Space Task Group

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The Headquarters of the Space Task Group (STG) at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia
Sign on the Space Task Group building in June 1961

The Space Task Group was a working group of

Houston, Texas
.

In later years, the term Space Task Group was ambiguously reused to refer to an ad hoc committee appointed by the President to recommend human spaceflight programs, usually chaired by the Vice President. For instance, President Richard Nixon appointed such a group in February 1969 to outline a post-Apollo spaceflight strategy, chaired by Vice President Spiro T. Agnew.[1]

History

Created on November 5, 1958, the Space Task Group was headed by

Chris Kraft, also in flight operations; and Glynn Lunney, who at 21 was the youngest member of the group. The head of the public affairs office was John "Shorty" Powers
.

In 1959, the group was expanded by the addition of 32 engineers from Canada, who had been left without jobs when the

Avro Arrow project was cancelled.[2] These new engineers included Jim Chamberlin, George Harris, John Hodge, Owen Maynard, Bryan Erb, Rodney Rose, and Tecwyn Roberts.[3]

After President John F. Kennedy set the national goal on May 25, 1961, of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s and bringing him back to Earth, it became clear to NASA administrator

Houston, Texas site donated by Rice University
. Gilruth immediately began the transition of his Task Group into the new MSC, planning his increased staff organization and its move to Houston, using temporary leased office and test facility space on 12 sites while the new facility was being built. By September 1962, his organization was moved to Houston and construction had begun, effectively marking the end of the Task Group. The MSC facility was completed in September 1963.

Reuse of the name

The

Spiro T. Agnew's "Space Task Group" to recommend a future direction of the US human spaceflight program. Agnew enthusiastically supported an ambitious Space Transportation System program including reusable spacecraft, permanent Earth and Lunar stations, and human flight to Mars. However, Nixon knew the mood in the US Congress would not continue to sustain funding at the level of Apollo, and cut these plans back to only the development of the Space Shuttle
, with possible eventual establishment of an Earth orbital space station.

References

Citations

  1. ^ Compton, W. David; Benson, Charles D. (1983), "Chapter 5: Years of Uncertainty, 1967-1969", Living and Working in Space: A History of Skylab, vol. SP-4208, Washington, D.C.: NASA, p. 101
  2. ^ Murray & Cox (1989), pp. 33-35.
  3. ^ Gainor (2001), pp. 270-276.

Bibliography

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