Marshall Space Flight Center
In August 1945, 127 missile specialists led by Wernher von Braun signed work contracts with the United States Army Ordnance Corps. These men had previously worked on the V-2 missile development under von Braun at Peenemünde during World War II. The group traveled to Fort Bliss, Texas, joining the Army's newly formed Research and Development Division Sub-office. For the next five years, they adapted and improved the V-2 missile for U.S. applications. Testing occurred at nearby White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico. Von Braun used a WAC Corporal rocket as a second stage for a V-2. This combination, called Bumper, reached a record-breaking altitude. After World War II ended in May 1945, three arsenals near Huntsville, Alabama closed their production of ordnance shells. These areas combined to form Redstone Arsenal. In 1949, the Secretary of the Army approved transferring rocket research activities from Fort Bliss to this new center. Beginning in April 1950, about 1,000 persons were involved in the transfer, including von Braun's group. R&D responsibility for guided missiles was added, and studies began on a medium-range guided missile that eventually became the PGM-11 Redstone. Over the next decade, missile development at Redstone Arsenal greatly expanded. Von Braun kept space firmly in his mind and published a widely read article on this subject in Collier's Magazine on the 22nd of March 1952. In mid-1952, the Germans were hired as regular civil service employees. Most became U.S. citizens between 1954 and 1955. Von Braun was appointed Chief of the Guided Missile Development Division.
On the 25th of May 1961, just 20 days after Alan Shepard's flight, President John F. Kennedy committed the US to a lunar landing by the end of the decade. The primary mission of MSFC under the Apollo program was developing the heavy-lift Saturn family rockets. This required the development and qualification of three new liquid-fueled rocket engines: the J-2, F-1, and H-1. Leland F. Belew managed the Engine Development Office. The F-1 engine is the most powerful single-nozzle liquid-fueled rocket engine ever used in service. Each produced 1.5-million-pounds thrust. Originally started by the U.S. Air Force, responsibility for the development was taken over by ABMA in 1959. The first test firings at MSFC occurred in December 1963. The original vehicle, designated Saturn I, consisted of two propulsion stages and an instrument unit. It was first tested in flight on the 27th of October 1961. The first stage had a cluster of eight H-1 engines, giving approximately 1.5-million-pounds thrust total. The four outboard engines were gimbaled to allow vehicle steering. The second stage had six gimbaled LR10A-3 engines producing a combined 90-thousand-pounds thrust. Ten Saturn Is were used in flight-testing of Apollo boilerplate units. Five of the test flights also carried important auxiliary scientific experiments. The Saturn IB had two propulsion stages and an instrument unit. Its first stage had eight H-1 engines with four gimballed. The stage had eight fixed fins of equal size fitted to the sides to provide aerodynamic stability. The second stage had a single J-2 engine that gave a more powerful 230-thousand-pounds thrust. The J-2 was gimbaled and could be restarted during flight. The vehicle was first flight-tested on the 26th of February 1966. Fourteen Saturn 1Bs were built, with five used in uncrewed testing and five others used in crewed missions. The last crewed mission occurred on the 15th of July 1975.
In December 1965, MSFC was authorized to begin the Orbital Workshop as a formal project. At a meeting at MSFC on the 19th of August 1966, George E. Mueller pinned down the final concept for the major elements. MSFC was assigned responsibility for developing the orbiting space station hardware. For testing and mission simulation, a -diameter water-filled tank called the Neutral Buoyancy Facility opened at MSFC in March 1968. Engineers and astronauts used this underwater facility to simulate weightlessness. This was particularly used in training astronauts in activities like spacewalks. The Orbital Workshop was built into the propellant tanks of a Saturn V third stage. It was renamed Skylab in February 1970. Two were built: one for flight and another for testing and mission simulation. Leland F Belew served for eight years as the overall Skylab program director. Another AAP project that survived was a solar observatory originally intended to be a deployable attachment to the Apollo spacecraft. Called the Apollo Telescope Mount, the project was assigned to MSFC in 1966. Rein Ise was the ATM project manager at MSFC. The ATM included eight major instruments for observations of the Sun at wavelengths from extreme ultraviolet to infrared. On the 14th of May 1973, the 77-ton Skylab launched into a 235-nautical-mile orbit by the last flown Saturn V. Severe damage sustained during launch resulted in loss of the station's micrometeoroid shield and one main solar panel. The first crew stayed in orbit with Skylab for 28 days. Two additional missions followed with launch dates of July 28 and November 16. Mission durations were 59 and 84 days respectively. Skylab logged about 2,000 hours on some 300 scientific and medical experiments. The last Skylab crew returned to Earth on the 8th of February 1974.
