This is a comparison illustration of the Redstone, Jupiter-C, and Mercury Redstone launch vehicles. The Redstone ballistic missile was a high-accuracy, liquid-propelled, surface-to-surface missile. Originally developed as a nose cone re-entry test vehicle for the Jupiter intermediate range ballistic missile, the Jupiter-C was a modification of the Redstone missile and successfully launched the first American Satellite, Explorer-1, in orbit on January 31, 1958. The Mercury Redstone lifted off carrying the first American, astronaut Alan Shepard, in his Mercury spacecraft Freedom 7, on May 5, 1961.

Top rear view of the avrocar with tail. Tufts (pieces of yarn) attached to top of horizontal tail. Avrocar mounted on variable height struts.

Front view of the Avrocar on variable height struts in 40x 80 wind tunnel with overhead doors open.

AUGUST 23, 1961 LAUNCH OF NASA AGENA RANGER 1 FROM PAD 12.

Gus Grissom trying on a Spacesuit; Seated with assistant; Seated with assistant putting on boots; Standing by mirror, name tag visible; Outside in suit, name tag visible. Mercury Project photo, 1961. Original negatives sent to Johnson Space Center when astronauts moved to that center. Photograph take on 03/27/1961.

S63-20800 (31 Jan. 1961) --- Chimpanzee "Ham" being assisted into "spacesuit" prior to the Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) test flight which was conducted on Jan. 31, 1961. Photo credit: NASA

S61-02740 (5 May 1961) --- Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. has his heart rate checked prior to his Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) mission, the first American manned suborbital spaceflight. The attending physician is Dr. William K. Douglas. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Tilt-Wing Propeller model with blowing flaps in 40x80ft w.t.

S64-36909 (1961) --- Astronaut Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, pilot of the Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) spaceflight, wearing Mercury pressure suit, poses for picture during training activities at the Florida Space Center. Photo credit: NASA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Marine helicopter has astronaut Virgil I. Grissom in harness and is bringing him up out of the water. The Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft has just sunk below the water. His Mercury-Redstone 4 launch was the second in the U.S. manned space effort.

S62-00330 (1962) --- Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. (left), Dr. William Douglas, astronauts flight surgeon, and equipment specialist Joe Schmitt leave crew quarters prior to Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) mission. Glenn is in his pressure suit and is carrying the portable ventilation unit. Photo credit: NASA

3/4 front view of Avrocar without tail, showing ground board and variable height struts. The ground board minimizes the boundary layer on the floor under the model. black and white negative: KODAK T-MAX 100 Professional. SBA settings neutral SBA on, color SBA on

Drag studies for Full Scale wind tunnel test of Grumman YAO-1 airplane, 3/4 front view with propellers on

Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director of Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), teams up with Senator Robert S. Kerr, a chairman of the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences to break ground for MSFC's new Central Laboratory and Office Facility.

VZ-3RY (AF 56-6941, NASA 235, NASA 705) Vertiplane - Level flight 25 knots, flaps deflection 60 degrees. Flight investigation o f the flying qualities of a deflected slipstream VTOL aircraft. Note: Used in publication in Flight Research at Ames; 57 Years of Development and Validation of Aeronautical Technology NASA SP-1998-3300 fig. 115

S61-02408 (5 May 1961) --- Launching of the Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) rocket from Cape Canaveral on astronaut Alan B. Shepard?s suborbital mission. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

S61-03257 (1961) --- View of Mercury spacecraft instrument control panels. Photo credit: NASA

S61-03621 (1961) --- Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. having an electrocardiograph done by Dr. Jackson during medical testing at the Pensacola Naval Station. Photo credit: NASA

G61-00337 (31 Jan. 1961) --- Chimpanzee "Ham" during preflight activity with one of his handlers prior to the Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) test flight which was conducted on Jan. 31, 1961. Photo credit: NASA

S61-02882 (1961) --- Astronaut Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, suited up and ready to climb into Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft, talks with backup pilot John H. Glenn prior to insertion. The Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) mission was scrubbed a few hours later due to unfavorable weather over the launch pad. Photo credit: NASA

Assisted by Astronaut John Glenn, Astronaut Virgil Grissom enters the Mercury capsule, Liberty Bell 7, for the MR-4 mission on July 21, 1961. Boosted by the Mercury-Redstone vehicle, the MR-4 mission was the second manned suborbital flight.

