1959 (Cont.)
January
degree or equivalent; graduate of test pilot school; 1,500 hours flight time; and a qualified jet pilot.[1]
January 6
A meeting was held at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Headquarters to discuss the method for spacecraft heat protection. Two plans were considered: beryllium heat sink and ablation. Based on this meeting a decision was made to modify the spacecraft structure in order to accommodate interchangeably ablation heat shields and beryllium heat sinks, and orders were placed for 12 and 6, respectively. The material chosen for the ablation heat was Fiberglas bonded with a modified phenolic resin. This material was found to have good structural properties even after being subjected to reentry heating.[2]
January 9
The Source Selection Board at NASA Headquarters composed of Abe Silverstein, Ralph Cushman, George Low, Walter Schier, DeMarquis Wyatt, and Charles Zimmerman, completed their findings and reported to Dr. T. Keith Glennan, the Administrator. McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was selected as the prime contractor to develop and produce the Mercury spacecraft.[3]
January 14
Preliminary negotiations were started with McDonnell on the technical and legal aspects of the Mercury spacecraft research and development program.[4]
January 16
NASA requested the Army Ordnance Missile Command, Huntsville, Alabama, to construct and launch eight Redstone launch vehicles and two Jupiter launch vehicles in support of Project Mercury manned and unmanned flights.[5]
During a meeting of the Space Task Group, it was decided to negotiate with McDonnell for design of spacecraft that could be fitted with either a beryllium heat sink or an ablation heat shield. Robert R. Gilruth, the
- ↑ Memo, George Low to NASA Administrator, subject: Status Report No. 6, Project Mercury, Feb. 3, 1959.
- ↑ Memo, George Low to NASA Administrator, subject: Status Report No. 4, Project Mercury, Jan. 12, 1959.
- ↑ Memo, George Low to NASA Administrator, subject: Status Report No. 4, Project Mercury, Jan. 12, 1959.
- ↑ Memo, George Low to NASA Administrator, subject: Status Report No. 5, Project Mercury, Jan. 20, 1959.
- ↑ Message, NASA Hq. to Commanding General, Army Ordnance Missile Command, Jan. 16, 1959.
