Marshall Highlights for 1971

(Source Note: The following information is presented here as published in a news release issued in late 1971 by the Marshall Center Public Affairs Office.)

A successful Lunar Roving Vehicle mission, launch of two Apollo/ Saturn V vehicles, a Stratoscope II balloon-borne telescope flight and continued work on the Skylab, Space Shuttle and High Energy Astronomy Observatory were among the highlights of 1971 at the Marshall Center.

The Lunar Roving Vehicle made its successful debut on the Apollo 15 mission in July. The vehicle gave Astronauts David Scott and James Irwin the mobility to explore more of the lunar surface than has ever been seen on a previous mission.

Two Saturn V vehicles performed flawlessly. The ninth Saturn V (SA-509) sent Astronauts Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Stuart A. Roosa and Edgar D. Mitchell into space on Jan. 31. The tenth Saturn V (SA-510) was launched on July 26 with crewmen Scott and Irwin and their companion, Alfred Worden.

Stratoscope II was launched on September 9. The 36-inch astronomical telescope photographed scientific targets from an operating altitude of 82,800 feet.

Skylab flight hardware began to take shape at various sites across the country. Workshop checkout is underway at the McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co.'s facility at Huntington Beach, Calif. Martin Marietta Corp. has completed the flight Multiple Docking Adapter at its Denver, Colo., plant, and the flight Airlock Module is nearing completion at the McDonnell Douglas plant in St. Louis, Mo. MSFC personnel are assembling the Apollo Telescope Mount in Huntsville.

Space Shuttle continued to be an important project at MSFC. NASA decided in October to have five aerospace teams explore in detail various alternatives resulting from previous Space Shuttle studies.

NASA selected TRW Systems Group, Redondo Beach, Calif., in November as the spacecraft contractor for the High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO) project which MSFC directs. A contract is being negotiated.

In an important organization change, Dr. William R. Lucas in February was named deputy director, technical, at the Marshall Center. Prior to then he was director of Program Development.

The Marshall Center's Civil Service personnel strength at the end of 1971 stands at 5,600. This is a decrease of 400 employees during the year. The Center's payroll for the year totaled more than $101 million. Contractors working on the Center totaled 2,200 at year's end.