S61-01372 (21 Feb. 1961) --- Launch of the unmanned Mercury-Atlas 2 (MA-2) vehicle for a suborbital test flight of the Mercury capsule. The upper part of Atlas is stengthened by an eight-inch wide stainless steel band. The capsule was recovered less than one hour after launch. The altitude was 108 miles. Speed was 13,000 mph. Recovered 1,425 miles downrange. Photo credit: NASA

At its founding, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) inherited the Army’s Jupiter and Redstone test stands, but much larger facilities were needed for the giant stages of the Saturn V. From 1960 to 1964, the existing stands were remodeled and a sizable new test area was developed. The new comprehensive test complex for propulsion and structural dynamics was unique within the nation and the free world, and they remain so today because they were constructed with foresight to meet the future as well as on going needs. Construction of the S-IC Static test stand complex began in 1961 in the west test area of MSFC, and was completed in 1964. The S-IC static test stand was designed to develop and test the 138-ft long and 33-ft diameter Saturn V S-IC first stage, or booster stage, weighing in at 280,000 pounds. Required to hold down the brute force of a 7,500,000-pound thrust produced by 5 F-1 engines, the S-IC static test stand was designed and constructed with the strength of hundreds of tons of steel and 12,000,000 pounds of cement, planted down to bedrock 40 feet below ground level. The foundation walls, constructed with concrete and steel, are 4 feet thick. The base structure consists of four towers with 40-foot-thick walls extending upward 144 feet above ground level. The structure was topped by a crane with a 135-foot boom. With the boom in the upright position, the stand was given an overall height of 405 feet, placing it among the highest structures in Alabama at the time. In this photo, taken July 10, 1961, actual ground breaking has occurred for the S-IC test stand site.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronauts Deke Slayton, far left, and Virgil Grissom, far right, were on hand to greet Astronaut Alan B. Shepard at Grand Bahama Island after his historic first U.S. manned suborbital flight. Just behind Astronaut Shepard is Dr. Keith Lyndell.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The chimp Ham (primate #65) and a technician goes over the equipment in Hangar S that is going to be used for Ham's suborbital flight. Ham is scheduled to be launched aboard a Mercury-Redstone 2 from Launch Pad 5 on January 31, 1961.

JSC2007-E-046479 (5 May 1961) --- Crew members of the U.S. Navy Carrier Champlain cheer and take pictures of the arrival of the first Project Mercury pilot to fly a suborbital flight, astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. Original photo number was 61-MR3-106. Photo credit: NASA

S61-01600 (11 March 1961) --- This is the G2498 Little Joe 5A mission preparedness chart. Photo credit: NASA

M61-00017 (10 Jan. 1961) --- Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter on flight line with a F-106. Photo credit: NASA

View of O&C Building Altitude Chambers

S62-00337 (20 Feb. 1962) --- Liftoff of Mercury-Atlas 6, Feb. 20, 1962, carrying astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. Photo credit: NASA

Supersonic Transport installed in 40x80ft w.t.

At its founding, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) inherited the Army’s Jupiter and Redstone test stands, but much larger facilities were needed for the giant stages of the Saturn V. From 1960 to 1964, the existing stands were remodeled and a sizable new test area was developed. The new comprehensive test complex for propulsion and structural dynamics was unique within the nation and the free world, and they remain so today because they were constructed with foresight to meet the future as well as on going needs. Construction of the S-IC Static test stand complex began in 1961 in the west test area of MSFC, and was completed in 1964. The S-IC static test stand was designed to develop and test the 138-ft long and 33-ft diameter Saturn V S-IC first stage, or booster stage, weighing in at 280,000 pounds. Required to hold down the brute force of a 7,500,000-pound thrust produced by 5 F-1 engines, the S-IC static test stand was designed and constructed with the strength of hundreds of tons of steel and 12,000,000 pounds of cement, planted down to bedrock 40 feet below ground level. The foundation walls, constructed with concrete and steel, are 4 feet thick. The base structure consists of four towers with 40-foot-thick walls extending upward 144 feet above ground level. The structure was topped by a crane with a 135-foot boom. With the boom in the upright position, the stand was given an overall height of 405 feet, placing it among the highest structures in Alabama at the time. This photo shows the construction progress as of August 5, 1961. Heavy equipment continues to clear the test stand site.

S61-03829 (21 July 1961) --- View of the Mission Control Center at Cape Canaveral during the Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) mission. Astronauts John Glenn (left) and L. Gordon Cooper (right) act as spacecraft communicators (CAPCOM). Photo credit: NASA

S61-03121 (21 July 1961) --- Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) launch of Virgil I. Grissom on July 21, 1961, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photo credit: NASA

S61-02826 (21 July 1961) --- A U.S. Marine Corps helicopter attempts an unsuccessful recovery of the Mercury-Redstone 4 "Liberty Bell 7" spacecraft. The spacecraft hatch opened prematurely, and astronaut Virgil I. Grissom, pilot, escaped into the water. The helicopter hooked onto the spacecraft but could not retrieve it. Grissom was recovered by another helicopter and flown to the recovery ship, USS Randolph. The Mercury spacecraft sank to the bottom of the ocean. Photo credit: NASA

S64-10806 (21 July 1961) --- Astronaut Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, pilot of the Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) spaceflight, in his Mercury "Liberty Bell 7" spacecraft is checking his flight plan during prelaunch activities. Photo credit: NASA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- READY FOR FLIGHT - On level three of gantry on pad 5, Project Mercury astronaut Virgil I. 'Gus' Grissom pauses briefly while a technician completes final adjustment in the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft, which carried Grissom 118 miles into space on Friday, July 21, 1961. The craft's large trapezoidal observation window can be seen behind the pilot. The Pilot Observer Camera, which brought the astronaut's head and shoulders into view, was to reflect the lights on the flight events sequence panel through the 5-inch plexiglas parabolic mirror attached to Grissom's suit, to provide and accurately time record the pilot's voice communications, eye scan pattern and arm motions. The spacecraft sank on landing and has not been recovered. (NASA Photo)

F5D Skylancer with camera installation in nose.

