Entry Research and Development Program Management

Abstract

Long before entry into a planet’s atmosphere or the subsequent return to Earth, the ponderous mechanism of “Research and Development”—“R and D” —as we today know it in this country, must be set in motion. Inevitably it will involve almost every element of our society—from Capitol Hill to the least supplier of raw materials or piece parts. The program will be so large that government funding is mandatory, and the complex process by which such vast enterprises get started must work itself out. The program will probably follow the awkward, often antagonistic pattern of management by a government technical agency and implementation by several tiers of industrial contractors.