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mumummurs 

FEB 12 sss 

NOWSTANDISI PON THIC OSCRETARY or TosMOS40 

mach mauled Orbiting Laboratory Igritafili Status Report 

The attached Status Saport On theitahriSS Orbiting Laboratory (NOL) Program covers activities t January 31, 1966, 

and is submitted in accordance with the Deeember 18, 1965 

instructions from the Office of the Secriitory. 

I Atch 

a/c 

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'w047,70811114 

. PROBLEMS 

A. Schedules 

During recent weeks, Eastman Kodak Company has consistently 

taken the position that availability of tint flight model optics (7144) 

will establish the earliest possible flight utp for KM flight No, 4 

in January 1970. Dr. Flax was advised during,hie January 20 visit to 

Rochester that the present baseline develschedule for DORIAN' 

will not support flight of Fht-1 before Febril*AriMarch 1970. . 

Top M( management has expreerned the-riew that this schedule 

can and must be comp/4110mi. Dr. Flax hats 40iited sAraP to develop a 

less conservative schedule which provides f*174.ight of /M-1 at least 

six months earlier. This schedule, with it#CMttnical and financial 

implications, is to be presented during the- p0OblyMOL Programs Review 

on February 5. 

B. Eastman Kodak Facility Requirement* 

As a result of review of the proOMWOCility plan to support 

the development and production. of the DOSII0-11Outor subsystem at Eastman Kodak the DKEO advised SWF that the t000710r constructing Government financed buildings on contractor.00wnadift*ty were 'unacceptable. 

Subsequent correapcnience and discussion* wig contractor and SORP 

personnel has resulted in the DERO proposing contract be negotiated providing for the Government to lease tractor-owned property' 

with an option to buy. this proposal is '41" under consideration 

by the contractor and an early agreement %).?:s.3getter is anticipated. 

U. MANGE PAST MOM 

A. In last mouth's status report it Wirrealarted that action had 

been initiated to obtain an increase in the RIEVICLiterytenstruction 

Budget of $4.1 to cover additions], costs ofi*O4nitial Launch Capability, 

(LF4C) at VTR for the ttan xxximoi configeratO4i4 Tae Director oft4dget, 

Office of the Air Force Comptroller, dot t the $4.1 million, 

coat for MOL peculiar alterations will be in - in the cost of the 

basic construction of the complex and funded fro- 66 Military Con- , • 

struction funds. 

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B. The P1 66 Military Construction Program included $4.0 million 

for purchase of the Sudden Ranch (south of 'Vandenberg AFB) on which the 

MC& rxx would be constructed. The Government's, valuation (Corps of 

Engineers) of this property amounted to $3.84 nillion. Mr. Sudden has 

stated his independent appraisal is "considerably more than twice" the 

Government appraisal and the District Engineer, who is conducting the 

negotiation with ler. Sudden believes he will ask for approximately 

$12 million for the property. Action has been initiated to file condemnation proceedings on the property and title can be obtained in 

about 10 days after the Government posts a collateral of $3.84 

Final price negotiations may result in lengthy litigation proceedings. 

Bids have already been solicited for site preparation for the ILC. 

C. Oft January 18, the Assistant Secretary of the AirForcii 

Financial Management approved and directed implementstiOn of special 

white financial procedures for M04. These procedures, in conjunction 

with companion blank financial procedures approved in Movedber, 1965, 

Provide a complete streamlined, funding procedures structure compatible 

with the special management structure developed far the M. Program. 

D. On January 21, the MOL Program Office gave a DOSIAM-MO6 

M briefing to Senator Clinton Anderson, Chairman of the Senate Um,. 

nautical and Space Science* Committee and. Mr Girerdi of the 

Committee Staff. Senators Smith, Symington, and Stennis were expected 

to attend, but were detained, by other business. The following 'were 

the major areas emphasized in the briefingt 

1. To demonstrate that MC& presently has only a single 

mission, i.e., reconnaissance, and that therefore it is difficult, if 

not impossible, to discuss MOT§ objectives in other than BERMAN channels. 

2. Remind the Senator of the covert nature of the XMAS 

system, in accordance with the request of General Stewert, who briefed 

Senator Anderson a few days earlier. 

3. To demonstrate that there is no duplication of experiment 

objectives between the Apollo Applications Program and 103L. 

4. To prove that NW participated extensively in the concept 

forming stages of MOL and that the system chosen is the result of thorough 

analyses supported by RASA. 

5. To reassure the Senator that the MOT system capitalises as 

much as possible upon the wealth of knowledge and hardware that the 

nation has accumulated in space technology, especially manned space flight 

experience and systems developed by RASA. 

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The Senator had questions pertaining to the starting of ILIC construction 

prior to purchase settlement of the Sudden Ranch, the use of the Saturn 

TB or Saturn V launch vehicles for SOL, the use of the Apollo for the 

leboratory vehicle, and the training of SOL flight crews at the Air Force 

Aerospace Research Pilots School rather than at NASA training facilities. 

Attached are the specific questions and answers at this briefing. 

