APPENDIX 9 - CONTRACTORS AND SUBCONTRACTORS SUPPORTING PROJECT MERCURY

Research and development of Project Mercury was literally a national effort, especially when considering the number of contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers involved in the program. McDonnell, as a prime contractor for the spacecraft, was assisted by an estimated 4,000 suppliers and subcontractors throughout the country. Also of significant importance was the industrial effort put forth in the manufacture of launch vehicles and ground support equipment, and the construction of the worldwide tracking network in support of Project Mercury. Quite probably, if all were combined, the total figure would reach 10,000. Obviously, a complete listing is beyond the scope or intent of this work, but herein is a cross section of contributory effort covering the major systems and components.

McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, St. Louis, Missouri: Prime contractor for the Mercury spacecraft.
Convair Astronautics Division (GD/A), San Diego, California: Prime contractor for the Atlas launch vehicle system used for the manned orbital phase of Project Mercury. Procured through Space Systems Division of Air Force Systems Command.
Chrysler Corporation Missile Division, Detroit, Michigan: Prime contractor for the Redstone launch vehicle system used in the manned suborbital phase of Project Mercury. Procured through Army Missile Command.
North American Aviation, Inc., El Segundo, California: Contractor for the Little Joe launch vehicle airframe used in aerodynamic and abort technique testing program phase of Project Mercury.
Ventura Division (formerly Radioplane) of the Northrop Corporation, Van Nuys, California: Contractor for the Mercury spacecraft landing and recovery system.
B. F. Goodrich Company, Akron, Ohio: Contractor for the Mercury spacecraft astronaut pressure suit.
Western Electric Company, New York City, New York: Prime contractor for the Mercury worldwide tracking network.
Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota: Stabilization system for the Mercury spacecraft.
Bell Aerospace Corporation, Buffalo, New York: Reaction control system for the Mercury spacecraft.
AiResearch Manufacturing Division of the Garrett Corporation, Los Angeles, California: Environmental control system for the Mercury spacecraft.
The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, Norwalk, Connecticut: Periscope for the Mercury spacecraft.
Eagle-Picher Company, Joplin, Missouri: Batteries for the Mercury spacecraft.
Barnes Engineering Company, Stamford, Connecticut: Horizon scanner for the Mercury spacecraft.
Wheaton Engineering Corporation, Wheaton, Illinois: Time-delay relays and programer for Mercury spacecraft.
Donner Scientific Company, Concord, California: Maximum altitude sensor and thrust cutoff sensor.
Atlantic Research Corporation, Alexandria, Virginia: Escape tower jettison rocket and posigrade rocket for the Mercury spacecraft.
Thiokol Chemical Corporation, Elkton, Maryland: Retrograde rocket for Mercury spacecraft.
Lockheed Propulsion Company, Redlands, California: Rocket motor for the Mercury spacecraft escape tower. (The original contract for this component was signed with the Grand Central Rocket Company, Redlands, California, which was later purchased by Lockheed.)
Cincinnati Testing and Research Laboratory of the Studebaker-Packard Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio: Heat shield for the Mercury spacecraft.
Walter Kidde Company, Belleville, New Jersey: Emergency flotation bag for the Mercury spaceccraft.
Aeronca Corporation, Middletown, Ohio: Honeycomb panels for the Mercury spacecraft impact landing support.
Collins Radio Corporation, Cedar Rapids, Iowa: HF and UHF voice communications and UHF recovery antenna, onboard communications for the Mercury spacecraft.
Motorola, Incorporated, Franklin Park, Illinois: Command receivers, onboard communications for Mercury spacecraft.
Texas Instruments, Incorporated, Dallas, Texas: Onboard telemetry communications for Mercury spacecraft.
Cooper Electric Company: Minitrack beacon, onboard communications for Mercury spacecraft.
Melpar, Incorporated, Falls Church, Virginia: C- and S-band antennas, onboard communications for Mercury spacecraft.
Avion Division and G. E.: C- and S-band beacons, onboard communications for Mercury spacecraft.
Consolidated Electrodynamics Corporation, St. Louis, Missouri: Tape recorder for Mercury spacecraft.
Electro-Voice and R. E. Darling Companies, Bethesda, Maryland: Communication devices for Mercury astronaut pressure suit.
D. B. Milliken Company, Arcadia, California: Camera for Mercury spacecraft.
Waltham Precision Instrument Company, Waltham, Massachusetts: Satellite clock for Mercury spacecraft. (Contract was canceled on December 14, 1960, and the component was replaced with the orbital timing device fabricated by McDonnell Aircraft Corp.)
Bendix Radio Division of the Bendix Corporation, Baltimore, Maryland: Ground-air communications, radar, and aquisition systems for the Mercury worldwide tracking network.
Bendix-Pacific Division of the Bendix Corporation, North Hollywood, California: Telemetry, antennas, displays and radar data processing for the Mercury worldwide tracking network.
International Business Machines Corporation, New York, New York: Computers and computer programming for the Mercury worldwide tracking network.
Burns and Roe, Incorporated, New York, New York: Architecture, site engineering, and logistics for the Mercury worldwide tracking network.
Stromberg-Carlson (Division of General Dynamics), Rochester, New York: Control center consoles for the Mercury worldwide tracking network.
Lincoln Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lexington, Massachusetts: Technical consulting services to NASA on all phases of tracking and computing.
Space Electronics Corporation: Study contract leading to design of Mercury Control Center.
Aeronutronics Systems, Incorporated (Division of Ford Motor Company), Los Angeles, California: Study contract relative to tracking and computing problems.
Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, Bethpage, New York: Operations analysis study of recovery problems associated with a three-orbit mission.
Tenney Engineering, Incorporated, Union, New Jersey: Environmental test chamber constructed in Hanger S, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Philco Corporation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Range monitors for Mercury worldwide tracking network.
Pan American Airways, Cape Canaveral, Florida: Atlantic Missile Range operations in support of Project Mercury.
Inter-Electronics Corporation, New York, New York: Static inverters for the Mercury spacecraft.
Amp, Incorporated, Greenwich, Connecticut: Design of stationary egress system.
Federal Electric Corporation, Cape Canaveral, Florida: Space telemetry.
Space Technology Laboratories, Redondo Beach, California: Analysis of flight instrumentation and design trajectories for Mercury-Atlas program.