Year-by-Year Marshall Highlights - Marshall Highlights for 1963

(Source Note: The following information is presented here as published in a news release issued in late 1963 by the Marshall Center Public Affairs Office.)

The Marshall Center spent most of 1963 - a preparatory year in large moon rocket development - at the "drawing board" and very little time on the launching pad.

Highlights of the Center's third year include the successful launch of the fourth Saturn I vehicle; extensive engine development; Saturn V moon rocket development; award of the Center's largest development contract; and a major reorganization.

SA-4, the fourth successful launch of the Saturn I in a row, flew perfectly March 28 from Cape Kennedy.

This success strengthened the hope for success for the first two stage Saturn I rocket early in 1964. The rocket's second stage - a liquid hydrogen-oxygen powered S-IV stage - was brought to flight readiness in 1963 by its builder, Douglas Aircraft Co.

NASA's Centaur proved in November that the liquid hydrogen-oxygen engine can be ignited in space. Centaur's engines - Pratt and Whitney RL-10 power plants - are the same propulsion units being used on the S-IV.

A milestone in the development of the F-1 - the world's most powerful rocket engines was passed when the first production model was delivered to MSFC by the Rocketdyne Division of North American Aviation Inc., in late October. Marshall test engineers fired the 1.5 million pound thrust engine several times in December at a new center facility.

Another giant of the propulsion world, the J-2 liquid hydrogen-oxygen engine, passed its first extended duration ground test in November when it performed successfully for more than eight minutes.

The J-2, also developed under Marshall Center direction, will develop 200,000 pounds thrust and will power top stages of both the Saturn IB and the Saturn V rockets.

NASA signed with the Boeing Co., Seattle, in March the largest contract ever originated by the Marshall Center. The $418,820,967 award is a prime contract for the development and production of the Saturn V first stage. The contract, which is being technically supervised by the Center, is for the design, development, and manufacture of ten boosters.

Marshall Center and Boeing personnel together installed experimental tooling for welding the 33-foot diameter bulkheads for the first moon rocket booster. Tanks began taking shape early this year at the Center's manufacturing areas and are now being assembled in a vertical assembly and hydrostatic test facility.

NASA announced in October a rephrasing of manned flight missions among the three Saturn class vehicles; Saturn I, Saturn IB and Saturn V.

Principal changes in the planned manned flight missions include acceleration of the critical Saturn IB/Apollo spacecraft and deletion of six Saturn I phase vehicles. The deletion of the Apollo/Saturn I manned flights saves $50 million.

An objective of a major Marshall Center reorganization last fall was to relieve Dr. Wernher von Braun, director, and other top management officials of the day-to-day detailed management of a greatly expanded operation and to permit them to concentrate on policy matters and major engineering and technical considerations.

The basic change included establishment of a Research and Development Operations and an Industrial Operations.

The Center's nine technical divisions have been formed into a R&D Operations. Hermann K Weidner, former deputy director of the Propulsion and Vehicle Engineering Division heads the group and has Dr. Jerry C. McCall as deputy.

Robert B. Young, formerly an executive of the Aerojet General Corp., joined Marshall as the head of the Industrial Operations. Hans Hueter, formerly head of Special Assignments Office, serves as Young's deputy.

Industrial Operations encompasses the portion of the Center's work performed by prime industrial contractors - mainly the development of stages and engines for the Saturn I, Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets.

Another milestone in the Saturn I program was reached in December when the first industry-produced Saturn I booster - the S-I-8 - which will launch a meteoroid satellite - was officially turned over to NASA by Chrysler Corp.

The big booster was accepted by Dr. von Braun at ceremonies at the Michoud Plant in New Orleans.

The Marshall Center can look forward in 1964 to a stepped up launch schedule, more frequent static tests of the Saturn I and F-1 engine, and completion of major facilities supporting the Apollo program.

Several Saturn 1 flights are scheduled during 1964, beginning with SA-5, to expand liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen technology. Saturn I's will orbit; a meteoroid detection satellite, and launch "boilerplate" test versions of the Apollo.

Fabrication, assembly and ground testing characterize the year's work on Saturn IB and Saturn V. In the fall of 1964 MSFC will prepare for static tests at Huntsville of a cluster of five F-1 engines--which will generate 7.5 million pounds thrust.

Director von Braun cited these statistics as an indication of the Center's growing role in the community and in the national space exploration program.

Marshall currently employs about 7,220 civil service workers, compared to 6,800 a year ago. The year's peak was hit at the end of June when there were some 265 summer employees working in addition to permanent employees.

The Center's civil service payroll in 1963 totaled $65 million. This year's payroll - to be increased basically by the second phase of a general salary hike for "white collar" workers - will total some $75 million. Marshall Center officials also anticipate a slight staff increase during 1964.

In addition, about 3,200 contractor employees, a gain of some 1,000 over last year, are working for the Center here. Their estimated payroll is $30 million, bringing the Center's estimated direct and indirect payroll for 1963 (civil and contractor) to $95 million.

This does not include hundreds of contractor personnel employed on MSFC work in the area but outside the Center geographically. Nor does it include hundreds of construction workers employed by private firms on building projects at the Center.

Marshall's planned overall budget for the present fiscal year is about $1.5 billion. The MSFC budget passed the one billion dollar mark in FY-63 when it totaled $1.1 billion.