-IA  airplane  on  August  8,  1955, 
risking  life  to  save  the  life  of  a  fellow 
employee. 

March  21,  1957.  Jerome  C.  Hunsaker,  for 
fundamental  contributions  to  aeronauti- 
cal science  since  1913. 

April  18.  1957.  H.  Julian  Allen,  for  dis- 
covery that  blunt  shapes  for  warheads  of 
long-range  missiles  greatly  reduced  heat 
input  and  impart  inherent  stability  dur- 
ing reentry  into  the  atmosphere. 

April  18,  1957.  I.  Irving  Pinkel,  for  sci- 
entific research  on  causes  of  fire  and  of 


impact  hazards  in  aircraft  crashes  lead- 
ing to  successful  demonstrations  and 
preventive  design. 

August  21,  1958.  John  Francis  Victory, 
for  vision  and  courage  in  strengthening 
NACA  throughout  43  years  and  in  pro- 
moting aeronautical  research. 


NASA 

June  30,  1959.  John  W.  Crowley,  Jr.,  for 
accelerating  progress  in  aircraft,  mis- 
siles, and  spacecraft  by  scientific  investi- 
gations and  promoting  teamwork  and 
cooperation  with  the  military  and 
industry. 

May  5,  1961.  Alan  B.  Shepard,  Jr.,  for  his 
flight  as  the  first  U.S.  astronaut  was  an 
outstanding  contribution  to  the  advance- 
ment of  human  knowledge  of  space  tech- 
nology and  a  demonstration  of  man's 
capabilities  in  suborbital  space  flight. 


187 


32.  NACA/NASA  EXCEPTIONAL  SERVICE  MEDAL 

The  NASA  Exceptional  Service  Medal  is  the  second  highest  award  in 
the  NASA  Incentive  Awards  Program.  It  is  given  to  NASA  personnel 
for  "significant  scientific  achievement,  significant  leadership  in  aeronau- 
tical and  space  science,  a  significant  contribution  to  public  administration, 
or  unusual  courage  or  competence  in  an  emergency."  Recommendations 
are  reviewed  by  the  NASA  Incentive  Awards  Board. 

April  5, 1956.  Stanley  P.  Butchart,  Joseph  sociated  with   aircraft  nuclear   propul- 

A.  Walker,  and  Richard  G.  Payne,  for  sion. 
extreme  courage  and  competence  in  an 

emergency  during  flight  test  of  X-IA  October  4,  1957.  John  B.  Parkinson,  for 
rocket  research  aircraft.  his  analysis  and  experimental  verifica- 
tion of  the  principle  that  high-beam 
August  20,  1957.  Seymour  Lieblein,  for  ratios  improve  hydrodynamic  and  aero- 
significant  scientific  results  in  research  dynamic  characteristics  of  seaplane  hulls, 
on  axial-flow  compressors. 

October  4,  1957.  Anshal  I.  Neihouse,  for 
August  20,  1957.  Robert  G.  Deissler,  for  leadership  in  the  development  of  spin  re- 
significant  scientific  results  in  solution  of  search  techniques  and  the  art  of  predict- 
fluid  flow  and  heat  transfer  problems  of  ing  spin-and-recovery  characteristics, 
great  value  in  solution  of  problems  as- 


33.  NASA  INVENTIONS  AND  CONTRIBUTIONS  AWARD 

Section  306  of  the  National  Aeronautics  and  Space  Act  of  1958  (42  U.S.C. 
2458)  authorized  the  Administrator  of  NASA,  upon  recommendation  of 
the  NASA  Inventions  and  Contributions  Board,  to  make  monetary  awards 
not  exceeding  $100,000  for  any  scientific  or  teclmical  contribution  which 
has  significant  value  in  the  conduct  of  aeronautical  and  space  activities. 
Awards  exceeding  $100,000  must  be  reported  to  the  appropriate  com- 
mittees of  the  Congress  and  if  the  Congress  takes  no  action  or  does  not 
veto  the  proposed  award,  it  may  be  made. 

January  17,  1961.  Dr.  Frank  T.  McClure 
in  amount  of  $3,000  for  the  Satellite  Dop- 
pler  Navigation  System  Concept  (which 
became  the  basis  for  the  Navy's  Project 
Transit) .    This  was  the  first  award. 


188 


34.  NATIONAL  AIR  COUNCIL  RESEARCH  AWARD 

Until  the  operation  of  the  National  Air  Council  was  suspended  in  1951, 
this  award  was  given  "to  one  member  of  the  Air  Force  and  one  member 
of  the  Navy,  who,  in  the  opinion  of  the  respective  departments,  contrib- 
uted most  in  the  pi-evious  fiscal  year  in  the  field  of  aviation  research  and 
experiment." 


1948.  Rear  Adm.  Theodore  C.  Lonnquest, 

USN. 
Col.  James  M.  Gillespie,  USAF. 

1949.  Capt.  William  V.  Davis,  Jr.,  USN. 
Capt.  A^incent  Mazza,  USAF. 


1950.  Rear  Adm.  Calvin  M.  Bolster,  USN. 
Capt.  James  L.  Hight,  USAF. 

1951.  Capt.  Walter  S.  Diehl,  USN  (Ret). 
Maj.  John  P.  Stapp,  USAF. 


35.  NATIONAL  ROCKET  CLUB  AWARD 

Established  in  1960,  the  National  Rocket  Club  Award  is  presented  annu- 
ally "in  recognition  of  an  individual  or  group  of  individuals  who  have 
added  to  the  public  understanding  of  the  impact  of  the  space  age  upon 
our  Nation  and  all  mankind."  It  is  administered  by  the  National  Rocket 
Club. 

1961.  Edward  R.  Murrow,  CBS. 


36.  G.  EDWARD  PENDRAY  AWARD  (ARS) 

The  G.  Edward  Pendray  Award  is  granted  annually  for  the  outstanding 
contribution  to  astronautical  literature.  It  is  administered  by  the  Amer- 
ican Rocket  Society. 


1951.  George  P.  Sutton. 

1952.  M.  J.  Zucrow. 

1953.  H.  S.  Tsien. 

1954.  Martin  Summerfield. 

1955.  Walter  Domberger. 


1956.  Hermann  Oberth. 

1957.  Grayson  Merrill. 

1958.  Homer  E.  Newell,  Jr. 

1959.  All  Bulent  Cambel. 

1960.  Luigi  Crocco. 


189 


37.  PROPULSION  AWARD  (ARS) 


Established  in  1948,  the  C.  N.  Hickman  Award  was  dedicated  to  the 
memory  of  the  American  rocket  pioneer  and  renamed  the  Propulsion 
Award  in  1952.  It  is  awarded  annually  for  outstanding  work  in  solid 
propellant  rockets.     It  is  administered  by  the  American  Rocket  Society. 


1948.  Frank  Malina. 

1949.  James  A.  Van  Allen. 

1950.  Leslie  Skinner. 

1951.  William  Avery. 

1952.  A.  L.  Antonio. 

1953.  Charles  E.  Hartley. 

1954.  Harold  W.  Ritchey. 


1955.  F.  S.  Miller. 

1956.  Bruce  H.  Sage. 

1957.  Levering  Smith. 

1958.  Barnet  R.  Adelman. 

1959.  Ernest  Roberts. 

1960.  Ernest  Stuhlinger. 


38.  SYLVANUS  ALBERT  REED  AWARD  (IAS) 

Established  in  1933  in  memory  of  a  founder-member  of  IAS,  the  Sylvanus 
Albert  Reed  Award  is  awarded  annually  "for  a  notable  contribution  to  the 
aeronautical  sciences  resulting  from  experimental  or  theoretical  investi- 
gations, the  beneficial  influence  of  which  on  the  development  of  practical 
aeronautics  is  apparent."  It  is  administered  by  the  Institute  of  the  Aero- 
space Sciences. 


1934.  C.  G.  Rossby  and  H.  G.  Willett, 
MIT,  for  practical  application  of  the 
polar  front  theory. 

1935.  Frank  W.  Caldwell,  Hamilton 
Standard  Propeller,  United  Aircraft,  for 
increasing  aircraft  effectiveness  through 
development  and  improvement  of  control- 
lable and  constant  speed  propellers. 

1936.  Edward  Story  Taylor,  for  the  de- 
velopment and  practical  application  of 
the  dynamic  vibration  absorber  for  air- 
craft engines. 

1937.  Eastman  Nixon  .Jacobs,  NACA,  for 
his  contribution  to  the  aerodynamic  im- 
provement of  airfoils. 


1938.  Alfred  Victor  de  Forest,  MIT,  for 
development  of  method  for  testing  metals 
magnetically. 

1939.  George  J.  Mead,  NACA,  for  the  de- 
sign and  development  of  high-output  air- 
craft engines. 

1940.  Hugh  Latimer  Dryden,  National 
Bureau  of  Standards,  for  his  contribu- 
tions to  the  mechanics  of  boundary 
layer  flow  and  to  the  interpretation  of 
wind  tunnel  experiments. 

1941.  Theodore  von  Kdrman,  California 
Institute  of  Technology,  for  development 
of  theory  of  the  influence  of  curvature  on 
buckling  characteristics  of  aircraft 
structures. 


190 


1942.  Igor  Ivan  Sikorsky,  for  the  crea- 
tion and  reduction  to  successful  practice 
of  a  helicopter  of  superior  controllability. 

1943.  Sanford  A.  Moss,  General  Elec- 
tric, for  the  development  of  the 
turbosupercharger. 

1944.  Fred  E.  Weick,  Engineering  and 
Research  Corp.,  for  his  contribution  to 
the  development  of  tricycle  landing  gear 
and  to  the  two  control  nonspinning 
airplane. 

1945.  Charles  S.  Draper,  MIT,  for  ap- 
plication of  the  gyroscope  of  computing 
sights  for  gunnery  and  to  other  com- 
puting devices. 

1946.  Robert  T.  Jones,  NACA,  for  his 
contribution  to  the  undei-standing  of  flow 
phenomena  around  wings  and  bodies  at 
si)eeds  below  and  above  the  speed  of 
sound. 

1947.  Galen  B.  Schubauer  and  Harold  K. 
Skramstad,  National  Bureau  of  Stand- 
ards, for  their  contributions  to  the  un- 
derstanding of  the  mechanism  of  tran- 
sition from  laminar  to  turbulent  flow. 

1948.  George  W.  Brady,  Curtiss-Wright 
Corp.,  for  development  of  the  reversing 
propeller  resulting  in  shorter  landing 
runs  for  large  aircraft. 

1949.  George  S.  Schairer,  Boeing  Air- 
plane, for  contributions  to  design  and  de- 
velopment of  large  sweptwing  high-si)eed 
aircraft. 

1950.  Robert  R.  Gilmth,  NACA,  for  the 
conception  and  development  of  new  tech- 
niques for  obtaining  transonic  and 
supersonic  data  using  freely  flying 
models. 

1951.  E.  H.  Heinemann,  Douglas  Air- 
craft, for  design  and  development  of  ex- 
perimental    aircraft    for     investigating 


transonic        and 
phenomena. 


supersonic 


flight 


1952.  John  Stack,  NACA,  for  his  leader- 
ship in  the  design,  development,  and 
practical  operation  of  transonic  wind 
tunnels. 

1953.  Earnest  G.  Stout,  Consolidated 
Vultee,  for  contributions  to  the  design 
and  development  of  high-speed,  water- 
based  aircraft. 

1954.  Clark  B.  Millikan,  California  Insti- 
tute of  Technology,  for  contributions  to 
fluid  mechanics,  airplane  aerodynamics, 
and  wind  tunnel  technology. 

1955.  H.  Julian  Allen,  NACA,  for  con- 
tributions and  leadership  in  solving 
problems  in  the  design  of  supersonic  air- 
planes and  missiles,  especially  the 
thermal  problems  at  hypersonic  speeds. 

1956.  Clarence  L.  Johnson,  Lockheed 
Aircraft,  for  contributions  in  solving 
problems  in  design  of  supersonic  air- 
planes and  missiles,  especially  the 
thermal  problems  at  hypersonic  speeds. 

1957.  Raymond  L.  Bisplinghoflf,  MIT,  for 
developing  ways  to  calculate  aircraft 
loads  and  stresses. 

1958.  Victor  Carbonara,  Kollsman  In- 
strument, for  basic  engineering  concept 
and  leadership  in  the  development  of 
automatic  celestial  navigation  systems 
for  aircraft,  and  their  integration  in  cur- 
rent weapon  systems. 

1959.  Karel  J.  Bossart,  Convair,  for  sig- 
niflcant  contributions  to  the  design  and 
development  of  the  Atlas  ICBM. 

1960.  John  V.  Becker,  NASA,  for  contri- 
butions to  the  advancement  of  aeronau- 
tical science  at  hypersonic  speeds  and 
leadership  in  translating  these  advances 
into  the  designs  of  manned,  winged, 
hypersonic  vehicles. 


191 


39.  CARL-GUSTAF  ROSSBY  AWARD  (AMS) 

Until  1958  the  Award  for  Extraordinary  Scientific  Achievement,  the 
Carl-Gustaf  Rossby  Award,  is  given  for  scientific  achievement  in  the  field 
of  meteorology.  It  is  administered  by  the  American  Meteorological 
Society. 

1951.  Hurd  Curtis  Willett,  for  contribu-  contributions  to  the  science  of  meteorol- 

tions  to  synoptic  meteorology.  ogy  and  tlie  national  interests  in  develop- 
ing   the   modern,    high-speed    electronic 

1953.  Carl-Gustaf  Arvid  Rossby,  for  con-  computer  with  meteorological  application 

tributions  to  dynamic  meteorology  lead-  ^s  its  ultimate  aim,  and  for  support  in 

ing  to  a  better  understanding  of  atmos-  organizing    the    world's    first    research 

pheric  motions  and  thermodynamics.  g^oup  in  numerical  weather  prediction. 

1955.  Jerome  Namias,  for  contributions 

to  research  in  extended  and  long-range  I960.  J.  Bjerknes  and  Erik  Palmen,  for 
forecasting  techniques.  distinguished  research   contributions  in 

atmospheric     dynamics     and     synoptic 

1956.  John  von  Neumann,  for  farsighted       aerology. 


40.  THE  DAVID  C.  SCHILLING  AWARD  (AFA) 

Awarded  for  distinguished  services  in  the  field  of  flight.  Founded  in 
1948  as  the  Flight  Trophy,  award  was  renamed  in  1957  in  honor  of  the 
late  Colonel  Schilling.    Administered  by  the  Air  Force  Association. 

1948.  Herbert    H.    Hoover,    NACA    test       1954.  Charles  Yeager,  USAF. 
pUot. 

1955.  Maj.  Stuart  Childs,  USAF. 

1949.  Bill  Odom,  private  pilot.  George  Welch   (posthumously). 

1950.  Capt.  James  Jabara,  world's  first       1956.  Lt.  Col.  Frank  K.  Everest,  USAF. 
jet  ace. 

1957.  Col.    Patrick    D.    Fleming,    USAF 

1951.  Brig.  Gen.  Albert  Boyd,  Command-       (posthumously). 
ing  General,  Edwards  Air  Force  Base. 

1958.  Capt.    Iven    C.    Kincheloe,    USAF 

1952.  Col.  David  C.  Schilling,  USAF.  (posthumously). 

1953.  Third  Air  Rescue  Group,  MATS.  1959.  Tactical  Air  Command,  USAF. 


192 


41.  SCIENCE  TROPHY  (AFA) 


The  Air  Force  Association  Science  Trophy  is  awarded  for  distinguished 
service  in  the  field  of  aerospace  science.  It  is  administered  by  the  Air 
Force  Association. 


1950.  Dr.  Theodore  von  KdrmSn,  Chair- 
man,  USAF   Scientific  Advisory  Board. 

1951.  Dr.  George  B.  VaUey,  MIT  . 

1952.  Dr.  Edward  Teller,  University  of 
California. 

1953.  Dr.  Mervin  J.  Kelly,  Bell  Telephone. 

1954.  Lt.  Col.  John  P.  Stapp. 

1955.  Dr.  John  F.  von  Neumann,  Atomic 
Energy  Commission. 


1956.  Dr.  Chalmers  W.  Sherwin,  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois. 

1957.  Dr.    Charles    S.    Draper,    Massa- 
chusetts Institute  of  Technology. 

1958.  Mr.  H.  Julian  Allen,  Ames  Aero- 
nautical Laboratory. 

1959.  Dr.    W.    Randolph    Lovelace    and 
Brig.  Gen.  Don  Flickinger. 

1960.  Dr.     Louis    N.     Ridenour     (post- 
humously). 


42.  SPACE  FLIGHT  AWARD  (AAS) 

Established  in  1955  to  acknowledge  special  efforts  and  achievements,  this 
award  is  given  amiually  "to  the  person  who  has  contributed  most  to  the 
advancement  of  the  Astronautical  Sciences."  It  is  the  premier  award 
administered  by  the  American  Astronautical  Society. 


1955.  Hermann  Oberth. 

1956.  Comdr.  George  W.  Hoover. 

1957.  Wernher  von  Braun. 


1958.  James  A.  Van  Allen. 

1959.  No  award. 

1960.  Homer  E.  Newell. 


43.  LAWRENCE  B.  SPERRY  AWARD  (IAS) 

Endowed  in  1936  in  the  memory  of  Lawrence  B.  Sperry,  pioneer  aviator 
and  inventor,  this  award  is  given  annually  "for  a  notable  contribution 
made  by  a  young  man  to  the  advancement  of  aeronautics."  It  is  admin- 
istered by  the  Institute  of  the  Aerospace  Sciences. 


1936.  William  Curtiss  Rockefeller,  Cali- 
fornia Institute  of  Technology,  for  the 
application  of  aerodynamics  and 
meteorology  in  optimum  air  transport 
operation. 

1937.  Clarence  L.  Johnson,  Lockheed  Air- 
craft, for  improvement  of  aeronautical 
design  of  high-speed  commercial  aircraft. 


1938.  Rossell  Conwell  Newhouse,  Bell 
Telephone,  for  development  and  first 
practical  application  of  the  terrain 
clearance  indicator. 

1939.  Charles  M.  Kearns,  Jr.,  United  Air- 
craft, for  successful  application  of 
methods  of  measuring  propeller  vibration 
stresses  in  flight. 


193 


1940.  William  B,  Oswald,  Douglas  Air- 
craft, for  analytical  studies  in  aero- 
dynamics which  greatly  facilitated  the 
design  and  economical  operation  of  air- 
planes. 

1941.  Earnest  Gordon  Stout,  Consoli- 
dated Aircraft,  for  contribution  to  the 
experimental  determination  of  hydro- 
dynamic  stability  of  model  flying  boats 
and  seaplanes. 

1942.  Edward  C.  Wells,  Boeing  Aircraft, 
for  contributions  to  the  art  of  airplane 
design  with  special  reference  to  four- 
engined  aircraft. 

1943.  William  B.  Bergen,  Glenn  L. 
Martin  Co.,  for  theoretical  and  experi- 
mental studies  of  dynamic  loads  on  air- 
planes. 

1944.  William  H.  Phillips,  NACA,  for 
outstanding  contribution  in  the  field  of 
stability  and  control  of  aircraft. 

1945.  Richard  Hutton,  Grumman  Air- 
craft, for  contribution  to  the  development 
of  carrier-based  aircraft. 

1946.  Peter  R.  Murray,  USAF,  for  radio 
control  systems  for  guided  missiles  and 
pilotless  aircraft. 

1947.  Comdr.  Noel  A.  M.  Gayler,  USN, 
for  outstanding  contribution  to  synthetic 
training  methods  and  devices  in  the  field 
of  aviation. 

1948.  Allen  E.  Puckett,  Jet  Propulsion 
Laboratory,  Cal  Tech,  for  contributions 
to  the  design  and  development  of  super- 
sonic wind  tunnels, 

1949.  Alexander  H.  Flax,  Cornell  Aero- 
nautical Laboratory,  for  significant  addi- 
tions to  the  methods  available  for  deter- 
mining dynamic  behavior  of  airplanes, 
helicopters,  and  missiles. 


1950.  Frank  N.  Piasecki,  for  his  contri- 
butions to  the  design  and  development  of 
helicopters. 

1951.  Robert  C.  Seamans,  Jr.,  MIT,  for 
system  of  determining  dynamical  char- 
acteristics of  an  airplane  and  matching 
them  to  automatic  controls  by  measuring 
the  pulse  excitement  response  in  flight. 

1952.  Dean  R.  Chapman,  NACA,  for 
contributions  to  the  basic  knowledge  of 
skin  friction,  base  pressure,  and  heat 
transfer  at  supersonic  speeds. 

1953.  Donald  Coles,  California  Institute 
of  Technology,  for  fundamental  contribu- 
tions to  the  understanding  of  supersonic 
skin  friction. 

1954.  A.  Scott  Crossfleld,  NACA,  for  im- 
portant contributions  in  aeronautical 
flight  research,  especially  at  transonic 
and  supersonic  speeds  up  to  Mach  2, 

1955.  Giles  J.  Strickroth,  Martin  Co.,  for 
contributions  to  the  development  of 
guidance  system  for  the  Matador. 

1956.  George  F.  Jude,  Sperry  Gyroscope, 
for  contribution  to  the  advancement  of 
precision  automatic  flight  control  and 
safe  all-weather  flight. 

1957.  Clarence  A.  Syvertson,  NACA 
Ames  Laboratory,  for  solving  problems 
of  flight  at  speeds  30  times  that  of  sound. 

1958.  Robert  G.  Loewy,  Vertol,  for  work 
on  rotary-wing  aircraft. 

1959.  James  E.  McCune,  Aeronautical 
Research  Association  of  Princeton,  for 
research  contributions. 

1960.  Robert  B.  Howell,  Lockheed  Air- 
craft, for  contributions  to  development  of 
advanced  theoretical  guidance  and  con- 
trol techniques. 


194 


44.  SPIRIT  OF  ST.  LOUIS  MEDAL 

Established  in  1929  by  citizens  of  St.  Louis  in  honor  of  Charles  A.  Lind- 
bergh, this  award  is  given  at  approximately  three-year  periods  "for  meri- 
torious service  in  the  advancement  of  aeronautics."  It  is  administered 
by  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineei-s. 


1929.  Daniel  Guggenheim. 
1932.  P.  W.  Litchfield. 
1935.  WiU  Rogers. 
1938.  Maj.  James  H.  Doolittle. 


1947.  John  Knudsen  Northrop,  for  de- 
velopment of  flying  wing. 

1950.  Reinout  Pieter  Kroon,  Westing- 
house  Electric,  for  leadership  in  develop- 
ment of  aviation  gas  turbines. 

1953.  No  award. 


1940.  John   Elliott  Younger,  for  contri-       1954,  Arthur  E.  Raymond,  Douglas  Air- 
bution  to  airplane  design.  craft. 


1944.  George  W.  Lewis,   for  encourage- 
ment of  aeronautical  research. 


1955.  Ralph  S.  Damon,  Trans  World  Air- 
lines. 


45.  THOMAS  L.  THURLOW  NAVIGATION  AWARD 


Established  in  19-15  in  honor  of  Colonel  Thurlow  to  stimulate  the  devel- 
opment of  the  science  of  navigation  in  the  United  States.  It  is  awarded 
"for  the  outstanding  contribution  to  the  science  of  navigation  in  the  year." 
It  is  administered  by  the  Institute  of  Navigation,  University  of  California. 


1945.  Wing  Commander  K.  C.  Maclure, 
RCAP. 

1946.  Dr.  John  C.  Bellamy,  USAF. 

1947.  J.  A.  Pierce,  Harvard  University. 

1948.  Dr.   D.   H.   Sadler,   H.M,  Nautical 
Almanac  Office,  England. 

1949.  Comdr.  T.  D.  Davies,  USN. 

1950.  Dr.    E.    G.    Bowen,    Institute    of 
Navigation,  Australia. 


1951.  Squadron  Leader  K.  R.  Greeuaway, 
RCAP. 

1952.  Alton  B.  Moody,  USN. 

1953.  Capt.  F.  J.  Wylie,  R.N.,  England. 

1954.  Paul  D.  Schrock,  USN. 

1955.  Capt.    Philip    Van    Dorn    Weems, 
USN  (Ret). 

1956.  Dr.    Charles    S.    Draper,    Massa- 
chusetts Institute  of  Technology. 

1957.  Dr.  Samuel  M.  Burka. 


195 


46.  ARNOLD  D.  TUTTLE  MEMORIAL  AWARD 


Established  in  1952  in  memory  of  Colonel  Tuttle,  USA  MC,  pioneer  air- 
line medical  director,  this  award  is  given  "for  outstanding  achievement 
in  aviation  medical  research  which  was  reported  and  published  in  the 
Journal  of  Aviation  Medicine  during  the  previous  2  years."  It  is  admin- 
istered by  the  Aerospace  Medical  Association. 


1952.  Edward    H. 
Minn. 


Lambert,    Rochester, 


1953.  James  P.  Henry,  Wright-Patterson 
AFB,  Ohio. 

1954.  John  P.  Marbarger,  University  of 
Illinois. 

1955.  Fred  A.  Hitchcock,  Ohio  State  Uni- 
versity. 


1956.  W.  H.  Johnson,  Toronto,  Canada. 

1957.  Maj.  David  S.  Simons,  USAF. 

1958.  Siegfried   J.    Gerathewohl,    USAF 
School  of  Aviation  Medicine. 

1959.  Lawrence  E.  Lamb,  USAF  School 
of  Aviation  Medicine. 

1960.  Hermann  J.  Schaefer,  USN  School 
of  Aviation  Medicine. 


47.  WRIGHT  BROTHERS  MEDAL  (SAE) 

Established  in  1924,  award  is  presented  annually  "for  meritorious  con- 
tribution to  aeronautic  engineering ;  that  is,  authorship  of  the  best  paper 
on  aerodynamics  or  structural  theory  or  research,  or  airplane  design  or 
construction,  which  shall  have  been  presented  at  a  meeting  of  the  SAE, 
or  any  of  its  sections,  during  the  calendar  year."  It  is  administered  by 
the  Society  of  Automotive  Engineers. 


