From the National Aviation Advisory Committee NACA to NASA

Zhang Juen/text

[Description] This is the copy I prepared for a special video series. The production of the show was postponed for some reason, and it happened that a friend was discussing the matter, so it was published here for the reference of people who are interested and in need. The process of preparing copywriting is a process of learning and cognition, if there are mistakes or inappropriateness, please point them out, especially friends in the aerospace industry to correct them.

Moderator: Welcome to ...... Join us as we explore the aerospace and defense laboratories in the United States. You are a veteran scientist who has been engaged in aviation for decades, and has personally participated in the construction and management of aviation laboratories. We'd love to talk to you about how U.S. defense labs are being laid out, what role they're playing, and what's happening in the aerospace space.

Guest: It's a pleasure to be here. In fact, I would like to thank and benefit from a book compiled by the China Institute of Shipbuilding Industry Comprehensive Technology and Economics, "Dream Factory of Scientific and Technological Innovation - A Glimpse of the US Defense Laboratory". I read this book and it was very instructive. Indeed, as the title suggests, America's defense laboratories are "dream factories of innovation." In aerospace, the same is true.

Moderator: Where do we start talking? When we talk about the innovative development of aerospace in the United States and the defense laboratories in this field, we cannot talk about NASA in the United States. Let's start here. Can you tell us what kind of agency NASA is? People are curious, is its surname "military" or "civilian"?

Guest: Indeed, as you said, when talking about aviation innovation and development, we can't talk about the US Aviation Defense Laboratory, but we can't talk about NASA. NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and is an independent agency at the ministerial level, along with the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency. The director of the bureau is directly appointed and dismissed by the president and directly reports to the president.

If NASA's mission could be summed up in one sentence, it would be to win and strengthen America's leading position in aerospace, including, of course, military use. When NASA was founded, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed seven tasks for NASA in his address to Congress. These include: raising mankind's understanding of the Earth and the universe, improving the use, performance, safety, and efficiency of aircraft, developing vehicles capable of carrying weapons, equipment, and living beings into space, maintaining the leading position of the United States in the aerospace field, providing the government with research results of military value or military significance, cooperating with other countries in the peaceful use of space research results, and making the most effective use of American engineering power to avoid duplication of construction.

Half of these missions have a direct, undisguised military purpose, and the other half also have potential military uses. Therefore, although NASA is nominally a civilian organization, and they also claim that their duty is to "conduct flight research and conduct research on the earth and the universe", in fact, most of the projects serve military purposes, and in fact, they have become one of the organizers of the country's military aerospace science and technology in close coordination with the military.

Moderator: That's interesting. NASA has indeed always advertised itself as doing research "outside the military." But why is there a strong military overtone?

Guest: That's exactly what NASA advertised, and when it was founded, they claimed to be carrying on the original intention of its predecessor, NACA, to do aerospace research outside of the military. However, the special situation of the United States has tied it tightly to the military. Even in the eyes of the military, NASA is a research institute for weapons and equipment.

This is because, when NASA was founded, most of the military's research projects at that time were subsumed under the President's Executive Order, including the "Pioneer" and "Explorer" programs that the U.S. Navy was undergoing at that time, as well as all of the U.S. scientific satellite programs. The Flying Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base was merged into NASA and renamed the Flight Research Center, and the Space Program Division of the Naval Research Laboratory was reorganized into the Goddard Center for Space Flight Research. In 1960, NASA also took over the Army Ballistic Missile Agency and established the "Marshall Space Flight Center" to be responsible for the research of large launch vehicles. The Army's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is also part of NASA, which is jointly managed by NASA and the California Institute of Technology.

Moreover, NASA's research centers are often co-located with U.S. military bases. NASA has a long history of close relationships with the Department of Defense and the Army, Navy and Air Force, often working together to advance cooperative programs.

Of course, in a more fundamental sense, almost all of the cutting-edge research conducted by NASA has strong prospects for military applications, and the military has a strong demand, or even directly promoted by the military, and NASA organizes and leads. In this way, it can more skillfully "hide the military from the people", and can also better reflect the cross-domain application of the military and civilian. Not to mention, in recent years, opening up research results directly to civilian institutions, such as supporting Musk's development of commercial spaceflight, has benefited both the military and civilian communities, and has played a huge role in ensuring the leading position of the United States in this field.

Moderator: When was NASA founded? Why did you set up such an organization? You just talked about NACA, but what is it?

