REPORT TO T H E CONGRESS F R O M T H E PRESIDENT O F THE UNITED STATES
UNITED STATES AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ACTIVITIES
1 9 6 3
NOTE TO READERS: ALL PRINTED PAGES ARE INCLUDED,
UNNUMBERED BLANK PAGES DURING SCANNING AND QUALITY CONTROL CHECK HAVE BEEN DELETED
REPORT TO T H E CONGRESS FROM THE P R E S I D E N T O F THE UNITED STATES
UNITED STATES AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ACTIVITIES 1 9 6 3
T H E W H i T E H O U S E
W A S H I N G T O N
J a n u a r y 27, 1964
TO THE CONGRESS O F THE UNITED STATES:
In accordance with Section 206 (b) of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, as amended, I t r a n s m i t herewith a r e p o r t f o r the calendar y e a r 1963, on this nation's aeronautics and space activities.
The y e a r 1963 was a p e r i o d of constructive development of our increasing s p a c e competence.
evaluation of the national space p r o g r a m -- a n evaluation which r e s u l t e d i n broad acceptance of the policy of our attaining and maintaining space l e a d e r ship, with due r e g a r d f o r our national
s e c u r i t y
.
It was a l s o a p e r i o d of searching
Our space p r o g r a m , i n both its civilian and m i l i t a r y a s p e c t s , is peaceful i n purpose and p r a c t i c e . M o r e o v e r , it combines such objective with a policy of international cooperation based upon a mutuality of participation and benefits as well as the wide dis-
semination of knowledge.
Space p r o g r e s s is e s s e n t i a l if this nation is to l e a d i n technology and i n the furthering of world peace. Such p r o g r e s s r e q u i r e s the u s e of substantial r e s o u r c e s , which m u s t be employed efficiently and effectively i n o r d e r that we obtain the maximum benefits with a minimum of waste.
In s u m m a r y f o r m , the accompanying r e p o r t depicts the contribu- tions of the various d e p a r t m e n t s and a g e n c i e s of the Government to the national space p r o g r a m during 1963.
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Chapter I Chapter 11 Chapter 111 Chapter I V Chapter V Chapter V I Chapter VII Chapter VI11 Chapter IX Chapter X Chapter XI Chapter XI1 Chapter XI11 Appendix A-1 Appendix A-2 Appendix A-3 Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E-1
Appendix E-2 Appendix E - 3 Index
U. S. Aeronautics and Space Activities --
1963 Summary ... 1
National Aeronautics and Space C o u n c i l . . 5
Administration ... 9
Department of D ef e ns e ... 39
Atomic Energy Commission ... 61
Department of State ... 67
National Science Foundation . . . 73
Department of C o m m e r c e ... 77
Space Science B o a r d . . ... 89
Smithsonian Astrophysical O b s e r v a t o r y . . 95 F e d e r a l Aviation Agency ... 101
F e d e r a l Communications Commission ... 109
United States Information Agency. . . . 115
National Aeronautics and Space U. S. Launching Record ( C h a r t ) ... 1 2 0 U. S. Launching Record (Table) ... 121
Successful U.S. Launches - 1963 ... 122
U . S . Space Launch V e h i c l e s . . ... 138
Selected P r o g r a m s f o r Cooperation i n Outer Space ( C h a r t ) . ... 140
SNAP Radioisotope E l e c t r i c P o w e r Units f o r Space ... 141
H i s t o r i c a l Summary and F Y 1965 Budget Recommendations (New Obligational H i s t o r i c a l Summary and F Y 1965 Budget Recommendations (Expenditures). ... 143
Space Activities Budget ... 144
... 145
Authority) ... 142
E X E C U T I V E O F F I C E OF T H E P R E S I D E N T
N A T I O N A L A E R O N A U T I C S AND SPACE COUNCIL
W A . * I * O T O *
Chapter I
U.S. Aeronautics and Space Activities 1963
S U M M A R Y
Nineteen s i x t y - t h r e e was a significant y e a r f o r the United States i n its arduous effort to achieve b r o a d s p a c e competence f o r peaceful purposes, i,ncluding both civilian and m i l i t a r y projects.
The p a s t s i x y e a r s have been productive ones i n overcoming competitive disadvan- tages, which derived directly f r o m a relatively l a t e s t a r t and f r o m initial lack of enthusiasm f o r s p a c e achievements. In this p r o c e s s , t h e r e have been numerous positive accomplishments, not the l e a s t of which has been the m a r s h a l l i n g of valued r e s o u r c e s into a viable national effort. L e a d e r s h i p among spacefaring nations is now a d i s c e r n i b l e goal. Our chief competitor h a s i n the m e a n t i m e not stood still, and i n f a c t continues to lead i n s o m e r e s p e c t s . Through their g r e a t e r ability to rocket heavier payloads into space, the U. S. S. R. could, f o r example, s c o r e new
" f i r s t s " i n maneuvering, rendezvousing, and s p a c e docking. However, o u r en- couraging p r o g r e s s i n the development of l a r g e r o c k e t s and i n sophisticated s p a c e - c r a f t gives s t r o n g indication that the United States will cut any "lag-time'' a p p r e - ciably as it proceeds toward new space s u c c e s s e s .
While many achievements a r e r e c o r d e d f o r the y e a r 1963, the r e c o r d f o r m s no b a s i s f o r complacency. If the goal of being f i r s t i n s p a c e is to be achieved and maintained, t h e r e can be no slackening of effort and no dampening of enthusiasm f o r s p a c e achievements.
The United States a d h e r e s f i r m l y to i t s policy of " s p a c e f o r peaceful purposes'' as e x p r e s s e d i n the b a s i c legislation and as espoused by this country's leadership.