1928.  Lt.  Comdr.  Clinton  H.  Havill,  USN, 
"Aircraft  Propellers." 

1929.  Ralph  Hazlett  Upson,  "Wings— A 
coordinated  System  of  Basic  Design." 

1930.  Theodore  P.  Wright,  "Develop- 
ment of  a  Safe  Airplane — the  Curtiss 
Tanager.'' 

1931.  Stephen  J.  Zand,  "A  Study  of  Air- 
plane and  Instrument  Board  Vibration." 

1932.  Edward  P.  Waraer,  "The  Rational 
Specifications  of  Airplane  Load  Factor." 

1933.  Eastman  N.  Jacobs,  "The  Aero- 
dynamics of  Wing  Sections  for 
Airplanes." 

1934.  Rex  B.  Beisel,  A.  L.  MacClain,  and 
F.  M.  Thomas,  "Cowling  and  Cooling  of 
Radial  Air-Cooled  Aircraft  Engines." 

1935.  William  Littlewood,  "Operating 
Requirements  for  Transport  Airplanes." 


193G.  R.  J.  Minshall,  J.  K.  Ball,  and  F.  P. 
Laudan,  "Problems  in  the  Design  and 
Construction  of  Large  Aircraft." 

1937.  Richard  V.  Rhode,  "Gust-Loads  on 
Airplanes." 

1938.  No  award. 

1939.  Kenneth  Alan  Browne,  "Dynamic 
Suspension— A  Method  of  Aircraft  En- 
gine Mounting." 

1940.  Clarence  L.  Johnson,  "Rudder 
Control  Problems  on  Four-Engined 
Airplanes." 

1941.  Samuel  J.  Loring,  "General  Ap- 
proach to  the  Flutter  Problem." 

1942.  Charles  Romain  Strang,  "Progress 
in  StriTctural  Design  Through  Strain- 
Gage  Technique." 

1943.  Costas  Ernest  Pappas,  "The  Deter- 
mination of  Fuselage  Moments." 


196 


1944.  Kenneth  Campbell,  "Engine  Cool- 
ing Fan  Theory  and  I'ractice." 

1945.  Myron  Tribus,  "Report  on  Develop- 
ment and  Application  of  Heated  Wings." 

1946.  Frederick  Van  Home  Judd,  "A 
Systematic  Approach  to  the  Aerody- 
namic Design  of  Radial  Engine 
Installations." 

1947.  Henry  B.  Gibbons,  "Experience  of 
an  Aircraft  Manufacturer  with  Sandwich 
Material." 

1948.  Kermit  Van  Every,  "The  Aerody- 
namics of  High  Speed  Airplanes." 

1949.  Homer  J.  Wood  and  Frederick 
Dallenback,  "Auxiliary  Gas  Turbines 
for  Pneumatic  Power  in  Aircraft 
Applications." 

1950.  J.  C.  Floyd,  "The  Avro  O  102 
Jetliner." 

1951.  Orville  A.  Wheelon,  "Design  Me- 
thods and  Manufacturing  Techniques 
With  Titanium." 


1952.  W.  J.  Kunz,  Jr.,  "A  New  Technique 
for  Investigating  Jet  Engine  Com- 
pressor Stall  and  Other  Transient 
Characteristics." 

1953.  Donald  N.  Meyers  and  Z.  M.  Ciol- 
kosz,  "Matching  the  Characteristics  of 
Helicopters  and  Shaft-Turbines." 

1954.  John  M.  Tyler  and  E.  C.  Perry,  Jr., 
"Jet  Noise." 

1955.  Wendell  E.  Reed,  "A  New  Ap- 
proach to  Turbojet  and  Ramjet  En- 
gine Controls." 

195G.  C.  H.  Zimmerman,  "Some  Gen- 
eral Considerations  Concerning  VTOL 
Aircraft." 

1957.  Alf  Fridtjof  Ensrud,  "Problems  in 
the  Application  of  High  Strength  Steel 
Alloys  in  the  Design  of  Supersonic 
Aircraft." 

1958.  Kermit  E.  Van  Every,  "Design 
Problems  of  Very  High  Speed  Flight." 

1959.  Milford  Guy  Childers,  "Prelimi- 
nary Design  Considerations  for  the 
Structure  of  a  Trisonic  Transport." 


48.  WRIGHT  BROTHERS  LECTURERS  (IAS) 

Delivered  annually  in  Washington,  D.C.,  in  commemoration  of  the  first 
powered  flights,  on  December  17,  the  Wright  Brothers  Lecturer  is  one 
of  the  highest  honors  of  the  Institute  of  the  Aerospace  Sciences.  Selec- 
tion of  the  lecturer  is  by  a  special  committee,  who  alternate  selection 
between  the  United  States  and  abroad,  of  a  person  of  "great  distinction 
in  the  aerospace  sciences."  It  is  administered  by  the  Institute  of  the 
Aerospace  Sciences. 


1937.  B.  Melvill  Jones. 

1938.  Hugh  L.  Dryden. 

1939.  Clark  B.  Millikan. 

1940.  Sverre  Pettersen. 

1941.  Richard  V.  Southwell. 

1942.  Edmund  T.  Allen. 

1943.  W.  S.  Farren. 

1944.  John  Stack. 


1945.  H.  Roxbee  Cox. 

1946.  Theodore  von  Kdrmdn. 

1947.  Sydney   S.   Goldstein. 

1948.  Abe  Silverstein. 

1949.  A.  E.  Russell. 

1950.  William  BoUay. 

1951.  P.B.Walker. 

1952.  William  Littlewood. 


692561—61- 


-14 


197 


1953.  Glenn  L.  Martin. 

1954.  B.  K.  O.  Lundberg. 

1955.  R.  L.  Bisplinghoff. 

1956.  Arnold  Hall. 


1957.  H.  Julian  Allen. 

1958.  Maurice  Roy. 

1959.  Alexander  H.  Flax. 

1960.  A.  W.  Quick. 


49.  THE  WRIGHT  BROTHERS  MEMORIAL  TROPHY  (NAA) 

The  Wright  Brothers  Memorial  Trophy  is  awarded  each  year  to  a  living 
individual  for  "significant  public  service  as  a  civilian  of  enduring  value 
to  aviation  in  the  United  States."  It  is  administered  by  the  National 
Aeronautic  Association. 


1948.  Dr.  William  F.  Durand. 

1949.  Charles  A.  Lindbergh. 

1950.  Grover  Loening. 

1951.  Dr.  Jerome  Hunsaker. 

1952.  Lt.  Gen.  James  H.  Doolittle. 

1953.  Hon.  Carl  Hinshaw. 

1954.  Dr.  Theodore  Von  Kdrmdn. 


1955.  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Dryden. 

1956.  Dr.  Edward  P.  Warner. 

1957.  Senator  Stuart  Symington. 

1958.  Dr.  John  Francis  Victory. 

1959.  WiUiam  P.  MacCracken,  Jr. 

1960.  Frederick  C.  Crawford. 


50.  JAMES  H.  WYLD  MEMORIAL  AWARD  (ARS) 

The  James  H.  Wyld  Memorial  Award  is  awarded  annually  to  a  person 
making  an  outstanding  application  of  rocket  propulsion.  It  is  adminis- 
tered by  the  American  Rocket  Society. 


1954.  Milton  W.  Rosen. 

1955.  John  P.  Stapp. 

1956.  Louis  G.  Dunn. 

1957.  WUliam  H.  Pickering. 


1958.  Holger  W.  Toftoy. 

1959.  Karel  J.  Bossart. 

1960.  Robert  L.  Johnson. 


198 


51.  MISCELLANEOUS  NASA  AWARD  WINNERS 

The  following  well-known  general  awards  have  been  accorded  as  indi- 
cated to  NACA  or  NASA  personnel.  Such  a  listing  properly  belongs 
in  a  chronology. 


ARTHUR  S.  FLEMMING  AWARD: 

1954.  George  E.  Cooper  (Ames). 

1955.  William  M.  KaufEman  (Ames). 

1956.  Richard  T.  Whitcomb  (Langley). 

1957.  Dr.  Alfred  J.  Eggers,  Jr.  (Ames). 

1959.  Maxime  A.  Faget  (Langley). 

1960.  Wolfgang  E.  Moekel  (Lewis). 
Joseph  W.  Siry  (Goddard). 


ROCKEFELLER      PUBLIC      SERVICE 
AWARD : 


1953.  Mrs. 
(Lewis). 


Dorothy      Martin      Simon 


1954.  Clinton  E.  Brown  (Langley). 

1955.  Walter  G.  Vincentin   (Ames). 

1956.  John  C.  Houbolt  (Langley). 

1957.  Gerald  MorreU   (Lewis). 

1958.  William  R.  Mickelsen  (Lewis). 

1959.  Dean  R.  Chapman  (Ames). 


NATIONAL  CIVIL  SERVICE  LEAGUE 
AWARD : 

1958.  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Dryden. 

1959.  Eugene  S.  Love  (Langley). 


199 


APPENDIX  E 


The  Members  of  the  National  Advisory 
Committee  for  Aeronautics 


1915-1958 


THE  LIST  on  the  following  pages  has  never  been  presented  in  the 
available  historical  record.  As  such  it  provides  a  useful  index  of 
persons  prominent  in  the  technical  advancement  of  American  and 
world  aviation. 


201 


CHAIRMEN  OF  THE  NACA 

Scriven,  Brig.  Gen.  George  P.,  USA,  Chief  Signal  Officer    .  1915-16 

Durand,  Dr.  William  F.,  Stanford  University 1916-18 

Freeman,  John  R.,  Providence,  Rhode  Island 1918-19 

Walcott,  Dr.  Charles  D.,  Secretary,  Smithsonian  Institu- 
tion      1919-27 

Ames,  Dr.  Joseph  S.,  Johns  Hopkins  University     ....  1927-39 
Bush,    Dr.    Vannevar,  President,   Carnegie   Institution   of 

Washington 1939-41 

Hunsaker,  Dr.  Jerome  C,  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology      1941-56 

Doolittle,  Dr.  James  H.,  Shell  Oil  Co 1956-58 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  NACA 

Abbott,  Dr.  Charles  G.,  Secretary  Smithsonian  Institution  .  1928^5 
Adams,  Hon,  Joseph  P.,  Civil  Aeronautics  Board  ....  1952-56 
Alison,  John  R.,  Assistant  Secretary  of  Commerce  ....  1947-49 
Ames,  Dr.  Joseph  S.,  Jolins  Hopkins  University    ....  1915-39 

Arnold,  Henry  H.,  General  of  the  Air  Force 1938^6 

Astin,  Dr.  Allen  V.,  Director,  National  Bureau  of  Stand- 
ards    1952-58 

Bane,  Col.  Thurman  H.,  USA 1919-22 

Bassett,  Preston,  R.,  Sperry  Gyroscope  Co.,  Inc 1953-58 

Brett,  Lt.  Gen.  George  H.,  USAF 1939-42 

Briggs,  Dr.  Lyman  J.,  Director,  Bureau  of  Standards    .     .  1933-45 
Bristol,  Capt.  Mark  L.,  USN,  Director  Naval  Aeronautics     .  1915-16 
Bronk,  Dr.  Detlev  W.,  Rockefeller  Foundation  for  Medi- 
cal Research   1948-58 

Burden,  Dr.  William  A.  M.,  Assistant  Secretary  of  Com- 
merce       1942-47 

Burgess,  George  K.,  Director,  Bureau  of  Standards    .     .     .  1923-32 
Bush,    Dr.    Vannevar,   President,   Carnegie   Institution   of 
Washington 1938-48 

Carmichael,  Dr.  Leonard,  Secretary,  Smithsonian  Institu- 
tion      1953-58 

Cassady,  Vice  Adm.  Jolin  H.,  USN,  Deputy  Chief  of  Naval 
Operations  (Air) 1950-52 

Clark,  Col.  Virginius,  USA 1917-18 

Combs,  Vice  Adm.  Thomas  S.,  USN,  Deputy  Chief  of 
Naval  Operations  (Air) 1952-53 ;  1955-56 


202 


Compton,  Dr.  Karl  T.,  Research  and  Development  Board     .  1948-i9 
Condon,  Dr.  Edward  U.,  Director,  Bureau  of  Standards    .     .  1945-51 
Connolly,  Donald  II.  (retired  Maj.  Gen.,  USA),  Adminis- 
trator of  Civil  Aeronautics     .     . 1940-42 

Cook,  Rear  Adm.  Arthur  B.,  USN,  Chief,  BuAer    .  1931-34;  1936-39 

Craigie,  Lt.  Gen.  Lawrence  C,  USAF 1951-54 

Craven,  Capt.  Thomas,  USN,  Director  of  Naval  Aviation  .  1919-21 
Crawford,  Dr.  Frederick  C,  Thompson  Products,  Inc.  .  .  1954-58 
Curry,  Maj.  Gen.  Jolin  F.,  USAF 1924-26 

Damon,  Ralph  S.,  Trans  World  Airlines,  Inc 1953-56 

Davis,  Thomas  W.  S.,  Assistant  Secretary  of  Commerce  .  .  1950-53 
Davis,  Vice  Adm.  William  V.,  Jr.,  USN,  Deputy  Chief  of 

Naval  Operations   (Air) 1956-58 

Doherty,  Robert  E.,  Carnegie  Institute  of  Technology     .     .  1940-41 

Doolittle,  Dr.  James  H.,  Shell  Oil  Co 1948-58 

Duncan,  Vice  Adm.  Donald  B.,  USN,  DCNO  (Air)  .  .  .  1947^8 
Durand,  Dr.  William  F.,  Stanford  University     .     .  1915-33;  1941-45 

Echols,  Maj.  Gen.  Oliver  P.,  USAF 1942-45 

Fagg,  Dr.  Fred  D.,  Jr.,  Director,  Bureau  of  Air  Commerce    .  1937-38 
Fechet,  Maj.  Gen.  James  E.,  USA,  Chief  of  Air  Sei^vice  .  1928-31 
Fitch,  Vice  Adm.  Aubrey  W.,  USN,  DCNO  (Air)     .     .     .  1944-45 
Foote,  Hon.  Paul  D.,  Assistant  Secretary  of  Defense  (Re- 
search and  Engineering) 1957-58 

Foulois,   Maj,   Gen.   Benjamin  D.,   USAF,   Chief  of  Air 

Corps 1929-30;  1932-36 

Freeman,  John  R.,  Providence,  R.I 1918-19 

Furnas,  Hon.  Clifford  C,  Assistant  Secretary  of  Defense 

(Research   and   Development) 1956-57 

Gardner,  Vice  Adm.  Matthias  B.,  USN,  DCNO  (Air)  .     .  1952-53 

Gilmore,  Brig.  Gen.  William  E.,  USA 1926-29 

Gregg,  Willis  R.,  Chief,  Weather  Bureau 1934-38 

Guggenheim,  Harry  F.,  Long  Island,  N.Y 1929-38 

Harrison,  Rear  Adm.  Lloyd,  USN,  Deputy  and  Assistant 

Chief  of  Bureau  of  Aeronautics 1953-55 

Hayford,  John  F.,  Northwestern  University 1915-23 

Hazen,  Ronald  M.,  Allison  Division,  General  Motors  .  .  .  1946-54 
Hester,    Clinton    M.,    Administrator,     Civil    Aeronautics 

Authority 1938-40 

Hinckley,  Robert  H.,  Assistant  Secretary  of  Commerce  .  .  1939-42 
Hines,  Rear  Adm.  Wellington  T.,  USN,  Assistant  Chief  for 

Procurement,  Bureau  of  Aeronautics 1957-58 


203 


Hunsaker,  Dr.  Jerome  C,  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology         1922-23;  1938-58 

Kenly,  Maj.  Gen.  William  L.,  USA,  Director  of  Military 

Aeronautics 1918-19 

King,  Rear  Adm.  Ernest  J.,  USN,  Chief,  BuAer    ....  1933-36 

Kinler,  Walter  G.  (retired  Brig.  Gen.,  USA) 1939-40 

Kraus,  Rear  Adm.  Sydney  M.,  USN,  BuAer 1936^3 

Land,  Capt.  Emory  S.,  USN,  BuAer 1923-29 

Lindbergh,  Brig.  Gen.  Charles  A.,  USAFR 1931-39 

Littlewood,  William,  American  Airlines 1944-53 

Lonnquest,  Rear  Adm.  Theodore  C,  USN,  BuAer    ....  1947-52 

MacCracken,  William  P.,    Jr.,  Assistant  Secretary  of  Com- 
merce       1929-38 

Marvin,  Charles  F.,  Chief,  Weather  Bureau 1915-34 

McCain,  Vice  Adm.  John  S.,  USN,  DCNO  (Air)     ....  1942-44 

McCarthy,  Charles  J.,  Chance  Vought  Aircraft,  Inc    .     .  1957-58 

Mcintosh,  Col.  Lawrence  W.,  USAF 1923-24 

Mead,  George  J.,  Hartford,  Conn 1939-43 

Menoher,  Maj .  Gen.  Charles  T.,  USA,  Chief  of  Air  Service    .  1919-21 

Mitscher,  Vice  Adm  Marc  A.,  USN,  DCNO  (Air)  .  .  .  1945-46 
Moffett,  Rear  Adm.  William  A.,  USN,  Chief,  Bureau  of 

Aeronautics 1921-33 

Mulligan,  Denis,  Director,  Bureau  of  Air  Commerce    .    .    .  1938 

Murray,  Robert  B.,  Jr.,  Under  Secretary  of  Commerce    .    .  1953-54 

Newton,  Byron  R.,  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Treasury     .     .  1915-18 

Noble,  Edward  J.,  Chairman,  Civil  Aeronautics  Authority     .  1938-39 

Nyrop,  Donald  W.,  Chairman,  Civil  Aeronautics  Board     .     .  1951-52 

Ofstie,  Vice  Adm.  Ralph  A.,  USN,  DCNO  (Air)     ....  1953-54 

Pace,  Rear  Adm.  Ernest  M.,  Jr.,  USN,  BuAer 1943-44 

Patrick,  Maj.  Gen.  Mason  M.,  USA,  Chief  of  Air  Service  .  1921-27 
Pfingstag,  Rear  Adm.  Carl  J.,  USN,  Assistant,  Chief  for 

Field  Activities,  Bureau  of  Aeronautics 1955-57 

Powers,  Maj.  Gen.  Edward  M.,  USAF 1945-49 

Pratt,  Maj.  Gen.  Henry  C,  USAF 1930-35 

Price,  Vice  Adm.  John  D.,  USN,  DCNO  (Air) 1948-50 

Pupin,  Michael  I.,  Columbia  University 1915-22 

Putt,  Lt.  Gen.  Donald  L.,  USAF,  Deputy  Chief  of  Staff, 

Development 1949-58 

Pyle,  Hon.  James  T.,  Administrator  of  Civil  Aeronautics    .  1957-58 

Quarles,  Hon.  Donald  A.,  Assistant  Secretary  of  Defense    .  1954-56 

Radford,  Vice  Adm.  Arthur  W.,  USN,  DCNO  (Air)     .    .    .1946-47 


204 


Eaymond,  Dr.  Arthur  E.,  Douglas,  Aircraft  Co,  Inc  .  .  .  1946-56 
Eeber,  Lt.  Col.  Samuel,  USA,  In  Charge  Aviation  Section 

Signal  Corps 1915-16 

Eeichelderfer,  Dr.  Francis  W.,  Chief,  U.S.  Weather  Bureau  .  1939-58 
Eentzel,  Delos  W.,  Administrator   of   Civil   Aeronautics; 

Under  Secretary  of  Commerce 1948-51 

Eichardson,  Holden  C,  USN,  Naval  Constructor  ....  1915-17 
Eichardson,  Eear  Adm.  Lawrence  B.,  USN,  BuAer  .  .  .  1944-46 
Eickenbacker,  Capt.  Edward  V.,  Eastern  Air  Lines,  Inc    .     .  1956-58 

Eobins,  Brig.  Gen.  Augustine  W.,  USA 1935-39 

Eothschild,  Hon.  Louis  S.,  Under  Secretary  of  Commerce 

for  Transportation 1955-58 

Eyan,  Oswald,  Civil  Aeronautics  Board 1954 

Sabine,  Wallace  C,  Bureau  of  Aircraft  Production    .    .    .        1918 

Saville,  Maj.  Gen.  Gordon  P.,  USAF 1950-51 

Scriven,  Brig.  Gen.  George  P.,  USA,  Chief  Signal  Officer    ,  1915-17 

Spaatz,  Gen.  Carl,  Chief  of  Staff,  USAF 1946-48 

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Simons,  David  G.,  and  Don  A.  Schanche, 
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212 


SUBJECT  AND  NAME  INDEX 


A3D,  62 
A3J,  93,  133 
A-4  (rocket),  43,  44 
A-5,  38 
A-9,  49 
A-10,  49 

A-20  (aircraft),  39,  44,  48,  50 
AB-2,  3 

Abbott,  Charles  G.,  202 
Abbott,  Ira  H.,  50 
Abdominal  corset,  30 

Aberdeen    Proving    Ground    (See   Army    Ord- 
nance) 
Ablation,  81,  87,  130 
"Able"  (monkey),  109,  110 
ABMA  (See  Army) 
Acceleration,  29,  30 
Accident  prevention,  24,  27 

(See  Safety) 
Ackerman,  John,  162 
Acosta,  B.,  23 
Acoustic  detection,  27 
AD-17,  39 
Adams,  C,  207 
Adams,  Elsie  W.,  172 
Adams,  Frank  D.,  207 
Adams,  Joseph  P.,  202 
ADC  ( See  U.S.  Air  Force) 
Adelman,  Barnet  R.,  190 
Adriatic^  10 
Advanced  Research  Projects  Agency    (DOD), 

93-97,  102,  103,  113-16,  131 
Advisory  Committee  for  Aeronautics  (See  Na- 
tional Advisory  Committee  for  Aeronautics) 
Advisory  Committee  on  Uranium,  38 
A.E.F.,  7,  9 
Aerial  mines,  41 

Aerial  Navigation,  Commission  of.  11 
Aerial  observation  of  fish,  10 
Aerial  photographs,  4,  18,  24 

at  night,  8,  20 

of  eclipse  of  sun,  29 
Aerial  reconnaissance,  36 
Aerial  spraying,  14 
Aerial  survey, 

of  Alaska,  21,  25,  31 

of  Antarctic,  56 

of  Dominican  Republic,  13 

of  Florida,  22 

of  Haiti,  13 
Aerial  targets,  34 
Aerial  torpedoes,  6 
Aeroballistic  research,  62 
Aerobee  rocket,  53,  54,  58,  59,  63,  67,  69.  70, 

91 ; type 150-A,  121 
Aerobee-Hi  rocket,  77,  79,  82,  83,  86,  122,  123, 

130,  131 
Aero  (Commander,  128 
Aerodynamic  efficiency,  26 
Aerodynamic  research,  51 

wrong-flow  method,  47 

in  World  War  II,  52 

(See  Wind  tunnels) 
Aerojet  General  Corp.,  46,  51,  54,  82,  99,  121, 

129 
Aeromarlne  flying  boat,  10, 12,  18 


Aeromarine  West  Indies  Airways,  12 
Aero  Medical  Association,  25 
Aeromedical  Laboratory,  31,  43,  44,  45,  61,  62, 
71 

Field  laboratory,  117,  134 

(See  U.S.  Air  Force) 
Aeromedicine,  7,  15 

(See  SAM,  Life  Sciences,  Aerospace  Medical 
Assn.) 
Aeronautic  education,  22 
Aeronautical  awards,  167f. 
Aeronautical  Board  (Army-Navy),  12 
Aeronautical  Engineering  Society,  11 
Aeronautical  Laboratory,  181 
Aeronautical  patents  (See  Patents) 
Aeronautical  Research,  34 

Director  of  (NACA),  37,  58 
Aeronautical  Safety  Conference.  24 
Aeronautical  sciences,  32,  49,  52 
Aeronautics    and    Astronautics    Coordinating 

Board,  127,  128, 130, 132 
Aeronautics  Patents  and  Design  Board,  21 
Aeronutronic,  122 
Aerophysics  Lab.,  64 
Aerospace  Corporation,  124,  125 
Aerospace  Industries  Association,  207 
Aerospace  Medical  Association,  167,  182 
Aerospace  Medical  Center,  91,  114 
Aerospace  Medical  Laboratory,  122 
Aerospace  plane,  129 
Aerospace  technology,  133 
AF  (See  U.S.  Air  Force) 
AFBMD  (See  U.S.  Air  Force) 
AFMTC  (See  U.S.  Air  Force) 
Africano,  Alfred,  41 
Afterburner,  development,  46,  52,  53 
AGA  beacon,  15 
Agena.  120, 130,  133 
Agriculture,  Department  of,  21 
AH-10,  3 
AH-14,  4 
AI  radar,  41 
Ailerons,  18,  31 
Air, 

viscosity  of,  12 

Ocean  of,  207 
Air-to-air  missile,  45 

(See  Anti-aircraft  rocket) 
Airacomet  (See  Bell  Aircraft) 
Airborne  television,  39 
Air  commerce. 

