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Orders of Magnitude: a History of the NACA and NASA, 1915-1990

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Orders of Magnitude: a History of the NACA and NASA, 1915-1990 Orders of Magnitude: A History of the NACA and NASA, 1915-1990 The NASA History Series NASA SP-4406 http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4406/cover.html (1 of 2) [3/16/2001 11:59:45 AM] Orders of Magnitude: A History of the NACA and NASA, 1915-1990 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Management Scientific and Technical Information Division Washington, DC Published 1989 Updated Nov 10, 1999 By John Henry Roger D. Launius, NASA Chief Historian Steve Garber, NASA History Web Curator For further information E-mail [email protected] http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4406/cover.html (2 of 2) [3/16/2001 11:59:45 AM] Orders of Magnitude, Table of Contents NASA SP-4406 Orders of Magnitude A History of the NACA and NASA, 1915-1990 by Roger E. Bilstein The NASA History Series National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Management Scientific and Technical Information Division Washington, DC 1989 Table of Contents ● Foreword ● Preface ● Chapter 1: NACA Origins (1915-1930) ● Chapter 2: New Facilities, New Designs (1930-1945) ● Chapter 3: Going Supersonic (1945-1958) ● Chapter 4: On the Fringes of Space (1958-1964) ● Chapter 5: Tortoise Becomes Hare (1964-1969) ● Chapter 6: Aerospace Dividends (1969-1973) ● Chapter 7: On the Eve of the Shuttle (1973-1980) ● Chapter 8: Aerospace Flights (1980-1986) http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4406/contents.html (1 of 2) [3/16/2001 12:00:07 PM] Orders of Magnitude, Table of Contents ● Chapter 9: New Directions (Since 1986) ● Summary ● Bibliographic Essay For Additional Information Contact Roger D. Launius, NASA Chief Historian, [email protected] http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4406/contents.html (2 of 2) [3/16/2001 12:00:07 PM] Orders of Magnitude, Foreword FOREWORD This is the third edition of Orders of Magnitude, a concise history of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and its successor agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). At a time when American pride has been restored by the return of the Space Shuttle to flight,this edition reminds us of our first departures from the surface of the Earth and commemorates the 75th anniversary of the creation of the NACA--our first national institution for the advance of powered human flight. In less than half a century America progressed from the sandy hills of Kitty Hawk along the Atlantic Ocean into the vast "new ocean" of space. The pace of technological change necessary for such voyages has been so rapid, especially in the last quarter century, that it is easy to forget the extent to which aeronautical research and development--whether in propulsion, structures, materials, or control systems--have provided the fundamental basis for efficient and reliable civil and military flight capabilities. Thus it is fitting that this edition of NASA's Orders of Magnitude not only updates the historical record, but restores aeronautics to its due place in the history of the agency and of mankind's most fascinating and continuing voyage. Perspective comes with the passage of time. Events since the last edition of Orders of Magnitude (1980) suggest that this nation's ability to sustain the enthusiasm and the commitment of public resources necessary for a vigorous national space program can, like the phases of our nearest celestial neighbor,wax and wane. The Apollo-Saturn vehicle that carried the first humans to the Moon was lofted not only by a remarkable mobilization of engineering research and know-how, but by the political will of a nation startled by the Soviet Union's display of space technology with Sputnik I, launched 4 October 1957.Universities and industry joined their considerable talents with NASA's to carry out the Apollo program's epoch-making exploratory missions in a truly national effort. But responsiveness to changing national concerns is a hallmark of democratic government and the United States' preoccupations shifted to more earthbound concerns even before the Apollo program was completed. Public concerns such as energy resources, the environment, "guns and butter," and fiscal restraint grew as a maturing aerospace technology broadened NASA's mission as well as its rationale. Developed as a more economical approach to routine space travel than "throw away" boosters, the Space Transportation System with its reusable Shuttle orbiter was only one of NASA's post-Apollo programs that reflected the new political climate of the 1970s and early 1980s. As we approach the 1990s, however, my sense is that the nation's interest in space exploration and exploitation, following a roller coaster of public interest (apathy, competing priorities, a brief moment in the sun with the pride of recovery) is on the brink of a period of such excitement, discovery,and