Guest: NASA was founded in 1958. At that time, the world pattern was dominated by the United States and the Soviet Union. In the field of aviation, the scale and level are comparable, and in the field of aerospace, although the two countries were secretly competing at that time, hoping to take the lead, in the launch of artificial satellites, the Soviet Union was still the first to take the lead.

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite of mankind, Sputnik 1, which shook the world and stimulated the United States. Thirty days later, the Soviets launched a second one, carrying a puppy named "Laika" on board. The whole of the United States was outraged, calling the Soviet victory a nightmare and a disgrace to the Americans. In order to regain its reputation, the United States hastened research and development, but due to the dispersion of forces, the naval research laboratories that have mastered the resources have failed one after another due to insufficient technical reserves. The Army Laboratory, headed by von Braun, a former German prisoner of war, had a relative advantage in talent and technology, but it could not play a role.

Under the weight of the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union and the cries of the Chinese people, the president finally approved the von Braun team of the Army Laboratory and the Army Missile Agency to undertake this mission. The adjustment was immediate, and on January 29, 1958, the first artificial satellite of the United States was launched into Earth orbit. Since then, five more successful launches have been made.

From this incident, Eisenhower saw that the problem was not whether there was appropriate technology, but first of all that resources were scattered and forces were insufficient, and that there must be a determination to optimize in order to end intolerable prevarication and inefficiency. On July 29 of that year, Eisenhower signed and promulgated the National Aerospace Act. Under this act, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which was established on March 3, 1915, was reorganized into NASA on October 1. In a word, NASA was founded to optimize space resources and catch up with and surpass the Soviet Union in the field of spaceflight.

Moderator: What has NASA achieved since its establishment?

Guest: It can be said that the results are remarkable. After the rapid formation of the national will and the optimization of space resources, it took just over a year to make breakthroughs in both satellites and astronauts. In fact, the gap between the United States and the Soviet Union was not mainly in technology, nor in talent, but in the concentrated use of resources and the firmness of the national will.

After World War II, the United States recruited a large number of top scientists and engineering masters, including von Braun, from defeated Germany. The recently released American film "Oppenheimer" tells the story of the development of the atomic bomb at the end of World War II, and the protagonist is also a group of Jewish scientists from Germany. Von Braun led his team not only to quickly launch the American satellite, but also to miraculously solve the development problem of the high-thrust launch vehicle Saturn 5 in the later Apollo moon landing project, without any failure, and still holds the world record for carrying capacity.

Facts have proven that once the problem of "relations of production" that restricts development is resolved, the productive forces will gush out. Only four months later than the Soviet Union, in February 1958, the American satellite was launched. Compared with the success of Gagarin in the Soviet Union on April 12, 1961, when he became the first "astronaut" on the world's first spacecraft "Vostok", Glenn of the United States also became the first astronaut in the United States and the second in the world in February 1962, with a time difference of only 10 months.

Since then, the United States has established a number of space laboratories and research centers under the command of NASA, surpassing the Soviet Union in terms of strength, especially the success of the Apollo program has reached its peak. In addition to the space station, which was extremely useful, the Soviet Union has always maintained a leading position, and the Americans have surpassed the Soviet Union in other aspects of the space field, and the top spot has been firmly held by the Americans.

Moderator: Let's turn our attention back to the lab. Excuse me, how many labs does NASA have?

Guest: Under NASA, there are a number of research centers, and there are very few that are directly called laboratories, but from the perspective of their business content, they should be research and experimental institutions. And under the center, there will be many professional laboratories. According to the "Centers and Facilities" section of the NASA website, there are 11 of them. According to the date of the year of establishment, I made a table.

name	business	Year of establishment
Langley Research Center Langley Research Center	Aerospace Technology and Earth Sciences	1917
Jet Propulsion Laboratory Jet Propulsion Laboratory	Robots explore the solar system and observe the Earth	1936
Ames Research Center Ames Research Center	IT, basic aeronautical, biological and space science and technology research	1939
Glenn Research Center Glenn Research Center	Aviation propulsion and communication technology	1941
Armstrong Flight Research Center Armstrong Flight Research Center	Flight research	1946
Goddard Space Flight Center Goddard Space Flight Center	Earth, solar system and cosmic observations, and space communications and navigation	1959
Marshall Space Flight Center Marshall Space Flight Center	Space launch and propulsion technology	1960
Goddard Institute for Space Studies Goddard Institute for Space Studies	Global climate change research (also a laboratory affiliated with the Goddard Space Flight Center)	1960
Johnson Space Center Johnson Space Center	Human space exploration	1961
Stennis Space Center Stennis Space Center	Rocket propulsion test and remote sensing technology	1961
Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center	Prepare and execute orbital and extraterrestrial flights	1962

As can be seen from the "Year of Establishment" in the table above, there have been two major steps in its development stage.

