Chapter 4At NASA 1958-1964

After eighteen months, two years, $27 million, whatever was finally spent back then, it was decided, to hell with it, we’ll just go ahead and put a parachute system on it like Mercury and use the landing procedures that we had.
Robert Thompson ##

July 1958 - NACA is disbanded to become the National Aeronautic and space-agency (NASA). Francis M. Rogallo becomes a NASA employee as head of the 7-by-10-foot Tunnels Branch.

August 1964 - The NASA Paraglider Development Program is discontinued as part of the Gemini space program.

To write the story of the Paraglider Development Program, we relied on these publications:

- Barton C. Hacker and James M. Grimwood: On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini (doc-07)

- Richard Hallion: On the Frontier (doc-08)

- Robert G. Ferguson: NASA’s First A – Aeronautics from 1958 to 2008 (doc-16)

- Amy Shira Teitel: The Paraglider: How NASA Tried and Failed to Land Without Parachutes. (doc-17)

Sections

Sputniks’ late 1957 launch and orbits upended NACA. A year later, in NACA’s place, the country created the civilian National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA. Most aeronautics programs initially continued to operate as they had before the change to NASA, but these were now a minor portion of a much larger and qualitatively different enterprise.
Section 4.1Sputnik
Rogallo had failed to convince NACA at Langley to study the flexible wing. In December 1958, NASA’s Langley Committee on General Aerodynamics decided to hear Rogallo describe how it might be used for a ground landing. The group responded warmly, and work on the concept moved from Rogallo’s home to laboratories at Langley.
Section 4.2Who Convinced NASA?
In May 1961, the studies by the NASA research centers, and by the contractors received a new name: Phase I of the Paraglider Development Program. By mid-August, Phase I appeared to prove the feasibility of the concept for the recovery of manned spacecraft.
Section 4.3The Paraglider Development Program
According to Francis Rogallo: In Parawing for Astronautics , a 1963 presentation to the Specialist Meeting on Space Rendez-Vous, Rescue and Recovery. (rre-06)
Section 4.4Rogallo at NASA
NASA’s designs were not connected to the Rogallos’ patented flexible kites. What inspired the engineers to research and develop their many parawings and parasails? Were they aware of Jan Lavezzari’s and Reinhold Platz’s designs? (bna-01). Anyone studying aviation at university could have been able to learn about them. By 1961, they were certainly aware of Lee and Darrah’s, and other patented designs for bi-conical kites and wings, plus the gliding parachute patents.
Section 4.5Patents of Interest — 1903-1953
In his 1967 presentation, NASA Research on Flexible Wings (rre-08), Rogallo explained that tests were conducted with different types of structural stiffness, from “thin sheet metal” to “all flexible”, with very different results in performance and simplicity of use.
Section 4.6How Flexible Is Flexible?
We found these patents of interest relating to the Paraglider Development Program.
Section 4.7Patents of Interest — Paraglider Development Program
To understand Rogallo’s contribution to aircraft design, we examined his patents.
Section 4.8Rogallo’s Contribution — The Patents
To understand Rogallo’s contribution to NASA projects, we looked for Rogallo’s publications.
Section 4.9Rogallo’s Contribution — The Publications
In his November 1962 technical note on Flexible Wing Research and Development, Rogallo wrote:
Section 4.10From Deceptions to Lies
In July 1963, NASA presented the Rogallos with a US$35,000 monetary award. Rogallo commented in his September 1963 presentation Parawing for Astronautics: (rre-06)
Section 4.11The $35,000 Cash Award