S61-04692 (31 Jan. 1961) --- Earth view from the Mercury Redstone 2 (MR-2) spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- CHAMBER TEST - Project Mercury astronaut Virgil I. 'Gus' Grissom, assisted by McDonnell technicians, leaves Mercury spacecraft, dubbed Liberty Bell 7, following simulated flight.

At its founding, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) inherited the Army’s Jupiter and Redstone test stands, but much larger facilities were needed for the giant stages of the Saturn V. From 1960 to 1964, the existing stands were remodeled and a sizable new test area was developed. The new comprehensive test complex for propulsion and structural dynamics was unique within the nation and the free world, and they remain so today because they were constructed with foresight to meet the future as well as on going needs. Construction of the S-IC Static test stand complex began in 1961 in the west test area of MSFC, and was completed in 1964. The S-IC static test stand was designed to develop and test the 138-ft long and 33-ft diameter Saturn V S-IC first stage, or booster stage, weighing in at 280,000 pounds. Required to hold down the brute force of a 7,500,000-pound thrust produced by 5 F-1 engines, the S-IC static test stand was designed and constructed with the strength of hundreds of tons of steel and 12,000,000 pounds of cement, planted down to bedrock 40 feet below ground level. The foundation walls, constructed with concrete and steel, are 4 feet thick. The base structure consists of four towers with 40-foot-thick walls extending upward 144 feet above ground level. The structure was topped by a crane with a 135-foot boom. With the boom in the upright position, the stand was given an overall height of 405 feet, placing it among the highest structures in Alabama at the time. This photo, taken September 22, 1961, shows the progress of the concrete walls for the stand’s foundation. Some of the walls have been poured and some of the concrete forms have been removed.

S62-08310 (29 Nov. 1961) --- View of the liftoff of Mercury-Atlas 5 (MA-5) carrying space chimpanzee "Enos" on Nov. 29, 1961 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Photo credit: NASA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Astronaut Virgil I. Grissom prepares to enter the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft prior to his successful 5,310 mph space ride. He reached an altitude of 118 statute miles. This was the second man-in-space [flight] for the U.S. in its series of suborbital flights by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (NASA Photo)

S61-03645 (5 May 1961) --- Close-up of astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., in his pressure suit and helmet, ingressing into the Freedom 7 capsule in preparation for the Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) mission. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

At its founding, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) inherited the Army’s Jupiter and Redstone test stands, but much larger facilities were needed for the giant stages of the Saturn V. From 1960 to 1964, the existing stands were remodeled and a sizable new test area was developed. The new comprehensive test complex for propulsion and structural dynamics was unique within the nation and the free world, and they remain so today because they were constructed with foresight to meet the future as well as on going needs. Construction of the S-IC Static test stand complex began in 1961 in the west test area of MSFC, and was completed in 1964. The S-IC static test stand was designed to develop and test the 138-ft long and 33-ft diameter Saturn V S-IC first stage, or booster stage, weighing in at 280,000 pounds. Required to hold down the brute force of a 7,500,000-pound thrust produced by 5 F-1 engines, the S-IC static test stand was designed and constructed with the strength of hundreds of tons of steel and 12,000,000 pounds of cement, planted down to bedrock 40 feet below ground level. The foundation walls, constructed with concrete and steel, are 4 feet thick. The base structure consists of four towers with 40-foot-thick walls extending upward 144 feet above ground level. The structure was topped by a crane with a 135-foot boom. With the boom in the upright position, the stand was given an overall height of 405 feet, placing it among the highest structures in Alabama at the time. Construction of the S-IC test stand came to a halt at the end of September as the determination was made that the Saturn booster size had to be increased. As a result, the stand had to be modified. With construction delayed, and pumps turned off, this photo, taken December 22, 1961, shows danger signs posted around the abandoned site with floods nearing the top. The flooding was caused by the disturbance of a natural spring months prior during the excavation of the site.

S61-03567 (13 Sept. 1961) --- View of the launch of Mercury-Atlas 4 (MA-4) spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Sept. 13, 1961. Photo credit: NASA

Dr. Wernher von Braun holds the coveted Hermarn Oberth award presented to him by Professor Oberth during the banquet hosted by the Alabama Section of the American Rocket Society (ARS), on October 19, 1961. The Oberth award was given for outstanding technical contributions to the field of astronautics or for the promotion and advancement of astronautical sciences.