On the 5th of January 1972, President Richard M. Nixon announced plans to develop the Space Shuttle. The Shuttle was composed of the Orbiter Vehicle containing the crew and payload, two Solid Rocket Boosters, and the External Tank that carried liquid fuel for the OV's main engines. MSFC was responsible for the SRBs, the OV's three main engines, and the ET. Alex A. McCool, Jr. was the first manager of MSFC's Space Shuttle Projects Office. The first test firing of an OV main engine occurred in 1975. Two years later, the first firing of a SRB took place. Tests on the ET began at MSFC. The first Enterprise OV flight attached to a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft was in February 1977. This was followed by free landings in August and October. In March 1978, the Enterprise OV flew atop a SCA to MSFC. It mated to an ET and hoisted onto the modified Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand where it underwent vibrations comparable to those in a launch. On the 12th of April 1981, Columbia made the first orbital test flight with a crew of two astronauts designated STS-1. STS-1 verified the combined performance of the entire system. STS-2 demonstrated safe re-launch of Columbia on November 12. During 1982, STS-3 and STS-4 were completed. STS-5 launched November 11 as the first operational mission carrying four astronauts. Space Shuttle Challenger launched on mission STS-51-L on the 28th of January 1986. One minute and thirteen seconds into the flight, a leak occurred in a joint on one of the solid rocket boosters. The escaping flame impinged on the surface of the external tank resulting in destruction of the vehicle and loss of the crew. The basic cause determined to be an O-ring failure in the right SRB. Cold weather was a contributing factor. A redesign and extensive testing of the SRBs followed. There were no Space Shuttle missions in the remainder of 1986 or in 1987. Flights resumed in September 1988 with STS-26.
In 1962, the first Orbiting Solar Observatory launched, followed by the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory that carried out ultraviolet observations between 1968 and 1972. These showed value of space-based astronomy leading to planning of the Large Space Telescope. Congress finally funded LST in 1978 with intended launch date of 1983. MSFC given responsibility for design, development, and construction of telescope while Goddard Space Flight Center developed scientific instruments. Project scientist C. Robert O'Dell chaired Astronomy Department at University of Chicago. Primary mirror had diameter of meters. Mirrors developed by optics firm Perkin-Elmer. Hubble Space Telescope named in 1983. It launched April 1990 but gave flawed images due to spherical aberration found when telescope was in orbit. In December 1993 mission STS-61 carried astronauts to Hubble to make corrections. Second repair mission STS-82 made February 1997. Third STS-103 flew December 1999. Another servicing mission STS-109 flown the 1st of March 2002. Maintenance resulted in performance considerably better than planned. Even before HEAO-2 launched in 1978, MSFC began preliminary studies for larger X-ray telescope. In 1976 an X-Ray Test Facility constructed at MSFC for verification testing. Work on AXAF continued through 1980s. Major review held 1992 resulting in many changes. Four of twelve planned mirrors eliminated. Planned circular orbit changed to elliptical one reaching one-third way to Moon. AXAF renamed Chandra X-ray Observatory in 1998. Launched the 23rd of July 1999 by Shuttle Columbia. Weighing about tons it was heaviest payload ever launched by Shuttle. Compton Gamma Ray Observatory launched the 5th of April 1991 on Shuttle flight STS-37. At tons it was heaviest astrophysical payload ever flown at that time. CGRO designed to image continuous radiation and detect bursts. In nine years operation BATSE triggered about 8000 events. On the 4th of June 2000 intentionally de-orbited with debris falling harmlessly into Pacific Ocean.
