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Space Task Group

 

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Space Task Group


 
 

The Space Task Group was a working group of engineers based at Langley Research CenterLangley Research Center

Langley Research Center Oldest of NASA's field centers, LaRC is located in Hampton, Virginia and directly borders Poquoson, ...
 in Hampton, VirginiaHampton, Virginia

Hampton is an independent city in Virginia....
. Created in 1958, the group was part of NASANASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States Government, responsible for the nation'...
 and was tasked with superintending America's manned spaceflight program.

Created on November 5, 1958, the Space Task Group was headed by Robert Gilruth. Originally it consisted of only forty-five people, including eight secretaries and "computers" (the term for women who ran calculations on mechanical adding machines). Of its thirty-seven engineers, twenty-seven were from Langley Research CenterLangley Research Center

Langley Research Center Oldest of NASA's field centers, LaRC is located in Hampton, Virginia and directly borders Poquoson, ...
 and ten had been assigned from Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio Summary

For the Cleveland area, see Greater Cleveland....
. Original members of the group included Charles Donlan, Gilruth's deputy; Max Faget, head of engineering; Chuck Mathews, head of flight operations; Chris Kraft, also in flight operations; and Glynn LunneyGlynn Lunney

Glynn S. Lunney is a retired NASA engineer....
, who at twenty-one was the youngest member of the group.

In 1959, the group was greatly expanded by the addition of thirty-two engineers from Canada, who had been left without jobs when the Avro Arrow project was cancelled. These new additions, Canadians and some British, included Jim ChamberlinJim Chamberlin

James A. Chamberlin was a Canadian aerodynamicist who led the design of the Canadian Avro Arrow and NASA Gemini space capsul...
, John HodgeJohn Hodge (engineer)

John Dennis Hodge is a British-born aerospace engineer....
, Owen Maynard, Rodney Rose and Tecwyn Roberts.

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