us aeronautics and space activities, report to congress the president of the united states

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U. S. AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ACTIVITIES,
JANUARY 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 1960
REPORT TO CONGRESS
FROM
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
NOTE TO READERS: ALL PRINTED PAGES ARE INCLUDED,
UNNUMBERED BLANK PAGES DURING SCANNING AND QUALITY
CONTROL CHECK HAVE BEEN DELETED
THE WHITE HOUSE
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
In accordance with Section 206(b) of the National Aeronautics
and Space Act of 1958, I am t r a n s m i t t i n g herewith the third annual
report on the Nation's activities in the fields of aeronautics and space.
As this report testifies, 1960 witnessed a v a s t expansion of
man's knowledge of the earth's atmosphere and of the limitless regions
of space beyond. The Vanguard, Explorer, and Pioneer s pa c e c r aft
have added substantially to our knowledge of the earth's environment
and of the sun-earth relationship. Experiments with Projects Echo and
COURIER, TIROS I and 11, and TRANSIT I and XI have shown the promise
of spacecraft application in the fields of communications, meteorology,
and navigation. Among th e outstanding accomplishments in technology
were a series of successful recoveries from orbit of capsules from the
DISCOVERER s a te 11 i t e s and the increasing d e g r e e of reliability in
stabilizing these satellites in the required orbit.
Significant advances were made in the manned space flight pro-
gram and in the preparation of a small fleet of powerfullaunch vehicles
to carry out a wide variety of space missions.
Underlying the Nation's aeronautics and space programs was a
strong basic and applied r e s e a r c h effort which resulted in constantly
broadening scientific and technological horizons. F ina 11 y, the entire
effort has been drawn together in a long-range program of space explo-
ration which off e r s every promise that in the years to come benefits
for all mankind will be extensive.
Summarized within this report are c on t r i b u t i on s of Federal
agencies participating in the space effort.
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
THE WHITE HOUSE
January 18, 1961
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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SUMMARY U.S. Aeronautics and- -S pace A.c t.i v.i t.ie .s '
Third Annual Report 1960 iii
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CHAPTER I National Aeronautic.s .a n.d .S p.a c.e . . .
Administration , 1
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CHAPTER I1 Department of Defense 23
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CHAPTER I11 U.S. Atomic Energy Commission 31
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CHAPTER I V Department of State 37
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CHAPTER V The National Science Foundation 39
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CHAPTER V I - Department of Commerce 45
. . .
National Bureau of Standards 45
. . . . . . . . .
Weather Bureau 50
. . . .
Coast and Geodetic Survey 56
. . . . . . . . .
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CHAPTER V I 1 Space Science Board 57
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CHAPTgR VI11 Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory 65
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CHAPTER I X Federal Communications Commission 67
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CHAPTER X United States Information Agency 73
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APPENDIX A Report t o. N.A S.A .o n. t.h e. L.a w. o.f O.u ter . .
Space 77
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APPENDIX B National Science Foundation i.n . B .a s.ic .
Science Related t o Space 121
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. . . . . . .
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APPENDIX C Space Science Board 171
U. S. AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ACTIVITIES
SUMMARY
THIRD ANNUAL REPORT
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1960
In 1960, the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
tration, which directs the Nation's nonmilitary space
effort, moved out of its formative stage, accelerating its
space research and development and its fundamental aero-
nautical research programs. Adding breadth and depth to
the near-term objectives, a long-range U.S. plan of space
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exploration which envisions manned expeditions t o the
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moon after 1970 was developed and set i n motion.
A t the year's end, preparations for the first manned
suborbital flight in NASA's Project Mercury were nearing
the final stages. The agency plans to launch astronauts
on both suborbital and orbital flights during 1961.
Another very high priqrity NASA project, Saturn, was
progressing satisfactorily a s static testing of the clus-
tered 1.5-million-pound-thrust engine went forward.
Among other significant activities, NASA and Depart-
ment of Defense earth-satellite, space-probe, and sounding-
rocket programs moved ahead, along with construction of
tracking and data-collection networks.
NASA and the Department of Defense established an
Aeronautics and Astronautics Coordinating Board with co-
chairmen from the two agencies.
