Blast From The Past: Apollo 11 Astronauts Trained In Bucks Co.

Editor's Note — This is an occasional series capturing some historic places, dates, and events in Bucks and Montgomery counties and the Philadelphia region.

WARMINSTER, PA — Tucked away in a building off the busy Jacksonville Avenue is a place that is now known for beer festivals, events, and a craft brewery.

But back in the day, "The Fuge" was known as the Johnsville Centrifuge, the place where NASA trained three astronauts who will be remembered in history books until the end of time.

Those astronauts would be Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, the Apollo 11 crew who first landed on the moon and stepped into legend.

The three came to Bucks County to the former Naval Air Development Center, which operated for 50 years as a Research and Development Center of Excellence for the Navy and other branches of the military.

As a premier training facility for NASA during the early days of manned spaceflight, the Johnsville Centrifuge played a critical role in preparing astronauts to help win the "Space Race."

From the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, NASA used the Johnsville Centrifuge for the acceleration (G force) training for X-15 pilots as well as Project Mercury, Project Gemini (New Nine), and 14 Project Apollo astronauts in preparation for manned spaceflight.

It's been over 65 years (August 1959) since Project Mercury Astronaut training began at the Centrifuge.

Project Mercury was the first U.S. manned spaceflight program and consisted of seven astronauts: Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, Scott Carpenter, John Glenn, Wally Schirra, Deke Slayton, and Gordon Cooper.

If you have an idea for a Blast From the Past, please email Patch Editor Dino Ciliberti at Dino.Ciliberti@patch.com

(Dino Ciliberti/Patch)