Marshall
Highlights for 1969
(Source Note: The following information is presented
here as published in a news release issued in late 1969 by
the Marshall Center Public Affairs Office.)
Four manned Saturn V launchings were among the most significant
events of 1969 for the Marshall Center.
The Saturn V (AS-507) vehicle launched the Apollo 12 crew
on the second lunar landing mission. Astronauts Charles Conrad
Jr., Richard F. Gordon and Alan L. Bean brought back to earth
a quantity of lunar material for analysis by earth bound scientists.
The Apollo 12 mission was from Nov. 14 through Nov. 24
Probably the most historic space flight of all time involved
the sixth Saturn V (AS 506) launch vehicle. This was the Apollo
11 lunar landing mission which took place July 16-24,
Astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first man on the lunar surface.
He was soon followed by fellow crewman Astronaut Edwin E.
Aldrin Jr. The Saturn V (AS-506) vehicle performed flawlessly
on the flight.
Paving the way for the successful lunar landings were the
flights of Apollos 10 and 9. Saturn V vehicle number five
(AS-505) was used on the Apollo 10 manned lunar mission development
flight. The lunar module's performance in lunar orbit was
evaluated. Astronauts Thomas P. Stafford and Eugene A. Cernan
flew the lunar module to within 10 miles of the moon's surface
while Command Module Pilot John W. Young kept the Apollo spacecraft
in lunar orbit. This mission lasted from May 18 to May 26.
The Apollo 9 mission, using Saturn V (AS-504), was the first
manned flight of all lunar mission hardware in earth orbit.
Astronauts James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott and Russell L.
Schweickart manned the Apollo spacecraft for this flight from
March 3 to March 13.
A reorganization of the Marshall Center, which was started
in late 1968, was completed early this year. The changes included
the appointment of Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger as associate director
for science; Dr. William Lucas, director of Program Development;
Dr. Hermann Weidner, director of Science and Engineering;
Edmund F. O'Connor, director of Program Management, and David
Newby, director of Administration and Technical Services.
Lee James replaced O'Connor as director of Program Management
when O'Connor, an Air Force major general, returned to the
Air Force.
The Marshall Center began increasing its efforts on the
space shuttle and the space station during 1969. Two new contracts
for the conceptual study of a low-cost, manned logistics (space
shuttle) system were awarded early in the year to Lockheed
Missiles and Space Co. and General Dynamics Corp. The six
month studies were valued at $300,000 each. (Two other similar
contracts were awarded by the Manned Spacecraft Center and
the Langley Research Center.)
NASA Headquarters established task groups to handle its
efforts on the manned space station and space shuttle. These
teams were formed in May. The Marshall Center formed corresponding
task teams to fulfill the increasing needs. W. A. Mrazek was
named to head the Space Shuttle Task Team and W. A. Brooksbank
was chosen manager of the Space Station Task Team.
A major redirection of the Apollo Applications Program was
announced by NASA in July. The space agency announced plans
to launch its first orbital workshop in 1972, using the first
two stages of the Saturn V as the launch vehicle. Use of the
first two stages of the Saturn V will permit full outfitting
of the Saturn V Workshop on the ground and will permit the
launching of the workshop with Apollo Telescope Mount attached.
Previous plans called for launching the workshop as a propulsive
stage and then converting it for habitation in space.
NASA also selected two aerospace industry teams to conduct
design and planning studies of a future manned space station
which could reach flight status in the mid-1970's. The two
firms, McDonnell Douglas Corp. and North American Rockwell,
were selected for two parallel 11-month program definition
studies. Each study is valued at approximately $2.9 million.
The Marshall Center is directing the McDonnell Douglas contract,
while the study contract with North American Rockwell is under
the direction of the Manned Spacecraft Center.
The Marshall Center awarded a contract for development of
a lunar roving vehicle this fall to the Boeing Co. Boeing,
working with General Motors, will build and test four flight-qualified
vehicles. The four-wheeled vehicles are planned for flights
beginning in late 1971. Estimated value of the contract is
$19 million.
Harry Gorman, deputy director, management, was named in
October to succeed Lt. Gen. Frank A. Bogart (USAF Ret.) as
deputy associate administrator for Manned Space Flight (management)
at NASA Headquarters. Gorman's assignment will be for one
to two years. R. W. Cook, formerly deputy director, operations,
Science and Engineering, was named to assume Gorman's duties
as deputy director, management, for the duration of the time-limited
assignment.
The Marshall Center's civil service personnel strength dropped
in 1969 about 300 people. There were 6,300 permanent civil
service workers at the start of the year and there are presently
about 6,000 on the payroll. The MSFC payroll in 1969 totaled
$86,771,068.
The Center's personnel strength is about 150 above its ceiling.
This number will be lost through normal attrition. This decrease
in personnel is being caused by cutbacks in the budget.
The number of direct support contractors at the Marshall
Center during the year has decreased approximately 600 workers.
There are now about 2,000 support contractor workers employed
on MSFC projects at Redstone Arsenal.
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