Rear view of the Avrocar with tail, mounted on variable height struts. Overhead doors of the wind tunnel test section open. The first Avrocar, S/N 58-7055 (marked AV-7055), after tethered testing, became the "wind tunnel" test model at NASA Ames, where it remained in storage from 1961 until 1966, when it was donated to the National Air and Space Museum, in Suitland, Maryland.

At its founding, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) inherited the Army’s Jupiter and Redstone test stands, but much larger facilities were needed for the giant stages of the Saturn V. From 1960 to 1964, the existing stands were remodeled and a sizable new test area was developed. The new comprehensive test complex for propulsion and structural dynamics was unique within the nation and the free world, and they remain so today because they were constructed with foresight to meet the future as well as on going needs. Construction of the S-IC Static test stand complex began in 1961 in the west test area of MSFC, and was completed in 1964. The S-IC static test stand was designed to develop and test the 138-ft long and 33-ft diameter Saturn V S-IC first stage, or booster stage, weighing in at 280,000 pounds. Required to hold down the brute force of a 7,500,000-pound thrust produced by 5 F-1 engines, the S-IC static test stand was designed and constructed with the strength of hundreds of tons of steel and 12,000,000 pounds of cement, planted down to bedrock 40 feet below ground level. The foundation walls, constructed with concrete and steel, are 4 feet thick. The base structure consists of four towers with 40-foot-thick walls extending upward 144 feet above ground level. The structure was topped by a crane with a 135-foot boom. With the boom in the upright position, the stand was given an overall height of 405 feet, placing it among the highest structures in Alabama at the time. This photo shows the construction progress of the test stand as of August 11, 1961.

Test subject sitting at the controls: Project LOLA or Lunar Orbit and Landing Approach was a simulator built at Langley to study problems related to landing on the lunar surface. It was a complex project that cost nearly $2 million dollars. James Hansen wrote: "This simulator was designed to provide a pilot with a detailed visual encounter with the lunar surface; the machine consisted primarily of a cockpit, a closed-circuit TV system, and four large murals or scale models representing portions of the lunar surface as seen from various altitudes. The pilot in the cockpit moved along a track past these murals which would accustom him to the visual cues for controlling a spacecraft in the vicinity of the moon. Unfortunately, such a simulation--although great fun and quite aesthetic--was not helpful because flight in lunar orbit posed no special problems other than the rendezvous with the LEM, which the device did not simulate. Not long after the end of Apollo, the expensive machine was dismantled." (p. 379) Ellis J. White further described this simulator in his paper , "Discussion of Three Typical Langley Research Center Simulation Programs," (Paper presented at the Eastern Simulation Council (EAI's Princeton Computation Center), Princeton, NJ, October 20, 1966.) "A typical mission would start with the first cart positioned on model 1 for the translunar approach and orbit establishment. After starting the descent, the second cart is readied on model 2 and, at the proper time, when superposition occurs, the pilot's scene is switched from model 1 to model 2. then cart 1 is moved to and readied on model 3. The procedure continues until an altitude of 150 feet is obtained. The cabin of the LM vehicle has four windows which represent a 45 degree field of view. The projection screens in front of each window represent 65 degrees which allows limited head motion before the edges of the display can be seen. The lunar scene is presented to the pilot by rear projection on the screens with four Schmidt television projectors. The attitude orientation of the vehicle is represented by changing the lunar scene through the portholes determined by the scan pattern of four orthicons. The stars are front projected onto the upper three screens with a four-axis starfield generation (starball) mounted over the cabin and there is a separate starball for the low window." -- Published in James R. Hansen, Spaceflight Revolution: NASA Langley Research Center From Sputnik to Apollo, (Washington: NASA, 1995), p. 379.

G61-00490 (1961) --- Astronaut Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, wearing the new Mercury pressure suit, is preparing for centrifuge training. He is receiving assistance in adjusting the breathing apparatus which is attached to a data recording device at his feet. Assisting him is Dr. Jackson. Photo credit: NASA

At its founding, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) inherited the Army’s Jupiter and Redstone test stands, but much larger facilities were needed for the giant stages of the Saturn V. From 1960 to 1964, the existing stands were remodeled and a sizable new test area was developed. The new comprehensive test complex for propulsion and structural dynamics was unique within the nation and the free world, and they remain so today because they were constructed with foresight to meet the future as well as on going needs. Construction of the S-IC Static test stand complex began in 1961 in the west test area of MSFC, and was completed in 1964. The S-IC static test stand was designed to develop and test the 138-ft long and 33-ft diameter Saturn V S-IC first stage, or booster stage, weighing in at 280,000 pounds. Required to hold down the brute force of a 7,500,000-pound thrust produced by 5 F-1 engines, the S-IC static test stand was designed and constructed with the strength of hundreds of tons of steel and 12,000,000 pounds of cement, planted down to bedrock 40 feet below ground level. The foundation walls, constructed with concrete and steel, are 4 feet thick. The base structure consists of four towers with 40-foot-thick walls extending upward 144 feet above ground level. The structure was topped by a crane with a 135-foot boom. With the boom in the upright position, the stand was given an overall height of 405 feet, placing it among the highest structures in Alabama at the time. In this photo, taken July 13, 1961, progress is made with the excavation and preparation of the S-IC test stand site.