wonder as to make the Apollo period pale in comparison. The scheduled voyages to Venus and Jupiter, the launch of the Great Observatories like the Hubble Space Telescope, the establishment of a permanent human presence in space with the space station Freedom, the development of a takeoff-to-orbit aircraft (the National Aerospace Plane), and the beginnings of engineering solutions to the technological requirements for expanding a human presence further into the solar system portend an era in which America, and indeed the world, will be bombarded with knowledge about the universe through which we http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4406/foreword.html (1 of 2) [3/16/2001 12:00:14 PM] Orders of Magnitude, Foreword pass so fleetingly. That knowledge, garnered in the finest traditions of intellectual endeavor that have characterized the history of the NACA and NASA,will foster a new vitality that will raise to new heights the cyclical pattern of public support for a strong national civil aeronautics and space program.While most of us are caught up in the changing events of each passing day, history--as this new edition of Orders of Magnitude: A History of the NACA and NASA, 1915-1990 attests--reminds us of the continuities amid change and of our debt to those who have brought us the capability to write the next chapter in the history of humans out of Earth's bounds. H. Hollister Cantus Associate Administrator for External Relations National Aeronautics and Space Administration February 1987-November 1988 http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4406/foreword.html (2 of 2) [3/16/2001 12:00:14 PM] Orders of Magnitude, Preface Preface In 1965, Eugene M. Emme, historian for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), wrote a brief survey of the agency entitled Historical Sketch of NASA (EP-29). It served its purpose as a succinct overview useful for Federal personnel, new NASA employees, and inquiries from the general public. Because people were so curious about the nascent space program, the text emphasized astronautics. By 1976, a revision was in order, undertaken by Frank W. Anderson, Jr., publications manager of the NASA History Office. With a different title, Orders of Magnitude: A History of NACA and NASA, 1915-1980 (SP-4403), the new version gave more attention to NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), although astronautics was still accorded the lion's share of the text. After a second printing, Anderson prepared a revised version, published in 1980, which carried the NASA story up to the threshold of Space Shuttle launches. Anderson retired from NASA in 1980. As NASA approached the 75th anniversary of its NACA origins in 1915, a further updating of Orders of Magnitude seemed in order. In addition to its original audience, the book had been useful as a quick reference and as ancillary reading in various history courses; Anderson's graceful, lucid style appealed to many readers, including myself. The opportunity to prepare a revised survey was an honor for me. Anderson's original discussions of astronautics have remained essentially intact; these are represented in the concluding section ("Enter Astronautics") in chapter 3 and by chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7 in this latest version. In recognition of the NACA's acknowledged contributions to aeronautical progress, I wrote the first three chapters, carrying the story up to the origins of NASA in 1958. Although chapters 4 through 7 are basically unchanged, I have included a more detailed summary of aeronautics in each of them to underscore the continuing evolution of aeronautical research during the era of Apollo. I also wrote chapters 8 and 9, bringing developments in aeronautics and astronautics up to the present. In addition, many of the photos have been replaced, a short bibliographical essay was added, and the index has been revamped. As in the past, Orders of Magnitude was not intended as a definitive or interpretive study of the NACA and NASA. Even so, two recurrent themes can be discerned. One is the continuing relationship between NACA/NASA and the military services; another is the ongoing interaction with the European aerospace community. I am grateful to many people who have cooperated in preparing the manuscript: Sylvia Fries, the NASA historian and Lee D. Saegesser, NASA archivist; and W. David Compton, a valued colleague, read and commented on the entire manuscript. Lee Saegesser also saved me from various errors of fact and turned up essential illustrations. At the History Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), I wish to thank Asha Vashi, Joey Pellarin, and Janet Kovacevich for supplying answers to many questions and for indefatigable good humor. Don Hess, who oversees the JSC History Office, facilitated access to JSC and its historical archives. At every NASA center, photo archivists and personnel in the Public Affairs offices provided necessary illustrations and information.
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