Act  of  1926,  20,  21 

regulation  of,  10 
Air  cooled  aircraft  engines 

with  fins,  5 

Lawrence  engine,  8,  11,  12,  14,  173 
Air  Coordination  Committee,  24 
Aircraft  Industries  Assn.,  171 
Aircraft, 

all-metal,  14,  17 

all-wood,  36,  40 

nuclear  propulsion  of.  54,  78,  92 

research  and  design  for,  11,  34 

turbojet,  propelled,  39 
Aircraft  accidents,  24 
Aircraft  Board,  7,  10,  20 


592561—61- 


-15 


213 


Aircraft  carrier,  25 

first,  14 

first  landing  on,  16 

first  takeoff,  15 

first  jet  landing,  51,  52 

first  turbojet  operation,  54 

(See  Navy,  Langley,  Saratoga,  Ranger) 
Aircraft  Engine  Research  Lab.      (See  NACA, 

Aircraft  Engine  Research  Lab.) 
Aircraft  engines 

air-cooled,  5,  8,  11,  12,  14,  173 

Allison,  27,  39 

Hispano-Suiza,  5 

nuclear,  54,  78,  92 

of  the  world,  212 

(See  engine  and  propulsion  types  of  engines) 
Aircraft  industry,  5, 

NACA  recommendation  to,  27 

(See  companies  by  name) 
Aircraft  inspection, 

regulation  of,  10 
Aircraft  Manufacturers  Association,  6 
Aircraft  production 

British  Ministry,  40 

Roosevelt's  50,000  airplanes,  46 

3-year  program,  6 

U.S.  in  World  War  I,  5,  6,  7 
Aircraft  Production  Board,  6 
Aircraft  records, 

altitude,  159-160 

distance,  156-58 

speed,  154-156 
Aircraft  Year  Book,  207 
Air  defense,  33 

Air  Defense  Research  Committee,  33 
Air  Development  Center,  66 
Air  Engineering  Development  Center,  54 
Airflow  Research  StafiE,  37 
Airfoils, 

data  on, 19,  50 

first  NACA  family  of,  19,  30 

sections,  50 
Air  Force,  Editors  of,  207 
Air  Force  Association,  184,  192,  193,  207 
Air  Forces  (See  Army  Air  Forces,  German  Air 

Force,  RAF,  RCAF) 
Airframe,  41 
Air-freight,  19 
Airlift 

Berlin,  59 

Mecca,  70 
Airliner  (See  aircraft  type)  ^ 

Boeing  247,  30 
Airlines 

increase  in  paid  passengers,  27 

passenger  carried,  134 

(See  companies  by  name) 
Air  Mail,  10,  20,  31,  173 

AAC  flying  of,  31 

contract  flying  of,  20 

by  rocket,  28,  33,  131 
Air  Mail  Act  of  1934,  31 
Air  Materiel  Command,  57 
Air  Medical  Association,  24 
Air  navigation,  3,  10,  14,  195 
Air  passenger  traffic,  27,  34,  38,  105,  134 

first  transatlantic,  38 

first  transpacific,  34 

first  jet  transcontinental,  105 
Air  Policy  Committee,  57 
Air  power,  208 

Air  Safety,  14,  27,  85,  120,  170 
Air  Service  (See  Army) 
Airships,  10.  12,  14,  29,  37,  47,  69 
Airship  subcloud  car,  27 
Air  surgeon,  42,  55 


Air  transportation,  68 

(See  Airlines) 

early  history,  212 

first  domestic  jet,  104 

first  jet  transcontinental,  105 

passengers,  134 
Air  Turbine  Test  Station,  67 
Air-to-air  radio,  7,  20 

Air-to-air  refueling,  14,  17,  63,  67,  72,  210 
Air-to-air  rockets,  42,  49 
Airworthiness  requirements,  27 
Akens,  David  S.,  xi,  207 
Akers,  Frank,  31 
Akron  (ZR),  30 
Alabama,  14 

Alaska,  12,  21,  25.  28,  31,  63 
Albert  series,  62,  63 
Alcock,  John,  10 
Algae,  101 
Algeria,  56 
Alison,  John  R.,  202 
AU-inertial  guidance,  93,  96 
All-metal  aircraft,  14,  15,  16,  17 
All-wood  aircraft,  36,  40 
Allen,  D.  C,  21 

Allen,  Edmund  T.,  172,  177.  197 
Allen,  George  V.,  118 
Allen.  H.  Julian,  69,  70,  81,  86,  93,  187,  191, 

193,  198 
Allen,  James  A.,  62 
Allen,  Wm.  M.,  174 
Allied  Council  of  Ambassadors,  15 
Allison  engines,  27 

V-1710-33,  39 
Almen,  J.  O.,  185 
Alsos  Mission,  48 
Altimeter  calibration,  19 
Altitude  chamber,  7,  9,  44,  45,  84,  98,  102 
Altitude  flight  record,  21,  25,  97,  115 

aircraft,  159 

balloon,  33,  163-65 

helicopter,  52 
Alvarez,  Luis  W.,  174 
Aluminum  Company  of  America,  4 
Ambrose,  Mary  S.,  207 
American  Airlines,  204 

American  Astronautical  Society,  172,  176,  207 
Amer.  Assn.  for  Advancement  of  Science,  114 
American  Astronautical  Society,  73,  74 
American  Bar  Assn.,  132 

report  on  the  necessity  of  air  law.  13 

recommendation  for  Federal  legislation.  13 
American  Board  of  Preventive  Medicine,  71 
American  Helicopter  Society,  171,  181 
American  Institute  of  Biological  Sciences.  98 
American  Interplanetary  Society,  26,  27,  29, 
30 

founded,  26 

renamed,  26 

experimental  program  of,  28 
American  Machine  and  Foundry,  99 
American  Medical  Assn.,  71 
American  Meteorological  Society,  11,  167,  168, 

169,  186 
American  Physical  Society,  108 
American  Propeller  Co.,  15 

American   Rocket  Society   (ARS).  31,  37,  42, 
91,  92,  94,  115,  167, 169,  176,  188,  198  ; 

Rocket  tests,  30,  31 
American  Society  of  Engineers,  176 
Americans,  "inventive  genius  of,"  3 
Ames.  Joseph  S..  11.  22,  38,  182,  202.  208 
Ames   Aeronautical   Laboratory    (NACA),   37, 

38,  40,  43,  59,  62,  70,  91 
Ames  Research  Center  (NASA),  102,  113,  120, 

199 
AMOL  (See  Navy) 
Amphibian,  34,  37 


214 


Amundsen,  Roald,  21 

Anderson,  Clinton  P.,  95 

Anderson,  Orvll  A.,  31,  3.3,  83,  161,  162,  179 

Andrews,  Frank  M.,  37 

AiiRell,  .Joseph  W.,  xl,  207 

Annapolis  (Md.),  35,  41,  42,  44,45 

Antarctic,  Air  survey  of,  56 

expedition,  39,  87 

Treaty,  115 

(See  South  Pole) 
Antennas,  11 
Antiaircraft  exercises,  36 
Anti-aircraft  rockets,  40,  41,  42,  49  ; 

British.  32,  47,  49 

Solld-propellant,  43 

(See  Falcon,  Genie,  Sidewinder,  etc.) 
Antiaircraft  projectile,  46 
Antietam,  165 
Antisubmarine  missile,  43 
Antonio.  A.  L.,  190 
Aphrodite  missions,  47 
Apollo  program,  (NASA)  93 
Applied  Physics  Lab.,  50,  52,  58.  86 
Appropriations,  3,  5,  11,  27 
Apt,  Milburn  G.,  83,  125 
Aptitude  tests,  20 
Arado  234-B.  4t> 
Arc  jets,  84,  130 
Arctic  expeditions,  18 

patrol,  185 
ARDC  (See  U.S.  Air  Force) 
Area  rules,  68,  71,  174 
Areuds,  Leslie  C,  97 
Argentina,  132 
ArgoD4,  110; 

D8,  131 
Armed  Forces  Policy  Council,  72,  83 
Arms  race,  128 

Armstrong,  H.  G.,  32,  37,  55,  180,  183 
Armstrong,  Neil,  133 
Army  (USA),  1,  5,  8,  43,  45,  46,  52 
Army  Air  Corps,  21,  34-40,  46,  48,  51,  80  ; 

balloonists,  162 

Chief  of,  136,  203-205 

Ferry  Command,  41 

flying  airmail,  31 

GHQ  Air  Force,  32,  37,  41 

Weather  Service,  35 

(See  School  of  Aviation  Medicine,  etc.) 
Aimy  Air  Corps  Act,  21 
Army  Air  Forces,  38,  41,  42,  46  ; 

ATC,  41,  173 

AMC 

Chief  of.  41,  46,  202,  205 

First  Missile  Group,  53 

and  NACA,  49 

R&D  policy,  51 

Scientific  Advisory  Board,  41,  48,  50,  51,  54, 
173,  211 

(See  School  of  Aviation  Medicine,  etc.) 
Army  Air  Service.  8,  9,  10,  12,  20 

balloonist,  5, 162 

Chief  of,  203,  204 

first  bomber,  8-9 

Medical  Research  Laboratory,  9,  16 

Technical  School,  20 

School  of  Aviation  Medicine,  20,  22,  39 

pilots  of,  12 
Army  Aviation.  171 

Armv   Ballistic   Missile  Agency    (ABMA),   81, 
95-100,  102,  104,  105,  109-113,  115,  124 

(See  Redstone  Arsenal) 
Army  Bureau  of  Aeronautics,  8 
Army  Corps  of  Engineers,  72 
Army  Court  Martial,  20 


Army  Ordnance,  9,  35,  46,  47,  48,  51,  55,  80, 
100; 

Aberdeen  Proving  Ground  of,  9,  49,  50,  59 

(See     Corporal,    Hermes,     Nike.    Redstone. 
Jupiter  Loki.  Wac.  etc.) 
Army  Signal  Corps.  1,  6,  8,  9.  35,  55.  106,  107. 
132,  164  ; 

Laboratory  of,  106,  128,  132,  164 

Weather  Service  of,  35 
Arnold.  Henry  H.,  17,  31,  36,  38,  41,  46,  48. 

64,  174,  184,  202,  207 
Arnold,  Weld,  34 
Arnold   Engineering  Development  Center,   63, 

66,  67.  96,  99.  110.  119 
ARPA  (See  Defense  Dept.) 
Arrachart.  Ludovic.  154 
Artificial  horizon,  3,  4,  10 
Artillery  projectile  shapes,  9 
Artillery  proving  ground,  27 

(See  Aberdeen) 
Ascension  Island,  112 
Ascani,  Fred  J.,  184 
Asp  rocket,  80,  82,  102,  111,  112,  115 
Assault  drones,  42 
Astin,  Allen  V..  202 
Astronautics  : 

ARS  Magazine,  208 

Awards,  167f. 

early  mathematical  work  on,  27 

French  committee  on,  23 

science  of,  207 

USSR,  210 
Astronauts,  208,  210 

equipment,  115 

names  of,  108,  111,  117.  122 

selection  of,  106,  108 

training,  109 

(See  Project  Mercury) 
Astronomical  navigation,  10 
Astronomical  Observatory  Satellite,  117 
Astronomical  Society  of  the  Pacific,  86 
Astrophysics,  69 

Astrophysics  Observatory    (See  SmithiSonian) 
AT-1  (airship),  8 
AT&T,  129 
ATC  (See  Army) 
Atlantic  City  (N.J.),  27 

Atlantic  Missile  Range  (AMR).  66.  67.  74,  87, 
92, 98-135 

(See  Cape  Canaveral) 
Atlas-Able  rocket,  113.  115.  128,  133 
Atlas-Ag^.  120,  123 
Atlas  ICBM,  57.  60.  68,  74-76,  86,  87,  93,  97, 

101,  104.  105.  Ill,  113,  114,  116,  123,  127, 

128,  174,  208. 
Atlas,  of  moon,  130,  132 
Atlas,  Robert,  186 
Atmospheric  drag,  134 
Atmospheric,  research,  85  ; 

turbulence,  110 
(SeeU-2) 
Atomic  Energy  Commission,  56,  70,  72,  76,  80, 
82-84,  92,  95,  106,  110,  116,  119,  121,  124, 
129. 133,  193 

Chairman  of,  116 
Atomic  test  device,  50 
Auburn  (Mass.),  21,  25 
Augsburg  ( Ger. ),  37,  42,  45 
Aurorae,  93,  101 
Auroral  zone,  93 
Auriol,  Jacqueline,  178 
Australia,  12S,  131.  134 

Woo  m  era 
Australian  Radio  and  Physics  Division,  73 
Austria.  28 
Auto,  radio-controlled,  20 


215 


Autogiro 

development  of,  29 

first  U.S.  flight,  24 

woman's  altitude  record,  27 
Automatic  homing  device,  42 
Automatic  pilot,  11,  33 

landings,  35 

Macy,  3 

radio  navigation,  33 

Sperry,  5 

Spei-ry  Gyroscope  system,  11 
Avco  Mfg..  122 
Avery,  William,  190 
Aviation  fuel,  13,  34,  42,  211 
Aviation  Health  and  Safety  Center,  85 
Aviation  industry,  207,  211 

(See  companies  by  name) 
Aviation  medicine,  71 

early  manual  on,  9 

JOURNAL  of,  25,  180 

( See  School  of ) 
Aviation  Medical  Research  Board,  7 
Aviation  Medical  Research  Unit,  38 
Aviation,  potentialities  of,  22 
Aviatrices,  178,  179 
Avro  Co.,  197 

Awards,  aeronautics  and  astronautics,  167 
Axial-flow  turbojet  powerplants,  44 
Axis  nations,  48 
Azon  (bomb).  42,  49 
Azores,  47,  61 

B-10, 10,  17 
B— 15  35 

B-I7' (Fortress),  33,  36,  45,  46,  54,  72 

B-24  (Liberator),  39,  42,  46,  48 

B-25  (Mitchell),  39,  43 

B-29  (Superfortress),  38,  39,  44,  57,  68,  72,  75 

B-36  (Peacemaker),  50,  54,  61,  65,  68 

B-45,  78 

B-47  (Stratojet),  58,  72,  81 

B-50,  61,  72,  66 

B-52,  62,  69,  85,  102,  110,  133 

B-57  (Canberra),  68 

B-58  (Hustler),  66,  70,  80,  83,  86,  93 

B-61  (Matador),  54,  67 

B-70  (Vslkyrie),  80,  93,  111,  119,  129,  211 

BG-2  drone,  43 

Baby  Wac  rocket,  50 

Bahamas,  67 

Baird,  J.  L.,  42  ^ 

Baka  bomb,  50 

"Baker"  (monkey),  109-10 

Baker  Board,  31 

Baker-Nunn  Optical  Network,  129 

Baker-Nunn  tracking,  92,  109 

Balbo,  Italo,  30,  175.  177 

Balchen,  Bernt,  23,  26,  178 

Ball,  Albert,  4 

Ball,  J.  K.,  196 

Ballinger,  E.  R.,  71 

Ballute,  131 

Ballistic  missiles 

early  U.S.  development,  48,  75 

defense  from,  53 

(See      Atlas,      Redstone,      Thor,      Jupiter, 
Polaris) 
Ballistic  Missile  Committee,  81 
Ballistic  research,  9,  49,  62 

of  projecticles,  96 
Balloon,  4,   5,   7,  8,   29,  30,  36,   54,   56,   207: 

as  tool  of  scientific  research,  X,  36,  57,  207 

chronology,  161-66 

NASA,  125 

plastic,  56,  63,  65 

record  flights,  22,  23,  27,  29,  30,  33,  59,  82, 
83 


Balloon — Continued 
school,  5 

(See   Rockoon,    Man  High,   Excelsior,   Sky- 
hook, Stratolab,  Stratoscope) 
Baltic  Sea,  35 
Bancroft,  W.  D.,  16 
Bane,  F.  H.,  16 
Bane,  Thurman  H.,  170,  202 

Award,  57,  170 
Banshee,  62 
Barbour,  Laura  Taber, 

Award,  170 
Barcelona  (Spain),  36 
Barksdale,  E.  H.,  18 
Barling  Bomber,  17 
Barnaby,  R.  S.,  17 
Barnes,  Wm.  F.,  158 
Barnometer,  rocket  flight  of,  25 
Bartley,  C.  E..  190 
Barwise,  B.,  119 
Bassett,  Preston  R.,  202 
Battle  of  Britain,  33,  40 
Bauer,  Louis  H.,  25,  180,  183  ; 

Award,  167,  171 
Baxter,  James  P.,  Ill,  207 
Bav  of  Biscay,  45 
Beacon  satellite,  103,  112,  132 
Beckman,  E.  L.,  182 
Becker,  John  V.,  93,  191 
Beechcraft  AD-17,  39 
Beisel,  Rex  B.,  185,  196 
Belgium,  132 

Bell,  Alexander  Graham,  3,  181 
Bell,  Grover  B.,  167,  171 
Bell,  Laurence  D.,  171,  177 
Bell  Aircraft,  47,  49,  55,  70,  82,  99, 178,  207, 
211 
helicopter  development,  47 
P-59,  44,  52 
Rascal,  70 

(SeeX-1,  X-2,  andX-5) 

Bell  Telephone,  71,  193 

Laboratory,  60,  74 

System,  71,  79,  125 

Bellamy,  John  C,  195 

Bellanca,  Columbia,  22 

aircraft,  28 
Bellinger,  P.  N.,  3 
Bellonte,  Maurice,  154 
Bendix,  Aviation,  46,  80,  99 
Bendix  Trophy  Race,  34 
Bennett,  Floyd,  21 
Bennett  Field,  34 
Benson,  Otis  O.,  181,  183,  207,  212 
Benser,  Wm.  A.,  186 
Bergaust,  Erik,  207 
Bergen,  Wm.  R.,  194 
Berger,  A.  L.,  57,  170 
Berger,  Carl,  207 
Bergman,  Jules,  207 
Berkner,  Lloyd  L.,  99,  207 
Berlin  (Germany),  9,  24,  40  ; 

airlift,  59 
Berliner,  Henry,  15 
Bernardo,  James  V.,  207 
Berstand,  Floyd,  14 
Besson,  F.  S.,  133 
Betts,  Austin  W.,  116 
"Big  Joe"  rocket,  112 
Bikini,  82 
Bickle,  Paul  E.,  87 
Bioclimatology  Award,  171 
Biology 

space  research  in,  55, 127,  209 
Biomedical  research,  71,  125 
on  acceleration,  29,  30 
on  deceleration,  29,  30 


216 


Biomedical  research — Continued 

on  multiple  g-loads,  37 

on  weighlessnoss,  40,  64,  67,  63,  70,  78, 
79, 101,  119 
Birnbaum,  E.,  30 
Blspllnghoff,  R.  L.,  191,  198 
Blssell,  C.  L.,  15 
Bjerknes,  J.,  192 
Black  Knight  missile,  101,  107 
Black  Widow  (P-61),  54,  55 
Blair,  Charles  F.,  178 
Blair,  Clay,  208 
Blair,  Wm.  R.,  7 
Bleakley,  Wm.  H.,  24 
Bleriot,  Louis,  156 
Blind  flying,  26,  31 

first  solo.  29 

physiological  principles  of,  22 
Blitzbomber,  208 
Blitzkrieg,  38 
Blizna  (Poland),  45 
Blossom  Project,  56 
Blaw-Knox  Equipment,  134 
Blue  Scout,  rocket.  128 
Blue  Scout  Junior,  130 
"Blue  skies,"  48 
Blumenstock,  David  I.,  207 
Blunt  shape,  69 
BMEWS,  128 
BMW  185,  14 
Boardman,  R.  N.,  154 
Boden,  R.  H.,  186 

Boeing  Aircraft  Corp.,  38,  63,  72,  75,  99,  114, 
174,  176,  191,  194; 

Bomarc,  86 

B-15,  35 

B-17,  33 

B-29,  44 

B-47,  58 

Gapa,  50 

247,  30 

Model  299,  30,  33 

Stratollner,  307B,  40 

707  jet,  62,  75,  85 
Boeing,  Wm.  E.,  176 
Bogart,  G.,  xi 
Bold  Orion,  105,  108,  114 
Bollay,  Wm.,  197 
Boiling  Field  (D.C.),  15,19 
Bolster,  Calvin  M.,  176 
Bomarc,  64,  86 

Bomber  Command  (See  RAF) 
Bombing,  44,  45 

hombsight  (Norden),13 

first  electrical  releases,  9 

"raid"  on  New  York  City,  13 

tests,  13,  14,  17 
Bombing  "raid"  on  New  York  City,  13 
Bombsights.  13,  58 
Bonney,  Walter  T.,  xi,  207 
Booker,  Henry  G..  122 
Boom  refueling,  63 
Boost-glide  vehicle,  83,  91,  98,  99,  114  ; 

(See  Dyna-Soar  I) 
Borden,  W.  A.,  48 
Boron  fuels,  93 
Bossart,  Karel  J.,  191,  198 
Boston,  79 

Boushey,  Homer  A..  42,  93 
Boundary  layers 

control,  24,  26,  80 

demonstration  flight,  47 

NACA  Report  on,  28 

theory,  14,  37 
Bowen,  E.  G.,  73,  195 
Bowman,  J.  E.,  93 
Boyce,  Joseph  C,  207 


Boyd,  Albert,  57,  158.  173,  192 
Boyd,  R.  L.  F.,  207 
Brady,  George  W.,  191 
Braham,  Rescoe  B.,  183 
Brango,  N.,  99 
Bread  mold,  131 
Breeding,  E.  L.,  98 
Bremen  (Ger.),  35,  38,  45 
Brequet,  Louis,  181 
Bre«lau  (Ger.).  22 
Brett.  George  H.,  202 
Brewer,  Frank  G.,  172 

Award,  172 
Brewster,  F2A-3,  43 
Bridgeman,  Oscar  C,  185 
Bridgeman,  Wm.,  67,  70,  173 
Bridges,  Styles,  97 
Briggs,  Lyman  J..  12,  19,  38,  202 
Bristol,  Mark  L.,  202 
Britain,  36,  112,  120,  133  ; 

Air  Ministry,  38 

Black  Knight,  101,  107 

battle  of,  33,  40 

first  bombing  of,  3 

joint  satellite,  133 

Ministry  of  Aircraft  Production,  40 

National  Committee  on  Space  Research,  107 

Purchasing  Commission,  36 

rocket  air  defense,  3,  32 

Scientific  cooperation  with  U.S..  40,  133 

Skylark  rocket,  98 

space  plans.  107,  109,  112 

War  Office,  32 

(See  Royal  Aeronautical  Socety,  Royal  Air- 
craft Factor,  Royal  Air  Force,  Woomera, 
etc.) 
British  Interplanetary  Society,  31,  62 
Bronk,  Detlev  W.,  101,  183,  202 
Brooks  AFB  (Tex.),  126 
Brooks  Field,  28 
Brossy,  F.  A,,  28 
Brown,  A.  W.,  10 
Brown,  Clinton  E.,  199 
Brown,  J.  R.,  66 
Brown,  Willis  C,  172,  207 
Browne,  K.  A.,  196 
Bryan,  Leslie  A.,  172 
Bryant,  Robert,  134 
Bubble  levels,  10 
Buck,  Richard  S.,  185 
Buckingham,  Edgar,  14, 15 
Buenos  Aires  (Argen.),  36 
"Bug,"  9 

Building-block  rocket,  134 
Bulganin,  Nikolai  A.,  94-96 
Bull,  Harry  W.,  31 
Bumble  Bee  missile,  53 
Bumper  project,  55,  65 
Bumper  Wac,  59,  61 
Bundgaard,  R.  C.  183 
Burchard,  John  E.,  207 
Burden,  Wm.  A.  M.,  101,  102 
Bureau  of  Aircraft  Production,  8 
Bureau  of  Fisheries,  10 
Burgess,  George  K.,  202 
Burgess,  Neil,  174 
Burgess,  W.  Starling,  173 
Burka,  S.  M.,  195 
Burma.  49 

Burton,  John  H.,  172 
Bush,  Vannevar,  38,  58,  202,  208 
Bushnell.  David,  208 
Butchart,  Stanley  P.,  188 
Byers,  Horace  R.,  183 
Byrd,  Richard  E.,  10,  20,  23,  25.  26,  182 
Byrnes,  Victor  A.,  182 


217 


C-54,  58 
C-69,44 
C-82,  61 

C-119,  127,  130,  133 
C-131,  101 
C-133,  104 
Cabot,  Godfrey  L.,  9 
Cahill,  L.,  87 
Caidin,  Martin,  208 
Cajiin  rocket,  82,  84,  98,  125 
Caldwell,  Frank,  30,  174,  190 
Caldwell,  T.,  57 
Caldwell,  T.  F.,  158 
California  Coast  Range,  13 
California  Cooperative  Tunnel.  56 
California  Institute  of  Technology,  22,  29,  34, 
37,  42,  43,  46,  47,  48,  61,  190,   193,   194 

Guggenheim   Aeronautical   Laboratory,   52 

Rocket  Research  Project,  34,  38 

( See  Jet  Propulsion  Laboratory ) 
California  Radiation  Laboratory,  85 
California  Rocket  Society,  45 
California,    University    of,    80,    So,    109 ;    at 

Llvermore,  101 
Calvin,  Melvin,  116, 127 
Cambel,  A.  B.,  189 
Camber,  70 
Cambridge  Research  Center,  109 

(Also  seeUSAF) 
Cambridge  Research  Division,  66 
Campbell,  Kenneth,  185,  197 
Camp  Cooke,  83 
Camp  Irwin,  48,  50 
Canada,  110,  111,  125,  164  ; 

Canadian  Meteorological  Office,  183 

Defense  Research  Telecommunications,  108 
Canberra,  62 
Candle  power,  15 
Canright,  Richard  B.,  169, 176 
Cantilever  wing,  4,  11 
Cape    Canaveral,    62,    65,    83,    124,    211    (See 

AMR) 
Cape  Hatteras,  17 
Cape  May  (N.J.),  10,  35,  49 
Caproni  Aircraft,  31 

ducted  jet,  42 
Carbonara,  Victor,  191 
Carburetor,  7,  18,  19,  24,  191 
Cargo  Master  (See  C-133) 
Carl,  Marion  E.,  57,  72,  158 
Carlson,  Floyd,  47 
Carmichael,  Leonard,  202 
Carolin,  Norbert,  8 
Caroline  Mars,  60,  61 
Carpenter,  Malcolm  S.,  108 
Carrier  landing, 

first,  16 
Carrier  take-oflf, 

first,  15 
Carrington,  L.  H.,  185 
Carroll,  F.  O.,  50 
Carver,  N.,  33 
Casaccio,  A.,  78 
Case  bonding,  55 
Cassady,  John  H.,  202 
Castable  propellants,  55 
Castle  AFB,  85 
Catalytic-cracking,  34 
Catapult  launching,  4,  16 
Cause,  accidents,  24 
Cagley,  Sir  George,  1 
CBS,  94,  189 

Centaur  rocket,  93,  103,  132 
Central  Powers,  6 
Centrifuge,  61,  69 
CenUtry  of  Progress,  31 
Centui'y  fighter  series,  58 


Ceramic-lining,  41 
Cessna  aircraft,  93 
"Chafif,"  45,  84 
Chairman, 

of  NACA,  3,  5,  11,  38 
Chamberlain,  Clarence  D.,  22,  154 
Champion,  C.  C,  23,  24,  160 
Chance  Vought,  40,  71,  77,  86,  99,  174,  204 
Chanute,  Octave,  1,  172 
Chanute  Field  (111.),  13 
Chapman,  Dean  R.,  194,  199 
Chapman,  John  L.,  208 
Chemisch-Technische  Reichsanstalt,  27 
Charney,  J.  G.,  183,  186 
Chenoweth,  Opie,  185 
Chesapeake  Bay,  14,  43 
Chevalier,  G.,  16 