F u r t h e r m o r e , as a c o r o l l a r y to that policy, we a r e cooperating with s o m e 60 nations i n various a s p e c t s of the s p a c e program. Such cooperation, i n intent and in proposals, extends to the Soviet Union on a mutually beneficial and peace-creating basis.
Although many specific accomplishments will be d e s c r i b e d i n m o r e detail throughout this r e p o r t , s p e c i a l notice should be given to the improved cooperation between agencies with s p a c e responsibilities, to the reorganization of NASA's management, and to the coordinated decision f o r the Defense Department to develop and u s e a manned orbiting laboratory.
The United States has made outstanding p r o g r e s s i n improving the reliability of its rockets. F o r example, during the y e a r , NASA had 14 launch s u c c e s s e s out of 15 attempts, including the s u c c e s s f u l launching of 10 e a r t h s a t e l l i t e s out of the 10 t r i e s made.
both i n the number of s u c c e s s e s and i n the reliability of i t s launch vehicles.
The launching r e c o r d of the Defense Department h a s a l s o been i m p r e s s i v e ,
The peaceful applications of s p a c e competence w e r e f u r t h e r e d , during the y e a r , i n the continuing improvements t o the weather, communications, and navigational s a t e l l i t e s y s t e m s .
In o r d e r to maintain this countryls lead i n the field of c o m m e r c i a l aviation,
decision was m a d e to proceed toward the development of a supersonic t r a n s p o r t f o r c o m m e r c i a l us e.
Of p a r t i c u l a r note during 1963 w e r e the following events and accomplishments.
. . . A U. S. a s t r o n a u t was orbited 22 t i m e s f o r a period of 34 hours, 20 minutes, and was a c c u r a t e l y landed within four m i l e s of a predicted point while under manual control. This MERCURY shot (MA-9) completed the f i r s t U. S. manned s p a c e flight p r o g r a m with a perfect r e c o r d .
. . . The s u c c e s s f u l launch of CENTAUR, the f i r s t known s u c c e s s f u l flight of a high energy r o c k e t fueled by liquid hyrdrogen was accomplished.
. . . The f i r s t synchronous s a t e l l i t e s , SYNCOM I & I1,were orbited. SYNCOM I1 was a l s o the f i r s t t r u l y maneuverable station-keeping satellite, the f i r s t space link f r o m North A m e r i c a t o Africa, the f i r s t 24-hour a day space communications link.
It was a l s o the f i r s t s a t e l l i t e to employ a s a t e l l i t e s h i p - t o - s h o r e link, and conducted the longest (7, 700 m i l e s f r o m California to Nigeria) s p a c e communication link.
. . . Twin s a t e l l i t e s capable of detecting nuclear explosions i n the atmosphere o r in outer s p a c e by radiation m e a s u r e m e n t s w e r e launched.
dual injection of the two s a t e l l i t e s into different 60, 000 m i l e o r b i t s .
The operation included
. . . A navigation s a t e l l i t e was stabilized i n a low (500 m i l e ) e a r t h orbit by passive means using only the e a r t h ' s gravity field and a damping mechanism.
. . . The X-15 r e s e a r c h r o c k e t - a i r c r a f t s e t new r e c o r d s i n flight on the fringes of space.
. . . The decision was made to r e v i s e and enlarge the Department of Defense s p a c e - flight p r o g r a m .
t o r y (MOL) p r o g r a m ; extension of the NASA-developed GEMINI s p a c e c r a f t to
defense m i s s i o n s ; cancellation of the X-20 p r o g r a m ; and expansion of P r o j e c t ASSET t o a c c e l e r a t e lifting body technology development.
Redirection included establishment of a Manned Orbiting Labora-
. . . The P r e s i d e n t o r d e r e d the development of a supersonic transport. F o r t y five tentative o r d e r s had been placed by the w o r l d ' s a i r l i n e s f o r the proposed a i r c r a f t . T h r e e a i r f r a m e and t h r e e engine companies a r e completing design proposals to be submitted this January.
. . . TELSTAR I1 joined RELAY i n o r b i t t o provide two operational low o r b i t com- munications s a t e l l i t e s , both furnishing television, phone, voice and teletype com- munication demonstrations.
. . . The f i r s t two s p a c e c r a f t powered entirely by nuclear units w e r e orbited this y e a r .
isotope t h e r m o - e l e c t r i c generator.
The power is supplied by the SNAP-9A 25-watt plutonium-fueled radio-
Two weather s a t e l l i t e s , TIROS VI1 and TIROS VI11 w e r e successfully launched, and weather s a t e l l i t e s launched to date have supplied over 300, 0 0 0 useful pictures.
TIROS VI11 contained a n automatic picture t r a n s m i s s i o n (APT) s y s t e m to provide daily weather p i c t u r e s to relatively inexpensive ground stations throught the world.
. . .
I n cooperation with other m e m b e r nations, the United States participated i n the drafting and acceptance of a United Nations resolution calling upon all nations t o r e - f r a i n f r o m stationing weapons of mass d e s t r u c t i o n i n outer space..
.
.An a g r e e m e n t t o ban nuclear testing i n outer s p a c e , the a t m o s p h e r e and under- w a t e r was drafted by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, and ratified by o v e r 100 nations.. . .
The United States played a leading p a r t in developing a Declaration of Legal P r i n c i p l e s to guide s t a t e s i n the exploration and u s e of outer space, which was unanimously adopted by the United Nations G e n e r a l Assembly..
. .
The United States e n t e r e d into a cooperative a g r e e m e n t with the Soviet Union en- visaging a n exchange of data f r o m coordinated launches of weather s a t e l l i t e s , joint experiments in s p a c e communications with passive United States s a t e l l i t e s , and a n exchange of data f r o m s a t e l l i t e s equipped with m a g n e t o m e t e r s ..
. .
