The first large group from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) arrived from Langley in December 1941. Inspectors, engineers, draftsmen, mechanics and administrative staff worked from temporary offices in the Cleveland laboratory’s aircraft hangar. The first test facility became operational in May 1942, according to NASA’s account. [S1]

Engine research units began moving from Langley in the fall of 1942. In Cleveland, modest-sized sections became full divisions, led by experienced Langley engineers and covering work from fuels and lubrication to flight research. As the laboratory hired researchers in the 1940s and 1950s, many Langley veterans moved into management; NASA says former Langley staff held nearly all division chief and upper-management positions during the NACA era. [S1]

The 1958 transition from NACA to NASA changed how the organization worked: research that had mostly been done in-house shifted toward managing external development contracts. NASA also greatly expanded its staff in the early 1960s. Later, as budgets fell in the late 1960s and early 1970s, NASA offered retirement incentives to reduce payroll; many Langley expatriates left during the final years of the Apollo program. [S1]

Source documents

  1. NASA Glenn’s Langley Legacyhttps://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/glenn/glenn-history/nasa-glenns-langley-legacy/