Chicago,  University  of,  44,  134,  164, 183 
Childers,  Milford  G.,  197 
Childs,  Stuart,  192 
China  Clipper,  33,  34 
China  Lake  (Calif.),  100,  111 
Chincoteaque  (Va.),  53,  111 
Chinese  Nationalists,  102 
Christmas  aileron,  18 
Christofilos,  N.  C,  101 
Chrysler  Corp.,  65,  76,  106 

(See  Redstone,  Jupiter) 
Churchill,  Winston  S.,  45 
Cierva,  Juan  de  la,  17,  29,  175,  176 
Cislunar  spacecraft,  133 
Civil  Air  Authority  Act,  36 
Civil  Aeronautics  Authority  (CAA),  19,  36,  37, 

172, 183,  203 
Civil  Aeronautics  Board,  203-205 
Civilian-Military  Liaison  Committee  (CMLC), 

103, 118,  121 
Civil  Service  Commission,  132 
Civil  War,  Spanish,  34 
Clark  University,  4,  30 
Clark,  Brandt,  182 
Clark,  Virginius,  202 
Clarke,  Arthur  C,  208 
Clarke,  J.  H.,  78 
Cleveland  (Ohio),  38,  40,  43,  44,  45 

(See  Lewis  Research  Center) 
Clipper  (PAA),  32,  33 
Cloud,  formation,  99 

measurement,  41 

seeding,  16 
Clousing,  Laurence  A..  173 
Clustered  engine  (See  Saturn) 
CMR,  75,  118 

Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey,  22 
Coast  Artillery  Board,  46 
Cobb,  Jerrie,  128 

Cochran,  Jacqueline,  65,  72,  175,  178,  179 
"Coke  bottle"  shape,  68 
"Cold"  rocket,  42 
Cold  testing,  43 
Coleman,  J.  F.,  75,  76,  178 
Coles,  Donald,  194 
College  Park  (Md.),  15,  31 
Collier  (Robert  J.)  Trophy,  30,  173-5 
Cologne,  43 

Columb  Bechar,  56,  107 
Colonial  Air  Transport,  22 
Columbia,  22 

Columbia  University,  37,  73,  204 
Combined-loads  testing,  39,  63 
Comet  (de  Havilland),  69,  178 
Combs,  Thomas  S.,  202 
Combustion,  37 

Commerce  Department,  9.  11.  13,  19,  20,  22,  24, 
29,  31, 173,  203-5 

Bureau  of  Aeronautics,  11 

Bureau  of  Air  Commerce,  22,  31 

Bureau  of  Aviation,  13 


218 


Commercial 

air  transport,  10,  22,  27,  40   (See  Airliners, 
Passengers) 

space  operations,  129 
Committee    on    Space    Research    (COSPAR), 

102.  103,  107,  114,  115,  118,  123,  127,  128, 

134 
Communication 

air-to-air,  7 

air-to-ground,  7 

moon  relay,  75,  118 

satellites  use  in,  129 

transcontinental,  3 
Communications  satellite,  129 

(See  Project  Score,  Echo,  Courier) 
Compressed-air  wind  tunnel,  13 
Compressor 

stall,  186,  197 

transonic,  6H 
Compton,  Karl  T.,  203 
Condon,  Edward  U.,  203 
Condor  bomber,  20,  29 
Coney,  VV.  D.  (USA),  13 
Congress  (See  U.S.  Congress) 
Connecticut  Aircraft,  3 
Connolly,  Donald  H.,  203 
Conrad,  C.  E.,  18 
Conrad,  Max,  124 
Consolidated-Vultee,  66,  191 

MX-774,  54 
Consolidated  Aircraft,  23,  29,  31,  34,  39,  50, 
66,  194 

B-24,  39,  42,  46,  48 

B-36,  50,  54,  61,  65,  68 

P2Y-1,  29,  31 

XC-99,  50 

(See  Convair) 
Constellation  (C-69),  44 
Controlled-trajectory,  42 
Convair,  57,  67,  70,  75,  82,  109,  129,  175,  191 
Cook,  Arthur  B.,  202 
Cooke,  David  C,  208 
Cooke  AFB,  87 

Coolidge,  Pres.  Calvin,  18,  19,  21 
Cooper,  George  E.,  173,  199 
Cooper,  Leroy  G.,  108 
Cooper,  R.,  Ill,  164 
Coordination  of  research,  49 
Coppens,  Willy,  4 
Corbet,  A.  A.  G.,  183 
Cornell  University,  16,  122,  127,  205  ; 

Aero  Laboratory  of,  194 
Corona  scope,  128 
Corporal,  47,  68 
Corporal E,  57 
Corsair  (F4U),  40,  71 
Cosmic  dust,  131 
Cosmic  rays,  89,  93  ; 

study  of,  29,  70,  118 

rocket  research  on,  56 

research,  70 
COSPAR  (See  Committee  on  Space  Research) 
Costes,  Dieudonne,  154,  155,  177 
Cosyns,  Max,  29,  162 
Cotton  dusting,  21 
Council  of  National  Defense.  6,  40 
Courier  satellite,  126,  128,  129,  150 
Cowling,  24,  173,  185 
Cox,  H.  Roxbee,  197 
Cox-Kleniin,  21 
Cralgie,  I^awrence  C,  203 
Crane,  Carl  J.,  35 
Cranwell  (Eng.),  41 
Craven,  Thomas  T.,  203 
Crawford,  Frederick  C,  198,  203 
Crew,  Henry,  208 
Crocco,  Luigi,  189 


Craft,  H.  O.,  39 

Crop-dusting,  21 

Crosby,  Harry,  47 

Crosslield,  A.  Scott,  68,  73,  107,  110,  131,  133, 

160,  173,  170,  194,  208 
Cross-licensing,  5 
Crowley,  .Tohn  W.,  187 
CSAGI,  88 
Culbert,  F.  P.,  8 
Cunningham,  A.  A.,  8 
Cunningham,  John,  178 
Civil  Air  Patrol,  172 
Curry,  John  F.,  203 
Curtis,  Edward  P.,  174 
Curtiss,  Glenn  H.,  3,  156,  173,  181 
Curtiss-Wright  Corp., 

18-T  (Kirkham),  10,  11 

HS-1,  8 

JN4  (Jenny),  7,20 

P-40,  36,  39,  43 

P-36,  37 

PW-8,  18 

R2C,  17,  20 

SB2C,  38 

Tanager,  26 
Curtiss  Wright  Aero.,  38,  191 
Curvature  of  earth,  60 
Gushing,  W.  H.,  13 
Cusk,  56,  64 
Cutrell,  E.  A.,  173 


D-558,  49,  56,  59,  63,  67,  72,  73 
Dahlgren  (Va.),40 
Dallenback,  Frederick,  197 
Damon,  Ralph  S.,  195,  203 
Daniels,  Josephus,  3 
Dart,  75 

Dauntless  (SBD),32 
da  Vinci,  Leonardo,  1 
Davies,  T.  D.,  154 
Davis,  J.  F.,  128 
Davis,  Leighton  I,  170 
Davis,  P.,  xi 

Davis,  Thomas  W.  S.,  203 
Davis,  William  V.,  Jr.,  189,  203 
Davy,  M.  J.  B.,  208 
Dayton  (Ohio),  10,  29 
Dayton  Wright  Co.,  8 
DC-1,  30 
DC-2,  174 
DC-3,  30,  32,  33 
DC-4,  43,  56,  58,  60 
DC-8,  209 

Deacon  rocket,  57,  72,  74,  78,  83 
Deadstick  landing,  22 
de  Barnardini,  Mario,  42 
DeBothezat,  George,  12 
DeBothezat  helicopter,  10 
Debus,  Kurt,  124 
Deceleration,  29,  30 
Decompression  sickness,  32 
Defense  Department  (DOD),  72,  81,  93-97, 
102,  113-116,  129,  131,  211-212 

Arpa,  93-97,  102,  103,  116,  131 

Ballistic  Missile  Committee,  81 

JCS,  54,  64 

Mission  in  Space,  x,  211-212 

and  NASA,  127 

Reorganization,  72,  211 

(SeeCMLC,  etc.) 
de  Florez,  Luis  W.,  174 
De  France,  Smith  J,  28,  40 
de  Forest,  A.  B.,  191 
de  Havilland,  Geoflfrey,  20,  177 
de  Havilland,  aircraft, 

Comet,  69,  178 

DH-4,  6-10,  13,  15,  17,  18,  19 


219 


de  Havllland — Continued 

Goblin,  45 

Mosquito,  36,  41 

Moth,  20 
de  Seversky,  Alexander  P.,  34,  36 
Delta  (Thor-Vanguard)  rocket,  108 
Delta-wing,  28,  67,  72,  73,  128 
Denmark,  132 
Density,  of  atmosphere,  19,  134 

(See  Standard  atmosphere) 
Department  of  Aviation  Medicine  and 

Physiological  Research,  46 
Derwent  turbojet,  57 
Design  competition,  11 
Design  of  landing  gears,  26 
"Design  Requirement  for  Airplanes,"  5 
Designation,  of  missiles,  56,  57 
Dessau  (Ger.),  25,  27 
Detroit,  Michigan,  7 
Deutsche  Luftreederei  (Ger.),  9 
DEW  Line,  87 
Dewey  Report,  52 
Dexter  (Kan8.),36 
D-GA  aircraft,  13 
DH-4,  6-10,  13,  15,  17-19 
Diehl,  Walter  S.,  19, 189 
Diesel  engine,  24,  28 
Dietz,  E.  L.,  53 
Dirigibles 

Akron,  30 

Los  Angeles,  18,  29 

Macon,  30,  32 

Navy,  C-7,  14 

(See  Zeppelin) 
Disasters,  12,  30 
Discoverer  I,  107,  143 
Discoverer  II.  108,  143 
Discoverer  III,  110 
Discoverer  IV,  110 
Discoverer  V,  112,  119,  144 
Discoverer  VI,  112,  144 
Discoverer  VII,  14,  146 
Discoverer  VII,  114,  146 
Discoverer  VIII,  1115,  146 
Discoverer  X, 
Discoverer  XI,  119,  122 
Discoverer  XII,  124 
Discoverer  XUI,  126-127,  148 
Discoverer  XIV,  126-127,  149 
Discoverer  XV,  127,  149 
Discoverer  XVI.  129 
Discoverer  XVII,  130-133,  150 
Discoverer  XVIII,  133,  151 
Discoverer  XIX,  134,  151 
Disney,  Walt,  76 
Disinsectation,  44 
Dive  bombing,  26,  29,  32,  38 
Dive-recovery  flap,  43 
Dixon,  T.  F.,  176 
DN-1  airship,  3 
Doenhoff,  A.  B.  von,  50 
Doherty,  Robert  E.,  203 
Doblhoff  No.  1,  46 
Dollfus,  A.,  86,  164 
Dominican  Republic,  13 
Donati,  Renato,  31 
Doolittle,  J.  H.,  15,  20,  22,  24,  25,  28,  29,  39, 

43.  65,  94,  96,  101,  108,  158,  175,  177,  178, 

179,  184,   195,   198,  202,  203,  208 
Dopier  radar,  53 
Dopier  navigation,  18S 
Dordilly,  Francis,  154 

Dornberger,  Walter,  29,  35,  45,  169,  189,  208 
Dornier  DO-X,  25,  28 
Douglas,  Donald  W.,  174,  177 
Douglas,  William  H.,  93 


Douglas   Aircraft  Co.,   51,    65,   94,    128,   180, 
191, 194,  205 

A-20,  43,  48 

DC-1,  30 

DC-2,  174 

DC-3,  30,  32,  33 

DC-4,  43,  56,  58.  60 

DC-8,  209 

D-558,  49,  56,  59,  63,  67,  72,  73 

SBD,  32 

XB-43,  54 

Project  RAND,  53 

World  Cruiser,  18 

(SeeThor) 
Dover  AFB,  104 
Drag,  atmospheric,  134 

balloon,  131 

research,  51 
"Dragon",  41 

Draper,  Charles  S.,  191,  193,  195 
Drew,  Adrian  E.,  158 
Drift  indicator,  4 
Drinker,  C.  K.,  29 
Drone  aircraft,  34,  36,  46,  54 

(SeePilotless) 
Drussler,  Robert  G.,  188 
Drvden,   H.   L.,   Foreword  by,   lii,   19,   37,   44, 

58,  66,  100.  108,  127,  129,  177,  190,  197-199, 

208 
Dry-ice,  55 
DT-2,  19 
DT-6,  20 

DuBridge,  Lee  A.,  208 
DuBusk.  A.  Gib,  131 
Duke,  N.  F.,  158 
Dulles,  John  Foster,  95 
Duncan,  Donald  B.,  203 
Dunkirk  fighter  (HA),  8 
Dunn,  Louis  G.,  198 
Duralumin,  17 
Dupree,  A.  Hunter,  207 
Durand,  William  F.,  5,  8,  12,  19,  41,  51,  176, 

198, 202, 203 
Dyna-Soar  I,  85,  91,  98, 114, 122 

Eaker,  Ira  C,  25,  34 

Earhart,  Amelia,  27,  35,  178,  179 

Earth  satellites   projects,   51,   52,  53,    58,  60 

(See  Discoverer,  Echo,  Explorer,  Vanguard, 
Sputnik,  etc.) 
Earthquakes,  13 
Eastern  Air  Lines,  205 
Eastman  Kodak,  4 
Eastwood,  70 

Eaton  Manufacturing  Co.,  21,  211 
E-boat  pens,  48 
Echo  I,  114,  118,  121,  126-128,  130,  134,  148, 

165 
Echols,  Oliver  P.,  203 
Eckener,  Hugo,  18,  175,  176,  177,  179 
Eclipse,  of  sun,  19,  102 

aerial  photograph  of,  29 
Ecology,  58,  117 
Edgar,  L.,  69 
Edinburgh  (Scot.),  36 
Edison,  Thomas  A.,  3 
Edwards,  George  R.,  177 
Edwards  (Calif.),  55 

AFB,  66,  67,  70,  72,  73,  98,  107,  113,  131, 
211 
EES  3401 

(See  Project  TED) 
Eggers,  Alfred  J.,  Jr.,  80,  82,  87,  93,  120,  199 
Eggert,  Wayne,  181 
Eglin  AFB,  44.53.  67,  119 
Ehri'cke,  Krafft,  169,  208 
Eighth  Air  Force,  46 


220 


Elasteln,  Albert,  38 

Elsenhower,  President  Dwight  D.,  72,  74,  75, 

79,  80,  85,  87,  91,  92,  95,  96,  99-102,  104, 

107,   114,  118,  119,   126,  132 
Ejection  seat,  62 
Electric  arc  engine,  126 
Electronic  intercept,  60 
Elfrey,  G.  A.,  10 
Ellsworth,  Lincoln,  21 
Elmendorf,  Armin,  12 
Emergency  Managements,  Office  of,  41 
Emme,  E.  M.,  208 
Emulsion,  74 

Encyclopedia  on  interplanetary  travel,  25 
Endurance  records,  25,  28 
Engines 

air-cooled,  25 

fairings,  27 

liquid-cooled,  26,  27 

location  of  nacelles,  27 

manufacturer's  test  of,  30 

performance,  9 

suitability  tests,  15 

(See  Propulsion,  Rocket) 
Engineering  Division  (McCook  Field),  13 
Engineering  and  Research  Corp.,  191 
England  (see  Britain) 
Englehardt,  N.  L.,  172 

Eniwetok  Proving  Ground,  70,  91,  124,  133 
Ensrud.  Alf  F.,  197 
Entry  slmultator,  120 
Environment 

of  earth,  89 

of  Mars,  93 

of  Space,  89 
Ephrata  (Wash.),  45 
Eppes,  M.  H.,  74,  179 
Epstein,  Samuel,  212 
Ercoupe  airplane,  42 
Esnault-Pelterie,  Robert,  27,  28 
Europe,  1,  10,  27 

(See  Britain,  Germany,  etc.) 
Evaas,  Evan,  172 
Everest,   Frank  K.,  62,   73,   75,   82,   158,    173, 

178,  192,  208 
Excelsior  (Project),  114,  115,  164-165 
Exhaust  valves,  15 
Exosphere,  122 
Exos  rocket,  102,  119 
Explorer  I  (balloon),  31 

Explorer  I  (satellite),  89,  95,  98,  124,  131,  140 
Explorer  II  (balloon),  33 
Explorer  II  (satellite),  96,  98 
Explorer  III,  96,  99,  141 
Explorer  IV,  100,  101,  141 
Explorer  F,  101 

Explorer  VI,  111-113,  114,  122,  144 
Explorer   VII,   113,   115,    117,   119,    122,    123, 

128,  129,  145 
Explorer  VIII,  134 
Extraterrestrial,  Hi,  89 

F-1  engine,  77,  119,  123 

F2  A-3,  43 

F2H-1,  62 

F2Y-1,  75 

F4D,  62 

F4F,  35 

F4H,  115,  127 

F4U,  40,  71 

F5L,  10,  11,  12,  16 

F8U,  82 

FllF.  68,  97 

F-94C, 69 

F-80,  43,  60,  66 

F-84,  77 

F-84F,  66 


F-84G, 72 

F-86  (Saberjet),  63,  70,  72,  102 

F-89  (Scorpion),  00 

F-lOO,  73,  79 

F-101,  62 

F-IOIB, 85 

F-102,  66,  67,  70  ; 

F-102A, 73 
F-104,  80,  93,  98,  100,  116,  174,  178 
F-105,  98 
F-105A, 62 
F-106,  66,  116 
F-107,  83 
F-108,  111 
F-860,  81 
FA-61,  35 
FHF,  93 
F  J-2,  81 
FR-1,  43,  45,  51 
Paget,  Maxlme,  93,  199 
Fagg,  Fred  D.,  Jr.,  203 
Fahrney,  D.  S.,  34 
FAI,  129 

FAI,  gold  medal,  175 
Fairchlld  Aircraft,  50 
Farman,  Henri  C,  154,  156 
Farmingdale  (N.Y.),15 
Farnborough  (England),  5,  7 
Farrell,  Donald  G.,  95 
Farren.  W.  S.,  197 
"Father  of  Space  Travel,"  33 
Fatigue  of  metals,  19 
Fawbush,  E.  J.,  186 
Fechet,  James  E.,  203 
Fedden,  Alfred  H.  R.,  36,  176,  185 
Federal  Airways  system,  14 
Federal  Aviation  Act  of  1958,  100 
Federal  Aviation  Agency,  100 
Federal  Aviation  Commission,  32 
Federal  Communications  Commission,  125,  129 
Federal  Council  for  Science  and  Technology, 

105, 107 
Fermi,  Enrico,  38 
Ferrl,  Antonio,  78 
Ferry  service,  42 
Fighter  pilots,  30 
Finger,  Harold  B.,  127,  186 
Flnletter,  Thomas  K.,  57 
Finletter  Commission,  59 
Fireball  (FR-1),  43,  45,  51 
Firsts, 

liquid  fuel  rocket  flight,  21 

rocket-powered  aircraft  flight,  24 

transatlantic  nonstop  flight,  10 

transatlantic  pasisenger  service,  38 

transpacific  passenger  service,  34 

U.S.  rocket  program,  38 

U.S.  rocket  aircraft  flight,  44 
First  Aero  Squadron  (US AS),  4 
Fischer,  C.  Fink,  43 
Fisher,  Allen  C,  208 
Fitch,  Aubrey  W.,  203 
Fitzmaurice  J.,  24 
Flax,  Alexander  H.,  194,  198 
Fleagle,  R.  G.,  186 
Fleet  exercises,  25 
Fleming,  P.  D.,  192 
Fleming,  Wm.  A.,  53 
Flemraing  Award,  199 
Fllcklnger,  Don,  172,  ISl,  183,  193 
Flight  Refuelling  Ltd.,  63 
Flight  Research  Center  (NASA),  55,  113 
Flight  surgeons,  13,  15,  32 
Flint,  L.  E.,  115,  160 
Florida  State  University,  131 
Floyd,  J.  C.  197 
Fluorine,  68,  92,  104,  117 


221 


Flying  boat,  9 

F5L  (USA),  10,  11 

hull  design  of,  3 

PBY  amphibian,  37 

prototype  four-engined,  34 

XPB2Y-1,  34 
"Flying  Bomb,"  9 

(See  V-1) 
Flying  Flapjack,  39 
Flying  laboratory,  98 
Flying  saucer,  63,  71,  106,  211 
Flying  wind  tunnel,  47,  60 
Focke-Achgelis, 

FA-61,  35 
Fog-dispersal,  19 
Fokker,  Anthony  H.  G.,  3 
Fokker  aircraft 

American,  23 

C-2-3,  25 

Monoplane,  21 

T-2,  17 
Foote,  Paul  D.,  203 
Ford,  Henry,  19 
Ford  Motor  Co.,  122 
Ford  trimotor,  26 
Fordney,  Chester  L.,  162 
Forest  fires,  12,  14 
Forest  Service,  12 
Forman,  Edward,  34 
Formation  flying,  26 
Forrestal,  James,  61 
Fort  Bliss  (Texas),  50,  51,  52,  54 
Fort  Churchill,  111,  125,  164 
Fort  Knox  (Ky.),  110 
Fort  Monmouth  (N.J.),  106,  128,  132,  164 
Fort  Omaha  (Nebr.),  5 
Fort  Worth  (Tex.),  9 
"For  the  Record,"  Astronautics  (ARS) 
Fortune,  Editors  of,  1956,  208 
Foulois,  Benjamin  D.,  4,  6,  184,  203 
Four-engine  bomber,  33,  39 
France,  8,  36,  62,  132 

Aircraft  in  WWI,  3 

Plutonium  bomb,  119 

rocket  range,  56,  107 

use  of  aircraft  rockets,  4 

and  V-l's,  47 
(See  Veronique) 
Frankford  Arsenal,  46 
Frankfurt,  13 
Franklin  Institute,  208 
Franks,  Wilbur  R.,  183 
Fuel  pumps,  for  rockets,  17,  30 
Frau  in  Mond,  25 
F-region,  61 
Free-flight  tunnel,  37 
Freeman,  J.  C,  186 
Freeman,  John  R.,  202,  203 
Frelinghuysen,  Peter,  Jr.,  97 
Friedriehshafen,  15 
Frigitorium,  43 
Froelich,  H.,  83,  163 
Fruin,  J.  L.,  62 
Fruit  flies,  56 
Fuel,  aircraft,  211 

consumption,  15 

High-energy,  74 
Fuel  tanks, 

drop  type,  16 

leakproof,  11 
Fugo  balloon,  49,  162 
Fuller,  Edgar,  172 
Fulton,  James  G.,  97 
Fultz,  Dave,  186 
Furbay,  John  H.,  172 
Furnas,  Clifford  C,  203 
Fuselage,  19 
Fusion,  78 


Gallagher.  James  G.,  61, 184 

Galland,  Adolf,  208 

Gallaudet  plane,  17 

Gallauder  59A,  4 

Gallet,  Roger  M.,  122 

GAM-77,  108 

Ganet,  21 

Gantz,  Kenneth  F.,  208,  209 

Gapa  missile,  50 

Garber,  Paul  E.,  XI,  172 

Gardner,  George  N.,  172 

Gardner,  Lester  D.,  53 

Gardner,  Matthias  B.,  203 

Gardner,  Trevor,  73,  77 

Gardner,  Lester  O.,  30,  177 

Gargoyle,  48,  53 

Garros,  Roland,  3, 159 

Gartmann,  Heinz,  209 

Gas  tank,  jettisonable,  16 

Gas  turbine  development,  35,  41,  44,  68 

Gasoline,    as   aircraft   fuel,    13,    34,    42,    211  ; 

as  rocket  fuel,  13,  28 
Gas-pressurized  fuel  system,  46 
Gatland,  Kenneth  W.  (ed.),  209 
Gatty,  Harold,  28 
Gaven,  James  M.,  209 
Gayler,  Noel  A.  M.,  194 
GB-4  glide  bomber,  48 
GB-8,  glide  bomber,  42 
Gee  Bee  Monoplane,  29 
Gell,  Charles  F.,  172,  181,  183 
General  Electric  Co.,  8,  11,  41,  44,  48,  52,  55, 

57,  80,  99,  119,  122,  129,  180,  183 
General  Mills,  55,  63,  74,  83,  87, 162,  163 
General  Motors  Corp.,  Allison  Division,  27 
General  Vehicle  Co.,  4 
Geni  rocket,  87 

Geodetic  Satellite,  127,  130,  134 
Geomagnetic  pole,  70 
Geophysical  science,  54, 134 
George,  J.  J.,  169,  183,  186 
Gerathewohl,  S.  J.,  67,  78,  196 
Germany 

Aircraft  Industry,  209 

Air  Force,  32,  39,  40,  49 

Army  Ordnance,  27,  29,  32 

First  bombing  of  Britain,  3 

Flying  boat  DO-X,  28 

Infantry,  9 

Pilots,  24 

Research  in  World  War  II,  211 

Rocket  development,  10,  18,  26,  27,  29,  32, 
33    49    51    52 

(See'Hit'ler,V-l,  V-2,  Zeppelin) 
Getting,  Ivan  A.,  125 
GHQ  Air  Force  (See  Army) 
Gibbons,  Henry  B.,  197 
Gibbs-Smith,  Charles  H.,  209 
Gillau,  J.  W.,  36 
Gillespie,  James  M.,  170,  189 
Gilmore,  William  E.,  203 
Gilruth,  Robert  R.,  41,  47,  SO,  191 
Giraud,  Peter  F.,  83 
Girders,  Zeppelin-type,  4 
Givson,  Professor,  5 
Glacier.  87 

Glenn,  John  H.,  87,  108 
Glennan,  T.  Keith,  100,  101,  115,  129,  131, 

134,  209 
Glide  bombs,  41,  42,  43,  46,  48 
Glider, 

Rocket-powered,  24,  25,  27 

Speed  record,  87 
Global  cloud  cover,  89 
Glomb  missile,  41,  53 


222 


Gloster  aircraft, 

E28/39  jet,  41 

Meteor,  44,  51 
Gloves  (flight),  25 
GlubarefiF,  Michael,  181 
Gnome  engine,  4 
Goddard,  George  W.,  20,  170 
Goddard  Robert  H.,  9,  10,  25,  27,  29,  30,  32, 
34,  40,  42,  44,  61,  109,  176,  208,  209  ; 

Award  named  for,  176 

first  liquid-fuel  rocket,  ill,  4,  21 

military  demonstration,  9,  34 

writings  of,  34,  208,  209 
Goddard   Space   Flight  Center    (NASA),   109, 