The E x t r a o r d i n a r y Administrative Radio Conference convened a t Geneva, Switzerland, in October 1963 t o allocate bands of frequencies f o r r e s e a r c h and d e - velopment i n the field of s p a c e communication and radio astronomy.was concluded i n November with a good m e a s u r e of acceptance of the U. S. proposals.
. . .
New a s t r o n a u t s w e r e selected, and began training f o r the eventual l u n a r landing mis s ion.An a g r e e m e n t
.
. .
Suborbital test flights w e r e conducted of the ASSET winged r e e n t r y vehicle and the L I T T L E JOE II APOLLO boilerplate v e r s i o n of the vehicle t o be u s e d f o r the manned lunar mission.. .
. T h e scientific satellite EXPLORER XVII was placed into o r b i t and is furnishing significant information on a t m o s p h e r i c s t r u c t u r e s ,. . .
LOFT1 2A conducted a dual frequency study of the propagation of v e r y low- frequency radio waves i n and through the ionosphere.. . .
The 120-inch solid rocket to b e u s e d with the TITAN I11 was successfully tested..
.
. EXPLORE8 XVIII, the Interplanetary Monitoring P r o b e (IMP) afforded s c i e n t i s t s with the first comprehensive study of radiation h a z a r d s i n c i s l u n a r s p a c e t o adistance of 150, 000 miles from the e a r t h .
. . .
A n a r r o w belt of tiny e l e c t r i c dipoles (WEST FORD) was established around the e a r t h , which had the communications ability and the decay c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s which had been planned.. .
. The HITCHHIKER scientific s a t e l l i t e was launched into o r b i t f r o m another s a t e l - l i t e which had a l r e a d y been i n o r b i t s e v e r a l days.. .
. T h e planets M a r s and Venus w e r e successfully contacted by r a d a r ..
.
. Another in the s e r i e s of the l a r g e SATURN b o o s t e r s was successfully tested, to provide 1,500, 000 pounds of t h r u s t , the l a r g e s t first s t a g e yet tested.. . .
T h e United States placed about 60 s a t e l l i t e payloads into orbit.Chapter I1
National Aeronautics and Space Council
Nineteen Hundred and Sixty-Three w a s a y e a r of a c c e l e r a t e d effort and a c c e l e r a t e d learning a s the national space p r o g r a m of the United States reached higher levels of competence and performance. The y e a r ' s p r o g r a m included a 34-hour manned o r - bital flight, the launching of the world's first successful synchronous satellite, the world's first all-nuclear powered satellite, the f i r s t high energy hydrogen rocket stage, the first s a t e l l i t e stabilized by the e a r t h ' s gravity field, the orbiting of a belt of reflective communications dipoles, the orbiting of nuclear' t e s t detection space- c r a f t , and the achievement of c r i t i c a l milestones in the development of l a r g e - t h r u s t rocket engines.
During this y e a r , the United States w a s successful i n placing about 60 satellite pay- loads into e a r t h orbit, r a i s i n g the Nation's total f r o m the beginning of the space age to approximately 180. The Soviets put about one-third as many payloads into e a r t h o r b i t during 1963, although they w e r e sufficiently heavier than o u r s to keep t h e i r lead in total weight orbited. The o v e r - a l l country-to-country o r b i t a l payload r a t i o numerically is m o r e than 3 t o 1 in favor of the United States. In the light of avail- able information, it a l s o appeared that the r a t i o of s u c c e s s e s to f a i l u r e s was approx- imately comparable f o r both countries a s the launching vehicles of each showed a trend toward improved reliability.
By the end of 1963, the United States had under development m o r e powerful rockets than any the Soviet Union had i n operation.
U. S. S. R. in putting space competences t o d i r e c t u s e i n improving m a n ' s living on e a r t h by weather, communications, and navigation satellites. Although the U. S. S. R.
m u s t be credited with potential ability to do so, it h a s not developed comparable p r o - g r a m s for the benefit of mankind.
t h e i r lead in l a r g e operational rockets, near-rendezvous experiments, and the life s c i e n c e s a s p e c t s of space.
spent m o r e t i m e flying outside the atmosphere, and t h e i r interplanetary effort was significantly g r e a t e r .
they have a n orderly, step-by-step p r o g r a m which has i m p r e s s e d the world with t h e i r accomplishments.
This country remained well ahead of the
A t the s a m e time, however, the Soviets maintained They launched m o r e weight into space, t h e i r a s t r o n a u t s Their accumulation of data and experience made plain that
The National Aeronautics and Space Council h a s been guided by the p r e m i s e that the United States w i l l become the world's leading spacefaring nation and that it w i l l dedicate its space competence t o improving and maintaining the peace. To this end, our national s p a c e p r o g r a m has been designed t o i n c r e a s e our knowledge of the space environment and the fundamental f a c t s of nature; to m a s t e r the technology of manned and unmanned space flight; t o explore the s o l a r s y s t e m ; to i n c r e a s e our national
security; and t o utilize the r e s u l t s of space technology and discovery to achieve a broad range of economic and s o c i a l benefits. Our goals include i n c r e a s e d interna- tional cooperation i n the u s e of outer space for peaceful purposes, the development of the r e g i m e of l a w f o r outer space f o r peaceful purposes, the development of the r e g i m e of law f o r outer space, and t h e o r d e r l y and open conduct of space-related activities.
M o r e c r i t i c a l and detailed examination of the s p a c e p r o g r a m c h a r a c t e r i z e d the C o n g r e s s ' s approach t o budgetary r e q u e s t s f o r F Y 1964, p a r t i c u l a r l y regarding the funds f o r NASA. Although the n e t r e s u l t was l e s s than the amount of appropriations needed, it is significant and encouraging that the Congress favored a substantial i n c r e a s e over the preceding y e a r and hence supported a broad-based a c c e l e r a t e d program.