The first step was to take over and adapt the experimental research institutes that NASA took over and adapted at the time of its formation, mainly the "belongings" of the original NACA They are: the Langley Research Center, which was established in 1917, was originally called the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory established in 1936, the Ames Research Center, which was established in 1939, was formerly known as the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory, and the Armstrong Flight Research Center, which was established in 1946, and the predecessor of the Glenn Research Center was the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory established in 1941, renamed the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in 1948, and was renamed the Lewis Research Center when it was transferred to NASA in 1958, and was renamed the current name in 1999 to commemorate the 1962 pilotFriendship 7 went into space, flew three times around the Earth, and became John Glenn, the first American astronaut.

The second step was to set up six research centers with the word "astronautics" in their names, concentrated in the period from 1959 to 1962, which was highly suitable for the national mission to catch up with and surpass the Soviet space flight.

These 11 experimental research institutes have played an extremely important role in the great cause of aerospace innovation and development in the United States, and they are also a decisive force for the United States to maintain its priority position in this field.

Moderator: Since the establishment of NASA, what achievements have its laboratories or research centers made in the field of astronautics?

Guest: It should be said that extraordinary results have been achieved. If we want to find such a case in today's world -- embodying the will of the country, concentrating national resources, and carrying out scientific and technological research in a certain field, so as to lead the world in one fell swoop, then in my heart, it must be NASA. In particular, in its first 20 years, it executed and managed the following major aerospace programs:

1. The Mercury Project to determine whether humans can survive in space;

2. Gemini program, practice space operations, and accumulate experience for the moon landing;

3. The Apollo moon landings;

4. Automatic exploration programs to the Moon, Venus, Mars and other planets;

5. Develop aviation aircraft to improve flight efficiency and flight speed;

6. Development of earth satellites, communication satellites, meteorological satellites, etc.;

7. The Skylab program, the first U.S. space station;

8. Development of a reusable space shuttle.

These programs have all been successful or largely successful. NASA's dedication to expanding humanity's scientific understanding of the universe and its focus on discovering what lies deep in the universe and whether and how we need and how to get there has been a tremendous achievement, while also contributing to the understanding of the universe by all mankind. Among them, the Apollo moon landing project has reached an unsurpassed peak of major scientific and technological projects of mankind.

From July 1969 to February 1972, all the Type 7 Apollo spacecraft were successfully launched, of which 6 and 12 astronauts landed on the moon. Its carrier rocket "Saturn" 5, from 1967 to 1973, 13 of the 17 missions carried out by Apollo, a total of 11 manned flights, all successful, to achieve extremely high reliability; its take-off mass of 2,950 tons, take-off thrust of 3,400 tons, can send 47 tons of payload to the moon, or 139 tons of payload to low earth orbit; so far, it is still the world's largest launch vehicle.

Among the above achievements, NASA's laboratories and research centers have played the most important role, from program development to key technology research, from product development to test flights. For example, the Marshall Space Flight Center is responsible for the development of the Saturn 5 rocket, the Johnson Space Center is responsible for the design of the core system, the Langley Research Center is responsible for the selection of the lunar orbit rendezvous method and the development of the space capsule, and the Ames Research Center is responsible for the re-entry capsule design, the Apollo control system, and the electromagnetic analysis of the lunar surface.

Of course, NASA isn't a panacea. In the biography "The Unfinished Legend" of Joe Sutter, the chief designer of the Boeing 747 aircraft, it was revealed that while developing the 747 passenger aircraft, Boeing had to accept NASA's request for help to undertake the so-called "Technology Integration and Evaluation" (TIE) project for the overwhelmed Apollo project, and dispatched thousands of the best engineers to help, "which soon made the Apollo program formal." Without their assistance, President Kennedy's vision of a moon landing would not have been possible before the end of the 60s of the 20th century." He added that Boeing's "contribution has remained unknown, and Boeing's purpose in keeping quiet is to avoid an embarrassing situation for NASA." However, after so many years, the topic has thawed. ”

In addition to the Apollo program, NASA's achievements in space exploration are also remarkable. The famous Hubble telescope and the farthest voyages ever from Earth, Voyager 1 and 2, as well as the multi-type rover (Soul, Opportunity, Curiosity, Perseverance) are all masterpieces of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The James Uber Telescope, launched on December 25, 2021, is an infrared observation space telescope developed by NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

NASA continues to release photos of galaxies, nebulae and extrasolar giants to the world, leading the world's space exploration activities. More than half of the 300 or so deep space probes have been developed and operated by NASA laboratories. In contrast, the continent has not done much in this area.