122,  217,  134 
Godunov,  K.,  30 
Goering,  Hermann,  32 
Goett,  Harry  J.,  109 
Goggles  (flight),  25 
Goldberg,  Alfred,  209 
Goldstein,  Sidney  S.,  197 
Goldstone  Lake  (Cal.),  43 
GoldiStone  Tracking  Station  (JPL),  113 
Goodlin,  Chalmers,  55 
Goodrich,  B.  F.,  Co.,  102,  115 
Goodyear  Corp.,  17,  69,  116 
Goose  (SeeSM-73) 
"Gordo"  (Monkey),  104 
Gorgon  (air-ram),  45,  49,  53,  57 
Gorky,  Maxim,  33 
Gottfield,  Robert  E.,  122 
Gottinger  University  (Ger.),  14 
Gough,  Melvin,  170,  172 
Graf  Zeppelin,  25,  28,  40 
Grand  Central  Rocket,  86,  129 
Granville  Brothers,  29 
Graveline,  Duane  E.,  119 
Gray,  George  W.,  209 
Gray,  H.  C,  22,  23,  162 
Graybrel,  Ashton,  182,  183 
Great  Britain  (See  Britain) 
Green,  Murray,  xi,  29 
Greenaway,  K.  R.,  195 
Green  Bank  (W.  Va.),  109,  117 
Greenbelt  (Md.),  109 
Greene,  Ben.  F.,  Jr.,  170 
Greenland,  20,  70,  78,  128 
Gregg,  Willis  R.,  203 
Gregory,  H.  F.,  170 
Grether,  W.  F.,  182 
Grey,  Charles  G.,  209 
Griflin,  Leigh  M.,  16 
Griffin,  V.  C.,  15 
Griffith,  E.  A.,  209 
Grisson,  Virgil  I.,  108 
Gromov,  Mikhael,  154 
Grow,  H.  B.,  10 
Grow,  Harold  J.,  157 
Grow,  M.  C,  55,  181 
Grubb,  O.  E.,  25 
Grumman,  Leroy  R.,  177 
Guderley,  Gottfield,  170 
Guggenheim,  Daniel,  20,  195  ; 

Medal  named  for,  195 
Guggenheim,  Harry  F.,  40,  170,  203 
Guggenheim,  Aeronautical  Lab.,  34 
Guggenheim  Foundation,  61,  85,  123 
Guggenheim  Fund  for  the  Promotion  of 
Aeronautics,  20,  21,  26,  61,  85,  123 
Guggenheim  Institute,  73 
Guggenheim  Medal,  26,  29,  34,  36,  43,  55,  167, 

176 
Guggenheim  Safe  Aircraft  Competition,  26 
Guidance 

inertia],  93,  96, 120 

Polaris.  102 

radio-inertial,  101 


Guided  Missiles  Committee  (JNVV),  49 
Guided  missiles  (See  type  by  name) 

first  U.S.,  9 

in  Warfare,  46 
Gunn,  Ross,  183 
Gusts  in  atmosphere,  4,  66 

(See  U-2) 
Guymon,  V.  M.,  26 
Gyrocompass,  10,  40 

Gyro-controlled  rocket  flight,  29,  32,  34,  38 
Gyro  horizon,  27 
Gyroscope,  4,  13 
Gyrostabilized  bombsight,  13 

H-1  rocket  engine,  109 

H-13  airplane,  82 

H-IG,  8.  9 

H-21  helicopter,  82 

HA  seaplane,  8 

Haber,  Fritz,  64,  67 

Haber,  Heinz,  64,  67,  209 

Habluetzel,  W.  D.,  127 

Hagen,  John  P.,  69,  119 

Haggerty,  James  L.,  209 

Haiti,  aerial  survey  of,  13 

Haley,  Andrew  G.,  209 

Halford  HI  turbojet  engine,  45,  47 

Hall,  Arnold,  198 

Hall,  Charles  F.,  70 

Hall,  E.  N.,  176 

Hall,E.  J.,  6 

Hall-Scott  Motor  Car  Co.,  6 

Halvorson,  G.,  62 

Hamburg  (Ger.),  27,  38,  45 

Hamilton,  A.  G.,  13 

Hamilton    Standard    Propeller    Co.,    30,    173, 

174, 190 
Hampton  (Va.),  5 

Hampton  Roads  (Va.),  9, 10,  12,  13,  14,  15 
Handley   Page    Aircraft,    (See   DH-4)  ;    wing 

Slots.  26 
Hanes,  Horace  A.,  71,  158,  185 
Hanrahan,  James  S.,  209 
Harding,  President  Warren  G.,  13,  16 
Hardy,  James  D.,  182 
Hargreaves,  J.  S.,  127 
Harmon,  E.  E.,  10 
Harmon  Trophies,  65,  177 
Harriman  Mission,  42 
Harper  Dry  Lake  (Calif.),  47 
Harris,  H.  R.,  13 
Harrison,  Henry  T.,  169,  183 
Harrison,  Lloyd,  203 
Hartz,  R.  L.,  10 

Harvard  University,  29,  43,  85,  195 
Harvard  trainers,  36 
Haskell,  Harry  G.,  97 
Hastings,  Donald  W.,  182 
Havana  (Cuba), 12 
Hawaii,  61,  108 
Hawk  missile,  79 
Hawker  Hurricane,  33,  36 
Hawks,  Frank,  25,  179 
Hayden  Planetarium,  74 
Hayford,  John  F.,  203 
Hazelhurst  Field,  7 
Hazen,  Ronald  M.,  203 
Hean,  J.  H.,  43 
Heat  balance,  128 
Heath,  Leroy,  133 
Heat  transfer,  62,  73  ;  study  of,  72 
Hegenberger,  A.  F.,  29,  174,  184 
Ileim,  J.  W.,  37 
Heinemann,  E.  H.,  174,  191 
Heinkel,  Ernst.  209 


223 


Heinkel  aircraft 

HE-lll,  47 

HE-112,  33,  35 

HE-162,  52 

HE-178,  38 

HE-S-3B  jet  engine,  38 
Heinrich,  Helmut  Q.,  170 
Helicopter 

Berliner,  15 

DeBothezat,  16 

FA-61,  35,  41 

French,  18 

Jet  rotor,  46 

ramjet,  58 

single  rotor,  38 

two-man,  58 

(See  Sikorsky,  Bell,  Focke) 
Helios  Balloon,  54,  55,  162 
Helium,  36,  38 

U.S.  monopoly,  14 

use  in  airships,  14,  17 

use  in  balloons,  15,  33 
Helium  gun  catapult,  68 
Helium  plants,  36 
Helldiver,  38 

Henry,  James  P.,  70,  181,  196 
Hermes  Project,  48,  56,  60,  64,  68,  76,  211 
Herndon,  Hugh,  28 
Heron,  S.  D.,  21,  24,  185,  211 
Hester,  Clinton  M.,  203 
Hewitt,  P.  C,  5 
Hewlett,  R.  G.,  xi 
Hibbs,  Albert,  131 
Hickman,  C.  N.,  40 

High-altitude  pressure  flying  suits,  43,  44 
High-lift.  24 

High-performance  aircraft  engines,  41 
High-speed  photography,  19 
High-speed  wind  tunnel,  19 
High-temperature  alloys,  40 
Hlght,  J.  L.,  189 

Hill  Space  Transportation  Award,  167,  ISO 
Hiller  Helicopters,  66 
Hiller  X-18,  115 
Hinckley,  Robert  H.,  203 
Hindshaw,  Carl,  198 
Hines,  Wellington  T.,  203 
Hiroshima,  51 
Hispano-Suiza  engine,  5 
Histories 

AFMDC,  208 

aeroplanes,  209 

air  transport,  212 

balloons,  207 

chronology,  210,  212 

First  Missile  Division,  208 

IGY,  209,  211 

Naval  Aviation,  211,  212 

of  combat  aircraft,  209 

of  flight,  208,  209 

OSRD,  207  -« 

Royal  Aircraft  Factory,  211 

USAF,  209 

Vanguard,  20 

Weather  Bureau,  212 

(See  bibliography,  207f.) 
Hitchcock,  Fred  A.,  196 
Hitler,  Adolf,  32,  45,  65,  208 
Hives,  E.  W.,  185 
H.M.  Nautical  Almanac  Office,  195 
Hobbs,  Leonard  S.,  174 
Hoelker,  R.  F.,  169 
Hoffman,  E.  L.,  173 
Hoffman,  Samuel  K.,  176 
Hohenemser,  Kurt  H.,  171 
Holaday,  William  M.,  86,  92,  103,  121 
Holiday  balloon,  125 
Holland,  Maurice,  209 


Hollandia,  50 

Holley,  I.  B.,  Jr.,  209 

Holloman,  George  V.,  35,  184 

Holloman  AFB   (N.  Mex.),  55,  64,  71,  79,  96, 

104,  107,  162-164 
Holzman,  Ben  G.,  183 
Honest  John  rocket,  65 
Hooten,  E.  A.,  43 
Hoover,  George  W.,  193 
Hoover,  Herbert  H.,  59,  173,  192 
Hoover  Commission,  78 
Hopkins,  Philip  S.,  172 
Horner,  Richard  E.,  47,  108,  125 
Hornet  (carrier),  43 

Horsepower,  Progress  in  aircraft  engines,  52 
Houbolt,  John  C,  199 
Houghton,  Henry  G.,  183 
Hound  Dog  (SeeGAM-77) 
Howe,  Clarence  D.,  177 
Howell,  Robert  B.,  194 
Rowland  Island  (Pacific  O.),  35 
HPAG,  74 
HS-1,  flying  boat,  8 
HU-1,  helicopter,  125 
Hubler,  Richard  G.,  209 
Hudsons  (Lockheed),  36 
Hueco  Range,  50 

Hughes,  Howard,  158,  172,  174,  177,  179 
Hughes  Aircraft,  70,  123,  125, 134 
Hull,  G.  P.,  19 
HuUsmeyer,  Christian,  15 
Human  tissue,  132, 133 
Human  tolerance  to  multiple  g-loads,  37 
Humphrey,  Paul  A.,  183 
Hunsaker,  Jerome  C,  4,  5,  6,  7,  9,  12,  30,  42, 

52,  108,  176,  182,  1&7,  198,  202,  204,  209 
Hunt,  J.  R.,  85 

Huntsville  (Ala.)  81,  120,  128 
HS-293  (glide  bomb) ,  46 
Button,  Richard,  194 
Hurricane 

first  photo,  76 

flight  into,  48 
Hurricane  fighter,  33,  36 
Hustler  (SeeB-58) 
Hybrid  rocket  design,  45 
Hyde,  Margaret  O.,  209 
Hydroaeroplane,  4 
Hydrocarbons,  12 
Hydrogen  device,  70 
Hydrogen-fluorine  engine,  92,  122 
Hydrogen-oxygen  engine,  93,  105,  117 
Hydro-ski,  72 
Hynek,  J.  Allen,  106 
Hypersonic 

test  vehicles,  55 

flow,  58 

research  vehicle,  72,  83,  87 
Hypoxia,  37,  40 

1-16  engine,  44 

Icarus,  1 

ICBM.  53,  54,  74,  79,  94 

Soviet  development,  58,  87 

(See  Atlas,  Titan,  Minuteman) 
Ice  formation,  on  aircraft,  24 
Ice  jam,  use  of  aircraft  on,  18 
Ickes,  Harold  L.,  36 
Ide,  John  J.,  13,  27 

IGY  (See  International  Geophysical  Year) 
IGY/IGC-59,  117 
IGY  Warning  Center,  130 
11-2  (Stormairk),  42 
Illinois,  Univ.  of,  64 
Impact 

of  air  power,  207 

of  technology  upon  society,  ill 


224 


Imperial  Airways,  35 
Incendiaries,  4,  49 
India,  131 

Indian  Head  (Md.),40,  41 
Inertlal  coupling,  59 
Inertial  guidance,  83,  120 
luflatible  spheres,  99 
In-flight  refueling,  9 

(See  refueling) 
Infrared,  121 
Lnfringement  suits,  5 
Ingalls,  Laura,  179 
Insecticide,  aerial  spray,  18 
Institute  of  Technology,  54 
Institute    of    the    Aeronautical     (Aerospace) 

Sciences,  29,  30,  32,  39,  53,  58,  62,  129,  167, 

170-172,  180,  182,  190,  193,  197 
Institute  of  World  Affairs  115 
Instrument  flying,  18,  26,  29,  31 

first  solo,  29 

landing,  31 
Instrument  standardization,  8 
Intake  valves,  15 
Interference  lift,  81 
Interior,  Department  of,  21,  36 
International  Academy  of  Astronautics,    112, 

123 
International  Air  Congress,  17 
International  airmail  service,  first  U.S.,  12 
International    Air    Navigation,    1919    Conven- 
tion of,  12 
International  Aircraft  Exposition,  10 
International  air  transport,  33 
International  Astronautics  Federation  (lAF), 

65,  67,  70,  72,  75,  78,  112,  123,  126 
International  Civil  Aviation  Conference   (Chi- 
cago), 48 
International  Civil  Aviation  Organization,  35, 

134 
International  Congress  on  Aerial  Safety,  27 
International   Convention    on   Air  Navigation 

(Paris),  10,  11 
International  Council  of  Scientific  Union,  70, 

102  (ICSU) 
International  Geophysical  Year  (IGY),  68,  70, 
75,  76,  78,  86,  91,  92,  95,  100,  102,  105, 
117,  130,  208,  209,  211 

IGY/IGC  59,  113,  117 

Soviet  Committee,  96,  98,  100 

U.S.    National    Committee,    71,    75,    77,    78, 
85,  91,  92,  102,  105,  113 
International  law,  10 
International  Mars  Committee,  86 
International  Polar  Year,  68,  70 
International  power  politics,  role  of  aviation 

in,  32 
International  Rocket  and  Satellite  Conference, 

88 
International   Space   Science   Symposium,    118 
International  Telecommunications  Union,  111 
Interplanetary  travel,  26,  75 
Inventions  and  Contributions  Board   (NASA), 

101,188 
Inventions,  NACA  review  of,  21 
Inyokern,  China  Lake  (Calif.),  46,  70 
Ion  engine  research,  85,  111,  123 
Ionosphere,  61,  89,  126 

Iowa,  State  University  of,  39,  70,  78,  93,  180 
IRAC,  122 

IRBM,  77,  85  (See  Jupiter,  Polaris,  Thor) 
Iris  rocket,  125 
Iroquois  helicopter,  125 
Irvine,  C.  S.,  154 
Irvine,  Rutledge,  17 
Irwin,  Walter  A.,  98 
Irwin,  W.  W.,  158,  174 


Italy,  36,  132 
Air  force  of,  30 

J-1  engine,  4,  18 

J30  engine,  45 

J34  engine,  45,  63 

J40  engine,  45 

J46  engine,  45 

J47  engine,  81 

Ju-52  aircraft,  30 

J54  engine,  45 

J57,  62,  71 

J65,  66,  68 

J71,  78 

Jabara,  James,  192 

Jacobs,  James,  192 

Jacobs,  Eastman  V.,  37,  190,  196 

Jackass  Flats  (Nev.),  110,  124,  128 

Jackson,  Nelson  P.,  ISO 

NRC  award,  180 
Jamaica,  32 

Jane's  All  The  World's  Aircraft,  209 
Japan,  49,  99,  110,  130 

air  force,  35 

naval  air  units,  42  ^ 

Kappa  rocket,  99 
Jarvis  Island,  64 
Jastrow,  Robert,  109,  134,  209 
Javelin  rocket,  110, 116 
JB-2  (robot  bomb),  48 
Jeep  (NACA  jet  engine),  44 
Jefferies  Award,  180 
Jenny  (JN4),  7,  20 
Jet  aircraft 

first  flight,  38 

first  four-engine,  52 

Italian  ducted  jet,  42 

rotor  helicopter,  46 

and  propeller  fighter,  45 

U.S.  design,  44 

(See  Turbo- Jet,  Rampet,  etc.) 
Jet-assisted  takeoffs  (JATO),  37,  40,  42,  50 

first  in  Germany,  25 

first  use  in  USSR,  30 

liquid  fuel,  41,  42,  43,  44,  45 
Jet  exhausts,  39 
Jet  propulsion 

Bureau  of  Standard's  study,  28 

early  NACA  study,  14 

revaluation  of,  37 

Laboratory,  45 

Special  NACA  Committee  on,  41 
Jet  Propulsion  Laboratory   (JPL),  34,  47,  49, 
50.  51,  55,  67,  68,  73,  80,  83,  95,  96,  100, 
104,  105,  111,  113, 128,  132, 194 

ORDCIT,  47,  49 

(See  Corporal,  Hermes,  etc.) 
Jet  transport,  75 
Jet-type  wind  tunnel,  23 
Jettisonable  gas  tank,  16 
J-13  aircraft,  14 
Jacksonville  (Fla.),  9 
Jet  VTOL  aircraft,  80 
JH-1.  35,  36 

JN4  (Jenny),  7,  9,  20.  22 
Jodrell  Bank  (Eng.),  109,  124,  127 
Johns  Hopkins  University,  38,  52 
Johnson,  Clarence  L.,  47, 174,  191,  193,  196 
Johnson,  Howard  C,  98,  160,  174 
Johnson,  J.  B.,  170 
Johnson,  John  A.,  109 
Johnson,  Louis,  60 
Johnson,  Lyndon  B.,  94,  97, 134 
Johnson,  Richard  L.,  60 
Johnson,  Robert  L.,  158,  198 
Johnson,  Roy  W.,  95 


225 


Johnson,  Thomas,  162 

Johnson,  W.  H.,  196 

Johnson,  Island,  100 

Johnston,  A.  M.,  173 

Johnston,  S.  Paul,  53 

Johnisville  (Pa.),  45,  100,  112,  122 

Joint  Army-Navy  Research  and  Development 

Board,  54 
Joint  Armv  and  Navy  Technical  Aeronautical 

Board   (JANTAB),  8,  12 
Joint  Chiefs  of  Staff,  54,  64 

(See  Defense  Dept.) 
Joint  Committee  on  New  Weapons  and 

Equipment  (JNW),  43,  52 
Joint  Meteorological  Satellite  Committee,  109 
Joint  Research  Airplane  Committee,  75 
Joint  Technical  Board  on  Aircraft,  6 
Jones,  B.  Melville,  197 
Jones,  B.  Q.,  3,  184 
Jones,  Gene,  133 
Jones,  B.,  18 
Jones,  Robert  T.,  49,  191 
Jongbloed,  J.  (Ger.),  26 
Jordan,  Joseph  B.,  116,  160 
Journal  of  Aviation  Medicine,  25 
JRM-2,  60 
Juarez  (Mex.),  57 
Judd,  F.  V.  H.,  197 
Jude,  Geo.  F.,  194 
Junkers,  Hugh,  4 
Junkers  aircraft,  11,  25,  33,  35,  45 

J-1,  4 

J-13,  14 

.005  Engines,  46 

JU-33,  24,  25 

JU-52,  30 

JU— 287   52 
Juno  II,  96,  104,  111,  113,  121,  130 
Jupiter  C,  83,  92,  96,  111 
Jupiter  IRBM,  80,  81,  82,  83,  86,  91,  92,  99, 

104,  106,  109 
Jupiter  (Planet),  127 
Jupiter  (USS),  14 


K-2  airship,  37 

K-123,  47 

Kalitinsky,  Andrew,  186 

Kaman  helicopter,  68, 116 

Kaplan,  Joseph,  169 

Kappa  rocket,  99 

Kauffman,  William  M.,  199 

Kazan  (USSR),  35 

KC-135,  62,  75,  85,  95,  97, 102,  178 

Kearley,  J.  G.,  44 

Kearns,  C.  M.,  193 

Keating,  Kenneth,  97 

Keirn,  Donald  J.,  41,  92,  170 

Keller,  K.  T.,  65 

Kellett,  R.,  154 

Kelley,  Bartram,  181 

Kellum,  Wilbur  E.,  181,  183 

Kelly,  C.  G.,  184 

Kelly,  Mervin  J.,  193 

Kelly,  Oakley  C,  155 

Kelly,  O.  G.,  17 

Kelly,  P.  L.,  170 

Kelly  Air  Mail  Act,  20 

Kelly  Field  (Tex.),  18 

Kelsey,  Ben,  37,  173 

Kennedv,  President-elect  John  F.,  134 

Kenly,  William  L.,  7,  204 

Kepler,  Johannes,  1 

Keplerian  trajectories,  68 

Kepner,  Wm.  E.,  31,  58,  162,  179 

Kessler,  F.  W.,  33 

Kettering,  Charles,  9 

Kety,  Seymour,  112 


Key  West,  12 

Key  West  Agreement,  59 

Khrushchev,  Premier  Nikita,  112,  113,  128 

Killian,  James  R.,  Jr.,  77,  95,  105,  109,  210 

Killian  Committee,  77 

Kilner,  W.  C,  38 

Kilner-Lindbergh  Board, 

Establishment  of,  38 
Kincheloe,    Iven   C,    82,    100,    126,    169,    176, 

185,  192 
Kindelberger,  James  H.,  174 
King,  Ernest  J.,  30,  204 
Kingfisher  Missile,  53 
Kinler,  Walter  G.,  204 
Kipfer,  P.,  162 
Kirkham  racer,  10 
Kirkham-Packard,  23 
Kirschner,  Edwin  J.,  210 
Kistiakowsky,  George  B.,  109 
Kite  Balloon,  8 
Kittinger,  Joseph  W.,  86,  114,  116,  126,  163, 

164,  181 
Kitt  Peak  (Ariz.).,  117 
Kitty  Hawk  (N.C.),  24,  207 
Kitty  Hawk,  of  rocketry,  21 
Kiwi-A,  110,  129, 

Prime,  124 
Klemin,  Alexander,  award  for,  181 
Klieforth,  H.,  69 
Knight.  William,  10 
Knipfer,  Charles,  28 
Knudson,  John,  195 
Kochl,  Herr.  24 
Kokkinaki,  K.  K.,  128 
Kolcum,  Harry,  210 
Kollsman  Instrument  Co.,  191 
Komet  (Me-163),  48,  Me-163B,  47 
Korean  War,  64,  67,  72 
Kosmodemyansky,  Prof.,  210 
Kotanchik,  J.  N.,  39 
Kraus,  Sydney  M.,  204 
Krebs,  Geoirge,  56 
Kroon,  R.  P.,  195 
Krause,  Ernest  H.,  210 
Krieger,  F.  J.,  210 
Kuiper,  G.  P.,  130 
Kummersdorf,  27,  29,  35 
Kunz,  W.  J.,  197 
KVW-1  (Loon),  53 

(Also  see  JB-2,  V-1) 
Kwajalein,  115 


Lacrosse  missile,  65,  75 
Lahaina  (Hawaii),  15 
"Laika"  (dog),  98 
Laird  Super-Solution,  28 
Lake  Conistance  (Switz.),  25 
Lakehurst  (N.J.),  18,35 
Lamb,  LawreJice  E.,  196 
Lambert,  E.  H.,  196 
Lambert,  Sgt.,  54 
Laminar  flow,  airfoil,  39 

wind  tunnel,  35 
Land,  Emory  S.,  204 
Land  of  the  Soviets,  25 
Landing  gears 

first  Navy  aircraft  with,  27 

oleo,  20 

retractable,  12,  26,  31 

track,  61 

tricycle,  31 
Lange,  Fritz,  25 
Langley,  Samuel  P.,  181 
Langley  (CV),  14,  15,  16 
Langley  Field  (Va.),  5,  9,  24,  35,  36 
Langley  Medals,  26,  124 


226 


Langley    Memorial    Aeronautical    Laboratory 
(NACA).  8,  12-16,  19,  21,  27,  34,  35,  37, 
47,  48,  55.  58,  63,  65,  66,  92,  93 
Englneer-ln-chargp,  48,  84 
Flijrht  Research,  47,  48 

PAKD,    51,    54,    56,   60,    67,    68,    76,    82,    96 
Wind  tunnels,  8,  26,  27 
(See  \A'ln(l  tunnels.  Wallops  Island) 
Langley   Research   Center    (NASA),    105,   107, 
111,  122 
Structures  Research  Division,  130 
Lark  missile,  50,  63 
L'Astronatique,  27 
Lasser,  David,  26 
Lassiter,  O.  F.,  57,  156 
Latham,  Hubert,  159 
Laudan.  F.  P..  196 
Launching  rope.  24 

Launch  Operations  Directorate  (NASA),  124 
Law,  of  outer  space,  132 
Lawrance,  Charles  L.,  173 
I^awrance  aero  engine,  8,  11,  12,  14 
Lawrence,  Lovell,  176 
LBD-1  (Gargoyle),  48 
Leahy.  William  D.,  53 
Lear.  John,  210 
Ledui,  Rene,  62 
Lee,  Robert  E.,  134 
Leipzig  (Ger.),  45 
Leaflet  bombing,  38 
League  of  Nations,  11 
Lees,  W.,  28 
Legal  doctrine,  48 
Legislation,  NACA  analysis  of,  20,  21 

(See  U.S.  Congress) 
I>ehmann,  Milton,  xi 
Lehmann.  Ernst  A.,  179 
Leipzig  (Ger.),  9 
LeMaitre,  Henri,  154 
LeMay,  Curtis  E..  52.  92,  178 
Leningrad  (USSR),  35 
LePere,  7.  11.  14 
Le  Prieur  rockets,  4 
Levine,  Charles  A.,  22,  154 
Lewey,  F.  H.,  40 
Lewis,  George  W.,  18,  34,  37,  40,  58,  60,  176, 

195 
Lewis,  M.  Lee,  62,  82,  83,  91,  100,  110 
Lewis,  William,  183 
Lewis  Flight  Propulsion  Laboratory   (NACA), 

38,   46,   47,   49,  52,  60,   71,   74,   78,  79,   84, 

92,  93,  99 
Lewis  Research  Center  (NASA),  99,  102.  103, 
117,  120,  163 

(See  Plum  Brook) 
Leadngton,  25 
Ley,  Willy,  33,  210 
Liberty  engines,  6,  7,  8 
Licensing  of  pilots,  10 
Lieblein.  Seymour,  188 
Lick  Observatory,  111 
Life  magazine,  50 
Life  sciences,  125 

discipline  of,  ix 

use  of  satellites  in,  98 
Lift,  coefficient,  28 

interference,  81 
Lift-drag  ratio,  79 
Light  planes,  20 
Lighter-than-aircraft. 