In discharging its responsibilities, the Council d i r e c t l y and through its staff engaged i n a wide r a n g e of policy and coordinating activities. Among such activities were:
a.
b.
C.
d.
e.
f.
g-
h.
i.
j.
k.
1.
formulated and recommended t o the P r e s i d e n t that the United States initiate a supersonic t r a n s p o r t prototype development p r o g r a m at the e a r l i e s t possible date, with t h e objective of obtaining a safe, econom- ically sound, and s u p e r i o r aircraft.
supervised the p r e p a r a t i o n and conducted the editing of the P r e s i d e n t ' s Annual Report t o the Congress on aeronautics and s p a c e activities for
1963.
testified on space and a e r o n a u t i c a l activities before committees of the Congress.
i n c r e a s e d the public understanding of the national s p a c e p r o g r a m through speeches, a r t i c l e s , public appearances, and interviews.
participated in the analysis and development of the F Y 1965 budgets f o r space.
coordinated efforts leading t o the launch of a n orbiting dipole belt and the r e l e a s e of information t o t h e world scientific community i n a c c o r d a n c e with the P r e s i d e n t ' s policy on P r o j e c t W E S T FORD.
participated i n continuing review of the m a j o r policy and planning i s s u e s confronting the Communications Satellite Corporation.
coordinated p r o c e d u r e s f o r the placing of n u c l e a r auxiliary power devices i n s p a c e c r a f t and m a d e positive recommendations t o the P r e s i d e n t regard.- i n g such launches.
initiated coordination on s p a c e p r o j e c t s , such a s s p a c e stations f o r m i l i t a r y and non-military missions.
participated in the development of United States positions with r e s p e c t t o b i l a t e r a l a r r a n g e m e n t s with the Soviet Union in the field of weather, com- munications, and geomagnetic satellites.
visited s p a c e installations, examined facilities, and discus s e d space developments and p r o b l e m s with mana g e r ial and t e chnica 1 s p e c i a l i s t s
.
engaged i n numerous interagency, as well as Government-industry, meetings and briefings on new developments in s p a c e technology and s p a c e benefits.
m.
n.
0.
participated in analyses leading to the decision to initiate a Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) project.
developed i n t e r n a l analyses on nuclear rocket propulsion, nuclear auxiliary power, reliability of space launching vehicles, lunar and e a r t h o r b i t a l rendezvous, range instrumentation ships, post-lunar missions, high velocity space probes, and space station p r o g r a m decisions, and
maintained a c u r r e n t r e c o r d of United States and Soviet space
launches, developed comparisons between U. S. and U. S.S. R. space activities, and reviewed space accomplishments and potential of other nations
.
The Space Council held f o r m a l meetings on such subjects as: formulation of s u p e r - sonic t r a n s p o r t p r o g r a m recommendations; review of policy i s s u e s relating to the national space program; and coordination of Defense-NASA'space projects, such a s GEMINI and space stations.
The United States space p r o g r a m i s designed to maintain our position of leadership in the F r e e World.
and p r e s s i n g for ever-widening participation and distribution of space benefits, the United States has led the world effort It is i n the national i n t e r e s t --
economically, technologically, scientifically, militarily, and internationally -- to
c a r r y this p r o g r a m forward i n an a c c e l e r a t i n g fashion so that the United States w i l l obtain f o r mankind every one of i t s many benefits a s soon and as efficiently a s possible.
Cooperating with other nations i n many a r e a s of space technolbgy, this a r e a .
Chapter 111
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
INTRODUCTION
During 1963, 'the National Aeronautics and Space Administration made significant ad- vances i n all of its p r o g r a m s i n the continuing effort to a s s u r e preeminence in space f o r the United States.
The MERCURY manned s p a c e flight p r o j e c t culminated in the 22-orbit flight of Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., May 15-16.
cluded the orbiting of SYNCOM and TELSTAR communications s a t e l l i t e s , the TIROS VII and VIII meteorological s a t e l l i t e , and t h e EXPLORER XVII, XVIII, and XIX geo- physical satellites.
CENTAUR rocket into orbit. The first s t a g e of the powerful SATURN I launch vehicle was successfully t e s t e d f o r the fourth time. P r o g r e s s a l s o continued i n all other as- pects of the drive to complete a manned lunar-landing-and-return m i s s i o n during this decade.
Other important achievements in-
And on November 27 NASA launched the hydrogen-fueled
MANNED SPACE FLIGHT
In 1963, NASA concluded P r o j e c t MERCURY and substantially advanced the work on P r o j e c t GEMINI and P r o j e c t APOLLO; the Agency a l s o took concurrent s t e p s to pro- vide the e s s e n t i a l manned space flight support.
P r o j e c t MERCURY
The outstanding event of the United States s p a c e p r o g r a m in 1963 was the s u c c e s s f u l flight of Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. It began on the morning of May 15, 1963;
34 h o u r s and 20 minutes l a t e r , a f t e r completing 22 o r b i t s , Astronaut Cooper's space- c r a f t Faith 7 r e e n t e r e d the a t m o s p h e r e and splashed down i n the P a c i f i c Ocean. The p r i m a r y m i s s i o n of the flight w a s to evaluate the effects of weightlessness and ex- tended o r b i t a l flight on man.
The launch phase w a s n o r m a l ; the s p a c e c r a f t w a s i n s e r t e d into a n e a r - p e r f e c t orbit.
Its s y s t e m s p e r f o r m e d well until the 18th o r b i t , when the automatic control s y s t e m failed. F o r the r e s t of the flight, r e t r o f i r e , and r e e n t r y , Astronaut Cooper manually controlled the s p a c e c r a f t , landing it within four m i l e s of the predicted point.
astronaut p e r f o r m e d his t a s k s i n an outstanding manner and provided f u r t h e r evidence of the e s s e n t i a l r o l e of m a n i n s p a c e exploration.
