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Power, Thomas

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Power Credit: NASA

Born: 1905-06-18. Died: 1970-12-01.

Thomas Power was an accomplished pilot who served as a general during World War II. As chief of staff to General Curtis LeMay, he was one of several top planners of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After World War II, Power served as the commander of the Air Research and Development Command, which developed early missiles. He served as commander of the Strategic Air Command from 1957-1964, when he retired.

• Birth of Thomas Power - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Power. American USAF officer, commanded Air Research and Development Command, in 1950s during development of early missiles. Commander of SAC, 1957-1964, during the crash program to deploy the Atlas, Titan, and Minuteman ICBMs..

• Western Development Division (WDD) established by USAF - . Related Persons: Power.

  By verbal orders of LtGeneral Thomas S. Power, Commander, ARDC, the Western Development Division (WDD), Headquarters ARDC, was established at 409 East Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood, California, under the command of Brigadier General Bernard A. Schriever. Headquarters ARDC General Order Number 42 confirmed LtGeneral Power's verbal orders of 1 July establishing the Western Development Division of Headquarters ARDC. Rocketdyne put on contract for Atlas engines.

• Technical direction functions for Project Atlas. - . Related Persons: Power.

  Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation selected to perform systems engineering and technical direction functions for Project Atlas. Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation selected to perform systems engineering and technical direction functions for Project Atlas. Following approval by General Power, ARDC Commander, and General E.W. Rawlings, AMC Commander, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Materiel Roger Lewis approved the selection of the Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation to perform systems engineering and technical direction functions for Project Atlas under the overall control of the Western Development Division.

• Titan program initiated. - . Related Persons: Schriever, Power.

  The early results of missile configuration studies conducted by Lockheed, the Glenn L. Martin Company, and the newly formed Guided Missile Research Division (GMRD) of Ramo-Wooldridge, supported by other Air Force studies, indicated the numerous advantages of a two-stage missile. Therefore, General Schriever recommended to LtGeneral Thomas S. Power, Commander, ARDC, that a second, or alternate, configuration and staging approach be introduced into the program to take full advantage of more advanced concepts and to stimulate competition.

• WS 117L transferred to the Western Development Division. - . Related Persons: Power. Spacecraft: WS-117. General Thomas S. Power, Commander, ARDC, announced that the management responsibility for the advanced satellite system (WS 117L) would be transferred to the Western Development Division..

• Thor given second priority after Atlas. - . Related Persons: Power.

  On the basis of the Hq USAF directive of 18 November, General Thomas S. Power, ARDC Commander, amended the Western Development Division's mission to include responsibility for ICBM initial operation capability (IOC) and for the development of IRBM Number 1 on a priority second only to that of the ICBM program.

• Acceleration of the Minuteman program. - . Related Persons: Power. General Thomas S. Power, Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Air Command (CINCSAC), recommended acceleration of the Minuteman program..

• Death of Thomas Power at Palm Springs, Riverside, CA. - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Power. American USAF officer, commanded Air Research and Development Command, in 1950s during development of early missiles. Commander of SAC, 1957-1964, during the crash program to deploy the Atlas, Titan, and Minuteman ICBMs..