February 1954
From The Space Library
First flight of XF-104, powered with J-65 engine (later powered with J-79 engine). Rand Corp. report recommended that Atlas ICBM program efforts be increased and its characteristics relaxed to obtain an operationally useful ICBM at an earlier date.
Mechanix Illustrated magazine runs a cover story on a "Light Propelled" spacecraft. The article is about using nuclear power to generate ions for thrust. It is based on a paper by Eugen Sänger and Irene Sänger-Bredt.