The
The effectiveness of NASA's flight operations planning was u n d e r s c o r e d during this mission. Ground c o n t r o l l e r s quickly diagnosed the problem encountered in the auto- m a t i c control s y s t e m of the s p a c e c r a f t during the 19th o r b i t and subsequently r e l a y e d new instructions, enabling the a s t r o n a u t to make a manually controlled r e t r o f i r e and reentry.
operational techniques.
The s u c c e s s f u l t e r m i n a t i o n of t h i s flight confirmed the soundness of the
This flight a l s o enabled NASA t o conduct such scientific and engineering experiments
as medical studies, radiation m e a s u r e m e n t s , photographic and visibility studies, and experiments in TV communications.
In the a r e a of s p a c e medicine, the P r o j e c t MERCURY flights w e r e completed with no prolonged ill effects upon the a s t r o n a u t s ; also, t h e r e w e r e no significant deficiencies in the life support s y s t e m o r p e r s o n a l protective equipment developed f o r this project.
P a r t i c u l a r l y noteworthy is the f a c t that the MERCURY life-support system, originally designed f o r s h o r t duration m i s s i o n s , was modified during the c o u r s e of the project to support man f o r m o r e than 34 hours. Improvements in equipment and techniques w e r e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of e a c h succeeding flight.
In P r o j e c t MERCURY, the United States learned:
a.
b.
C.
d.
e.
f.
how t o design, build, and t e s t the n e c e s s a r y spacecraft.
how to adapt launch vehicles, never intended f o r manned flight, so that they a r e sufficiently safe and r e l i a b l e f o r manned flight.
how t o o p e r a t e a worldwide network of radio and r a d a r t o keep t r a c k of the s p a c e c r a f t and r e m a i n i n communication with the pilot.
how t o r e c o v e r s p a c e c r a f t f r o m the ocean in a v e r y s h o r t period of time.
how t o s e l e c t and t r a i n a s t r o n a u t s .
how t o develop and o p e r a t e life-support s y s t e m s , p r e s s u r e suits, and biomedical instrumentation s y s t e m s .
P e r h a p s m o s t important of all, the United States has l e a r n e d that m a n c a n contribute m a t e r i a l l y t o the exploration of space. He c a n make scientific observations i n space and p e r f o r m and a s s e s s scientific experiments. A s a n engineer and t e s t pilot, he can function as a p r i m a r y s y s t e m of the s p a c e c r a f t , and he c a n cope with the unexpected in a s p a c e mission. T h e s e demonstrations of m a n ' s ability t o judge, t o reason, and t o cope with the unexpected enable the United States to proceed with confidence that m a n can a s s u m e the r o l e of e x p l o r e r in s p a c e j u s t as he has been a n e x p l o r e r on earth.
The objectives of P r o j e c t MERCURY, as laid out i n 1958, w e r e t o take the first s t e p in the manned exploration of space, to d e t e r m i n e m a n ' s capabilities i n space, and to develop the foundation f o r the technology of manned s p a c e flight.
completion of the Cooper m i s s i o n , t h e s e objectives have been m o r e than met.
With successful
P r o i e c t GEMINI
P r o j e c t GEMINI is the second m a j o r s t e p being taken by the United States in manned s p a c e s y s t e m s development and manned s p a c e exploration.
MERCURY, GEMINI will provide a two-man s p a c e c r a f t ; the objectives of the project a r e t o i n c r e a s e operational proficiency and to gain m o r e knowledge of the technology of manned s p a c e flight. Specific a r e a s within t h e s e objectives include long duration flight, rendezvous and docking, post docking m a n e u v e r s , controlled r e e n t r y , e x t r a - vehicular activity, and ground and flight c r e w training.
Closely following
Production design of the GEMINI s p a c e c r a f t s t r u c t u r e was completed i n F e b r u a r y ; i n October, GEMINI Spacecraft No. 1 was delivered to Cape Canaveral (now Cape Kennedy). Spacecraft No. 1 together with the f i r s t GEMINI Launch Vehicle, a l s o d e - livered in October, will be used in the f i r s t unmanned developmental flight scheduled during the first half of 1964.
To t e s t the final design of the s p a c e c r a f t and various s u b s y s t e m s , 10 non-flight space- c r a f t w e r e i n the p r o c e s s of being fabricated. These will be used to evaluate the various individual subsystems of the spacecraft such as the life support s y s t e m , the ejection s e a t s , and the parachute recovery s y s t e m ; they will a l s o be used to t e s t s t r u c t u r a l design and astronaut training.
Typical s t r u c t u r a l t e s t s include p r e s s u r i z a t i o n , flotation, and landing impact. Seven successful parachute d r o p s w e r e conducted during the s u m m e r months to qualify the r e c o v e r y system. Two of t h e s e w e r e dropped i n the w a t e r to d e t e r m i n e impact loads.
Effort was devoted to the development of the p a r a g l i d e r r e c o v e r y s y s t e m f o r a s e r i e s of air drops.
d e t e r m i n e landing c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .
More than 100 ground tow t e s t s w e r e m a d e with a half-scale model to
Electronic s y s t e m s t e s t s w e r e conducted to d e t e r m i n e the intercompatibility of the s p a c e c r a f t electronics and guidance s y s t e m s .
which make up the flyable s p a c e c r a f t f o r m i s s i o n No. 2 was underway by the end of the y e a r .
A complete t e s t of all the subsystems
The GEMINI Launch Vehicle (GLV) is a modified TITAN 11 being procured by NASA
through the A i r F o r c e Space Systems Division.
to be procured.
checkout of all s u b s y s t e m s , qualification testing of components, and c o r r e c t i o n of c e r t a i n deficiencies noted by t h e vehicle acceptance t e a m .
