Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in ... - The Black Vault

Exploring the Unknown 71
Adelbert O. Tischler
Head, Rocket Combustion Section
WTO
MG
GM
AOT:jcs
Document I-4
[confidential] [declassified]
NACA- Langley
April 11, 1958
MEMORANDUM For Mr. Gilruth
Subject: Langley manned-satellite program
1. Langley has been working for several months on the general problems
of manned-satellite vehicles. General studies have led to the choice of a basic
drag-reentry capsule as the most logical first vehicle. Following this choice several
more specific studies were undertaken at Langley. The overall program into
which these specific studies fit are:
1) Reduced-scale recoverable satellite
2) Wind-tunnel and flight model studies of capsules and vertical flight
vehicles
3) Laboratory studies (models, analyses, mock-ups) of structures,
loads,stability and control, etc.
4) Full-scale vertical flight
5) Full-scale orbiting flight
Studies in item 1 above are summarized on the attached sheet 1 [not included].
Studies in items 2 and 3 are summarized in sheets 2 to 7 [not included]. All of
these studies are pointed directly toward items 4 and 5.
2. In addition to the above studies the following are underway:
a) The Langley Instrument Research Division is studying attitude-control systems
for the vertical flight capsule. Some hardware is already on order.
b) The Langley Theoretical Mechanics Division is studying orbits and general
space-mechanics problems of satellite flight.
c) The human-factors problems of vertical-flight and satellite reentry capsules
have been discussed with personnel of the Naval Medical Acceleration