The launch of the Mercury-Redstone (MR-3), Freedom 7. MR-3 placed the first American astronaut, Alan Shepard, in suborbit on May 5, 1961.

Uh-60B (NASA-748) Blackhawk with Mux Bucket in flight

S88-31387 (8 May 1961) --- President John F. Kennedy (left) congratulates NASA's Distinguished Service Medal Award recipient astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. in a Rose Garden ceremony on May 8, 1961, at the White House. Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson, NASA Administrator James E. Webb and several NASA astronauts are in the background. Three days earlier, Shepard made history with a 15-minute suborbital space mission in the Freedom 7, Mercury-Redstone 3 spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA

APOLLO CONFIGURATION OF SATURN MODEL IN THE 8X6-FOOT SUPERSONIC WIND TUNNEL

Astronaut Virgil Grissom chats with Astronaut John Glenn prior to entering the Liberty Bell 7 capsule for the MR-4 Mission. The MR-4 mission was the second manned suborbital flight using the Mercury-Redstone booster, which was developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center.

At its founding, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) inherited the Army’s Jupiter and Redstone test stands, but much larger facilities were needed for the giant stages of the Saturn V. From 1960 to 1964, the existing stands were remodeled and a sizable new test area was developed. The new comprehensive test complex for propulsion and structural dynamics was unique within the nation and the free world, and they remain so today because they were constructed with foresight to meet the future as well as on going needs. Construction of the S-IC Static test stand complex began in 1961 in the west test area of MSFC, and was completed in 1964. The S-IC static test stand was designed to develop and test the 138-ft long and 33-ft diameter Saturn V S-IC first stage, or booster stage, weighing in at 280,000 pounds. Required to hold down the brute force of a 7,500,000-pound thrust produced by 5 F-1 engines, the S-IC static test stand was designed and constructed with the strength of hundreds of tons of steel and 12,000,000 pounds of cement, planted down to bedrock 40 feet below ground level. The foundation walls, constructed with concrete and steel, are 4 feet thick. The base structure consists of four towers with 40-foot-thick walls extending upward 144 feet above ground level. The structure was topped by a crane with a 135-foot boom. With the boom in the upright position, the stand was given an overall height of 405 feet, placing it among the highest structures in Alabama at the time. This photo shows the construction progress of the test stand as of August 14, 1961.

On October 27, 1961, the Marshall Space Flight Center and the Nation marked a high point in the 3-year-old Saturn development program when the first Saturn vehicle flew a flawless 215-mile ballistic trajectory from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The 162-foot-tall rocket weighed 925,000 pounds and employed a dummy second stage.

S61-03941 (26 April 1961) --- A mock-up of the Mercury space capsule is held suspended above the water aboard the ship that is taking astronauts Grissom and Glenn to their emergency water egress training. Photo credit: NASA

The Mercury-Redstone Booster Development vehicle (MR-BD) lifts off from Cape Canaveral March 24, 1961. This test flight evaluated changes incorporated in the booster designed to reduce vehicle oscillations and vibrations. The Mercury-Redstone launch vehicle was developed by Dr. Wernher von Braun and the rocket team in Huntsville, Alabama.

2/14/1961 JUNO II 19F STANDING ALONE ON LAUNCH TABLE AFTER GANTRY PULLED BACK. PAD 26B

The Marshall Space Flight Center's first Saturn I vehicle, SA-1, lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on October 27, 1961. This early configuration, Saturn I Block I, 162 feet tall and weighing 460 tons, consisted of the eight H-1 engines S-I stage and the dummy second stage (S-IV stage).

S61-02881 (1961) --- Astronaut Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, suited up in a newly designed pressure suit, is assisted as he climbs into Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft. Behind him backup pilot John Glenn watches the insertion. The Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) mission was scrubbed a few hours later due to unfavorable weather over the launch pad. Photo credit: NASA

S61-03158 (1961) --- Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) missile standing alone on launch pad. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

S61-03249 (13 Sept. 1961) --- View of the launch of the Mercury-Atlas 4 (MA-4) spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Sept. 13, 1961. Photo credit: NASA

S61-02407 (5 May 1961) --- Launching of the Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) rocket from Cape Canaveral on astronaut Alan B. Shepard?s suborbital mission. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Speaking to Congress and the Nation at the joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961, President Kennedy said : "I believe that this Nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth." National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) achieved the goal of the first manned lunar landing on July 20, 1969.