A total of 15 s u c h launch vehicles a r e The first of t h e s e was delivered to Cape Kennedy i n October following
C r i t i c a l components of the GLV, s u c h as the malfunction detection s y s t e m , w e r e flight t e s t e d on A i r F o r c e TITAN 11 ICBM's to gain flight reliability data.
the planned six such t e s t s w e r e flown before the end of t h e y e a r .
first GEMINI flight, flight data f r o m many standard A i r F o r c e TITAN I P S w e r e being obtained.
T h r e e of Also, p r i o r to the
The t a r g e t vehicle f o r t h e GEMINI rendezvous and docking m i s s i o n s c o n s i s t s of the ATLAS standard launch vehicle and a modified AGENA D.
fied to give it maneuverability i n o r b i t and to provide f o r actual docking with the spacecraft.
The AGENA is being modi-
During the y e a r , work on the t a r g e t vehicle c e n t e r e d on development and t e s t of the AGENA propulsion s y s t e m .
altitude conditions; the r e s u l t s w e r e satisfactory. Design and development of other a s p e c t s of the AGENA a r e proceeding according to schedule, with the f i r s t delivery planned f o r e a r l y 1965.
The s y s t e m was repeatedly f i r e d under simulated orbital
Operational concepts and p r o c e d u r e s w e r e being developed f o r P r o j e c t s GEMINI and APOLLO, using the experience gained f r o m P r o j e c t MERCURY. A new ground con- t r o l s i t e , the Integrated Mission Control Center (IMCC), was under development a t the Manned Spacecraft Center i p Houston. This Center will maintain operational
control o v e r the manned flights now planned f o r both GEMINI and APOLLO.
ground c r e w s underwent intensified training f o r the e a r l y GEMINI flights.
The
P r o j e c t APOLLO
NASA continued p r o g r e s s with the development of the P r o j e c t APOLLO s p a c e c r a f t , t h e launch vehicles and propulsion s y s t e m s , and t h e associated m i s s i o n planning.
Systems Engineering 0 - During 1963, continued p r o g r e s s was m a d e in the overall en- gineering of the s y s t e m f o r manned lunar flight. Additional detailed specifications of the hardware w e r e completed. The computation of the detailed flight path was begun.
Special attention was paid to natural environmental problems, including the e a r t h ' s radiation belts, s o l a r f l a r e s , meteoroids, and the s u r f a c e of the moon. The value of a lunar o r b i t e r was established, and m i s s i o n assignments f o r the APOLLO flight t e s t s w e r e established.
Spacecraft -- During the p a s t y e a r , NASA completed selection of the APOLLO space- c r a f t industrial team, the first t e s t s p a c e c r a f t w e r e delivered, and the f i r s t develop- mental flights w e r e made.
T h r e e boilerplate APOLLO Spacecraft Command and S e r v i c e Modules w e r e con- s t r u c t e d and delivered by October 1963.
Year 1963, with six of the boilerplates f o r unmanned flight testing and t h r e e f o r various ground tests.
A total of nine w e r e delivered i n Calendar
(A boilerplate s p a c e c r a f t has the s a m e shape, but is heavier s t r u c t u r a l l y than the s p a c e c r a f t that will make the mission.
ticated i t e m s of equipment, containing elaborate instrumentation and actual space- c r a f t s y s t e m s and components. )
Some boilerplate s p a c e c r a f t a r e highly sophis-
T h r e e of the flight t e s t s of t h e s e boilerplates a r e t o d e m o n s t r a t e the m i s s i o n a b o r t emergency escape systems.
m i c r o m e t e o r i t e density i n n e a r e a r t h space, and one is to obtain information on con- ditions of vibration, t e m p e r a t u r e , p r e s s u r e , and noise at launch.
Of the other t h r e e flight t e s t s , two a r e to m e a s u r e the
Manufacturing was a l s o begun on t h r e e prototype s p a c e c r a f t ( s i m i l a r to those planned f o r the l u n a r mission). Two of t h e s e s p a c e c r a f t a r e to be used f o r ground t e s t s to check out the s p a c e c r a f t s t r u c t u r e and s y s t e m s under simulated m i s s i o n and space conditions.
the s p a c e c r a f t s y s t e m s , including the heat shield.
The third is to be a production a i r - f r a m e f o r unmanned flight testing of
Nearly half the ground t e s t s of boilerplate s p a c e c r a f t w e r e completed. Basic design approaches w e r e confirmed i n w a t e r r e c o v e r y and handling operations, land and w a t e r impact t e s t s , parachute r e c o v e r y t e s t s , and dynamics t e s t s conducted in com- bination with a prototype SATURN launch vehicle.
At the White Sands M i s s i l e Range (WSMR), N. Mex., a LITTLE J O E I1 launch vehicle facility was completed and made operational i n July. In August, a LITTLE J O E 11 launch vehicle with a dummy s p a c e c r a f t payload was flight tested a t White Sands to qualify the launch vehicle for forthcoming APOLLO s p a c e c r a f t emergency escape s y s t e m t e s t s . I n a flight at W S M R i n November, the launch e s c a p e s y s t e m of the APOLLO was tested i n a launch pad a b o r t situation.
lated a m i s s i o n a b o r t resulting f r o m a launch vehicle f a i l u r e on the pad.
This flight successfully simu-
In January, NASA signed a contract f o r the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM).
Lunar Excursion Module is used t o t r a n s p o r t two a s t r o n a u t s f r o m the mother space- c r a f t i n lunar o r b i t to the lunar s u r f a c e and back again to the mother spacecraft.
During 1963, m o r e than a dozen subcontracts w e r e l e t to f o r m the Lunar Excursion Module industry team.
