Notes on Space Technology

These notes are part of a space technology course given at the Flight Research Division of the NACA Langley Aeronautical Laboratory during the early part of 1958. The course was conducted as a self-education program within the Flight Research Division and the various Sections of the notes were prepared for the most part by members of the Division; however, four of the seventeen Sections were prepared by personnel from the Pilotless Aircraft Research Division and the Compressibility Research Division who were very helpful in making the program more complete.

The notes have been compiled on a brief time schedule and it will be apparent to the reader that the present version is incomplete and to some extent may lack uniformity in length, type of presentation, and technical detail in the various Sections. Nevertheless, there has been a demand for the notes from those who have seen them, and it is thought that they might serve a useful purpose if they were made available on a wider basis. It is believed that for the sake of expediency this goal is best achieved by making the material available now in its present unedited form instead of following the usual NACA editing procedures.