NASA began planning to build space station named Freedom in 1988. By early 1990s four different stations under consideration: American Freedom Soviet Russian Mir-2 European Columbus Japanese Kibō. November 1993 plans incorporated into single International Space Station. ISS composed modules assembled in orbit starting with Russian module Zarya November 1998. Followed December first U.S. module Unity also called Node 1 built by Boeing facilities at MSFC. ISS assembly continued next decade continuously occupancy since the 7th of February 2001. Since 1998 18 major U.S. components on ISS assembled in space. October 2007 Harmony or Node 2 attached to Destiny giving connection hubs for European and Japanese modules. Starboard 6 Truss Segment delivered February 2009 allowing full set solar arrays activated increasing power available science projects to 30 kW. the 5th of March 2010 Boeing officially turned over USOS to NASA. International Space Station partnership United States Russian European Japanese Canadian Space Agencies. Station has continuously had human occupants since the 2nd of November 2000. Orbiting 16 times daily average altitude about passes over some 90 percent world surface. Mass over crew six conducts research prepares way future explorations. Planned operated at least through end 2030. Following retirement Space Shuttle Program 2011 crewed NASA missions ISS supported Russian Soyuz spacecraft until 2020 when Commercial Crew Program operational regular launches SpaceX Crew Dragon. Boeing CST-100 Starliner Commercial Crew spacecraft join upon completion mandated test protocols. MSFC supported activities U.S. Laboratory Destiny elsewhere International Space Station through Payload Operations Center. Research activities include experiments topics ranging human physiology physical science. Operating around clock scientists engineers flight controllers POC link Earth-bound researchers worldwide with experiments astronauts aboard ISS. This included coordination more than 1,100 experiments conducted 41 space-station crew members involved over 6,000 hours science research.
In early March 2011 NASA Headquarters announced MSFC will lead efforts new heavy-lift rocket like Saturn V late 1960s carry large human-rated payloads beyond low-Earth orbit. MSFC program office Space Launch System. Orbital Space Plane development got underway 2001 early version expected enter service by 2010. Knowledge gained OSP transferred Johnson Space Center use development Crew Exploration Vehicle Constellation program. No operational OSP ever built. Columbia disaster caused the 1st of February 2003 piece insulation broke off external tank during launch damaged thermal protection Orbiter left wing. Few or no changes tank made rather NASA decided inevitable some insulation might lost during launch required inspection orbiter critical elements prior reentry future flights. NASA retired Space Shuttle 2011 left US dependent Russian Soyuz spacecraft crewed space missions next nine years until Demo-2 2020. Between 2004 and early 2010 Constellation Program major NASA activity. MSFC responsible propulsion proposed Ares I Ares V heavy-lift vehicles. Starting 2006 MSFC Exploration Launch Projects Office began work Ares projects. the 28th of October 2009 Ares I-X test rocket lifted off newly modified Launch Complex 39B Kennedy Space Center two-minute powered flight then continued four additional minutes traveling down range. On the 19th of November 2010 MSFC entered new field microsatellites successful launch FASTSAT Fast Affordable Science Technology Satellite. Part joint DoD/NASA payload launched Minotaur IV rocket Kodiak Launch Complex Kodiak Island Alaska. FASTSAT platform carrying multiple small payloads low-Earth orbit creating opportunities conduct low-cost scientific technology research autonomous satellite space. Weighing just under serves full scientific laboratory containing resources needed carry out operations. Developed MSFC partnership Von Braun Center Science Innovation Dynetics Inc both Huntsville Alabama Mark Boudreaux project manager MSFC. Six experiments FASTSAT bus including NanoSail-D2 first satellite launched another satellite deployed satisfactorily the 21st of January 2011.
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Common questions
When did Wernher von Braun and his team sign contracts with the United States Army Ordnance Corps?
Wernher von Braun and 127 missile specialists signed work contracts with the United States Army Ordnance Corps in August 1945. These men had previously worked on V-2 missile development at Peenemünde during World War II.
What was the primary mission of Marshall Space Flight Center under the Apollo program?
The primary mission of Marshall Space Flight Center under the Apollo program was developing the heavy-lift Saturn family rockets. This required the development and qualification of three new liquid-fueled rocket engines: the J-2, F-1, and H-1.
How many days did the first crew stay in orbit with Skylab after its launch on May 14 1973?
The first crew stayed in orbit with Skylab for 28 days following its launch on the 14th of May 1973. Two additional missions followed with durations of 59 and 84 days respectively before the last crew returned to Earth on the 8th of February 1974.
When did the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occur and what caused it?
Space Shuttle Challenger launched on mission STS-51-L on the 28th of January 1986 and exploded one minute and thirteen seconds into flight due to an O-ring failure in a solid rocket booster joint. Cold weather was a contributing factor that led to the destruction of the vehicle and loss of the crew.
What is the significance of the Hubble Space Telescope flawed images found when it was in orbit?
The Hubble Space Telescope launched April 1990 but gave flawed images due to spherical aberration found when the telescope was in orbit. Maintenance resulted in performance considerably better than planned through multiple servicing missions including STS-61, STS-82, STS-103, and STS-109.