NASA Historical Data Book, Volume III, NASA SP-4012; Programs and Projects, 1969-1978

v, [1], 485, [1] pages. Footnotes. Illustrations. NASA Organization Charts. Index. Cover has slight wear and soiling. Minor edge soiling. Slightly cocked. Linda Neuman Ezell, from Fulton County, Illinois, was born in 1951. She graduated from Sangamon State University in 1974 and has also published in the field of military technology. This is Volume 3, Programs and Projects 1969-1978, of a multi-volume series providing a 20-year compilation of summary statistical and other data descriptive of NASA's programs in aeronautics and manned and unmanned spaceflight. This series is an important component of NASA published historical reference works, used by NASA personnel, managers, external researchers, and other government agencies. In 1973, NASA published the first volume of the NASA Historical Data Book, a hefty tome containing mostly tabular data on the resources of the space agency between 1958 and 1968. There, broken into detailed tables, were the facts and figures associated with the budget, facilities, procurement, installations, and personnel of NASA during that formative decade. In 1988, NASA reissued that first volume of the data book and added two additional volumes on the agency's programs and projects, one each for 1958-1968 and 1969-1978. NASA began its operations as the nation's civilian space agency in 1958 following the passage of the National Aeronautics and Space Act. It succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The new organization was charged with preserving the role of the United States "as a leader in aeronautical and space science and technology" and in its application, with expanding our knowledge of the Earth's atmosphere and space, and with exploring flight both within and outside the atmosphere. By the 1980s, NASA had established itself as an agency with considerable achievements on record. A decade in the life of an organization as dynamic and multifaceted as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration offers a large enough canvas to discern clearly the patterns and trends of the organization s life. For NASA, the decade which closed on October 1, 1968, was its first. That decade has been-and will continue to be-studied by many people and from many perspectives. The intent of the series is to provide a comprehensive, factual data base on the tangible aspects of NASA and its programs. The second volume covers the individual space and aeronautics programs. The first two volumes of this series provide a statistical summary of the first decade of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It was a pioneering decade, characterized by public and congressional support, growth, and adventure. The second volume contains information on the agency's major programs and projects-the raison d'etre for the "dollars, people, and things" previously measured. Established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act of July 1958, NASA, a civilian organization, was charged with managing those aeronautics and space activities sponsored by the United States that fell outside the purview of the Department of Defense. Included in the space act were eight general objectives for the new agency: (I) to expand man's knowledge of phenomena in the atmosphere and space; (2) to improve the usefulness and performance of aeronautical and space vehicles; (3) to send instrumented vehicles into space that could support life; (4) to study the long-range benefits that might result from utilizing space; (5) to preserve the role of the U.S. as a technological leader; (6) to support national defense by providing other agencies with information on new discoveries; (7) to cooperate with other countries in the peaceful utilization and exploration of space; and (8) to utilize existing scientific and engineering facilities and personnel. To meet these objectives, NASA channeled its resources into five programs: space science and applications, manned spaceflight, launch vehicle development, tracking and data ac.…