S61-04669 (31 Jan. 1961) --- Earth view from the Mercury Redstone 2 (MR-2) spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA

A three-year-old chimpanzee, named Ham, in the biopack couch for the MR-2 suborbital test flight. On January 31, 1961, a Mercury-Redstone launch from Cape Canaveral carried the chimpanzee "Ham" over 640 kilometers down range in an arching trajectory that reached a peak of 254 kilometers above the Earth. The mission was successful and Ham performed his lever-pulling task well in response to the flashing light. NASA used chimpanzees and other primates to test the Mercury Capsule before launching the first American astronaut Alan Shepard in May 1961. The successful flight and recovery confirmed the soundness of the Mercury-Redstone systems.

Vice President Lyndon Johnson (L) discusses tektites with Dr. Dean Chapman, Ames (R) during a tour of NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

PAD 34 AERIAL PHOTO (OVERALL) LOW LEVEL FROM SOUTH, NASA-LOD

The completely assembled Saturn 1 S-1 stage is being ready for checkout in the Marshall Space Flight Center, building 4705, January 18, 1961. The Saturn I S-I stage had eight H-1 engines clustered, using liquid oxygen/kerosene-1 (LOX/RP-1) propellants capable of producing a total of 1,500,000 pounds of thrust.

At its founding, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) inherited the Army’s Jupiter and Redstone test stands, but much larger facilities were needed for the giant stages of the Saturn V. From 1960 to 1964, the existing stands were remodeled and a sizable new test area was developed. The new comprehensive test complex for propulsion and structural dynamics was unique within the nation and the free world, and they remain so today because they were constructed with foresight to meet the future as well as on going needs. Construction of the S-IC Static test stand complex began in 1961 in the west test area of MSFC, and was completed in 1964. The S-IC static test stand was designed to develop and test the 138-ft long and 33-ft diameter Saturn V S-IC first stage, or booster stage, weighing in at 280,000 pounds. Required to hold down the brute force of a 7,500,000-pound thrust produced by 5 F-1 engines, the S-IC static test stand was designed and constructed with the strength of hundreds of tons of steel and 12,000,000 pounds of cement, planted down to bedrock 40 feet below ground level. The foundation walls, constructed with concrete and steel, are 4 feet thick. The base structure consists of four towers with 40-foot-thick walls extending upward 144 feet above ground level. The structure was topped by a crane with a 135-foot boom. With the boom in the upright position, the stand was given an overall height of 405 feet, placing it among the highest structures in Alabama at the time. Construction of the S-IC test stand came to a halt at the end of September as the determination was made that the Saturn booster size had to be increased. As a result, the stand had to be modified. With construction delayed, and pumps turned off, this photo, taken December 22, 1961, shows danger signs posted around the abandoned site with floods nearing the top. The flooding was caused by the disturbance of a natural spring months prior during the excavation of the site.

S61-02888 (1961) --- Astronaut Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, suited up and ready to climb into Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft, stands in front of the capsule for a picture. Backup pilot John Glenn is in the right corner of the view behind Grissom. The Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) mission was scrubbed a few hours later due to unfavorable weather over the launch pad. Photo credit: NASA

S61-03705 (1961) --- Close-up view of the fueling of the Liberty Bell 7 for the Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) mission. Photo credit: NASA

At its founding, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) inherited the Army’s Jupiter and Redstone test stands, but much larger facilities were needed for the giant stages of the Saturn V. From 1960 to 1964, the existing stands were remodeled and a sizable new test area was developed. The new comprehensive test complex for propulsion and structural dynamics was unique within the nation and the free world, and they remain so today because they were constructed with foresight to meet the future as well as on going needs. Construction of the S-IC Static test stand complex began in 1961 in the west test area of MSFC, and was completed in 1964. The S-IC static test stand was designed to develop and test the 138-ft long and 33-ft diameter Saturn V S-IC first stage, or booster stage, weighing in at 280,000 pounds. Required to hold down the brute force of a 7,500,000-pound thrust produced by 5 F-1 engines, the S-IC static test stand was designed and constructed with the strength of hundreds of tons of steel and 12,000,000 pounds of cement, planted down to bedrock 40 feet below ground level. The foundation walls, constructed with concrete and steel, are 4 feet thick. The base structure consists of four towers with 40-foot-thick walls extending upward 144 feet above ground level. The structure was topped by a crane with a 135-foot boom. With the boom in the upright position, the stand was given an overall height of 405 feet, placing it among the highest structures in Alabama at the time. This photo, taken September 15, 1961, is a close up inside of the foundation wall forms as concrete is being poured.