NASA rpade headway with other elements of its launch
vehicle program as the first of a small fleet of stand-
ardized units, tailored specifically for space mission,
approached the flight-test phase. They w i l l replace in-
terim launch vehicles, evolved or modified from models
designed originally either for Department of Defense pro-
grams or for Project Vanguard.
NASA's aeronautical program was highlighted by per-
fo'rmances of the rocket-powered X-15 experimental airplane
which achieved world speed (2,196 mph) and altitude
(136,500 feet) records. The agency continued advanced
research and development work on VTOL (Vertical Take-Off
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and &anding) and on STOL (short Take-Of7 and Lading)-
aircraft.
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In U.S. field centers and stations, basic research
continued in many areas, including: advanced instrumenta-
tion and propulsion, combustion, plasmas, cryogenics,
special ma.t erials, and structures for future airplanes and
spacecraft
Early in the year, NASA established the Office for the
United Nations Conference t o direct this country's partici-
pation in the first International Conference on the Peace-
f u l Uses of Outer Space. Several space projects were car-
ried out jointly with other nations; agreements were made
with foreign governments; and discussions were held with
various foreign scientists and groups concerning further
cooperative space research activities.
To date (December 31, 1960), the United States had
successfully launched 31 earth satellites and four deep
space probes; of these 16 satellites are still circling
the earth and two probes are in orbit around the sun. Data
accruing from NASA and Department of Defense (DOD) programs
during 1960 added substantially t o the growing body of
scientific knowledge of space and t o the technology of space
applications.
U.S. SPACE PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
NASA Activities
During the year, NASA launched four satellites into
orbit and one space probe.
The NASA space flight program was highlighted by the
successes of the Echo I passive communications satellite
and of the TIROS I AND TIROS I1 experimental weather satel-
lites (which pointed the way t o operational systems having
practical applications) a s w e l l as by achievements of
Pioneer V, the sun-orbiting spacecraft, and Explorer V I I I ,
an ionosphere-probing earth satellite.
The one-ton, bell-shaped Project Mercury capsule and
its escape tower underwent numerous flight tests, culminating
in an unmanned, suborbital flight launched by a Redstone on
December 19.
The seven Mercury astronauts continued their training
schedule, t o prepare for the first manned (Redstone) sub-
orbital flight and the first manned (Atlas) orbital flight,
both planned for 1961. A t the same time, construction of
the worldwide Mercury Tracking and Ground Instrumentation
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Network approached completion. Formal agreements for a l l
NASA tracking stations abroad had either been signed or
were near conclusion as 1960 ended.
The NASA Pioneer V space probe achieved the orbit
around the sun which NASA scientists had calculated. It
transmitted invaluable scientific data on the phenomena of
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deep space, while establishing the greatest range
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22,462,740 miles from the earth over which radio contact
has been maintained with a spacecraft.
NASA's TIROS I, an. experimental meteoroJogica1 satel-
lite, transmitted 22,592 photographs of cloud cover and
other weather phenomena after attaining a nearly circular
orbit with an altitude averaging approximately 4.50 miles.
Echo I, the world's first passive communications (or
?'radio mirror") satellite, also achieved a nearly circular
orbit, averaging about 1,000 miles i n altitude. The
inflatable sphere was used for numerous communications
experiments, including two-way telephone conversations,
trans- Atlantic signal relays, and transmi ssion of f acs imiles,
photographs, and music.
Explorer VI11 was launched by NASA into an orbit
enabling it t o carry out the first intensive direct measure-
ment study of the earth's ionosphere. The data are being
analyzed and related t o earlier information.
Cloud pattern photographs and radiation data from
TIROS 11, an advanced version of TIROS I, are still being
analyzed.
--
The X-15 rocket-powered airplane (No. 1) a joint
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NASA-Air Force-Navy project set a new world's speed
record of 2,196 mph, with NASA test pilot Joseph A. Walker
at the controls. With A i r Force Maj. Robert M. White i n
the cockpit, .t he aircraft flew t o a record altitude of
136,500 feet
In March, a l l administrative and technical responsi-
bilities for the Saturn, the powerful 1.5-million-pound-
thrust, clustered-engine launch vehicle, were transferred
from the Department of Defense t o NASA.
Saturn satisfactorily completed a first series of
static tests when the prototype first stage was fired for
'two minutes and two seconds at Marshall Space Flight Center.
In addition, NASA carried out many upper atmosphere
experiments with sounding rockets.
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