first  USN  nonrlgid,  3 

first  Atlantic  crossing,  10 

(See  Airships,  Zeppelins) 
Lilienthal,  Otto,  1 
Liljencrantz  award,  182 
Lilly,  Howard  C,  59 


Lindbergh,  Charles  A.,  22,  38,  154,  175,  177, 
179,  181,  195,  198,204 
and  Mrs.,  28,  30 
Atlantic  survey  flight,  30 
Pacific  survey,  2S 
Link.  Edwin  A.,  172 
Lippisch,  Alex.,  24,  25 
Liquid-fuel  rocket 

first  European  flight,  27 
first  Soviet  flight,  .30 
first  world  flight,  21 
of  Esnault-Pelterle,  28 
Liquid-fuel  rocket  motor,  34,  35,  41-44,  46 

(See  types  of  motors) 
Litchfield,  P.  W.,  195 
Little  America.  26 
Little,  Arthur  D.,  Co.,  164 
Little  .Toe  booster,  53,  113,  114,  118,  130 
Little  Joe  missile,  50 
Littleton.  Charles  W.,  187 
Littlewood,  Wm.,  177,  196,  197,  204 
Lockheed   Aircraft  Corp.,   25,   28,   35,   36,   56, 
82,  84,  130,  180,  191,  193,  194 
Air  Express,  25 
C-69,  44 
Electra,  31 
F-94-C,  69 
P-38,  37 
PV-2,  55 
Sirius,  28 
U-2.  73 
Vega,  30 
Winnie  Mae,  28 
XC-35,  35 
XP-80,  47,  80 
Lodge,  Henry  C,  101,  108,  116 
Loenlng,  Grover  C,  4,  173,  177,  198 
Leoning  aircraft 
Amphibian,  20,  21 
M-3,  8 
Loewy,  Robert  G.,  194 
Loki  rocket,  67,  75,  78 
London  (Eng.),  3,  5,  6,  36,  47,  48 
Long,  K.,  83,  163 
Longacre  Award,  182 
Longham,  Sgt..  15 
Long-Range  Missile  Proving  Ground,  54,  62 

(See  AFMTC,  AMR,  Cape  Canaveral) 
Long-range  rockets,  45,  46 
Long-range  studies,  of  NASA,  109 
Lonnequest,  T.  C,  189,  204 
Loon  missile,  48,  53,  56,  64 
Loosbrock,  John  F.,  210 
Lorin  tube,  30 
Loring,  Samuel  J.,  196 
Los  Alamos  Scientific  Laboratory,  85, 108 
Los  Angeles  (Cal.),  34 
Los  Angeles  (ZR-3),  18,  29 
Losey  Award,  182 
Lo^-e.  E.  S..  193,  199 
Lovelace,  W.  R.,  45,  181,  193 
Lovelace  Foundation,  66 
Low-drag  wing,  37,  39 
Low-turbulence  wind  tunnel  tests,  39 
LSD  Point  Reference,  102 
Lucky  Lady,  63 
Lucky  Lady  II,  61 

liuftwaffe  (See  Germany,  Air  Force) 
Lunar  exploration,  109 
Lunar  maps,  126,  130,  132 
Lunar  programs,  90,  102 
Lundberg,  B.  K.  O.,  198 
Lundquist.  E.  E.,  39 
Lunik  I.  106,  121,  143 
Lunik  II,  112-114,  144 
Lunik  III,  130,  145 
L.  W.  F.  Engineering  Co.,  6 
Lyster  Award,  183 


227 


M8,  43 

MacClain,  Albert  L.,  172,  196 

MacCracken,  WUllam  P.,  198,  204 

MacDairmid,  D.  B.,  173 

Mach  3,  81 

Mace  missile,  181 

Machine-gun,  aerial  use  of,  3 

Mackay,  Donald  B.,  186 

Mackay  Trophy,  23,  184-185 

Macmillan,  Prime  Minister  Harold,  109 

Macmillan  arctic  expedition,  20 

Macon,  30,  32 

Macauley,  T.  C,  9 

Macready,  J.  A.,  14,  17,  18,  21,  155,  159,  184 

Macy  automatic  Pilot,  3 

Magnesium  airframe,  78 

Maitland,  L.  J.,  184 

Maitland,  R.  L.,  16 

Magnetic  fields,  93,  122 

tape,  134 
Majorca  (Spain),  36 
Malina,  Frank  J.,  34,  43,  190 
Malone,  Thomas  F.,  183 
Manchester,  Univ.  of,  109 

(See  Jodrell  Bank) 
Man-High  balloon,  86,  87,  103,  163 
Manila  (Phil.  Is.),  34 
Man  in  space,  71,  104,  208,  209,  210 
Manly,  Charles  M.,  26,  182  ; 

Award,  185 
Manned  reentry,  87 
Manned  space  flight,  71 
Manufacturers  Aircraft  Association,  5 
Marberger,  John  F.,  196,  210 
March  Field  (Cal.),  29,  42 
Marconi,  Gughlielmo,  15 
Margaret,  Princess,  120 
Marine  Corps  Aviation, 

aerial  survey  by,  13,  26 

aviation  in  1917,  6 

first  Aviation  Force,  8 
Mars  (planet),  environment  of,  93,  127 

life  on,  73 
Mars  chamber,  84 
Marshall,  George  C,  124,  127 
Marshall  Islands,  74 

Marshall    Space   Flight  Center    (NASA),   120, 
131,  134,  207 

(See  Saturn,  Redstone,  etc.) 
Martin,  Glenn  L.,  49,  52,  134,  177,  198 
Martin,  James,  170 
Martin,  John,  59 

Martin  Aircraft  Co.,  3,  12,  17,  26,  34,  35,  54, 
67,  78,  86,  99,  114,  129,  134,  194 

(See   China   Clipper,  Matador,   Titan,  Van- 
guard, etc.) 
Marvin,  Charles  F.,  204 
Maryland,  Univ.  of,  49,  79 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology  (MIT), 

3,  11,  12,  19,  21,  36,  63,  95,  107,  183,  190, 

193-195 
Mass  production  techniques,  6 
Massey,  H.  S.  W.,  107 
Massie,  Walter  L.,  79 
Matador  missile,  54,  67 
Materiel    Division,    24    (See   McCook,    Wright 

Field) 
MATS  (See  U.S.  Air  Force) 
Matzdorflf,  R.  E.,  186 
Maugham,  Lt.  R.  L.,  18,  157 
Mav,  Gene,  56 
McAllister,  Lt.  C.  D.,  29 
McAvoy,  Wm.  H.,  172 
McCain,  John  S.,  204 
McCarthy,  Charles  J.,  174,  204 
McClure,  Clifton  M.,  103 
McClure,  D.,  164 


McClure,  Frank  T.,  188 

McCook  Field    (Dayton,  Ohio),  6,   11,  12,  17, 

18,  19,20 
McCormack,  John  W.,  197 
McCune,  James  E.,  194 
McDonnell    Aircraft,    58,    85,    106,    121,    125, 

127,  171 
LBD-1,  48 
Mercury  capsule,  69 
XFD-1.  45,  54 
McDonough,  Gordon  L.,  97 
McElroy,  Neil  H.,  92,  95,  97,  113 
McFarland,  Marvin  W.,  210 
McFarland,  Ross  A.,  182 
McGee,  J.  C,  52 
Mcintosh,  Lawrence  W.,  204 
McKinney,  J.  C,  8 
McPherson-Smith,  Ross,  11 
McTaggart-Cowan,  P.  B.,  183 
McVeigh,  D.  R.,  xi 
Mead,  George  J.,  190,  204 
Mechta,  143  (See  Lunik  J) 
Medaris,  John  B.,  210 
Medical  research,  55 
Medical  Research  Laboratory 
Mehrens,  Harold  B.,  172 
Meisinger,  Clarence  L.,  18,  186 

Award,  186 
Menoher,  Charles  T.,  204 
Mercedes  aircraft  motor,  4 
Mercury  capsule,  69 
Mercury  program,  100,  102,  106  (See  Project 

Mercury) 
Mercury-Redstone,  106,  131,  134 
Mergen,  J.  M.,  186 
Merrell,  A.  E.,  173 
Merrill,  Grayson,  189 
Merrill,  Henry  T.,  177, 179 
Mertes,  Ray  C,  172 
Messerschmitt  Aircraft 

Me  109,  37 

Me  163A,  42 

Me  163B,  45  47,  48 

Me  262,  44,  45,  49,  208 
Metals,  NASA  subcommittee  on,  19 
Meteor  jet  aircraft,  46,  47 
Meteorgraphs,  33 
Meteoric  dust,  73 
Meteorological  research,  use  of  satellites,  74, 

109,  121,  129 
survey  of  U.S.,  73 

(See  Vanguard  II,  Tiros  I,  RadiOBondes) 
Meteorology 

and  aeronautics,  7 
science  of,  11 
study  of.  24 
Methane,  13,  27 
Metz,  Richard,  3,  45 
Metzger,  C.  A.,  122 
Mexico,  4,  112 
Meyers,  Donald  N.,  197 
Miami  (Fla.),  9,36 
Mice,  65 

Michigan,  Univ.  of,  22,  81,  82,  125,   127,  131 
Michikawa  rocket  center,  99 
Mickelsen,  Wm.  R.,  199 
Microbiology,  84 

Midas  satellite,  85, 120,  121,  123,  134,  147 
Midway  (CV),  58 
MiG-15,  57,  66,  72 
Mikesell,  A.,  98,  164 
Milbank,  J.,  210 
Miller,  C.  D.,  37,  185 
Miller,  F.  H.,  190 
Miller,  J.  A.,  210 
Miller,  J.  E.,  186 
Miller,  T.  H.,  127 
Millikan,  Clark  B.,  191,  197 


228 


Millikan,  Robert  A.,  29 

Mills,  Charles  A.,  179 

Millstone  Hill  Radar  Observatory.  110 

Minitrack,  83.  88 

Minueapolis-Honeywell.  99 

Minnesota.  Univ.  of,  83,  109,  162,  164 

Minshall,  R.  J.,  196 

Miuuteman  ICBM,  96,  112,  113.  130 

Hirak  II,  29 

Missile  ranges  (See  AMR,  PMR,  WSPG,  etc.) 

Mlstran,  12.") 

Mitchell,  H.  F.,  126 

Mitchell,  R.  J..  34 

Mitchell,  William,  13.  14.  20.  1.57 

Mitchell  Field  (N.Y.),  12,  37 

Mitscher,  Marc  A.,  204 

ML  alloy,  52 

Moby  Dick  balloon.  71,  73,  163 

]\Iodel  Test  Hasin,  Taylor.  48 

Moekel,  Wolfgang  E.,  199 

Moeller,  C.  A.,  52 

Moffett,  William  A..  14,  30,  204 

Moflfett  Field  (Calif.),  37,  38,  40,  52,  113 

Moise,  John  W.,  187 

Mollison,  Amy  Johnson,  178 

Mollusks,  15 

Jilolybdenum  casting,  106 

Monkey  (rocket  payload),  62.  63.  109-110.  118 

Monoethylanllne,  46 

Moody.  A.  B..  195 

Moon,  as  radio  reflector,  25,  55,  109 

eclipse  of,  13 

impact  of  Lunik  II,  113 

landing  on,  122 

maps  of,  126,  130,  132 
"Moon  rocket,"  25 
Moonwatch,  128 
Moore,  Charles  B.,  63,  115,  163 
Moore,  J.  H.,  116 
Mortar-fired  bomb,  42 
Morrell.  Gerald,  199 
Morrow  Board,  20 
Morse,  Al,  170 
Moscow  (USSR),  33,  35 
Moscow  Radio,  75,  132 
Moscow-to-San  Jacinto  (Calif.)  flight,  35 
Mosely,  C.  C,  12 
Mosely,  Harry  G.,  182 

Award.  187 
Moslem,  70 

Mosquito  bomber,  36,  40,  41 
Moss,  Sanford  A.,  11,  174,  191 
Mount  Clemens  (Mich.),  14 
M.O.U.S.E.,  72 
>[ousetrap  rocket,  42 
Muchio's  Field  (N.J.),  20 
Mulligan.  Denis,  204 
Multi-engine  aircraft,  27 
Multiple  g-loads,  human  tolerance  to,  37 
Munich  (Ger.),  36 
Munitions  Board,  72 
Murock  Dry  Lake  (Calif.),  44,  47,  57,  61 
Murphree,  E.  V.,  81 
Murray,  Arthur,  75.  76 
Murray,  Robert  B.,  Jr.,  204 
Murry,  Don,  210 
Murry,  Peter  R.,  194 
Musick,  E.  C,  33,  177,  179 
MuPtin,  H.  C,  4 
MX   '^24.  47 

MX-776  (Rascal),  53,  70 
Myers,  D.  A.,  22 
Myers,  John,  46 
Mylar  plastic,  83,  126 
Myrus,  Don,  210 


N2C-236 

N-9,  Navy  -'Flying  Bomb,"  6,  7,  9,  10 

Seaplane.  18 
Nagasaki.  51 
NATIV  Missile.  59 
Nainlas.  Jerome.  186.  192 
Nash.  J.  Slade.  70.  158 
Natcher.  Wm.  H..  97 

National  Academy  of  Sciences.  34,  38,  40, 
77,  78.  88,  94-96.  99,  101-103,  105,  108, 
113,  117 

lOY  Bulletin  of,  210 

National  Research  Council  of,   5 

Space  Science,  Board  of,  99,  102,  108 
National  Advisory  Committee  for  Aeronautics 
(NACA) 

aeronautical  research.  111,  3,  12,  39,  41,  45 

airmail  recommendation,  5 

Annual  Reports,  187-88 

awards  of,  210 

Chairman  of,  3,  5,  11,  38,  42.  202 

committees  of,  19 

cowling  development,  24,  173 

early  history,  3-7 

Executive  Committee  of,  11,  19,  42,  69 

facilities  of,  37,  50,  62 

Federal  legislation,  9,  12 

Final  Report,  108,  208 

high-speed  camera,  37 

history  of,  209-10 

inspections  and  conferences  of,  21,  24,  26, 
28 

international  U.S.  policy,  10 

jet  engine  of,  44 

members  of,  3,  25,  202-5 

Memoranda,  14 

Muroc  Flight  Test  Unit,  55 

National  Scientific  Research  Center,  54 

Office  of  Aero.  Intelligence,  54 

Paris  Office,  40 

personnel,  170, 172,  174,  181,  190 

Reports  of,  12,  16,   19,  26,  28,  37,  41,   108 

rules  and  regulations,  62 

Secretary  of,  23 

Space  Technology  committee,  92 

special  committees,  7,  37,  41,  49 

tank,  28 

transfer  to  NASA,  lii,  100-101 

wasp  waist  concept,  73,  83 

wind  tunnels  of,  8,  20,  21,  26 

and  industry,  4 

and  USAF,  98-101 

(See  Ames.  Langley  and  Lewis  Laboratories, 
Wallops  Island,  etc.) 
National  Aeronautics  and   Space   Administra- 
tion (N4SA) 

Administrator,  100,  101,  109,  116,  118,  131, 
134 

advisory  committees  of,  104,  106 

Associate  Administrator,  125 

awards,  187-88,  199 

Committee  on  Long-Range  Studies,  109 

Deputy  Administrator,  100 

Founding  of,  89,  94,  95,  97,  99,  100-2,  207, 
208,  212 

Inventions    and   Contributions   Board,    104, 
188 

Launch  Operations  Directorate,  124,  131 

Launch  record,  134 

Office  of  Launch  Vehicles,  116,  117 

Office  of  Life  Sciences,  104,  112,  118,  120 

Office  of  Space  Flight,  99 

Office  of  Technical  Information  and  Educa- 
tional Programs,  123 

Office  of  Public  Information,  139,  210 

Office   for  the  United   Nations   Conference, 
118 

programs  of,  102,  212 


229 


National  Aeronautics  and   Space  Administra- 
tion— ^Continued 
Space  Task  Group,  103 
Ten  Year  Plan,  118,  212 
organization  of,   99,    101,    102,    112,    112-7. 

212 
and  Congress,  212 
and  Space  Act  of  1958,  100,  212 
and  ABC,  127,  129,  133 
and  ARPA,  102 
and  DOD,  127,  130,  212 
and  Space  Council,  101,  212 
(See    Ames,     Langley,     Lewis    and    Flight 
Research     Centers,     and     Goddard     and 
Marshall    Space     Flight     Centers,     JPL, 
WOO,  and  Wallops  Island) 
National  Aeronautic  Association,  16,  37,  153, 

173 
National  Air  Council,  189 

Award,  189 
National  Airlines,  104 
National  Air  Museum,  54,  172 
National  Booster  Program,  105 
National  Aviation  Education  Council,  172 
National  aviation  policy,  11,  32  ; 
NACA  recommendations  on,  11 
National  Bureau  of  Standards,  7,  9,  19,  24,  33, 
37,  41,  109,  112,  190,  191,  203-205 
aircraft  engine  laboratory,  12 
Director  of,  38,  203-205 
jet  propulsion  study,  14,  28 
Mech.  and  Sound  Division,  44 
radio-eclio  altimeter,  26 
Altitude  engine  laboratory,  7,  9 
National    Center    for    Atmospheric    Research, 

131 
National  Civil  Service  League  Award,  199 
National   Committee  for   IGY    (U.S.),   71,    75, 

77,  78,  85,  91,  92,  95,  98,  100,  102 
National   Conference  on   Aeronautical    Educa- 
tion, 26 
National  Defense  Act  of  1940,  37 
National  Defense  Research  Committee,  40,  41, 
42,  43,  46 
Division,  5.  43,  46 
National  Geographic,  31,  33, 162,  208 
National  goals,  132 
National  Institutes  of  Health,  5 
National  Parljs,  aerial  observations  of,  14 
National  Program,  for  guided  missile,   53 
National  Radio  Astronomy  Observatory,   109, 

117,  121 
National  Research  Council,  first  meeting  of,  5 
National  research  effort,  52,  212 
National  Roclfet  Club,  91,  167,  169, 180,  189 
National  Science  Foundation,   64,   74,  75,  77, 

82,  94,  98,  107,  114,  117,  131,  133 
National  sovereignty,  in  air  space,  11,  48 
National    space    program   and   policy,    92,   97, 
209,  212 
(See  Congress,  NASA,  USAF,  etc.) 
NATO   Advisory   Group  for   Aeronautical   Re- 
search, 69 
'Nautilus,  74 

Navaho  missile,  64,  70,  72,  73,  74,  76,  77,  86 
Navy  Department  (USN) 

Aircraft  Factory    (NAF),   6,  8,   26,  38,   39, 

41,  43,  45,  81 
Air  Stations  (NAS) 

Anacostia,  10,  20,  26,  36,  43 
Chincoteague,  111 
Glynco,  123 
Hampton  Roads,  9 
Lakehurst,  17,  37,  69 
Miami,  8 

Mountain  View,  75 
New  York,  47 


Navy  Department — Continued 

Air  Stations  (NAS) — Continued 
Norfolk,  92,  102,  183 
Pensacola,  3,  7,  8,  15 
Rockaway,  13 
San  Diego,  22 

AMAL,  100,  112 

AMOC,  110 

ARL,  15 

Bureau  of  Aeronautics,  14,  15,  34-35,  115, 
20^5,  212 

Bureau  of  Construction,  34 

Bureau  of  Naval  Weapons,  115 

Bureau  of  Ordnance,  10,  13,  40,  43,  46,  115 

Bureau  of  Steam  Engineering,  8,  11 

CEFSR,  51,  53 

CNO,  34,  54 

Gun  Factory,  46,  69 

Medical  Research  Institute,  181 

NAMC,  45,  46,  72,  181 

NAMTC,  55,  61,  80,  95 

NOL,  62,  46,  53 

NOTS,  66,  70,  100,  111,  121 

NPG,  18,  40 

NRL,  16,  34,  42,  52,  53,  69,  70,  75,  83,  103, 
118 

Observatory,  4,  19,  98 

ONR,    54,   67,    70,   74,    76,   78,    79,   98,   101, 
163-65 

Secretary  of,  46 

School  of  Aviation  Medicine,  15,  38,  86,  181, 
183,  196 

(See  aircraft  carriers,  programs  and  projects 
by    name,    and    Loon,    Polaris,    Regulus, 
Skyhook,      Sidewinder,     Stratolab,     Van- 
guard, Viking  and  Transit) 
NB-1, 
NB-36H,  78 
NC  (flying  boat) 

NC-1,  6.  7.  9 

NC04,  10 
Nebraska,  Univ.  of,  172 
Neely,  James  T.,  18 
Neihouse,  Anshal  I.,  188 
Neill,  T.  T.,  41 
Neiman,  .Tack,  98 
Nene  turbojet,  57 
NEPA,  54,  78 
Neptune  (PV-2),  55 
Neptune  rocket,  53 
Nerburger,  Morris,  186 
Netherlands,  The.  132 
Neuhardenberg,  35 
Neumann,  Gerhard,  174 
Nevada  Test  Site.  128,  129 
Newell,  Homer  E.,  Jr.,  116,  189,  193,  210 
Newhouse,  R.  C,  193 
New  Jersey  (U.S.S.),  17 
New  Mexico  School  of  Mines,  183 
NewRochelle  (N.Y.),37 
New  York  University,  22,  57,  64, 162,  163 
Newfoundland,  47 
Newton,  Byron  R.,  204 
Nieuport,  Edouard,  156-157 
Nieuport  Fighter,  4 
Night,  flying  at.  16 

wind  studies  at,  11 
Nike  I  missile,  47,  49,  69,  70 
Nike-Asp  (sounding  rocket),  102,  111,  112,  115 
Nike-Cajun,  82,  98,  125 
Nike-Deacon,  73,  78 
Nike-Recruit.  84 
Nike-Zeus   (A-ICBM),  114,  132 
Nitric  acid,  46 
Nitrogen,  40 
Noble,  Edward  J..  204 
Noise,  jet,  186,  197 
Noiseless  airplane,  57 


230 


Nomenclature,  for  aeronautics,  H 
NOMTE,  84 
NORAD,  130 
NordeJi,  Carl  L.,  13,  58 
Norden  bombsiRht,  58 
Nonrigkl  airships,  14,  47 
Norfleet,  Comdr.  J.  P.,  15 
Norgc,  21 

North  American  Aviation,  39,  59,  64,  70.  72, 
70,  79.  83,  93,  119,  133 

B-25,  39,  43 

Harvard  trainer,  36 

P-51  Mustang,  39 

XB-45,  56 

(See  Roctetdyne) 
North  Carolina  (USS),  4 
North  Korea,  65 
North  Island  Flying  School,  6 
Northolt  (Eng.),36 
North  Pole,  21,  35,  70 
Northrop,  John  K.,  210 

Northrop  Aircraft  Corp.,  32,  41,  70,  81,  195 
Northwestern  Univ.,  203 
Norton  Sound,  58,  61,  62,  63,  64,  70,  101 
Norway,  132 
Nose  cone,  69,  86,  109 
NOTS  (See  Navy) 
Noville,  23 

Noyes,  W.  Albert,  102 
Nozzles,  of  rockets,  61 
Nuclear  chain  reaction,  44 
Nuclear  emulsion,  127 
Nuclear       Engine       Propulsion        (aircraft) 

(NEPA),54,  68,  78,92 
Nuclear-powered  aircraft,  92,  186,  209 
Nuclear  power,  for  rockets,  80 
Nuclear  Propulsion  Office   (NASA-AEC),  127 
Nuclear  rocket  program,  116 
Nuclear  weapons,  56 
Nugent.  Richard  B.,  184 
Nyrop,  Donald  W.,  204 

02U,  26 

Oak  Ridge  National  Laboratory,  76 

Oberth,   Hermann,   18,   26,   79.    189,    193,   210 

Observation  Island,  115,  121 

Ocker.  W.  A.,  22 

Odlshaw,  Hugh,  207 

OGO  satellite,  134 

Odom,  Wm.,  192 

Oehmichen  helicopter,  18 

Office  of  Education,  167 

Office  of  Emergency  Management,  41 

Office  of  Scientific  Research  and  Development 

(OSRD),  41 
Ofstie,  Ralph  A.,  19,  204 
Ogburn,  William  F.,  210 
Ohio  State  Univ.,  196 
O.T-2,  31 

Old  Ferris  Point  (N.Y.),  35 
Olds.  Robert,  36.  179,  184 
Opel  Sander  Rak.  1,  25 
Operation  Far  Side,  91 
Operation  Highjump,  56 
Operation  Paperclip,  50,  52 
Operation  Plumbob,  87 
Optical  measurements,  71 
Orange,  109 

Orbits  polar  (See  Discoverer) 
ORDCIT,  47,  49 

Ordnance  (See  Army  Ordnance) 
Ordway,  F.  I.,  Ill,  210 
Origin  of  universe,  90 
Oaaviakhim  (USSR),  162 
Oscillations,  high  frequency,  71 
Ostrander,  Donald  R.,  116,  210 


O'SullIvan,  Wm.  J.,  Jr.,  169,  210 

Oswald,  Wm.  B.,  194 

Otis,  R.  M.,  16 

Outside  loop,  first  flown,  22 

Oxygen,  13,  24,  25,  26 

P2Y,  29,  31 

P5M-2,  134 

P6M,  78 

P-36,  37 

P— 38   37 

P-40'fightcrs,  36,  39,  40 

P-41,  39 

P-47,  43 

P-51,  39,  47 

P-59,  47,  52 

P-61,  54,  55 

P-80,  47 

P-SOR,  57 

Pace,  Ernest  M.,  Jr.,  204 

Pacific    Missile    Range    (PMR),    95,    99,    123, 

124,  127,  131 
Pacific  survey  flight,  28 
Packard  Motor  Car  Co.,  6,  12,  23,  24,  173 
Page,  A.  H.,  26 
PBM  (Mariner),  35 
PBY  (Catalina),  23,  37,  45 
PBY-5A,  43,  49 
Paimboeuf  (Fr.),  8 
Palaemon  barge,  133 
Palmer,  Eric,  192 

