When did NASA first enter the launch-vehicle business?

[Proponent]

I was thinking that NASA has been in the business of building launch vehicles for a very long time.  Looking backward, we have SLS, Shuttle, the Saturns.  NASA picked up the Saturns in 1960, when the von Braun team moved to NASA, but I believe it briefly also managed Atlas-Vega, which was cancelled when Atlas-Centaur, then managed by the Air Force, was revealed.  Have I got that right?  Which came first, Atlas-Vega or the transfer of Saturn to NASA?  Have I neglected any other early NASA launch-vehicle efforts?

[AmigaClone]

I was thinking that NASA has been in the business of building launch vehicles for a very long time.  Looking backward, we have SLS, Shuttle, the Saturns.  NASA picked up the Saturns in 1960, when the von Braun team moved to NASA, but I believe it briefly also managed Atlas-Vega, which was cancelled when Atlas-Centaur, then managed by the Air Force, was revealed.  Have I got that right?  Which came first, Atlas-Vega or the transfer of Saturn to NASA?  Have I neglected any other early NASA launch-vehicle efforts?

NASA started work on the Nova rocket in 1958.

[Blackstar]

I was thinking that NASA has been in the business of building launch vehicles for a very long time. 

Pedantic but important point: contractors built them.

[AS_501]

I was thinking that NASA has been in the business of building launch vehicles for a very long time.  Looking backward, we have SLS, Shuttle, the Saturns.  NASA picked up the Saturns in 1960, when the von Braun team moved to NASA, but I believe it briefly also managed Atlas-Vega, which was cancelled when Atlas-Centaur, then managed by the Air Force, was revealed.  Have I got that right?  Which came first, Atlas-Vega or the transfer of Saturn to NASA?  Have I neglected any other early NASA launch-vehicle efforts?

NASA started work on the Nova rocket in 1958.

Not long after the agency was formed(?).  Was NACA giving any thought to all-new civilian rockets?

[Proponent]

NASA started work on the Nova rocket in 1958.

I was thinking that NASA has been in the business of building launch vehicles for a very long time. 

Pedantic but important point: contractors built them.

Good point. Really what I have in mind is NASA designing and managing launch vehicles.

[Proponent]

NASA started work on the Nova rocket in 1958.

Nova is not what I have in mind, because no development contracts were ever issued.  NASA certainly discussed Nova early on, as the attached document dating from very early 1959 shows.  But that document also mentions several explicitly non-NASA launch vehicles, including Saturn (then known as Juno V), which was at the time an Army project.  I would not be surprised if in considering Nova, NASA envisioned it would be developed by the Army.

[edkyle99]

I was thinking that NASA has been in the business of building launch vehicles for a very long time.  Looking backward, we have SLS, Shuttle, the Saturns.  NASA picked up the Saturns in 1960, when the von Braun team moved to NASA, but I believe it briefly also managed Atlas-Vega, which was cancelled when Atlas-Centaur, then managed by the Air Force, was revealed.  Have I got that right?  Which came first, Atlas-Vega or the transfer of Saturn to NASA?  Have I neglected any other early NASA launch-vehicle efforts?

NASA opened for business on October 1, 1958.  It was given control of the ongoing Project Vanguard even before parts of NRL joined the Agency to form Goddard.  From Vanguard came Thor-Delta, one of NASA's first home-grown launch vehicles, though riding on a USAF booster.  Another was Scout, from NACA/Langley.  This was a new rocket top to bottom, though based on some existing motors and may meet the requirements to be called NASA first in-house rocket.  Of course the Army group gave NASA Junos 1 and 2 and the just starting Saturn.  Vega and Centaur were upper stage efforts funded by NASA, to ride on the USAF Atlas.

 - Ed Kyle 

[Hog]

I was thinking that NASA has been in the business of building launch vehicles for a very long time.  Looking backward, we have SLS, Shuttle, the Saturns.  NASA picked up the Saturns in 1960, when the von Braun team moved to NASA, but I believe it briefly also managed Atlas-Vega, which was cancelled when Atlas-Centaur, then managed by the Air Force, was revealed.  Have I got that right?  Which came first, Atlas-Vega or the transfer of Saturn to NASA?  Have I neglected any other early NASA launch-vehicle efforts?

NASA started work on the Nova rocket in 1958.

NASA came to be in mid 58.   
Sounds like they've been doing it for some 64 years. 

100% reliance on commercial launch contracts for for national programs will be a change.  It's been a decent political tool for NASA.  Let's face it, launch vehicles are just way cool and a source of prestige/funding for all involved.  I know that seeing those astronauts, some  of them 'bounding" down the staircase out of the side of the orbiters, was a source of personal motivation to pursue a science rich education.  Tuning in very early STS missions via NASA Select on C-band satellite broadcasting across North America..
In the year 2022 I am still seeing advertisements using STS- Orbiter Vehicles as the primary focus.  It retired in 2011.   That Boeing/ATK Band-Aid is going to sting when it gets ripped off.  Its had 50 years to embed......that's a long time for the most efficient staged combustion hydrolox and the most powerful large segmented solid rocket propulsion, ever.  But there are better ways, these days.

[LittleBird]

NASA started work on the Nova rocket in 1958.

Nova is not what I have in mind, because no development contracts were ever issued.  NASA certainly discussed Nova early on, as the attached document dating from very early 1959 shows.  But that document also mentions several explicitly non-NASA launch vehicles, including Saturn (then known as Juno V), which was at the time an Army project.  I would not be surprised if in considering Nova, NASA envisioned it would be developed by the Army.