The
A p r e l i m i n a r y configuration of the LEM was "frozen" in the middle of the y e a r , and the first of a s e r i e s of mockups was reviewed in September. P l a n s w e r e drawn and construction s t a r t e d to p e r m i t the f i r s t t e s t f i r i n g of the LEM rocket engines at White Sands, N. Mex., in mid-1964. The descent engine of the LEM will r e p r e s e n t a tech- nological advance in that it m u s t be capable of a t h r u s t level variation ranging f r o m one-tenth to maximum thrust.
t h e s e will provide the b a s i s f o r selecting the final descent engine design.
Two p a r a l l e l development efforts w e r e underway;
Small bi-propellant control engines which a r e capable of thousands of starts w e r e i n the advanced s t a g e s of development f o r the reaction control s y s t e m s of the APOLLO Spacecraft Command and S e r v i c e Modules.
the attitude of the s p a c e c r a f t i n s p a c e and during r e e n t r y .
These engines a r e used f o r controlling
The 22,000-pound t h r u s t s e r v i c e module propulsion s y s t e m engine, a l s o with mul- tiple start capability, underwent altitude testing at the Arnold Engineering Develop- m e n t Center (AEDC) f a c i l i t i e s at Tullahoma, Tenn.
attaining t h e highly r e l i a b l e s p a c e c r a f t engine n e c e s s a r y to a s s u r e flight safety and m i s s i o n s u c c e s s .
e a r t h once the s p a c e c r a f t l e a v e s the n e a r - e a r t h environment.
This p r o g r a m is d i r e c t e d toward This engine is the p r i m e means of returning the a s t r o n a u t s to
Construction was initiated on the APOLLO Propulsion Development T e s t F a c i l i t i e s at White Sands M i s s i l e Range, N. Mex. Also included at this s i t e a r e the Control Center, the Propellant Storage and T r a n s f e r System, a P r e p a r a t i o n Building and the P r o j e c t Control A r e a .
At the Manned Spacecraft Center i n Houston, Tex., c o n t r a c t s w e r e awarded f o r con- s t r u c t i o n of two m a j o r t e s t facilities.
Testing Laboratory; the other is the Flight Acceleration Facility.
l a b o r a t o r y and administrative f a c i l i t i e s w e r e n e a r completion.
One of the buildings is the Environmental Thirteen other
Launch Vehicles and Propulsion -- The development of m o r e powerful engines and launch vehicles r e q u i r e d f o r the APOLLO p r o j e c t p r o g r e s s e d significantly in 1963.
T h e SATURN I, the SATURN I-B, and the &TURN V a r e the launch vehicles under development.
The configuration of the SATURN I c o n s i s t s of two stages: (1) the S-I booster stage, powered by eight H-1 engines (liquid oxygen and k e r o s e n e ) developing 1 . 5 million pounds of t h r u s t ; and (2) the S-IV second stage, propelled by s i x RL-10 A-3 engines (liquid oxygen-liquid hydrogen), generating 90,000 pounds of t h r u s t . The SATURN I is slated f o r u s e in e a r t h o r b i t a l t e s t s of two of the t h r e e modules of the APOLLO spacecraft.
The fourth unmanned developmental flight of the SATURN I w a s successfully com- pleted in March.
flights, consisting of a live first s t a g e and dummy upper stages.
The flight configuration was similar t o the first t h r e e successful
Uprating of the H-1 engine f r o m 165,000 to 188,000 pounds of t h r u s t was nearing
successful completion and f u r t h e r uprating of the engine to 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 pounds of t h r u s t f o r SATURN I-B flights was approved.
veloped: (1) a s t a i n l e s s s t e l l t h r u s t chamber of i n c r e a s e d durability and ( 2 ) a new i n - j e c t o r capable of damping out a r t i f i c i a l l y induced combustion instability.
Two improvements to the engine w e r e de-
The first S-IV flight s t a g e was s u c c e s s f u l l y s t a t i c f i r e d f o r its full m i s s i o n duration i n August and was delivered to Cape Kennedy f o r f i n a l pre-flight checkout in Septem- ber.
In November, fabrication of hardware began on the SATURN I-B, a n improved v e r s i o n of the SATURN 1.
vous operations of the complete APOLLO s p a c e c r a f t , including the Command Module, the S e r v i c e Module, and the Lunar Excursion Module. This launch vehicle will com- p r i s e a first s t a g e (S-IB) which will be a modified v e r s i o n of the SATURN I f i r s t s t a g e , and a second s t a g e (S-IVB) propelled by one J - 2 engine generating 200,000 pounds of t h r u s t .
of the SATURN V vehicle.
1965.
The I-B will be used f o r manned e a r t h orbital flights and rendez-
The S-IVB second s t a g e is essentially the s a m e as the t h i r d stage Flight testing of the SATURN I-B vehicle is scheduled f o r
The J - 2 engine, which a l s o powers the S-I1 second s t a g e of SATURN V, underwent s u c c e s s f u l t e s t s and the first production engine f o r u s e i n ground testing of s t a g e s was delivered.
The SATURN V, the m o s t powerful launch vehicle now under development, will p r o - vide the launch power r e q u i r e d t o land two m e n on the moon. The vehicle will stand 281 f e e t high (without payload) and will weigh approximately s i x million pounds.
will have the capability t o place 240,000 pounds (the equivalent of 80 MERCURY cap- s u l e s ) into e a r t h o r b i t , and 90,000 pounds into a t r a n s l u n a r t r a j e c t o r y .
It
The vehicle has t h r e e stages. The first o r booster s t a g e (S-1C) will have five F - 1 engines (liquid oxygen and k e r o s e n e ) producing a total of 7.5 million pounds of thrust.