Moderator: You are engaged in aviation science and technology, what are NASA's achievements in aviation?

To talk about the contributions of NASA and its defense laboratories in the field of aviation, we have to talk about its predecessor, the NACA National Aviation Advisory Council. This organization was founded in 1915, before the aerospace industry existed, and its mission was to promote the development of the American aviation industry. Although the modern airplane was born in the United States, the Wright brothers' invention was not taken seriously in the United States. The modern aviation industry was born in Europe.

By 1914, French, German, and British aircraft far surpassed those of the United States in both quantity and quality. It was not until the outbreak of World War I, the appearance of military aircraft, and the sharp increase in production, that the United States woke up and put forward a "contingency plan" for the development of the aviation industry.

In 1915, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution to establish the "National Aviation Advisory Committee" to lead the U.S. aviation industry and promote aviation research. In 1917, NACA began construction of the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, the first national aeronautical research facility. Thanks to NACA's efforts, the United States began to return to the right path of vigorous aviation development, and truly established itself as an aviation power in World War II.

NACA has made great use of the resources at its disposal to focus on research and support for the aviation industry. A large number of aviation flight records were born under the leadership of NACA, and behind them is real aviation science and technology research. The most famous are breaking the sound barrier and setting altitude and speed records for manned aircraft.

In October 1947, NACA organized the development of the X-1 test aircraft and the research of supersonic technology, and achieved transonic flight for the first time. In the 60s of the 20th century, the Armstrong Flight Research Center organized the X-15 manned rocket plane to fly test, creating two aviation records that have been maintained to this day at a flight speed of Mach 6.72 and an altitude of 108 kilometers, and laid the necessary technical foundation for the advent of the space shuttle.

NACA has also served the aviation industry, such as assisting in the mobilization of wartime industrial capacity during World War II, completing the supply of large quantities of weapons and equipment to the Allies, and being referred to as "the power of our air superiority" due to its key role in the production of superchargers for high-altitude bombers and the North American P-51 Mustang leading edge airfoil.

Moderator: What is NASA's latest arrangement for aviation?

Guest: The main purpose of NASA is to catch up with the Soviet Union in the field of aerospace and continue to maintain its superiority. Compared with aerospace, there is less support for aviation, which may be related to the market economy nature of civil aviation and the inconvenience of public support for aviation science and technology. But now with the rise of European aviation, NASA is stepping up its research on aviation. The latest development is that in August 2023, NASA's Aeronautical Research Mission Division, or ARMD, released the NASA Aviation Strategic Implementation Plan 2023.

The new version of the Implementation Plan reviews and summarizes the historical contributions of NASA's aeronautical research to the country, proposes strategic core tasks in six areas in line with national priorities and aviation development vision, and elaborates on the phased goals and research themes of each field. Under the guidance of this plan, NASA's aeronautical research is expected to break new ground and achieve new achievements.

Moderator: What can the establishment and operation of NASA bring us?

Guest: There is no doubt that NASA is a banner and a successful example of a great power that uses its national strength to plan and organize aerospace science and technology activities. Its organizational style and mode of operation, including the establishment of a systematic experimental research system, and the concentration of basic and shared scientific research that must be undertaken and completed by the state's "big scientific and technological forces", especially a large number of non-utilitarian or short-term non-utilitarian research projects in the field of aerospace, such as the exploration and understanding of the universe, are all worthy of our reference and learning.

In addition, I believe that there are two other points that deserve our attention and consideration.

First, aerospace is not separated. NASA is known as the Aeronautics and Aviation Administration, and the development of these two fields is coordinated to the greatest extent, so as to realize the mutual promotion of aerospace and adapt to the general trend of the integration and development of aerospace technology. However, the separation of the continental aviation and aerospace agencies, and the China National Space Administration, which specializes in one area and is not an entity, is not the most suitable for making full use of national resources and coordinating the development of aerospace science and technology.

Second, it has a wide range of collaboration capabilities. NASA not only has close relations with the military, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, the Federal Aviation Administration, etc., but also has established open and collaborative relationships with aerospace industry companies, airlines, universities, and social organizations. Their experience and practice are also worthy of our emulation.