CHAPTER XI

MY FIRST STEP, in checking on our space plans, was to look up official
announcements. I found that on December 29, 1948, Defense Secretary
James Forrestal had released this official statement:

"The Earth Satellite Vehicle Program, which is being carried out
independently by each military service, has been assigned to the
Committee on Guided Missiles for co-ordination.

"To provide an integrated program, the Committee has recommended that
current efforts be limited to studies and component design.
Well-defined areas of such research have been allocated to each of the
three military departments."

Appropriation bills had already provided funds for space exploration
plans. The Air Force research was indicated by General Curtis E.
LeMay, who was then Deputy Chief of Air Staff for Research and
Development. In outlining plans for an Air Engineering Design Center
at Wright Field, General LeMay included these space-exploration
requisites:

"Flight and survival equipment for ultra-atmospheric operations,
including space vehicles, space bases, and devices for use therein."

The idea of exploring space is, of course, nothing new. For many
years, writers of imaginative fiction have described trips to the moon
and distant planets. More recently, comic books and strips have gone