G61-00030 (4 Nov. 1959) --- Launch of Little Joe-2 from Wallops Island carrying Mercury spacecraft test article. The suborbital test flight of the Mercury capsule was to test the escape system. Vehicle functioned perfectly, but escape rocket ignited several seconds too late. Photo credit: NASA

Project LOLA. Test subject sitting at the controls: Project LOLA or Lunar Orbit and Landing Approach was a simulator built at Langley to study problems related to landing on the lunar surface. It was a complex project that cost nearly 2 million dollars. James Hansen wrote: This simulator was designed to provide a pilot with a detailed visual encounter with the lunar surface the machine consisted primarily of a cockpit, a closed-circuit TV system, and four large murals or scale models representing portions of the lunar surface as seen from various altitudes. The pilot in the cockpit moved along a track past these murals which would accustom him to the visual cues for controlling a spacecraft in the vicinity of the moon. Unfortunately, such a simulation--although great fun and quite aesthetic--was not helpful because flight in lunar orbit posed no special problems other than the rendezvous with the LEM, which the device did not simulate. Not long after the end of Apollo, the expensive machine was dismantled. (p. 379) Ellis J. White wrote in his paper, Discussion of Three Typical Langley Research Center Simulation Programs : A typical mission would start with the first cart positioned on model 1 for the translunar approach and orbit establishment. After starting the descent, the second cart is readied on model 2 and, at the proper time, when superposition occurs, the pilot s scene is switched from model 1 to model 2. then cart 1 is moved to and readied on model 3. The procedure continues until an altitude of 150 feet is obtained. The cabin of the LM vehicle has four windows which represent a 45 degree field of view. The projection screens in front of each window represent 65 degrees which allows limited head motion before the edges of the display can be seen. The lunar scene is presented to the pilot by rear projection on the screens with four Schmidt television projectors. The attitude orientation of the vehicle is represented by changing the lunar scene through the portholes determined by the scan pattern of four orthicons. The stars are front projected onto the upper three screens with a four-axis starfield generation (starball) mounted over the cabin and there is a separate starball for the low window. -- Published in James R. Hansen, Spaceflight Revolution: NASA Langley Research Center From Sputnik to Apollo, (Washington: NASA, 1995), p. 379 Ellis J. White, Discussion of Three Typical Langley Research Center Simulation Programs, Paper presented at the Eastern Simulation Council (EAI s Princeton Computation Center), Princeton, NJ, October 20, 1966.

S61-02824 (21 July 1961) --- A U.S. Marine Corps helicopter attempts an unsuccessful recovery of the Mercury-Redstone 4 "Liberty Bell 7" spacecraft. The spacecraft hatch opened prematurely, and astronaut Virgil I. Grissom, pilot, escaped into the water. The helicopter hooked onto the spacecraft but could not retrieve it. Grissom was recovered by another helicopter and flown to the recovery ship, USS Randolph. The Mercury spacecraft sank to the bottom of the ocean. Photo credit: NASA

Gus Grissom trying on a Spacesuit; Seated with assistant; Seated with assistant putting on boots; Standing by mirror, name tag visible; Outside in suit, name tag visible. Mercury Project photo, 1961. Original negatives sent to Johnson Space Center when astronauts moved to that center. Photograph take on 03/27/1961.

Astronaut Virgil Gus Grissom awaits America's second marned space mission, Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) on July 21, 1961. During the 15-minute suborbital flight, the Liberty Bell 7 Mercury spacecraft reached an altitude of 118 miles and traveled 303 miles downrange. It was the fourth flight of the Mercury-Redstone launch vehicle (MR-4), developed by Dr. Wernher von Braun and the rocket team in Huntsville, Alabama.

Walker made the first NASA-piloted X-15 flight March 25, 1960, and flew the aircraft 24 times, achieving its highest altitude (354,300 ft.) Aug. 22, 1963. He died piloting a F-104 that was caught up in a vortex of the XB-70.

X-15 personnel. A photo commemorating all three X-15's being flown during the same week. Back Row, left to right: John "Bill" Lovett, John E. Huntington, Homer Hall, Robert E. "Bob" Allen, Lorenzo "Larry" Barnett, Charles "Charlie" Russell, Sylvester Weeks Kneeling, left to right: Gilbert "Gil" Kincaid, George E. Trott, Joseph "Joe" Huxman, Willard Glasscock

S61-04623 (1961) --- Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. looks into a Celestial Training Device (globe) during training in the Aeromedical Laboratory at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photo credit: NASA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- READIED FOR FLIGHT - Project Mercury's second manned suborbital space flight, Liberty Bell 7, from Cape Canaveral, Fla., will be attempted during the week of July 16, utilizing this 58-foot Mercury-Redstone vehicle. Significant advances have been made in the design of the Mercury spacecraft and the astronaut's personal equipment. Flight will be similar to MR-3, the first manned Mercury flight May 5, 1961; however, the pilot will have more time for making Earth and celestial observations. (NASA Photo)

This image depicts the Saturn I launch vehicle placed in the dynamic test stand at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). A dummy booster was moved to the dynamic test stand early in June, and, for the first time, vertically mated with dummy S-I and S-IV stages. The assembled vehicle was readied for dynamic testing to investigate the integrity of the support structure.

