LUNAR RECEIVING LABORATORY PROGRAM OFFICE

LUNAR RECEIVING LABORATORY PROGRAM OFFICE

In 1964 Elbert A. King, Jr. and Donald A Flory of the Space Environment Division of the Engineering and Development Directorate, submitted plans for the construction of a Lunar Receiving Laboratory for samples that would be returned to Earth by Apollo missions. A Lunar Receiving Laboratory Board and a Program Office to manage the construction and operation of the facility were established on May 9, 1966 (see MSC Announcement 66-57). Construction of the facility began in July 1967 under the direction of Joseph V. Piland and it became operational in time to support the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. ⁶ The LRL was abolished on October 23, 1973 with the establishment of the Office of Curator (JSCI 1130.1N)

Arranged by test procedure number.

Original detailed technical test procedures governing the installation of electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and other systems in the Lunar Receiving Lab. The procedures were developed by W-N-N Contractors under NASA contract NAS 9-6500. (Old ACC# 71A1330)

A-30-004-4

LIFE SCIENCES DIRECTORATE (DA)

Dr. Charles A. Berry joined the STG/MSC as Chief of the Aerospace Medical Operations Office in July 1962. He had been Chief of the School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph Air Force Base and assisted with the selection and testing of the first Mercury astronauts. In 1967, Berry was named head of the Medical Research and Operations Directorate and was given responsibility for all medical programs including the development of crew life support systems that had been done by the Crew Systems Division in the Engineering and Development Directorate.

Arranged by subject (there is a list of folder titles in box 1).

Originals letters received and copies of letters sent relating to medical support for Apollo missions, biomedical testing and experiments, and the lunar back contamination quarantine program. There are also copies of program directives, reports, operations reviews, mission documents, research proposals, and articles retained as background material for medical programs. The records include biomedical test protocols for lunar samples and quarantine procedures. (Old acc# 76A1086)

A-30-4-3
E.195L10. MINUTES OF THE LUNAR AND PLANETARY SAMPLE TEAM.

1967-1985. 3 ft.

Arranged chronologically by date of meeting.

Original minutes of meetings and related material such as agenda, reports of sub-committees, correspondence from members, and action items. The committee was originally established in 1967 as the Lunar Sample Analysis Planning Team (LSAPT) to advise NASA on the handling of lunar material, operation of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, and the allocations of lunar samples. On December 16, 1978 it was changed to the Lunar and Planetary Samples Team to expand its responsibilities to include all extraterrestrial samples including meteorite samples returned from Antarctica. It originally reported to the Director of Science and Applications but eventually came under the jurisdiction of the Planetary Science Branch (SN2) in the Solar System Exploration Division (SN) of the Space and Life Sciences Directorate. (Old acc# 89-6)

A-30-4-4

MERCURY PROJECT OFFICE

A Mercury Project Office under the direction of Walter C. Williams was established at the Langley Research Center (See This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury by Loyd S. Swenson, Jr. (NASA SP-4201, 1966) for a detailed study of the establishment of the Space Task Group and the Mercury Project Office). In October 1962 Kenneth S. Kleinknecht was placed in charge with responsibility for the technical direction of the McDonnell Aircraft Company and other contractors and the coordination of all Mercury activities with other centers and agencies. The office was abolished in November 1963, and personnel were reassigned to work on Gemini or Apollo.

Arranged by subject in accordance with a numerical filing plan (S1 to S60 with gaps – see entry 210A).

Correspondence, briefing material for program and technical reviews, narrative progress reports, technical reports and studies, Program Management Plans, delivery and flight schedules, and drawings of flight hardware. The records were maintained by or for Kenneth S. Kleinknecht, Mercury Program Manager, and relate to design and construction of hardware, flight planning and operations, tracking and ground instrumentation, accounting and financial management, and quality control and testing. These records are similar to the material described in entry 15. Some of the files were security classified but all were declassified by NASA in 1971. Some files from this series were used in the investigation of the AS204 fire and became part of the records described in entry 210A (Old acc# 66A432/72A5/and 72A798)

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E.197. MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER REPORTS.

1961-1963. 3 ft.

Arranged by type of report and thereunder chronologically.

Copies of Weekly Activity Reports and Consolidated Activity Reports made to the Director of Manned Spaceflight, Technical Information Summary, Technical Memorandum, Engineering Division Memorandum Reports, Project Development Plans, Project Mercury Status Report, Monthly Status Review, and Office of Manned Spaceflight (OMSF) Program Status Reviews. The reports often contain charts, graphs, drawings, and photographs. (Old acc#72A798, 73A767, and 76A475)

A-31-76-6
E.197A. MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS.

1961-1963. 2 ft.

Arranged by subject.

Copies of various technical studies, analyses, and reports prepared by NASA staff. The records include data acquisition and preliminary evaluation plans for most Mercury flights, Flight Controller Handbooks, a Descriptive Synopsis of Project Mercury, mission rules, recovery plans, flight plans for MA-8 and Ma-9, and post-flight debriefing of Gus Grissom and John Glenn. There are some records relating to Little Joe 5A and Scout and data plans and calibration reports. (Old acc# 66A432, 71A1317, 71A1321, 71A1322, and 73A767)

A-31-76-7
E.198. MERCURY WORKING PAPERS.

1959-1963. 2 ft.

Arranged numerically (there are gaps). There is a list of titles in box 1.

