Rocket City Rising Huntsville & the Early Space Race, 1940-1963 Stephen Waring History Department UAHuntsville

Huntsville & the Early Space Race, 1940-1963

Stephen Waring

History Department

UAHuntsville

Textile Town Huntsville 13,150 pop. 1940

Huntsville

13,150 pop. 1940

Redstone Arsenal

Keller Motors 1948-1950 Redstone Bldg. 481 (now 4471) “ Super Chief” 18 “woodies”

1948-1950

Redstone Bldg. 481

(now 4471)

“ Super Chief”

18 “woodies”

“ Watercress Capital of the World”

German Army Missilery

US Army Missilery Operation Paperclip, 1945 Project Hermes Fort Bliss/White Sands, NM 1946-54 58 V-2 flights Bumper, 2-stage V-2

Operation Paperclip, 1945

Project Hermes

Fort Bliss/White Sands, NM

1946-54

58 V-2 flights

Bumper, 2-stage V-2

Cold War

Cold War Spring 1947 R-1 launch (Soviet V-2) Aug. 1949 Joe-1, Soviet A-bomb

Spring 1947

R-1 launch (Soviet V-2)

Aug. 1949

Joe-1, Soviet A-bomb

Militarization Apr. 14 1950 NSC-68 June 1950 Korean War Military spending 1910-1930: 1% of GNP 1960: 10% of GNP 1 of 7 jobs in military-industrial complex

Apr. 14 1950

NSC-68

June 1950

Korean War

Military spending

1910-1930: 1% of GNP

1960: 10% of GNP

1 of 7 jobs in military-industrial complex

Army Missilery Apr. 1949 Rocketry begins at Redstone Arsenal Oct. 1949 Send White Sands team to HSV Apr. 1 1950 Arrival White Sands team July 1950 Redstone project begins June 1951 5,000 workers on arsenal

Apr. 1949

Rocketry begins at Redstone Arsenal

Oct. 1949

Send White Sands team to HSV

Apr. 1 1950

Arrival White Sands team

July 1950

Redstone project begins

June 1951

5,000 workers on arsenal

Army Missilery Organizational features State factory German: “everything-under-one-roof” US: “arsenal system” Workforce German engineers GI Bill engineers & scientists Blue-collar artisans Contractors incl. Thiokol, Chrysler, Rocketdyne/North American Aviation

Organizational features

State factory

German: “everything-under-one-roof”

US: “arsenal system”

Workforce

German engineers

GI Bill engineers & scientists

Blue-collar artisans

Contractors

incl. Thiokol, Chrysler, Rocketdyne/North American Aviation

Army Missilery Wernher von Braun Promoter Collier’s “ Man will Conquer Space Soon” 1952-1954 Disney shows 1955-1957

Wernher von Braun

Promoter

Collier’s

“ Man will Conquer Space Soon”

1952-1954

Disney shows 1955-1957

Soviets in Space Aug. 1957 R-7, 1 st Soviet ICBM Oct. 1957 Sputnik Nov. 1957 Laika

Aug. 1957

R-7, 1 st Soviet ICBM

Oct. 1957

Sputnik

Nov. 1957

Laika

Army in Space Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA), 1956 Jupiter-C Redstone & two upper stages Aug. 1957 Nose cone into space Dept. of Defense restrictions Navy’s Vanguard

Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA), 1956

Jupiter-C

Redstone & two upper stages

Aug. 1957

Nose cone into space

Dept. of Defense restrictions

Navy’s Vanguard

Army in Space Dec. 1957 Vanguard delays & failure Flopnik, Stayputnik ABMA go-ahead

Dec. 1957

Vanguard delays & failure

Flopnik, Stayputnik

ABMA go-ahead

Army in Space Jan. 1958 Explorer 1 by Juno-1 Jupiter-C + 4 th stage

Jan. 1958

Explorer 1 by Juno-1

Jupiter-C + 4 th stage

Soviet Progress 1958-1961 6 more Sputniks 1959 Luna to moon Mar. 1961 Mannequin test flight Apr. 1961 Yuri Gagarin sub-orbital Aug. 1961 Vostok 2–days in orbit Oct. 1961 Ivan, 58 megaton bomb

1958-1961

6 more Sputniks

1959

Luna to moon

Mar. 1961

Mannequin test flight

Apr. 1961

Yuri Gagarin sub-orbital

Aug. 1961

Vostok 2–days in orbit

Oct. 1961

Ivan, 58 megaton bomb

Army to NASA Oct. 1958 NASA Army & NASA compete for ABMA ABMA contractor to NASA Saturn July 1960 ABMA transfer to NASA Mercury-Redstone, 4 sub-orbital flights, Dec. 1960-July 1961

Oct. 1958

NASA

Army & NASA compete for ABMA

ABMA contractor to NASA

Saturn

July 1960

ABMA transfer to NASA

Mercury-Redstone,

4 sub-orbital flights, Dec. 1960-July 1961

Politics of Space Eisenhower Jan. 1961 “ We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.” Feared “scientific-technological elite” Later said he was thinking of von Braun (& E. Teller) 1960 Election JFK vs. Nixon “ missile gap”

Eisenhower

Jan. 1961

“ We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.”

Feared “scientific-technological elite”

Later said he was thinking of von Braun (& E. Teller)

1960 Election

JFK vs. Nixon

“ missile gap”

Race to Moon Apr. 1961 Bay of Pigs May 1961 JFK to Congress "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."

Apr. 1961

Bay of Pigs

May 1961

JFK to Congress

"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."

Saturn Boom HSV population 13,150 in 1940 16,437 in 1950 72,365 in 1960 143,700 in 1967 HSV growth 1945 - 12 industries & 3,500 homes 1964 - over 40 industries & 30,000 homes HSV per capita income 50% of national average in 1960 80% in 1967 Cultural changes

HSV population

13,150 in 1940

16,437 in 1950

72,365 in 1960

143,700 in 1967

HSV growth

1945 - 12 industries & 3,500 homes

1964 - over 40 industries & 30,000 homes

HSV per capita income

50% of national average in 1960

80% in 1967

Cultural changes

“ Space Reconstruction” African-Americans 18% HSV pop. 1% Marshall labor Gov. Geo. Wallace “ Schoolhouse door,” June 11, 1963 White House to HSV Desegregate! Governor, would you like to go to the moon? GW: “well, you guys might not bring me back!” More impact on HSV culture than MSFC labor force

African-Americans

18% HSV pop.

1% Marshall labor

Gov. Geo. Wallace

“ Schoolhouse door,” June 11, 1963

White House to HSV

Desegregate!

Governor, would you like to go to the moon?

GW: “well, you guys might not bring me back!”

More impact on HSV culture than MSFC labor force

Thank You! [email_address] Dunar & Waring’s book, Power to Explore: MSFC, 1960-1990 free online: history.msfc.nasa.gov

[email_address]

Dunar & Waring’s book, Power to Explore: MSFC, 1960-1990

free online: history.msfc.nasa.gov