Work was begun on the f a b r i c a t i o n and a s s e m b l y of the first ground t e s t stage--the A l l Systems stage--at the M a r s h a l l Space Flight Center. In addition, a full s c a l e
mock-up of the t h r u s t s t r u c t u r e a s s e m b l y , m e a s u r i n g approximately 20 f e e t in height, and 33 f e e t i n d i a m e t e r , was built t h e r e .
In the F-1 p r o g r a m , substantial p r o g r e s s was made i n developing an injector which will produce stable combustion.
nozzle extension, improved turbopumps, vehicle interconnects, and a heat exchanger f o r heating vehicle tank p r e s s u r i z i n g gases.
a l s o demonstrated.
l a r g e l y the r e s u l t of the work of a NASA-Industry-University r e s e a r c h t a s k f o r c e which was formed f o r the purpose.
Continued p r o g r e s s was made in developing the Gimballing capability of the engine was The p r o g r e s s i n solving the combustion instability problem was
At the c l o s e of the y e a r , t h r e e new F - 1 production t e s t stands a t Edwards Air F o r c e B a s e w e r e nearing completion and the first production engine f o r ground testing by the M a r s h a l l Space Flight Center and vehicle m a n u f a c t u r e r s was completed.
The second o r S-11 stage is equipped with f i v e J - 2 engines (liquid oxygen-liquid hydro- gen); t h e s e will yield a total of one million pounds of t h r u s t .
powerful stage under development using liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propel- lants. The t o t a l thrust of this s t a g e is 11 t i m e s g r e a t e r than that of the S-IV, which is the second s t a g e of the SATURN I.
The S-I1 is the m o s t
The s-II i s being a s s e m b l e d at S e a l Beach, Calif.
t u r e d at Downey, Calif., and Tulsa, Okla. F a b r i c a t i o n of h a r d w a r e f o r the battleship and the s t r u c t u r a l t e s t s t a g e s was initiated during 1963.
Components a r e being manufac-
The t h i r d s t a g e of the SATURN V vehicle is a n S-IVB s t a g e powered by a single 200,000 pound t h r u s t 5-2 engine.
e a r t h o r b i t and, a f t e r a p r e d e t e r m i n e d c o a s t period, it will be re-ignited t o provide the propulsion t o place the s p a c e c r a f t on i t s l u n a r journey.
p r o g r e s s with the S-IVB stage over the p a s t y e a r .
the final phase of completion; the ground t e s t s t a g e s , f o r e r u n n e r s of t h e flight stage, w e r e being fabricated; and the t e s t f a c i l i t i e s w e r e p r o g r e s s i n g on schedule.
This s t a g e will c a r r y the APOLLO s p a c e c r a f t t o NASA m a d e significant The initial design effort was i n
The I n s t r u m e n t Unit i s the u p p e r m o s t p a r t of the SATURN V vehicle.
c y l i n d r i c a l section 260 inches in d i a m e t e r .
and n e r v e c e n t e r f o r the vehicle and d e t e r m i n e s the optimum t r a j e c t o r y t o achieve the d e s i r e d flight m i s s i o n r e q u i r e m e n t s through i t s guidance and control s y s t e m s sup- ported by its m e a s u r i n g , telemetering, and r a d i o frequency s y s t e m s .
It is a 3-foot The Instrument Unit s e r v e s as the b r a i n
In the p a s t y e a r , m o s t of t h e prelirninary design was completed f o r the components of the I n s t r u m e n t Unit, and t h e c o n t r a c t o r was selected f o r the a s s e m b l y and checkout of the Instrument Unit.
f o r m and f o r the guidance computer and a s s o c i a t e d d a t a adapter.
Also c o n t r a c t s w e r e awarded f o r the stabilized guidance plat-
In 1963, a p r o g r a m was instituted to a s s u r e the compatibility of m i s s i o n r e q u i r e - m e n t s and vehicle capabilities, using p e r f o r m a n c e and weight as a n index.
tion, high-speed computational capabilities w e r e developed f o r studies t o investigate vehicle s y s t e m s and designs which c r i t i c a l l y affect the weight-performance relation- ships.
In addi-
Basic design concepts of the computer-controlled checkout s y s t e m s f o r the APOLLO s p a c e c r a f t and SATURN launch vehicles w e r e approved, and stringent reliability and quality r e q u i r e m e n t s w e r e established.
NASA continued constructing the f a c i l i t i e s n e c e s s a r y f o r t h e f a b r i c a t i o n and testing of m o r e powerful launch vehicles. The M a r s h a l l Space Flight C e n t e r ' s S-I s t a t i c t e s t stand was completed, and construction undertaken of SATURN V s t a t i c t e s t f a c i l i t i e s f o r the engines and vehicles. The Michoud P l a n t at New Orleans, La. , which p r o - vides 1.8 million s q u a r e f e e t of s p a c e f o r the manufacture and a s s e m b l y of the SATURN I and SATURN V vehicles, a s s u m e d operational capability.
The construction of a l a r g e v e r t i c a l a s s e m b l y and hydrostatic test s t r u c t u r e f o r the SATURN V f i r s t s t a g e was c a r r i e d through t o completion, and e r e c t i o n of a new en- gineering building was initiated.
A t the M i s s i s s i p p i T e s t Facility, s i t e f o r ground testing of l a r g e launch vehicle s t a g e s , the acquisition of 13, 000 a c r e s f o r the construction a r e a was completed, and e a s e m e n t s on about 128,000 a c r e s of land ( n e c e s s a r y buffer zone) w e r e approximately 40 p e r c e n t complete.
construction c o n t r a c t s w e r e awarded f o r support s t r u c t u r e s , t e s t s t a n d s , waterways and utilities. Approximately $70 million of construction c o n t r a c t s had been awarded by the end of the y e a r .
F a c i l i t i e s valued a t $150 million w e r e placed under design;
Other facilities f o r manufacutre, a s s e m b l y , and t e s t of the SATURN engine and the