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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was founded in 1958 as a result of concerns over the Soviet Union launching Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite into space. One of the first high profile projects, Project Mercury, was to learn if humans could survive in space. In 1961 Alan Sheppard became the first person to fly in space. NASA successfully landed a man on the moon in1969.
NASA has a long history of working with scientists. Early satellites were used to study the solar radiation and electrical charges in the earth’s atmosphere. In 1972 with Apollo 17, NASA sent the first scientist to the moon; Harrison H. "Jack" Schmitt, a geologist, was sent to learn more about the origins of the moon.
NASA continues to work towards a permanent human presence in space. With the first Skylab in 1973 humans lived and worked in space for 28 days. The effort continues today with the building of the International Space Station. The experiences of the crew of Ben Franklin has helped NASA prepare humans for extended space flight.
The scientists involved in the design and building of Ben Franklin quickly realized the similarities between the Gulf Stream Drift Mission and missions into space. During the construction Grumman was awarded a contract by NASA to study the possibilities of using an undersea facility to better understand the requirements for long space flight. Grummanis study determined that a submersible mission would be very similar to space travel. NASA awarded Grumman with a contract to study the crew, their reactions and requirements for daily life during the Drift Dive mission. NASA engineer, Chester May, was responsible for conducting this work. |