That's a nice doc. I knew of the early era when Agena was still Hustler, but had never seen Atlas-Hustler under that name.

[JoeFromRIUSA]

I was thinking that NASA has been in the business of building launch vehicles for a very long time.  Looking backward, we have SLS, Shuttle, the Saturns.  NASA picked up the Saturns in 1960, when the von Braun team moved to NASA, but I believe it briefly also managed Atlas-Vega, which was cancelled when Atlas-Centaur, then managed by the Air Force, was revealed.  Have I got that right?  Which came first, Atlas-Vega or the transfer of Saturn to NASA?  Have I neglected any other early NASA launch-vehicle efforts?

Not to pick nits, but Vega was cancelled because the Atlas Agena was comparable in performance.

[Proponent]

Not to pick nits, but ....

Please do!  I love space-historical trivia.

[Jim]

Nova is not what I have in mind, because no development contracts were ever issued.  NASA certainly discussed Nova early on, as the attached document dating from very early 1959 shows.  But that document also mentions several explicitly non-NASA launch vehicles, including Saturn (then known as Juno V), which was at the time an Army project.  I would not be surprised if in considering Nova, NASA envisioned it would be developed by the Army.

No, even though it did not happen right away like Vanguard (July 1958), ABMA ops division was to be brought over to NASA in December 1958 with JPL.   It didn't happen until July 1960.  In the meanwhile, NASA "contracted" for ABMA support.

NASA wasn't going to have the Army manage Nova.  There was no benefit to the Army to do it.

[LittleBird]

Nova is not what I have in mind, because no development contracts were ever issued.  NASA certainly discussed Nova early on, as the attached document dating from very early 1959 shows.  But that document also mentions several explicitly non-NASA launch vehicles, including Saturn (then known as Juno V), which was at the time an Army project.  I would not be surprised if in considering Nova, NASA envisioned it would be developed by the Army.

No, even though it did not happen right away like Vanguard (July 1958), ABMA ops division was to be brought over to NASA in December 1958 with JPL.   It didn't happen until July 1960.  In the meanwhile, NASA "contracted" for ABMA support.

NASA wasn't going to have the Army manage Nova.  There was no benefit to the Army to do it.

And interesting that in Washington Countdown from Missiles and Rockets from October 5th 1959 the word was of NASA/USAF rivalry for the ABMA: [H/T to libra for this link in the recent  ARPA thread]


        https://archive.org/stream/missilesrockets5195unse_1/missilesrockets5195unse_1_djvu.txt

     

    IN  THE  PENTAGON

    Ultimate  fate  of  ABMA  .  .  .

    remains  decidedly  unclear  in  the  wake  of  re-
    cent Pentagon  space  juggling.  Both  NASA  and
    the  Air  Force  are  considered  likely  inheritors
    of  the  Army  space  agency.

I'm sure the tale of this USAF/NASA rivalry for ABMA  is well told in many places but one very readable old account is "Journey to Tranquillity" by Young, Silcock and Dunn from about 1970 which I think drew on John Medaris' memoir.

[Michel Van]

I was thinking that NASA has been in the business of building launch vehicles for a very long time.  Looking backward, we have SLS, Shuttle, the Saturns.  NASA picked up the Saturns in 1960, when the von Braun team moved to NASA, but I believe it briefly also managed Atlas-Vega, which was cancelled when Atlas-Centaur, then managed by the Air Force, was revealed.  Have I got that right?  Which came first, Atlas-Vega or the transfer of Saturn to NASA?  Have I neglected any other early NASA launch-vehicle efforts?

It's complicated
Atlas and variants were USAF spin off of SM-65 ICBM program.
Atlas-Vega was partly JLP involvement for third stage, abandon  for Atlas Centaur under USAF.
Titan II GLV und Titan IIIE were spin off from LGM-25C program   
Delta is modified version of the PGM-17 Thor by USAF. 
Saturn I & IB were part of US Army (ABMA) until ABMA became part of NASA.
Redstone was US army MRBM used by NASA for suborbital flights
Jupiter also US army MRBM

Scout was NACA entrance in launch-vehicle business by combining solid rocket motors of US Army, US Navy, USAF.

So NASA first self build Launcher was Saturn V follow by Space Shuttle and now SLS

[LittleBird]

I was thinking that NASA has been in the business of building launch vehicles for a very long time.  Looking backward, we have SLS, Shuttle, the Saturns.  NASA picked up the Saturns in 1960, when the von Braun team moved to NASA, but I believe it briefly also managed Atlas-Vega, which was cancelled when Atlas-Centaur, then managed by the Air Force, was revealed.  Have I got that right?  Which came first, Atlas-Vega or the transfer of Saturn to NASA?  Have I neglected any other early NASA launch-vehicle efforts?

It's complicated

<snip>

So NASA first self build Launcher was Saturn V follow by Space Shuttle and now SLS

I know what you mean, but I am delighted by idea of an IKEA rocket ;-)

Are they perhaps now searching for the Allen key for Artemis 1 ... we've all been there ...

[Proponent]

NASA wasn't going to have the Army manage Nova.  There was no benefit to the Army to do it.

After DoD declared the Army could have missiles of no more than 500 miles' range, ABMA developed Jupiter for the Air Force, not for itself.

[Vahe231991]

NASA got into the SLV business shortly after it was formed when the US Army and US Navy transferred Project Vanguard and Explorer Program (originally Project Orbiter) to NASA. The Scout SLV program was begun by NACA in 1957 and became a NASA program after NASA was established.