Jun 23 1971
From The Space Library
Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, testified before Senate Committee on Appropriations' Subcommittee on HUD, Space, and Science during hearings on NASA FY 1972 appropriations bill. He urged that "strong program in space and aeronautics is essential to our long-term national well-being. Our capabilities as a Nation to deal with domestic problems of high priority-poverty, cities, the environment .. and indeed, our pursuit of happiness and cultural advance-ultimately depend on whether we can maintain a strong economy with continually increasing productivity. Increasing productivity, in turn, depends primarily on technological advance, which, in turn, results primarily from the large scale focussed technological efforts like our major space programs." In addition were both long-term and near-term direct benefits, many already realized. "When 50,000 lives were saved as a result of satellite advance warning at the time of hurricane Camille, the space program probably paid for itself... . "I believe that the space program is a value in itself to the nation and to the whole world. With our everyday preoccupation, necessarily, with the many serious and often depressing problems we face . . . there is, I believe, a human hunger for positive elevating goals to work for at the same time as we do what needs to be done in all these other difficult areas. I believe the strong attraction that the landing of the first man on the moon had on people everywhere, and much of the underlying basis of support in the country for the space program, stems from the fact that the space program provides such goals. The space program gives us goals seemingly beyond human capability, goals which transcend earthly boundaries." Space shuttle had tremendous impact for future because it not only reduced cost by being reusable itself, but it also gave options of reusing payloads. "You do not have to throw them away once you put them up there. . . . There are many more application satellites we can use with this kind of an arrangement, because we will be able to reuse them." Skylab, "first and only NASA experimental space station," due to fly in 1973, would be "larger but 2 years later than the Soviet Salyut now in orbit." U.S.S.R. probably would be able to "do things in space, laboratories, 2 years earlier than we . . . to know what the earth is like, to know what the clouds are like, to understand more about the earth's resources. .. . Another aspect, which I am uncertain about, is what they plan to do in a military way. . . they will have the potential of doing military things on this same vehicle. We do not plan to do this on the Skylab. We also must consider the scientific value of Salyut, which I think is important, but not as important to us as the applications and the military aspects of it." Associate Administrator for Organization and Management Richard C. McCurdy testified that "models" of anticipated further reduction of 1500 civil service positions in fall "indicate that we have reached a point in which really good people of considerable experience will be going out the door. Certain parts of our operations will be closed. This means that we have come to a place where reductions in force are eating into our capability to do the job." (Transcript)
House Committee on Appropriations favorably reported H.R. 9382, FY 1972 HUD-space-science appropriations bill which contained $3.272 billion NASA appropriation. Committee recommended reduction in Apollo program funding from $612.2 million requested to $610.2 million; increase in Skylab funding from $535.4 million to $550.4 million to provide rescue capability; additional $5 million over estimate for STOL development, to total $115 million; deferment of $20 million proposed for space shuttle facilities; and reduction of $6.6 million in $726.6 million requested for research and program management. (H Rpt 92-305)
U.S. and U.S.S.R. reached compromise agreement at Geneva conference on draft treaty to provide compensation for damages caused by objects from outer space and submitted draft articles of proposed treaty to legal subcommittee of U.N. Committee on Outer Space. Key articles provided for arbitration with final decision not binding on signatory states, although there would be moral and political obligation to pay compensation high enough to restore injured person or damaged property to original condition, if possible. (UPI, W Star, 6/23/71, A12)
NASA held pre-proposal conference for study of tracking and data relay satellite system (mass) to provide design and cost information on tracking and data relay satellites and interfacing elements of overall system. TDRSS was envisioned in RFP as providing extended coverage and service to comsats in near earth orbit. NASA intended to award two separate and concurrent contracts for definition studies of system to include spacecraft, user telecommunications system, ground station, and network scheduling and operations control center. About 90 RFPS had been mailed in advance of conference. (NASA Release 71-113; NASA PAO)
Rep. J. Edward Roush (D-Ind.) introduced H.R. 9379, "bill to establish an Office of Technology Transfer." He said: "As a nation we have enjoyed many valuable side-effects, spin-offs or `fallouts' from [Federal] research. Many of the examples of the miracles of modern science, of technology transfer, the path from `science to sales' come from the annals of NASA, largely because NASA has made a concerted effort to accomplish the transfer of their space technology to everyday usage and have publicized that effort especially well." (CR, 6/23/71, H5825-6)
NASA announced receipt of more than 600 proposals from potential domestic and international users of data expected from EATS and earth resources experiment package to be carried on Skylab. It was greatest number of proposals for experiments ever received by NASA in response to announcement of opportunity for analysis of space-derived data. ERTS-A would be launched in spring 1972 and EATS-B in 1973. First Skylab carrying EREP would be launched in 1973. Proposals in response to February invitation had come from more than 550 domestic and 80 international sources. They were being evaluated by nine panels of more than 100 scientific experts in various disciplines. (NASA Release 71-114)
U.K. government confirmed to Congress that financing of Rolls-Royce engines for Lockheed Aircraft Corp.'s L-1011 TriStar jet aircraft would "not become effective" unless Congress acted by Aug. 8 to authorize U.S. Government loan guarantee to Lockheed as requested by Nixon Administration. Confirmation was in letter to Senate Banking and Currency Committee. (NYT, 6/24/71, 56)
NASA selected General Electric Co. and RCA Service Co. for further competitive negotiations leading to award of contract for technical sup-port services at MTF. (MSFC Release 71-109)
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