[31] The Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics became interested in liquid hydrogen as a rocket fuel in the second half of 1945 in connection with its early satellite proposals. Unlike the Wright Field contract with Ohio State University, which was research-oriented with no specific application in mind, the Navy interest was, from first to last, linked directly to its proposal to use a single-stage rocket to boost a satellite into orbit. For this reason, the effort is best viewed within the broader context of the Navy's early interest in missiles and satellites.