Pan   American   Airways,    32,    33,   34,   35,   38, 
42,  174 

Pan  American  World  Airways,  74,  103 
Pangborn,  Clyde,  28,  179 
Paperclip,  (project)  50,  52 
Pappas,  Costas  E.,  196 
Parabolas,  aerodynamic,  68 
Parachute, 

aircraft  recovery,  24 

records,  12  13,  15,  18,  65,  114,  116.  126 

rocket  rocovery,  38 
Parasite,  fighter,  65 

wind  tunnel,  56 
Paris  (Fr.).,  10,  11,  48 
Paris  Office  (NACA),  10 
Parkinson,  John  B.,  188 
Parry,  Albert,  210 
Parsons,  John  W.,  34 
Parsons,  Jack,  37 
Pasde  Calais,  46 
Pasadena  (Cal.).,  34 
Passengers, 

aircraft  records,  25,  27,  28,  69 

air  compared  to  Pullman,  68 

commercial  flights,  27 

first  jet,  69 

statistics,  35 
Passenger  service, 

first  transpacific,  34 

first  transatlantic,  38 

first  jet  transcontinental,  105 
Patents,  125 

cross-licensing  and,  5 

for  jet  engine,  27 

inf rigement  of,  5 

NACA  and,  6 

on  radar,  15 

rights,  18 
Patent  Office  (U.S.),  3,  58 
Patterson,  Robert,  51 
Patrick,  Mason  M.,  65,  204 
Patrick  AFB,  65,  108 

(See  AFMTC,  Cape  Canaveral) 
Patrick  Henry,  113,  129 
Patuxent  River  (Md.),  60 
Paul,  Wilfred  J.,  27 


231 


Pavillac  (Fr.),  8 
Payload, 

of  rocket,  25 

IGY,  99,  100 

(See  Rockets  and  Satellites  by  name) 
Payne,  L.G.S.,  210 
Payne,  Richard  G.,  188 
Peaceful  uses,  89,  94,  95,  96,  97,  128 
Peacemaker  (SeeB-36) 
Pearl  Harbor,  42 
Pearson,  Lee  M.,  si,  212 
Peenemiinde,  35,  43,  44,  50,  51  ; 

V-l's  flown  at,  47  (See  V-2) 
Pegasus,  Magazine,  207 
Peiping,  113 

Pelican  missile,  43,  47,  48 
Pendray,  G.  Edward,  26,  27,  189,  209,  210 

Award,  189 
Pensacola  (Fla.).,  39 
Pentagon,  50 
Pershing  rocket,  120,  133 
Petras,  T.  A.,  39 
Petterssen,  Sverre,  197 
Pfingstag,  Carl  J.,  204 
Phantom  (SeeXFD-1) 
Philadelphia  (Pa.),  46 
Philippines,  61 
Phillips,  William  H.,  59,  194 
Phoebus,  C.  P.,  183 
Photoelectric  detector,  41 
Photographic  measurements,  71 
Photography, 

aerial,  4.  18,  24 

combustion  analysis,  37 

at  night,  8,  20 

of  satellites,  109 

from  satellites,  111,  113 

of  moon,  130 

of  eclipse  of  sun,  29 
Physiological  research,  29,  35 
Piasecki,  Prank  N.,  194 
Piasecki  helicopter,  63 
Piccard,  Auguste,  28,  29,  162,  179,  210 
Piccard,  Donald,  125,  163 
Piccard,  .lean,  31,  54,  162 
Piccard,  Jeanette,  31,  162,  179 
Pickering,  William  H.,  198,  210 
Pierce,  Erold  P.,  185 
Pierce,  H.  F.,  35 
Pierce,  J.  A.,  195 
Pikes  Peak  (Colo.),  37 
Pilotless  aircraft,  5,  6,  9,  28,  34,  47,  48 
Pine  Castle  (Fla.),  53 
Pinkel,  I.  Irving,  39,  170,  187 
Piper  Comanche,  124 
Pioneer  I  (space  probe),  103,  142 
Pioneer  JI,  103,  104,  142 
Pioneer  III,  89,  104,  105,  142 
Pioneer  IV,  107,  124,  143 
Pioneer  V,  89,  120-122,  146 
Pioneers  of  rocketry,  212 

(See  Goddard,  Oberth,  Ziolkovsky) 
Pitcairu,  Harold  F.,  24,  173 
Pitcairn  aircraft,  27 
Pittsburgh,  Univ.  of,  182 
Planets,  90,  93 

(See  Mars,  Venus,  etc.) 
Plasmadyne  Corp.,  126 
Plasma  propulsion,  105 
Platte  river,  18 
Pleiades  balloon,  162 
Plug  nozzle,  119 

Plum  Brook  reactor  (NASA),  80 
Pluto,  80 

Plywood,  development  of,  12 
Point  Arguello  (Calif.),  Ill,  127 


Point  Mugu  (Calif.),  53,  65,  80,  95,  99 
Poland,  38 
Polando,  J.,  154 

Polaris,  IRBM,  84,  92,  95,  96,  102,  106,  110, 
115,   116,  118,  121,  131 

A-2,  132 
Politburo,  58 
Polyethylene  balloons,  57 
Pomerantz,  Martin,  57 
Poppen,  John  R.,  29,  30,  32,  181 
Port  Darwin  (Aust.),  11 
Port  Washington,  8 
Porter,  Richard  W.,  79,  176 
Post  Office  Department (  U.S.),  9,  130 

first  airmail  route,  8 

regular  daily  airmail  route,  13 

contract  of  air  mail,  20 
Post,  Wiley,  28,  175,  177,  179 
Powers,  Edward  M.,  204 
Prandtl,  Ludwig,  14,  26,  37,  176 
Prather,  Victor  G.,  165 
Pratt,  Fletcher,  26 
Pratt,  Henry  C,  204 

Pratt-Whitney,  21,  24,  29,  41,  62,  66,  103,  117 
Pre-set  guidance,  42 
Pressed-powder  propellant,  42 
Pressure  chamber,  98 
Pressure  suit,  62,  102 
Pressurized-cabin  airplane,  13,  35,  40 
Price,  Don  K.,  210 
Price,  G.  E.,  39 
Price,  John  D.,  204 
Price,  Ward,  32 

Princeton  University,  57,  61,  66,  111,  163 
Private  A  rocket,  47,  48 
Private  F  rocket,  50 
Probe  and  drogue,  63 
Project  Advent,  132 
Project  Apollo,  125,  127,  129 
Project  Argus,  101,  107 
Project  Defender,  131 
Project  Bumper,  55,  65 
Project  Discoverer,  104,  180 

(See  Discoverer  I,  etc.) 
Project  Excelsior,  114,  115,  164-165 
Project  Far  Side,  86,  163 
Project  Fox,  43 
Project  Hardtack,  100 
Project  Helios,  54,  55,  162 
Project  Hermes,  48,  56,  60,  64,  68,  76,  211 
Project  ICEF,  164 
Project  Mercury,  100,  102,  106,  108-135,  212 

(See  Astronauts,  McDonnell,  STG,  etc.,  Big 
Joe,  Little  Joe,  Redstone,  Atlas) 
Project  Midas,  120,  121,  123,  134,  147 
Project  MOUSE,  72 
Project  NEPA,  54 
Project,  NERV,  127 
Project  Orbiter,  75,  78 
Project  OZMA,  121 
Project  Paperclip,  50,  52 
Project  Pilot,  105 
Project  Pluto,  80 
Project  RAND,  53,  58,  60 
Project  Rover,  82,  124,  129 
Project  Saturn  (See  Saturn) 
Project  Saucer,  63 
Project  Score,  105.  143 
Project  Skyhook,  58 
Project  Stratolab,  76,  82 
Project  Transit,  188 
Project  TED,  42 
Project  Vanguard,  79,  84,  88,  91,  92,  96,  98, 

102,  108,  110,  143,  208,  210 
Projectile  ballistics,  96 
Prokofiev,  G.,  30,  162 
Propaganda,  71 
Propane  fuel,  13 


232 


Propeller 

and  jet  .aircraft,  51 

early  research  and  tests,  11,  12,  15,  19 

five-bladed,  51 

pusher-t.vpe,  31 

reversible  pitch,  11,  15,  60 

variable  pitch,  30 

(See  Turboprop) 
Propulsion  (See  subtopics) 

Provisional    International   Civil   Aviation   Or- 
ganization (PICAO),  48 
Public  Health  Service,  13 
Puckett,  Allen  E.,  194 
Puerto  Rico,  128 
Pulitzer  Trophy,  12,  17 
Pullman  passengers,  68 
Pulse-jet,  45,  67 
Pupin.  Michael  I.,  204 
Purser,  Paul,  105 

Putnam,  Amelia  Barhart  (See  Earhart) 
Putt,  Donald  L.,  204 
Pyle,  James  T.,  204 

Quarles,  Donald  A.,  107,  204 
Quesada,  Elwood  R.,  25 
Question  Mark,  25 

R-4  helicopter,  38 

R4D  aircraft,  56 

R-5,  52 

R-34  airship.  10 

R-1830  engine,  39 

R-2S00  engine,  41 

Race, 

aircraft,  12,  17,  19,  34 
arms,  128 
balloon,  15 
Radar,  15,  41,  42,  45,  61,  74 
Radford,  Arthur  W.,  204 
Radial  engine  development,  11,  25 
Radiation  belts,  113,  115,  133 

(See  Van  Allen  Belts) 
Radiation  Lab.,  U.  of  C,  80 
Radio 

air-to-air.  5,  20 
beacon,  20 
compass,  16,  30,  33 
direction  finder,  9 
loop  antennas,  11 
meteorgraphs,  36 
transmission  in  space,  55 
Radio-biology  Lab.,  64 

Radio  controls,  of  aircraft,  4,  8,  9,  11,  34,  36, 
39,  41,  42,  43,  44,  45,  47,  48.  53,  54 
of  glide  bomb.  41.  46 
Radio  Corporation  of  America  (RCA),  41,  107 
Radiosondes,  33,  36 
Radio  Technical  Commission  for  Aeronautics, 

174 
Raff,  G.  E.,  182 
Rainfall,  73 

Raketen  flugpliitze  Berlin,  27 
Ramjet  aircraft,  60,  62 
fuels.  69 
helicopter,  66 
missile,  64 

propulsion,  30,  45,  57 
Ranio-Wooldridge.  99 
RAND  Corp.,  60,  65,  74 
Randolph  Field  (Tex.),  28 
Randt,  Clark,  120 
Ranger  (CU-4),  30,  36 
Range  safety,  86 
Rapid  City  (S.  Dak.),  33,  83 
Rascal  missile,  53,  70 
Raven  Industries,  164 


Raymond.  Arthur  E.,  195,  205 

RB-50A,  72 

RDB,  58 

Reaction  Motors,  Inc.,  42,  55,  63,  70,  119 

Read,  Albert  C,  10 

Reber,  Samuel,  205 

Rechlin  (Ger.),  45 

Reckford,  Frank,  48 

Redstone  Arsenal,  64,  68,  72,  75,  80,  81,  102, 

103,  109,  124 
Redstone  Missile,  72,  75,  76,  80,  81,  83,  100, 

101,  102,  107,  131,  134 
Reed,  Sylvanus  Albert,  Award,  32,  173 
Reed,  W.  F.,  8 
Reed,  Wendell  E.,  197 
Reeder,  .John  P.,  173 
Re-entry,  into  atmosphere,  69,  80,  84,  93 
Rees,  Ed,  211 
Reforestry,  by  aircraft,  21 
Refrigerated  wind  tunnel,  24 
Refueling, 

air-to-air,  9,  14 
history  of,  210 
hose,  97 

jet  aircraft,  67,  72 
pipe,  17 

techniques  of,  63 
Regeneratively-cooled  thrust  chambers,  36 
Regulation 

of  international  air  commerce,  11 
of  civil  aviation,  21 
Regulus  missile,  66,  72.  92,  93,  110,  121 
Reichelderfer.  Frances  W.,  183,  205 
Reid.  Henry  J.  E.,  21,  48,  58 
Reinartz,  E.  G.,  180 
Reitsch,  Hanna,  35 
Remote-controlled  flight,  38 
Rentschler,  Frederick,  B.,  177 
Rentzel,  Delos  W.,  205 
Republic  Aviation,  66,  98  ; 

Xr-47,  41 
Research  and  development 
conduct  of,  21 
policy  on,  21 
in  space  technology,  iii 
Research  and  Development  Board,  203-205 
Retrorocket.  43 

Reversible-pitch  propeller,  11,  15,  60 
RF-80,  67 

Rhesus  monkey,  109,  110 
Rhine  River,  15 
Rhode,  Richard  V.,  196 
Rhon  mountains,  24 
Rich  Tool  Co.,  21 
Richardson,  Holden  C,  9,  205 
Richardson,  Lawrence  B.,  205 
Richie,  Wm.,  65 
Richter,  J.  P.,  17 

Rickenbacker,  Edward  V.,  184,  205 
Ridenour,  Louis  N.,  63,  193 
Riehl,  Plerbert,  183,  186 
Ritchey,  Harold  W.,  190 
Rittenhouse.  David,  7 
Robbins,  H.  W.,  170 
Roberts,  Ernest,  190 
Roberts,  Walter  Orr,  131 
Robertson,  Bruce,  210 
Robertson,  W.  A.,  6 
Robins,  Augustine  W.,  205 
Robinson,  Russell  G.,  34 
Robot,  airplanes,  41 
bombs,  .53 

(See  Pilotless,  Radio-control) 
Rochester  (N.Y.),  20 
Rochester,  Univ.  of,  131 
Rockalr,  78 

Rockaway  Beach  (N.T.),  9 
Rockefeller,  Alfred,  xi 


233 


Rockefeller,  Wm.  C,  193 

Rockefeller  Public  Service  Award,  71,  199 

Rockets, 

air  mail  by,  2S,  33,  131 

pioneers,  212 

potentialities  of,  25 

(See  types  by  name) 
Rocket  Development  Branch  (Army),  46 
Rocket-powered, 

aircraft,   33,  46,  47,   48,   51,   52    (See  X-1, 
X-2,  X-15) 

auto,  24 

bomb,  40 

glider,  24,  25 ; 

ram,  46  ; 

sled,  65,  72,  76,  96,  98,  107 

torpedo,  41 
Rocket  propulsion,  45 

fuel  pumps,  17,  30 

principle  demonstrated  in  vacuum,  4 

(See  types  of  fuels) 
Rocket  Research  Project  (Cal.  Tech.),  34,  38 
Rocketdyne  (NAA),  71,  74,  77,  104,  123,  180 

(See  North  American) 
Rocket-sonde  research,  52 
Rocket  thrust  chamber  tests,  35,  37 

ceramic-lined,  41 
Rockets  and  Satellites  Research  Panel,  86 
Rockwell  Field  (Calif.),  15 
Rockoon,  62,  67,  70,  87,  110,  163 
Rodert,  Lewis  A.,  174 
Rogers,  J.  W.,  116,  158 
Rogers,  Will,  195 
Rohlfs,  Roland,  8,  11 
Rohrbach,  Adolph  (Ger.),  11 
Roll  coupling,  59 
Roll  damping,  60,  61 
Rolls  Royce,  10 ; 

Trent  engine,  51 
Roma,  14 
Rome  (It.),  42 
Romorantin,  France,  8 
Roosevelt,  President  Franklin  D.,  6,  33,  37,  38, 

40,  41,  42 
Roosevelt,  USS  Franklin,  54 
Roosevelt  Field  (N.Y.),  14 
Roots-type  supercharger,  19 
Rosen,  Milton  W.,  198,  211 
Rosendahl,  Charles  E.,  179 
Ross,  Chandler  C,  176 
Ross,  Malcolm  D.,  xi,  82,  83,  91,  98,  100,  111, 

115,  161,  163,  179 
Rossby,  Carl-Gustav  A.,  168,  169,  183,  190,  192 
Rossi,  Maurice,  154 
Rossow,  Vernon  J.,  79 
Roswell  (N.  Mex.),  27,  29,  32,  34 
Rotary-wing  aircraft 

first,  17 

first  Navy,  27 
Rothschild,  Louis  S.,  205 
Rotterdam  (Neth.),40 
Round-the-World  flights 

nonstop  flights,  61 

nonstop  jet,  85 

of  Winnie  Mae,  28 
Round    Three    Committee    (NACA),    85,    86, 

87,91 
Rover  Program,  80,  124,  129 
Roy,  Maurice,  198 

Royal  Aeronautical  Society   (Br.),  12,  58,  62 
Royal  Aircraft  Factory,  5,  7,  211 
Royal   Air  Force   (RAF),  27,  32,   34,  36,  40, 
42,43,47,  181,  211 

proposal  for,  6 

Battle  of  Britain,  33,  40 

Bomber  Command,  38,  43 

History  of,  211 
Royal  Canadian  Air  Force  (RCAF),  183,  195 


Royal  Flying  Corps  (RFC),  5 

Royal  Radar  Establishment  (Malvern),  112 

Royce,  Ralph.  184 

Ruhr  (Ger.),  38,40 

Runartz,  E.  G.,  182 

Russell.  A.  E.,  197 

Ryan,  Oswald,  205 

Rvan  Aircraft,  45,  83 

FR-1  Fireball,  51 

X-13  of,  80 
Kynin,  Nikolai  A.,  25 

Sabine,  Wallace  C,  205 

Sabrejet  (XF-86),  58 

Sachs,  Alexander,  38 

Sadler,  D.  H.,  195 

Safety  in  flight,  14,  24,  85,  120,  170 

Sage,  Bruce  H.,  190 

Sailplanes,  54 

"SAM"  (monkey),  115 

Sam,  "Miss"  (monkey),  118 

Sam.08, 129 

San  Andreas  rift,  13 

San  Antonio  (Tex.),  12 

San  Clemente  Island,  96, 121 

Sandacz,  V.  L.,  102 

San  Diego  (Calif.),  3,  6,  9,  11,  39 

Sanger,  Eugen,  31 

Santos  Dumont,  A.,  154,  156 

Saratoga,  25 

Sargent,  Fred.,  II,  171 

Satellite  of  earth 

application    to   communication    (See   Echo, 
Courier,  Score) 

application    to   weather    analysis,    74    (See 
Tiros) 

early  U.S.  development,  51,  52,  58,  59 

scientific  use  of,  212 

summary  of  successful  launchings,  140-151 
Satellite  Research  Panel,  94 
Satre,  Pierre,  175 
Saturn  launch  vehicle,  102,  109,  110,  115,  116, 

121, 124,  132-134 
Saufley,  R.  C,  4 
Saville,  Gordon  P.,  205 
Savoia-Marchetti,  30 
Sayer,  Fl.  Lt.,  41 
SBD  Dauntless,  32 
Scapa  Flow,  39 
Schaefer,  H.  J.,  196 
Schaefer,  Vincent  .T.,  55,  169,  183 
Schairer,  G.  S.,  191 
Schanche,  Don  A.,  211 
Schilling,  David  C,  65,  178,  192  ; 

Award  named  for,  192 
Schllt,  C.  F.,  22 
Schlalfer.  Robert.  211 
Schmidt,  Paul,  29 
Schmiedel,  Friedrich.  28 
Schneider,  Edward  C,  8,  180 
Schneider  Cup  Race,  17,  19,  34 
Schock,  G.  J.  D.,  79 

School  of  Aviation  (Aerospace)  Medicine,  7, 
15,  16,  22,  28,  45,  55,  58,  60.  65,  73,  84. 
95,   110,    117,   127   133   180   181    183   196 

(See  Army   Air   Service  AAC,   AAF,   Navy, 
DSAF) 
Schriever,  Bernard  A.,  75,  108,  109 
Schroeder,  R.  W.,  9-11,  159 
Schubauer,  Galen  B.,  191 
Schweinfurt-Regensburg  raid,  45 
Schweizer  sailplanes,  87 
Science,  51,  211 

and  government,  210 
Scientific  Advisory  Board   (AAF),  41,  48,  50, 

51,  54,211 


234 


Scientific   Research    and    Development,    Office 

of,  41 
Scorpion  (F-89),60 
Scott  Field  (111.),  22 

Scout   launch    vehicle,    87,    92,    99,    100,    107, 
118,  122,  124,  128,  132,  133 

{See  Explorer  IX) 
Scriven,  George  P.,  3,  202,  205 
Seylla,  121 

S.E.-5  (Br.  fighter),  7 
Sea  Dart,  72,  75 
Seal,  John  C,  173 
Seamans,  Robert  C,  125,  194 
Seamaster  (See  P6M) 
Sea  sled,  9 
Secretary 

of  Air  Force,  60 

of  Defense,  57,  78,  101,  115 

of  Navy,  3,  6,  12,  21 

of  Smithsonian  Institution,  3 

of  Treasury,  10 

of  War,  3,  6, 12,  49,  51 
Sedov,  L.  I.,  78 
Seeler,  Henry,  170 
Seifert,  F.  W.,  16 
Seifert,  Howard,  211 
Seismological  Society  of  America,  13 
Self  ridge  Field  (Mich.),  16 
Sells,  Saul  B.,  182 
Sergeant  rocket,  80,  134 

Delta,  118 
Sessums,  John,  34 
Settle,  T.  G.  W.,  30,  162,  179 
Sextant.  3,  10 
Sharp,  Edward  R.,  44 
Sheldon,  Chas.  S.,  xi,  212 
Shelton,  W.  R.,  24 
Shenandoah  (ZR-1),  17,  18,  20 
Shepard,  Alan  B.,  Jr.,  108,  187 
Sherwin,  Chalmers  W.,  193 
Shesta,  John,  176 
Shook,  Fred  W.,  185 
Shotput,  121 
Shrader,  Welman  A.,  210 
Siberia,  28 
Sibole,  J.  G.,  124 

Sidewinder  missile,  70,  73,  82,  102 
Signal  Corps  (See  Army) 
Sikorsky,  Igor  I.,  38,  41,  171,   175,  177,  181, 

190 
Sikorsky  Aircraft  Co.,  43,  63,  70,  181 
Silo,  132 

Sllverstein,  Abe,  49,  52,  99,  197 
Simon,  Dorothy  M.,  71,  199 
Simon,  Leslie,  211 
Simons,  David  G.,  87,  163,  172,  175,  181,  196, 

211 
Simulated, 

altitude,  98  102 

entry,  120 

space  cabin,  81,  127 

space  flight,  96 
Singer,  S.  Fred,  62,  72 
Single-rotor  helicopter,  41 
Sirius,  28,  30 
Siry,  Joseph  W.,  199 
Skinner,  Leslie,  190 
Skinner,  Richard  M.,  210 
Ski-seaplane  67 
Shramstad,  S.  K.,  191 
Skybolt  missile,  118 
Skyhook  balloon,  119,  162,  163 
Skylark  rocket,  98 
Slayton,  Donald  K.,  108 
Sled,  rocket  research,  65,  72,  76,  96,  98,  107 
Sleeve  valve,  36 

Slotted-throat  tunnel  technique,  56,  63 
Slow-burning  rocket  propellant,  37 


SM-73,  86 

Small-World  Balloon,  104,  164 
SMART.  78 
Smith,  A.  M.  O.,  34,  176 
Smith,  D.  F.,  81 
Smith,  L.  H.,  17 
Smith,  Levering,  190 
Smith,  Thomas  M.,  209 
Smith,  Wilfred  J.,  xi 

Smithsonian  Institution,  10,  11,  15,  21,  34,  54, 
60,  02,  124,  203-205.  2<*9 

Astrophysical  Obaervatory  of.  92,  106,  109, 
127 

Secretary  of,  11,  203-205 
Smuts,  Jan  Christian,  6 
SNAP,  84,  106.  114. 

SNAP-2,  114,  124 

SNAP-8,  106.  121 
Snark    (B-62),    62,    70,    77,    81,    83,    91,    99. 

