Editing Project Mercury (section)

===Organization===
[[T. Keith Glennan]] had been appointed the first Administrator of NASA, with [[Hugh L. Dryden]] (last Director of NACA) as his Deputy, at the creation of the agency on October 1, 1958.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=98–99}} Glennan would report to the president through the [[National Space Council|National Aeronautics and Space Council]].{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=82}} The group responsible for Project Mercury was NASA's [[Space Task Group]], and the goals of the program were to orbit a crewed spacecraft around Earth, investigate the pilot's ability to function in space, and to recover both pilot and spacecraft safely.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=xiii, 134}} Existing technology and off-the-shelf equipment would be used wherever practical, the simplest and most reliable approach to system design would be followed, and an existing launch vehicle would be employed, together with a progressive test program.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=134}} Spacecraft requirements included: a [[launch escape system]] to separate the spacecraft and its occupant from the [[launch vehicle]] in case of impending failure; [[Spacecraft attitude control|attitude control]] for orientation of the spacecraft in orbit; a [[retrorocket]] system to bring the spacecraft out of orbit; drag braking [[Blunt Body theory|blunt body]] for [[atmospheric entry|atmospheric reentry]]; and landing on water.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=134}} To communicate with the spacecraft during an orbital mission, an extensive communications network had to be built.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=143}} In keeping with his desire to keep from giving the US space program an overtly military flavor, President Eisenhower at first hesitated to give the project top national priority (DX rating under the [[Defense Production Act]]), which meant that Mercury had to wait in line behind military projects for materials; however, this rating was granted in May 1959, a little more than a year and a half after Sputnik was launched.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=157}}