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Beyond the Atmosphere:
Early Years of Space Science
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- CHAPTER 1
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- THE MEANING OF SPACE
SCIENCE
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- [3] The science
managers in the new National Aeronautics and Space Administration
of 1958 for the most part had limited experience in the management
of science programs. By comparison with the broad program about to
unfold, the previous sounding rocket work and even the
International Geophysical Year programs were modest indeed. Yet
the evolving perceptions of these individuals as to the nature and
needs of science would play a major role in the development of the
U.S. space science program. At first those perceptions were
largely intuitive, growing out of personal needs and experience in
scientific research, although a rather extensive literature made
the thoughts and experience of others available. In addition, in
launching the new program the space science managers had the
benefit of the wise counsel of Deputy Administrator Hugh Dryden
and Administrator T. Keith Glennan, both of whom had had
considerable experience in managing science and technology
programs.
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- Because of the central role played by the
concepts of science that NASA managers brought to bear-sometimes
consciously, sometimes subconsciously-on the planning and conduct
of the NASA space science program, some of those concepts are set
forth here at the outset. Moreover, the reader should bear in mind
that these concepts are implicit in the author's treatment of
space science in this book. The exposition below, while a
substantial elaboration of a summary presented to Congress in the
spring of 1966, is still highly condensed, and runs the risk of
oversimplification.1
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