108,  182 
Snow,  artificial.  55 
Social  effects  of  aviation,  210 
Sociiti  Astronomique  Francaise,  23 
Society  of  Automotive  Engineers,  176 
Society  for  Space  Travel   (Vfr),  22 
Socony-Vacuum  Oil  Co.,  34 
Sodium-filled  valves,  21 
Solar  eclipse,  102 
Solar  flares,  93,  109,  113,  130,  134 
Solar-power,  79 
Solar  storms,  134 
Solar  telescope,  117 
Solar  protons,  109 
Solid-fuel,  rocket  development,  43,  55,  112,  129 

(See  Minuteman,  Polaris,  Scout) 
Soncek,  A.,  25,  26,  160 
Sorenson,  Frank  E.,  172 
Sounding  balloon,  27 

(See  Radiosondes) 
Sounding  rockets,   34,   62,   83,    102,   114,   117, 
209-211 

USSR,  75 

(See  Aerobee,  Asp,  Blue  Scout,  Nike, 
Rockoon,  Scout,  V-2) 
Sound-location  detection,  27 
South  Africa,  127 
South  Pole,  25,  26 
Southwell,  Richard  V.,  197 
Sovereignty,  in  air  space,  11,  48 
Spaatz,  Carl  A.,  25,  38,  174,  205 
Space, 

age,  89,  210 

environment  of.  is,  89,  93,  209 

next  10  years,  212 
Space  biology,  55,  127,  209 

(See  Life  Sciences,  Biomedical) 
Space  cabin,  81,  126,  127,  132 
Spacecraft, 

Apollo.  120 

interplanetary,  123 

Mercurv  capsules,  103f,  128 

USSR,  123,  126,  132,  147 
Spacecraft  I,  148 
Spacecraft  II,  126,  149 
Spacecraft  III,  151 
Space  Council,  101 

Space  exploration,  practical  values  of,  211 
Space  flight,  manned.  71.  104.  209 
Space  medicine,  61 
Space    probes,    summary    of    US    and    USSR, 

140-151 
Space  Research  Pilot  Course,  117 
Spaceship,  75 
Space  Task  Group  (NASA),  103, 127 

(See  Mercury) 
Space  technology,  211 
Space  Technology   Laboratories    (STL),   120, 

125,  134,  175 


235 


SPACETRACK,  119,  130 

Space  weapons,  207 
Spain,  121,  132 
Spanish  Civil  War,  34,  36 
Sparrow  missile,  71 
Sparrowbee  missile,  125 
Spaulding,  Ralph,  48 
Spark  plugs,  41 
SPASUR,  130 

Special  Committee,  for  the  IGY,  76,  S3 
of  NACA,  37,41 
(See  IGY) 
Spectrograph,  115 
Spectrometers,  131 
Sperry,  Elmer  A.,  4,  173 
Sperry,  Lawrence  B.,  15  ; 

award  named  for,  193—194 
Sperry  Corp.,  5,  9,  10,  11,  27,  33,  83,  134,  194 
Spins 

study  of,  23 

wind  tunnel  study  of,  27 
Spitfire  fighter,  33,  34,  210 
Spitsbergen,  21,  108 
Sputnik  I,  89,  91,  140 
Sputnik  II,  91,  92,  97,  98,  140 
Sputnik  III,  98,  100,  103,  121,  134,  141 
Sportplanes,  20,  28 
Springer,  T.  E.,  8 
Squier,  George  O.,  205 
Squirrel  monkey,  104 
St.  Louis  (Mo.),  11,  87 
Spirit  of,  195 
Stack.  John, 174,  191,  197 
Stalin,  Joseph,  58 
Stamer,  Friedrich,  24 
Standard  Aircraft  Corp.,  8 
Standard  atmosphere,  16,  19 
Standardization,  17 
instrument,  8 

Stanford  University,  12,  22,  119 

Stanley.  Robert,  44 

Stans,  Maurice  H.,  97 

STOL,  113 

Stapp,  John  P.,  58,  72,  76,  181,  182,  189,  193, 
198 

Star  of  Poland,  38 

State  Department,  12 

Stehling,  Kurt,  211 

Stemmer,  Josef,  211 

Stevens,  A.  W.,  15,  IS,  24,  29,  31,  33,  38,  83, 
162,  1S4 

Stevens,  Leslie  C,  205 

Stewart  Homer  J.,  79 

Stewart  Committee,  79 

Stever,  H.  Guyford,  92,  94 

Stievers,  Louis,  50 

Stinson,  Edward,  14 

Stormovik  (11-2),  42 

Stout,  Earnest  G.,  191,  194 

Stout,  Raymond  K.,  35 

Stout  ST-1,  15 

Stovall,  Wm.  R.,  183 

Strange,  Charles  R.,  196 

Strategic  Missiles  Evaluation  Committee,   72, 
74 

Stratojet  (B-47),  58 

Stratolab  balloon,  83,  163 

Stratolab  High  balloon,  91,  100,  115,  163,  164, 
165 

Stratoscope  h&Yioon,  87,  111,  128,  163 

Stratosphere,  86 

balloon  flights,  28,  29,  j31,  1G2-165 
observations  in,  98 

Stratotanker  (see  KC-35) 

Stratovision,  52 

Stratton,  Samuel  W.,  205 

Streetcar  Satellite,  134 

Streett,  St.  Clair,  12,  24,  184 


Stressed-skin  concept,  11 

Strickroth,  Giles  J.,  194 

Strongarm  rockets,  125 

Strughold.  Hubertus,  65,  67,  73,  181, 183,  207 

Struve,  Otto,  109 

Stupalith,  63 

Stuhlinger,  Ernest,  190 

Sturtevant  Aeroplane  Co.,  4 

Submarine 

aircraft  launching  from,  17 
first  sinking  by  aircraft,  6 
rocket  launch  from,  53,  56 
S-1  21  ;  Flights  from,  21 
use  of  rocket  against,  47 
Subroc,  111 
Suicide  missions,  47 
Suit,  full-pressure,  102 
Sullivan,  Walter,  211 
Sullivan,  William  N.,  44 
Summerfield,  Martin,  189 
Sun 

artificial  satellites  of,  ix 
eclipse  of,  19,  29 
sun-earth  relationship,  89,  113 
Sunflower  I,  122 
Suomi,  Verner  B.,  128 
Supercharger,  191 
NACA-type,  24 
Roots-type,  19 
Turbine  drive,  18 
Supermarine,  34  (See  Spitfire) 
Super  Sabre  (see  F-lOO) 
Super  Skyhook,  74,  163 
Super-Solution,  28 
Supersonic,  first  flight,  58 
air  transports,  212 
fighter,  72 
research,  19,  51 
(See  X-1,  X-2,  X-15,  B-70) 
Surveillance,  92,  123 
Sutton,  George  P.,  189 
Sutton,  H.  A.,  23,  184 
Sverdrup  and  Parcel,  Inc.,  54 
Swan,  William  G.,  27 
Swarthmore  College,  57 
Sweden,  47,  132 
Swept-back  wings,  48,  49 

variable,  67 
Swept-forward  wings,  52 
Switzerland,  132 
SXB2C-1,  38 

Symington,  Stuart,  61,  198 
Synchronizing  gear,  3 
Syverton,  Clarence  A.,  81,  194 
Szilard,  Leo,  38 

Tabor,  R.  H.,  102 
Tacker,  L.  J.,  211 
Tailless,  airplane,  61 

glider,  24 
Talos  missile,  53,  66 
Tank,  of  NACA,  28 
Tannehill,  I.  R.,  183 
Target-viewing  television,  41,  43 
Tartar  missile,  100 
Tass.  62  87 
Tavlor,  Albert  H.,  15 
Taylor,  David  W.,  6,  34,  205 

Model  Basin,  named  for,  34,  63,  69 
Taylor,  Edward  C,  190 
Taylor,  M.  B.,  43 
Tavlor  Cub,  20,  28 
TBF,  47 
Teak, 109 

Teapot  Committee,  73 
Technical  change,  ill,  iv,  1,  89 
Technology  and  Culture,  208 


236 


Telemetry,  48,  51,  56,  61 

Television,  41,  46 

Teller,  Edward,  193 

Tepper,  Morris,  180 

Terrapin,  83 

Terrier  missile,  69,  104 

Test  pilots,  55,  09,  72,  77, 108,  117, 124 

Test  Support  Office  (LOD),  131 

Texas,  Univ.  of,  74,  76, 101 

TG-2  engine,  39,  43 

TG-100  engine,  41 

Thadeu,  Louise,  179 

Thatcher,  H.  B.,  76 

Thetford,  Owen,  211 

Thiokol  Chemical  Corp.,  119,  129 

Thomas,  F.  M.,  196 

Thomas-Morse  (MB-3),  10 

Thomas,  Shirley,  24 

Thompson,  P.  D.,  186 

Thompson,  Shelby,  123 

Thompson  Products,  203 

Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge,  122 

Thor-Able,  98.  99,  108,  111,  116,  120,  121 

Thor-Able-Star,  121,  126,  128,  132 

Thor-Agena  B,  133 

Thor-Delta,  123,  126,  131 

Thor-Hustler,  107 

Thor  IRBM,  80,  82,  85,  86,  91,  92,  94,  95,  98. 

99,  104,  108,  110,  113,  119,  128,  129 
Thorner,  N.  W.,  40 
Thule  (Greenland),  70,  128 
Thunderbird  Aerial  Team,  185 
Thunderchief  (See  F-105) 
Thunderjets  (See  F-84G) 
Thurlow  Award.  195 
Tiamat  research  missile,  50,  51 
Tice,  .lames  W.,  181 
Til<honravov,  M.  K.,  33,  68 
Tilt-wing  aircraft,  115 
Tilton,  T.  H.,  13 

Tiros  I,  89,  109,  121,  123,  124,  128,  131,  146 
Tiros  II,  131,  151 
Titan  ICBM,  77,  106,  116,  119,  121,  124,  129, 

132, 134 
Tissandier.  Paul,  156 
Titanium,  197 
Tizard,  Sir  Henry,  40 
TM-61  (See  Matador) 
Toftoy,  Holger  W.,  198 
Tokyo,  43 

Torpedo  Airplanes,  39 
Torpex,  48 
Tory  reactor,  133 
Towers,  John  H.,  37,  205 
Tracking,  antenna,  134 

network,  115  ;  for  IGY,  83 
Transatlantic  flight 

by  NC^,  10  ; 

first  nonstop,  22  ; 

by  DO-X,  28  ; 

first  blind,  34  ; 

first  passenger  service,  38 

by  nonrigld  airship,  47 

by  helicopter,  70 

non-stop  round  trip,  85 

first  jet  passenger  service,  103 

passenger  statistics,  105 
Transcontinental  flight 

first  flights,  9 

first  in  24  hours,  13 

flights,  25,  28,  36 

by  helicopter,  82 
Transistor,  60,  71,  74 
Transit  satellite,  121,  122,  124,  125,  148 
Transonic 

aircraft  development,  47 

hump  technique,  55 


Transpacific,  air  route  32 
air  mail,  33 
first  nonstop  flight,  28 
first  passenger  service,  34 
Trans  World  Airlines,  195 
Trapnell,  F.  M.,  173 
Travelers  Insurance,  183 
Treasury,  Secretary  of,  10 
Treaty  of  Versailles,  10 
Tribus,  Myron,  170,  197 
Trimotor  Aircraft  (See  Ford,  Ju-52) 
Trippe,  Juan  T.,  177 
Transonic,  transport,  197 

(SeeB-70) 
Triton,  123 
Troop  Carrier,  61 
Troy  (Ohio),  14 
Traux,  Robert  C,  35,  37,  176 
Truculent  Turtle,  55 
Truman,   President  Harry   S.,  52,  56,   57,   58, 

62,  67 
Truscott,  Starr,  28 
Tsien,  H.  S.,  34,  189 
Tu-114,  112 
Tucker,  Charles,  61 
Tullahoma  (Tenn.),  66,  96,  99 
Tunny,  72 

Tupelev,  Audrey  M.,  175 
Turbine  wheels,  40 
Turbo-compressor,  8 
Turbojet 

engine  development,  27,  39,  41,  44,  45,  46, 

62,  105 
first  U.S.  flight,  47 
operation  at  altitude,  47 
Turboprop  aircraft,  51,  61,  186 
first  flight,  51 
airliners,  61 
Turbosupercharger,  191 
Turbulence  of  atmosphere,  85 
Turcat,  Andre',  178 
Turkey,  110,  122 
Turnbull,  A.  D.,  211 
Turner,  Roscoe,  179 
Tuttle,  Arnold  D.,  181 

award  named  for,  70,  196 
Twining,  Nathan  F.,  77,  174,  205 
Twiss,  L.  Peter,  175 
Tyler,  John  M.,  186 
Tymczyszym,  Joseph  J.,  173 

U-2  (aircraft),  73,  85,  110,  122 

U-36  (sub.),  6 

Ultraviolet  radiation,  93 

Underground  sites,  96,  132 

Unidentified  Flying  Objects  (UFO's),  71,  106 

Unification  of  armed  services,  52,  57,  59 

Unitary  Wind  Tunnel  Act,  62 

United  Aircraft  Corp.,  174,  193 

United  Air  Lines,  181,  183 

United  Kingdom  (See  Britain) 

United  Nations,  94,  104,  116,  128 

Committee  on  Peaceful  Uses  of  Outer  Space, 
108,  109,  110,  111 
U.S.    Aeronautical    and    Space    Activities    re- 
ports, 212 
U.S.  Air  Force 

ADC.  87 

AEDC,  63,  66,  67,  96,  99,  110,  119 

Aeromedical   Lab.,    31,    43,    45,   61,   62,   71, 
117,  134 

Air  Force  Council,  68 

ARDC,  63,  66  67,  70,  74,  75,  83,  108,  109, 
170,  211.212 

BMD  75,  97,  102,  108,  115,  120 

Chief  of  Staff,  131,  203-205 

created,  57 

MATS,  70 


237 


U.S.  Air  Force — Continued 

missile  responsibilities,  96 

MTC,    67,    72,    108,    134,    183    (See    Cape 
Canaveral) 

Moon  atlas,  130 

SAC,  74,  94,  112,  133,  185,  207 

SAM.  7,  15,  16,  22,  28,  65,  73,  84,  91,  95, 
110,  117,  127,  133,  180,  181.  183,  196 

Scientific  Advisory  Board  41.  173,  193,  211 

TAC,  185,  192 

and  NACA,  101 

and  NASA,  75,  77 

(See  Army  Air  Service,  Army  Air  Forces, 
Atlas.    Discoverer,   Midas,   Samos,   Thor, 
Titan,  etc.) 
U.S.  Army  (See  Army) 
U.S.  Bureau  of  Fisheries  (See  Bureau) 
U.S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  106 

U.S.  Congress,  38,  91-100,  118,  120,  123,  131, 
132.  211-212 

legislation,  91-99 
U.S.  Congress,  House 

Committee  on  Science  and  Astronautics,  96. 
102,  123,  132; 

reports  of,  211-212  ;  Panel  on  Science  and 
Technology,  118,212 
U.S.  Congress,  Senate 

Committee  on  Aeronautical  and  Space  Sci- 
ences, 100,  131. 132 

Reports  and  Hearings,  211-212 
U.S.  Department  of  Defense  (See  Defense) 
U.S.  Forest  Service  (See  Forest) 
U.S.  Information  Agency,  118 
U.S.  Navy  (See  Navy,  Naval )i 
U.S.  Post  Office  Department  (See  Post  Office) 
U.S.  Public  Health  Service  (See  Public) 
U.S.  successful  earth  satellites,  134 
U.S.S.R.,    18,   25.   33,   35,   39,    68,   77.   79,    88. 
112.  113,  118.  119,  128,  134,  210 

Academy  of  Sciences,  79 

balloons,  30,  32,  33,  162 

Central  Committee,  18 

Encyclopedia  on  space  travel,  25 

H-bomb,  72 

ICBM  development,  77 

IGY  Committee.  96,  98,  100 

Premier..  58,  112,  113,  128 

record  flights,  35, 128 

spacecraft,  132 

rocl?et  test  center,  35 

successful  satellites  and  space  probes,  134, 
140-51 

in  war.  39.  41 

Unmanned  aircraft,  9,  10,  18.  28.  35,  54 
Unvi'ins.  Cyril  F.,  29 
Upper-air-soundings,  20 

( See  Sounding  rockets) 
Upper  atmosphere  research  panel,  53,  59,  63. 

86.  210 
Upson.  Ralph  H.,  196 

Uranium,  potential  military  importance  of,  38 
Utah,  36 

V-1,  30,  46 

first  combat  firing,  47 

use  in  World  War  II,  50,  207 
V-2  rocket,  iii,  43^5,  56,  62-68,  208,  210 

first  launch,  44 

use  in  World  War  II,  47,  48,  50 

firing  from  U.S..  51.  52.  53 

firing  from  ship,  57 
Valier,  Max,  24 
Valley  Forge,  118,  119,  164 
Valkyrie  (See  B-70) 
Valley,  George  E.,  193 
Van  Allen,  James   A.,  xi.  70,   87.  93.  95,   98, 

163.  190.  193.  212 


Van  Allen  radiation  belts.  89.  93.  95,  98.  104, 

119 
Vandenberg.  Hoyt  S..  59,  205 
Vandenberg  AFB.  83,  102,  106,  108,  112,  119, 

130 
Van  Every,  Kermit,  197 
Vanguard  I,  96,  109,  119,  141,  210 

(See  Project  Vanguard) 
Vanguard  II,  106,  143 
Vanguard  III,  113,  116,  145 
Van  Orman,  Ward  T.,  179 
Van  Straten,  F.,  99 
Van  Wyen.  Adrian  O.,  212 
Variable-density  wind  tunnel  (NACA),  15,  23 
Variable-pitch  propellers,  11,  30 
Variable-sweep  aircraft,  67 
VB-1  (Azon),  42.49 
V-B  Day,  41 
Vega  booster,  109,  116 
Venus  (planet),  115,  116,  127 

radar  returns  from,  95,  107 
Verden,  J.  B.,  73,  158 
Verein  fuer  raunachiffahrt   (Vjr),  22,  26,  29, 

65 
Vertijet  (SeeX-13) 
Veronique  rocket,  107 
Versailles,  Treaty  of.  10.  32 
Vertical  windi tunnel,  27 
Vertiplane,  34 

Vertol  Aircraft  Corp.,  171,  194 
Verville-Packard,  aircraft,  12,  200 
Vickers  aircraft 

Vimy-2,  10 

Viscount,  61 

Wellington,  34 
Victory,  John  F.,  xi,  23,  125,  187,  198 
Vidal,  Eugene  L.,  205 
Viking  rocket,  53,   55,  62,  64,  65,  67,   70,  74, 

84,  86,  134,  211 
Vincent,  J.  G.,  6 
Vincentin,  Walter  G.,  199 
Vlner,  D.  D..  52 
Virginia  Capes.  13 
Virginia,  17 
Volksjaeger,  52 
von  Braun,  Wernher,  29,  62,  64,  124,  169,  193, 

209 
von  Diringshofen,  Heinz,  37,  40 
von  Gronaw,  Wolfgang,  177 
von  Hlndenburg,  35 
von  Karman,  Theodore,  31,  46,  48,  51,  54,  69, 

76,   112.  169,  176,  177,  190,  193,   198,  210, 

211 
von  Neumann,  John,  72,  74,  82,  192, 193 
von  Opel,  Fritz,  24,  25 
Voodoo  (SeeF-lOlB) 
Vought-Sikorsky  aircraft,  15,  39,  41 
VTOL,  62,  66,  75,  80,  113 

Wac  rocket,  51,  53,  56,  64 

(See  Corporal,  Bumper-Wac) 
WADC,  74 
Wade,  L.,  15 
Wagner,  Ray,  212 
Wakeford,  R.  C,  210 
Walcott,  Charles  D.,  11,  22,  202,  205 
Walker,  Joseph  A.,  75,  78,  80.  121,  123,  125, 

188 
Walker,  P.  B.,  197 

Wallops  Island   (Va.).  50,  56,  57,  61,  62,  98, 
99.  102 

rocket  facility  established,  50 

first  launching,  50 
Wallops  Island  rocket  range  (NACA/NASA), 

67,  68,  69,  71,  72,  76,  79,  82,  108,  111,  112, 

115,  122,  125,  128 
Walther,  H.,  42,  45,  48 


238 


War-surplus  aircraft,  20 

Ward  {USS  Aaron),  43 

Ward,  Vernon  G.,  50 

Warheads,  48 

Warner,    Edward    P.,    21,    37,    175,    177,    196, 

198.  205 
Warsltz,  Erich,  35,  38 
Washington,  Univ.  of,  22 
Washington  Navy  Yard,  14,  16.  19 
Washington,  USS  George,  110,  116 
Wasp  rocket.  84 
Wasp  waist  shape,  68 
Wasserfall  rocket,  47 
Wasserkuppe,  24 
Water  landings,  11 
Water  performance  of  seaplanes,  28 
Waterman,  Alan  T.,  101 
Watkins,  Oeorge  C,  97 
Watkius,  George  E.,  160 
Watson,  Thomas  A.,  3 
Wattendorf.  Frank  L.,  50 
WDD,  75,  77 
Weather 

analysis  of,  14,  20,  74,  99,  134,  186,  192.  212 

forecasting  of,  33,  186 

maps,  29 

and  meteoric  dust,  73 

(See  Vanguard  II,  Tiros  I) 
Weather  Bureau  (U.S.),  11,  14.  19,  24,  54,  74, 
128.  129,  134,  183,  203-205 

history  of,  212 

and  aerial  navigation,  6 

and  NACA,  5,  6 
Webster,  William,  205 
Wedell,  J.  R.,  158 
Weems,  P.  V.  D.,  195 
Weick,  Fred  E.,  24,  31,  191 
Welch  airplane,  31 
Weightlessness,  40,  64,  67.  6S,  70.  78,  79,  101, 

119 
Welch,  George,  192 
Wells,  Edward  C,  194 
Wendel,  Fritz,  37,  158 
Wesleyan,  Univ.,  180 
West,  Jake  C,  51 
West  Germany,  1.S2 
Wester,  Billy  I.,  76 
Western  Electric  Co.,  49,  111 
Westinghouse  Electric,  41,  44,  45,  52,  63.  66, 

1.34,  195 
Westover,  Oscar,  92,  205 
Westover  AFB,  92 
Wetmore,  Alexander,  205 
Wexler,  Harry,  48,  74,  183 
Weyerbacher,  Ralph  D.,  205 
Wheeler,  J.  V.,  65 
Wheelon,  O.  A.,  197 
Whitcomb,  Richard  T.,  68,  174,  187,  199 
White,  Alice,  97 
White,  C.  S.,  212 
White,  Robert  M.,  123,  126 
White,  Stanley  C,  172 
White,  Thomas  D.,  101,  205 
White  Sands  Proving  Ground  (WSPG),  49,  50, 

51,  54,  55,  58,  60,  64,  65,  67,  69,  70-72,  76, 

82.  105.  130,  132 
Whiting,  Kenneth,  16 
Whitman,  Walter  G.,  205 
Whitnah,  Donald  R.,  212 
Whitney.  .T.  L.,  8 

Whittle,  Frank,  27,  35,  41,  44,  55,  71,  172,  177 
Wigner,  Eugene,  38 
Wiley,  Herbert  V.,  179 
Wilhelmshaven,  44 
Wilkinson,  Paul  H.,  212 
Willett,  Harold  G.,  190,  192 


Williams,  Alford  J.,  17,  33,  157 
Williams,  B.,  212 
Williams,  K.  G.,  212 

Williams,  Walter,  55  ' 

Willis,  Bailey,  13 
Willow  Grove  (Pa.),  27 
Wilmer,  Wm.  H.,  7 
Wilson,  Charles  E.,  72,  73,  78,  80,  83, 
Wilson,  E.  B.,  4 
Wilson,  .T.  H.,  12 
Wilson,  President  Woodrow,  3,  5 
"Window,"  45 
Wind-shear,  115 

Wind  tunnels,  1,  8,  12.  13,  23,  34,  35,  36,  39, 
41,  44,  49,  52,  55,  56,  63 

first  NACA,  8 

first  full-scale,  36 

first  hypersonic  flow,  58 

first  full-scale  supersonic,  49 

techniques  of,  39,  47,  48,  55,  56,  63 
Wing 

cantilever,  4.  11 

delta,  72,  128 

flaps,  30 

flow-method,  47,  48 

slots,  26 

swept  back,  48,  49,  50 

swept  forward,  52 

variable  sweep,  67 
Winkler,  Johannes.  27 
Winnie  Mae,  28,  30 
Winslow,  R.  W.,  82 

Winzen  Research,   Inc.,  77,    114,   123,   163 
Wisconsin,  Univ.  of,  128 
WNBT   (N.Y.),  42 
Wobus,  H.  B.,  183 
Wood,  Donald  H.,  27 
Wood,  Floyd  B.,  48 
Wood,  Homer  J.,  197 
Woolams,  Jack,  53 
Woolrich  Arsenal  (Br.),  32 
Woomera  Rocket  Range  (Austr.),  98,  101,  107, 

112,  128,  131,  134 
"World  Cruiser,"  18 
World  flight  records,  153-160 
World  War  I,  x,  1,  3,  9,  13,  15,  209 

(See  aircraft  types  by  name) 
World  War  II,  27,  34,  35-38,  44,  50,  51 

(See  1939-45  entries) 
Wright,    Orville,   iv,   26,   34,    36,   59,   93,   173, 

176,  181,  205,  210 
Wright,  Ray  H.,  56 

Wright.  Theodore  P.,  177,  196,  205,  212 
Wright,  Wilbur,  iv,  26,  36,  93,  155,  181 
Wright  Air  Development  Center,  101 
Wright  Apache  airplane,  23-26 
Wright  Brothers  Lecturers,  37,  197-198 
Wright  Brothers  Trophy,  198 
Wright    engines,    15,    27,    30     (See    Curtiss- 

Wright) 
Wright  Field    (Ohio),   17,  20,  24,  31,  33,  35, 

37,  41,  43,  44 
Wright-Martin  Aircraft  Corp.,  5 
Wright-Patterson  AFB,  62,  64,  70,  182 
Wyld,  James,  36,  42 
Wylie,  F.  J.,  195 

X-radiation,  93 

X-1  rocket  airplane,  47,  49,  62,  55,  51-59,  61, 
68,  188.  207,  211 

first  flight,  55 

first  supersonic  flight,  58 
X-IA,  71,  75,  79 
X-2,  52,  69,  72,  75,  82,  83,  178 
X-3,  70,  75 
X-4,  61 
X-5,  67 


239 


X-10,  73,  76 

X-13,  80,  83,  85 

X-15,  75,  76,  79,  83,  85,  86.  93,  100,  103,  107, 

110,  114,  117,  119,  120,  121,  123,  126.  127, 

131,  133,  207,  211 
X-17,  82,  86,  107 
X-19A  engine,  45 
XB-15,  first  flight,  35 
XB-29,  44 
XB-43,  54 
XB-52.  69 
XC-35,  35 
XC-99.  50 
XC-123D.  80 
XCALr-200  engine,  46 
XC05  engine,  24 
XF2A-1  airplane.  36 
XF2Y-1.  67,  72.  75 
XF4-D.  73,  80 
XF8U-1.  77 
XF-85.  65 
XF-91,  56,  70 
XF-104,  72.  78 
XF-105,  80 
XFY-1,  66,  178 
XFI>-1.  45.  54 
XFF-1.  27 
XH-12.  61 
XH-17.  70 
XLR-11,  131 
XLR-99.  119, 124.  131 
XOP-1.  27 
XP-40,  36.  39.  43 
XP-47,41 
XP-59.  42.  43 
XP-59A,  44.  52 
XPB2Y-1,34 
XPBM-1,  35 


XPY-1.  23 
XS-2  (See  X-2) 
XSAM  (Talos),47,  53 


YF-105A,  62 

YZP6-Z.  74 

Yankee  Clipper,  38 

Yates.  Donald  N.,  121 

Yeager.  Charles  E.,  58,  59,  61,  68,  175,  178,  184 

York,  Herbert  F.,  96,  105,  113,  127,  128 

Young,  David  A..  176 

Young,  Leo  C,  15 

Young,  Raymond  W.,  185 

Younger.  John  E.,  195 

Yucca  Flat,  87 

ZPN-1,  69 
ZPN-2,  85 

ZK-1  (Shenandoah),  17 
ZR-3  (Los  Angeles),  15,  18,  29 
Zahm,  A.  F.,  16 
Zand.  Stephen  J..  196 
Zeppelin,  Count  von,  1 
Zeppelin  (dirigibles) 

in  atomic  age,  210 

in  World  War  1,  3-5 

history  of  210 

-type  airships,  17 

(See   Akron,   Graf   Zeppelin,   Los   Angeles, 
Macon) 
Zeppelin  Co.,  15 
Zero-length  launcher,  70 
Ziegler,  Jean,  69,  71,  72 
Zimmerman.  Charles  H.,  39,  181.  197 
Ziolkovsky,  Konstantin  E.,  33,  210 
Ziolkovsky  Gold  Medal,  75 
Zucrow,  M.  J.,  189 


240 


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