At its founding, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) inherited the Army’s Jupiter and Redstone test stands, but much larger facilities were needed for the giant stages of the Saturn V. From 1960 to 1964, the existing stands were remodeled and a sizable new test area was developed. The new comprehensive test complex for propulsion and structural dynamics was unique within the nation and the free world, and they remain so today because they were constructed with foresight to meet the future as well as on going needs. Construction of the S-IC Static test stand complex began in 1961 in the west test area of MSFC, and was completed in 1964. The S-IC static test stand was designed to develop and test the 138-ft long and 33-ft diameter Saturn V S-IC first stage, or booster stage, weighing in at 280,000 pounds. Required to hold down the brute force of a 7,500,000-pound thrust produced by 5 F-1 engines, the S-IC static test stand was designed and constructed with the strength of hundreds of tons of steel and 12,000,000 pounds of cement, planted down to bedrock 40 feet below ground level. The foundation walls, constructed with concrete and steel, are 4 feet thick. The base structure consists of four towers with 40-foot-thick walls extending upward 144 feet above ground level. The structure was topped by a crane with a 135-foot boom. With the boom in the upright position, the stand was given an overall height of 405 feet, placing it among the highest structures in Alabama at the time. Construction of the S-IC test stand came to a halt at the end of September as the determination was made that the Saturn booster size had to be increased. As a result, the stand would have to be modified. With construction delayed, and pumps turned off, this photo, taken December 4, 1961, shows the abandoned site with floods at the 11 ft mark. The flooding was caused by the disturbance of a natural spring months prior during the excavation of the site.

Portrait: Ames Director H Julian Allen (1965 - 1969)

S61-03684 (21 July 1961) --- Astronaut Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom and his family are shown at the airport at Patrick Air Force Base with NASA Administrator James E. Webb (right). Grissom is speaking into microphones for the news media. Photo credit: NASA

This night photograph depicts the SA-1 booster (Saturn I S-I stage) being removed from the test stand after the first flight qualification testing at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

AVROCAR Annular Jet VTOL Airplane; 40x80ft w.t. tests

S61-00199 (31 Jan. 1961) --- Recovery personnel aboard the USS Donner remove ?Ham?, a 37-pound chimpanzee, from a Mercury-Redstone spacecraft following the successful Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) suborbital flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The primate's 420-statute mile MR-2 flight was a significant accomplishment on the American route toward manned spaceflight. Photo credit: NASA

At its founding, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) inherited the Army’s Jupiter and Redstone test stands, but much larger facilities were needed for the giant stages of the Saturn V. From 1960 to 1964, the existing stands were remodeled and a sizable new test area was developed. The new comprehensive test complex for propulsion and structural dynamics was unique within the nation and the free world, and they remain so today because they were constructed with foresight to meet the future as well as on going needs. Construction of the S-IC Static test stand complex began in 1961 in the west test area of MSFC, and was completed in 1964. The S-IC static test stand was designed to develop and test the 138-ft long and 33-ft diameter Saturn V S-IC first stage, or booster stage, weighing in at 280,000 pounds. Required to hold down the brute force of a 7,500,000-pound thrust produced by 5 F-1 engines, the S-IC static test stand was designed and constructed with the strength of hundreds of tons of steel and 12,000,000 pounds of cement, planted down to bedrock 40 feet below ground level. The foundation walls, constructed with concrete and steel, are 4 feet thick. The base structure consists of four towers with 40-foot-thick walls extending upward 144 feet above ground level. The structure was topped by a crane with a 135-foot boom. With the boom in the upright position, the stand was given an overall height of 405 feet, placing it among the highest structures in Alabama at the time. In this photograph taken on August 5th, 1961, a back hoe is nearly submerged in water in the test stand site. During the initial digging, the disturbance of a natural spring contributed to constant water problems during the construction process. It was necessary to pump the water from the site on a daily basis and is still pumped from the site today.

A Dyna-Soar (Dynamic Soaring) vehicle clears the launch tower atop an Air Force Titan II launch vehicle in this 1961 artist's concept. Originally conceived by the U.S. Air Force in 1957 as a marned, rocket-propelled glider in a delta-winged configuration, the Dyna-Soar was considered by Marshall Space Flight Center planners as an upper stage for the Saturn C-2 launch vehicle.

S61-01918 (5 May 1961) --- Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) spaceflight Earth observations of a cloudy Earth surface. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

S61-03893 (26 April 1961) --- Astronaut Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, wearing the new Mercury spacesuit, poses for a picture during emergency egress training activities at the Florida Space Center. He is seen standing in front of a mock-up of the Mercury capsule. Photo credit: NASA

Dr. von Braun watches the Saturn 1 (SA-1) launch through a scope from the blockhouse 34 on October 27, 1961. The SA-1 was the first launch of Saturn launch vehicles developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) under the direction of Dr. von Braun. The flight demonstrated the validity of the clustered engine concept and launched dummy upper stages.

S61-03622 (1961) --- Mercury astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. has a biosensor attached to his body during astronaut training activities at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photo credit: NASA

Dr. von Braun, Director of the Marshall Space Flight Center, spoke of the progress in the Saturn Program during his appearance before the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences. He was accompanied by Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr., Associate Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).