Space Task Group

The Space Task Group was a team of NASA engineers formed in 1958. They helped manage America's early human spaceflight programs. The group was led by Robert Gilruth and worked at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. They oversaw important projects like Project Mercury and made plans for future missions.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced a goal to send someone to the Moon and bring them back safely. NASA needed a bigger organization and a new facility. The Space Task Group became the Manned Spacecraft Center, now called the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Later, the name "Space Task Group" was sometimes used again for special committees. President Richard Nixon created such a group in 1969. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew led discussions about plans after the Apollo missions.

History

The Space Task Group was created on November 5, 1958, and was led by Robert Gilruth. It started with 45 people, including engineers and support staff. Most of the engineers came from the Langley Research Center, with some from the Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Important team members included Charles Donlan, Max Faget, Chuck Mathews, Chris Kraft, and Glynn Lunney, who was the youngest at age 21.

In 1959, the group grew when 32 engineers from Canada joined after their Avro Arrow project was cancelled. These new members included Jim Chamberlin, John Hodge, Owen Maynard, and Tecwyn Roberts.

When President John F. Kennedy announced the goal in 1961 to land a person on the Moon and bring them back safely, NASA realized they needed a bigger organization and new facilities. In August 1961, a team was appointed to choose a location for the new center. On September 19, it was announced that the new Manned Spacecraft Center would be built in Houston, Texas. Gilruth started preparing his team to move to Houston, using temporary spaces until the new center was ready. By September 1962, the team had moved, and construction on the new facility began. The center was completed in September 1963, marking the end of the Space Task Group.

Reuse of the name

The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 created NASA and also set up a group called the National Aeronautics and Space Council. This group helped decide the direction of space programs in the United States. Sometimes people called this group a "Space Task Group."

Later, President John F. Kennedy changed the rules so the Vice President could lead this council instead of the President. When the Apollo program was very busy in 1969, President Richard M. Nixon asked Vice President Spiro T. Agnew and his "Space Task Group" to suggest what the United States should do next in space travel. Agnew suggested big ideas like reusable spacecraft and stations in space, even trips to Mars. But President Nixon knew that Congress would not keep funding these big plans, so he scaled them back. The main plan that continued was to build the Space Shuttle, with hopes of one day having a space station in orbit around Earth.