Dec 17 1958

From The Space Library

NASA awarded contract to Rocketdyne of North American to build single-chamber 1.5-minion-pound-thrust rocket engine.

Entire USAF Atlas boosted into orbit communications relay satellite, PROJECT SCORE or the "talking atlas." A total of 8,750 pounds were placed in orbit, of which 150 pounds was payload.

Project Mercury announced as name of U.S. man-in-space program by NASA.