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

82
First Steps into Space: Projects Mercury and Gemini
Source: Folder 18674, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History
Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington DC.
Document I-11
Document Title: Roy W. Johnson, Director, ARPA, DOD, Memorandum for the
Administrator, NASA, “Man-in-Space Program,” 19 September 1958, with attached
Memorandum of Understanding, “Principles for the Conduct by NASA and ARPA
of a Joint Program for a Manned Orbital Vehicle,” 19 September 1958.
Source: Folder 18674, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History
Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington DC.
One of the issues that NASA, officially established on 1 October 1958, had to work in its first
weeks of existence was an agreement on how to manage the human spaceflight program.
Laboriously its leadership negotiated with interested organizations in the Department of
Defense for transfer of some resources, as well as for support for the conduct of the mission.
A constant consideration at the time was the next act of the Soviet Union, which had
already several times bested the U.S. in “space firsts.” Should more money be allocated to
human spaceflight to ensure U.S. primacy in this arena? Should other actions be taken to
ensure that the U.S. launched the first human into space? Should the U.S. pursue a capsule
approach because of this rivalry with the USSR? The answer to all of those questions was
yes, as shown in these documents, but in the end the Soviets still launched Yuri Gagarin
first on 12 April 1961.
Document I-10
[SECRET] [DECLASSIFIED]
ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY
WASHINGTON 25, D.C.
Sep 3 1958
MEMORANDUM FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR, NATIONAL AERONAUTICS
AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
SUBJECT: Man-in-Space Program
In accordance with agreements reached at the meeting with the Deputy
Secretary of Defense on August 20, 1958 we have taken the following actions: