SATELLITE-TRACKING PROGRAJVI — HAYES 357 



As a pioneer undertaking, Project Vanguard was confronted with 

 delays and frustrations toward which the public showed singularly- 

 little sympathy and understanding. In addition, the project was 

 plagued by lack of adequate funding. The program had been 

 specifically designated as nonmilitary, in keeping with the spirit of 

 the IGY, yet the monies for it came out of the budget for the Depart- 

 ment of Defense. To further complicate matters, first plans for 

 Vanguard grossly underestimated the funding that would be 

 necessary. 



On December 6, 1957, what had originally been planned as a test 

 became in fact the first American attempt to orbit a small sphere 

 carrying a radio transmitter. The effort failed, to worldwide pub- 

 lijCity that was remforced by a second miss on February 5, 1958. One 

 result has been that in the minds of many Americans, Project Van- 

 guard was a failure, when in fact the program "produced a basic 

 concept of launch vehicles . . . (and) pioneered the use of advanced 

 state-of-the-art techniques." ^ 



On November 8, 1957, the newly appointed Secretary of Defense, 

 Neil H. McElroy, ordered the Army to undertake its own satellite 

 launching. By coincidence or contrivance. Von Braun and his group 

 had almost ready an assembly of Redstone and Sergeant rockets to 

 send a satellite into orbit. The payload that had been planned for 

 the Vanguard satellite was modified for the Army assembly, and a 

 target date of January 31, 1958, set for the launching. 



'"The Early Tears: Goddard Space Flight Centor," National Aeronautics and Space 

 Administration, 1964, p. 16. 



720-OlS— G4 — —24 



