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DIRECTORATE 

DEPARTMENT 

OF SPECIAL 

OF .THe 

PROJECTS 

AIR FORCE 

(OSAF' ~ !! 

A,. UNIT POIn' OFFICE. LOS ANGIi1.ESo CALIPORNIA - t; '/11 . ~ . 

REPLY TO 

ATTN OFa SP-l 9 - DEC 1966 

SUBJECT, LMSS Program 

TO: DNRO (Dr Flax) . 

1. During your review of the Luna·t. Mapping and Survey System at 

Los Angeles on 16 November, I recommended that you discuss with· 

Dr Mueller thoe e . aspects of the LMSS Program directly impacting 

the NRO. As backup information for that discussion, I.8.tn enclQsing 

some "talking papers" for your use. 

2. The major is sue requiring official clarification by Dr .Mueller, for 

the benefit of NASA as well as DOD, is the schedule status of the site· 

certification (504C) and earth orbit test (209) mi.ssions. There is now 

and will continue to be for the foreseeable future an increasing competition for NRO resources between NRP and the LMSS Program. Thi's 

competition is· the direct result of holding the LMSS site certification· 

mission to Dr Mueller1s December 1967 launch schedule •. We believe, 

but have been unable to obtain official NASA confirmation, that this 

date is unrealistic. Further, ~til the schedule status of the 504C and 

209 missions is confirmed, there will continue to be the application of 

Air Force resources to the S04C mission and NASA resources to the 

209 mission. Since these missions are not m.utually supporting, SOnle 

portion of this jOint effort obviously is being needlessly dissipated, and. 

some program cost increases are Inevitable. Only Dr Mueller can· 

remedy this paradox and I doubt that he is aware of it as a problem area 

or as a cost factor. . 

3. It is difficult to assess actual cost deltas to either NRP or the LMSS 

Program arising from the above situation. I am forecasting a $Z- 3 . 

mUlion increase in FY 67 funds requirements for' the LMSS·Program. 

(When measured against the figure -- $16.5 mUlion -- 'quoted to " 

Dr Mueller in June 1966.) In addition to the factors outlined in.par 2, . 

Dr Mueller should be made aware of two other major contributions to 

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this predicted increase in expenditure: 

a. Definition of the GFE hardware effort is es sentially completed •. 

The contractor is estimating a $6 million increase over his June 1966 

estiD)ate (which, as you will remember, was based on a six-week atudy. 

effort). We anticipated approximately $4 million of these costs in the 

estimates presented to Dr· Mueller • 

. b. We did not, however i anticipate the requirement to fragment 

the initial "black" payload module contract into separate "black" ·and 

''white'' contracts. This we were required to do, as you will remember, 

when NASA decided to procure the LMSSRack from Huntsville rather 

than Lockheed, the payload module contractor. We were then forced to 

provide a "white "contract for the Lockheed effort as a security cover •. 

(Reference WHIG 5861, S936~69Z, Z403.) . ..-. . 

4. Since there is no. realistic baseline I can use to apportion costa in 

the· three areas for which 1 am forecasting additive fund requirements, 

·1 am unable to. provide you with an actual dollar breakd~wn or impact of 

each of the factors discussed above on the LMSScoat structure. How-. 

ever, any clarification Dr Mueller can .provide to the confusion . surround-. 

ing the status of the 504C and 209 missions wW tend to reduce· the . 

requirement for an increase in FY 67 funds. 

5. Ac.cordingly, I recommend that you obtain from Dr Mueller a 

definitive commitment for the LMSS missions: 

a. Specifically, a clarification of the status of missions ·504C and 

Z09 for both NASA and DOD. \ . 

b. Advise Dr Mueller of the lack of data we have Oil deterioration·. 

of Survey Camera components under long term storage conditions (with. 

reference to proposed LMSS missions in 1969, 1970, 1971, using hardware fabricated and assembled ilt mid-1967.)" 

Brig Gen, 

Directo·r 

·2 

1.· Talking ·?ape.rs... . .. . .... 

2. Prpsd Ltr, Dr Flax to Dr Mueller 

3.. ,!,'fN'X. Re!erenc~s . 

MANDLE VIA BYEMAN. 

CONTROL syeTaM ONLY 

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