S. On January 7, 1966, Dr. Flax and Colonel Allen of SAISP briefed 

a part of the Reconnaissance Panel of the President's Scientific Advisory 

Committee. The meeting was informal, having been called in substitution 

for a formal meeting scheduled the same data. Fremont at the meeting 

were Drs. Hornig, Land, Purcell, Garvin and the recording secretary, 

Dr. Stetninger. The principle purpose of the meeting was to review the 

efforts underwear in the Air Farce as a consequence of previous POAC 

guidance to automate the NOL mission module. Colonel Allen reviewed 

the status of development of the various subsystems needed to perform 

man'a functions. The Reconnaissance Panel representatives appeared 

satisfied that the Air Force had been responsive to PSAC's desire to 

design the SOL mission module from inception for completely automatic 

unmanned operation. 

F. You will recall that the result of a preliminary analysis of 

recovery operations of a M(Z. "abort from powered flight" of a man launch 

South from Vandenberg showed the desirability Of a down-range aircraft 

staging base. Henderson Island, a British Possession in the Pitearin 

Group, appears to be the most suitable location, The Commander of 

National Range Division has been requested to make arrangements for a 

Site Survey Team to visit Henderson Island and study various ways of 

providing the mast effective SOL abort support capability. 

G. Briefing' and discussions with Dr. flax of the MOL STOUT Study 

Program during the period 14 through 24 January have resulted in the 

preparation of SOL Program Office Directive 66-1. Upon approval by the 

DERO, this directive will provide for an Eleetromagnetic Pointing System 

for use with the large optical sensor 

Analysis of the 

data from an Orbital Collection Program will furnish 

the basis for system studies to be initiated at a later date. 

H. The MOT Program Office (SAW has prepared and forwarded for 

approval a request for release of $4o million of deferred NOT, fl 1966 

funds for extension of engineering definition activities and for procurements required to protect program lead times.. Specifically, these 

funds are required to: 

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1. Sustain the Laboratory Module and Gemini B contractors 

at their current levels of effort through June 30, 1966. 

2. Continue design, procurement of initial long lead items, 

and industrial facilitization for the Dada sensor package. 

3. Continue development of the Titan III Seven-Segment solid 

rocket motors and Stage I liquid enginet. The pm Program Office provided a DORIAN-level - briefing of the 

MOL Program to Dr. Mueller, Associate Administrator for Manned Space 

Flight, NAM, and several of his staff. Ihe ,purpose of the prelentation 

was to acquaint Dr. Mueller 'with the program objectives and a current 

status of the program. Dr. Mueller expressed concern over possible 

schedule conflict of IM usage of Apollo developed subsystems but eggs 

assured that our procurements were follow-on to Apollo lunar program 

requirements and mere in an excellent phase relationship so as to take 

advantage of the contractors' going production capability. 

J. A proposed action to request the assistance of the Deputy 

Secretary of Defense in obtaining the assignment of Category S 

(Brick-Bat .01) military urgency designator and DX industrial priority 

for the SOL Program has been submitted to Dr. Flax. Because of the 

urgency of the MCA, effort and the potential competition for resources 

between Mt and NASA Apollo and other Air Farce programs, a top 

national priority for MOL is felt to be justified. Because of the 

covert nature of the payload part of the program, it was recommended 

that a top management level AF/CSD review and action procedure was 

justified in lieu of the conventional approval Channels through AFSC, 

Air Staff and JCS before obtaining OSD consideration. 

/I/. CURRENT STATUS 

Sub-Contracts 

As a result of the Douglas, Company evaluation of contractor proposals for the Data Management System, a selection of IBM was made and 

presented to the MCI Systems Office. However, an Air Ferce/AeroaPeee 

review of the Douglas evaluation did not show a conclusive superiority 

of the /BM proposal over Chive°. IBM's overall point rating under the 

Douglas rating system was 76.26 where Univac's rating was 74.98. /011 

had a better technical proposal, but their estimated cost was $32.0 

million versus Univac's $16.8 million. It was decided that it would 

be advisable to award a Phase I Study Contract to both IBM and Univac 

and thus be able to make a more conclusive selection of a sub-contractor 

based on more specific technical data and substantive cost informatioee 

The carrying of an additional sub-contractor through the remainder of 

Phase I will cost approximately $400 thousand More on the PcuglaS 

Phase I contFict. 

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IV. FORECAST FOR FUTURE 

A. A meeting of the ROL Policy Committee has been scheduled 

for 1430 on 8 February. The purpose is to review the substance of 

the briefings to be presented to the PSAC On 9 February. The agenda 

for the PSAC meeting is as follows: 

Introduction: Dr. Flax or General Schriever 

General Considerations 

and Niequirements, General Berg 

Results of Manned/ 

Unmanned Studiess Dr. Leer 

Sensor Technical 

Consideration's- Colonel Allen 

Sensor Development Statues Colonel Knolls 

New Orbiting Control Vehicles Mr. Tennant 

Dump TruCk Versus 

Configuration4 'Colonel Shale 

New= Schedule and 

Conclusionit General Berg 

It is estimated this briefing will take five hours, not inducting time 

for discuation. 

B. The originally scheduled= hearings for 31 January before 

the House of Representatives Committee on Aeronautics and Space Sciences 

(Miller Committee) has been rescheduled for February 8. Dr. Ilex and 

General Schriever are the principal 'witnesses. 

V. p DATS FOR U.S =TIMMS SPORT 

Neat monthly MOL Program Status Report to be sdhmitted 7 March 1966. 

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