Copies of technical papers prepared in the Space Task Group (STG) covering Project Mercury data and mission analyses, system studies, test programs, and operational methods and requirements. The series was established to provide standardization in form, handling, and release of “working papers” to permit the exchange of data, analyses, instructions, requirements, and methods among NASA organizations for planning and coordination purposes. The papers were not considered as formal documents intended for release to the general technical and scientific communities. There is also a set of the papers among the records described in entry 70 boxes 85-92. (Old acc #66A432 and 72A798 and 72A1138)

A-31-78-1
E.198A. POST-LAUNCH REPORTS.

1961-1963. 1 ft.

Arranged by mission.

Copies of printed reports issued by NASA on Little Joe 5A and Mercury-Redstone and Mercury-Atlas flights. The reports include vehicle description, mission resume, trajectory analysis, capsule data and systems performance, booster performance, and recovery. The reports generally include photographs, drawings, graphs, and technical data. (Old acc#72A798 and 73A767)

A-31-78-1
E.198B. CONTRACTOR TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS.

1959-1963. 7 ft.

Arranged alphabetically by company name and thereunder by subject.

Copies of design proposals, management proposals, engineering status reports, progress reports, and detailed technical analysis of all phases of hardware development, testing, and operation. Companies involved include Aerospace Corporation, Air Force Missile Test Center, Avco, Chance-Vought, Collins Radio, Convair, Cornell, General Dynamics, General Electric, Grumman, IBM, North American, Radioplane, and Thiokol. Copies of some of these documents are also in entry 70 boxes 56-62. (Old acc#66A432, 72A5, and 72A798.

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E.198B1. MAUNALS FOR GROUND COMPUTER OPERATIONS.

1962-1964. 3 ft.

Arranged by subject.

Operations and maintenance manuals produced by IBM, Bendix, or Western Electric for computer equipment used by Mercury Project ground controllers at Cape Canaveral and other tracking sites. The manuals relate to capsule communications, radar tracking, command control transmission, launch monitor, and acquisition systems. There are operating procedures for Computation and Data Flo Integration Subsystem (CADFISS) tests that led up to a full simulated mission and a Computing Program Description for the MA9 flight prepared by the Goddard Center in 1964. The Real Time Program Development Branch of the Mission Planning and Analysis Division of the Directorate of Engineering and Development maintained the records. (Old acc#67A968)

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E.198C. MCDONNELL TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS.

1960-1963. 11 FT.

Arranged by subject and thereunder numerically (6000-9631 with gaps). There is a list of the numbered documents in box 1.

Formal technical reports and documents submitted by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation to NASA under the terms of contract NAS 5-59. The documents include checkout procedures, detailed specifications for a Manned Satellite Capsule (6603), structural design criteria and analysis, test specifications and results, quality control procedures and inspection reports, cost and delivery data, operating procedures, and studies of engineering problems. The documents relate to all phases of the Mercury program including launch and recovery, mission rules and procedures, instrumentation, ground support equipment, life support, reliability and safety, and program schedules and accomplishments. (Old acc #66A432, 72A5, and 72A798)

A-20-72-1
E.198D. SERVICE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT REPORTS (SEDRs).

1960-1963. 18 ft.

Arranged numerically (36 to 238 with gaps). There is a list of titles in box 1. Within each document category, there are generally separate documents for each capsule.

Copies of technical documents prepared by McDonnell Aircraft that served basically as operating and maintenance manuals for Mercury hardware. The documents (generally referred to as “cedars”) include acceptance test procedures, checkout procedures, installation checklists, servicing procedures, and operations manuals. There are copies of the spacecraft Familiarization Manual (104), Maintenance Manual (108), Launch Countdowns (103), Flight Simulations (171), Capsule Flight Operations Manual and Astronaut Handbook (109), Flight Controller Handbook (204), Recovery Handbook for Primates (188), and MA-9 Experiments (236). Many of the documents are also identified as Florida Test Procedures. Copies of some of these documents are also in entry 70 boxes 80-84. (Old acc #66A432, 72A5, and 72A798)

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E.198E. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION FILES.

1958-1963. 17 ft.

Arranged numerically by contract number (1-430, 5-1 to 5-307, 9-1 to 9-1454) with gaps. Records relating to contract NAS 5-59 are arranged by subject in accordance with a numerical file plan.

Copies of correspondence, contracts, requests for proposals, invitations to bid, statements of work, procurement plans, change proposals, change notices, amendments, cost data, progress reports, and some technical reports submitted by contractors. The correspondence includes both copies and originals of internal NASA memoranda and letters sent to and received from contractors and subcontractors. Most of the correspondence with contractors is signed by Sherwood L. Butler or other NASA contracting officers and relates to contract administration, schedules, and payments. The bulk of the files relate to contract NAS 5-59 (the Mercury capsule) and are marked “Space Contract Files.” The records also include transcriptions taken from the capsule onboard voice tape for MA6, MA-8, and MA-9 and the pilot’s debriefing for MA-6 flown by John Glenn. There is also some material including photographs and drawings relating to the Redstone (HS44) and Atlas (HS-36) boosters. Some of the files relating to contract NAS5-59 were used in the investigation of the AS204 fire and became part of the records described in entry 210A. (Old acc#66A43, 72A5, 72A798, 76A475)

A-20-72-7
E.199. DRAWINGS.

Arranged by drawing number. There is a list of drawings in the first map drawer.

(Old acc# 66A432)

B-35-20-1 and B-27-14-5