DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 

WASHINGTON 20330 . 

JUL 3 1968 

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MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE 

SUBJECT: Manned Orbiting Laboratory Monthly Status Report 

The attached Status Report on the Manned Orbiting Laboratory 

(MOL) Program covers activities through June 30, 1968 and is 

submitted in accordance with the June 18, 1968 memorandum 

from the Office of the Secretary. 

JAMES FERGUSON 

General, USAF 

Director, MOL Program 

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I. PROBLEM 

FY 1969 Budget and Program Realignment 

On 29 June 1968, General Stewart received oral guidance 

from Dr. Flax that the MOL Program should structure itself 

around a planned FY 69 NOA of $515 million and an expected 

FY 70 NOA of $600 million. This guidance was forwarded to 

the MOL Systems Office along with instructions that within 

the above NOA the program content would remain unchanged 

and minimum slippage in the scheduled launch dates of the 

two unmanned qualification flights and the first all-up 

manned flight is desired. Subsequent flights will be planned 

on four to five month launch centers. The Systems Office 

will convene a scheduling meeting the week of 15 July with 

the associate contractors to work out the details of this 

schedule adjustment. The restructuring of the program in 

accordance with the above guidance is expected to be completed about the end of July. 

II. CHANGE PAST MONTH 

A. Talking Paper on MOL/AAP Considerations 

As a result of earlier conversation between Secretary 

Clifford and Mr. Webb, Dr. Flax instructed the MOL Program 

Office to prepare a talking paper on MOL/AAP considerations. 

The premise of the paper was that severe budget limitations 

in FY 69 plus general congressional/public criticism of the 

parallel and apparently duplicative MOL and Orbital Workshop 

Programs requires that DOD and NASA again assure themselves 

that the continuation of separate programs is still valid 

and that the two efforts are as correlated, coordinated, and 

as cost-effective as possible. 

The various sections of the paper described the MOL 

and AAP (Orbital Workshop portion only) Programs; discussed 

the possible use of MOL hardware by NASA and the possible 

use of Apollo/AAP hardware for MOL purposes. The paper 

concluded that NASA use of MOL hardware in lieu of the 

orbital workshop would not fulfill key AAP objectives unless 

the MOL hardware was considerably modified. From the viewpoint 

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of the use of Apollo and AAP hardware for MOL purposes, it 

was concluded that only the Saturn IB in lieu of the T-IIIM 

might be useful if the hardware were obtained free and if 

there were no follow on MOL or growth in MOL on-orbit weight. 

It was proposed that a gradual unification and closer 

correlation of the MOL and AAP Programs take place. It was 

suggested that such unification could be achieved by continuing 

both the MOL and the Orbital Workshop portion of AAP; by 

limiting the Orbital Workshop to five or six launches; 

reorienting the marginal Orbital Workshop experiments to 

support a possible 60 to 90 day MOL and any future Saturn V 

sized space stations; and consideration of NASA use of MOL 

vehicles and Apollos to fulfill the future gap between the 

Orbital Workshop and the next generation large, long duration 

space station. 

The paper also discussed various management arrangements and concluded with a discussion section which briefly 

summarized the overall NASA problem and the MOL/AAP interaction. The apparent advantages and disadvantages to NASA 

and to DOD resulting from a unified program were identified 

and briefly considered. 

B. NASA Interest in MOL. 

At the request of Mr. Charles Mathews, Deputy 

Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, NASA 

Headquarters, a meeting was held at the McDonnell Douglas 

facility at Huntington Beach on June 25. The purpose of 

the meeting was to further define information required by 

NASA to determine the applicability of MOL hardware to the 

AAP Program. The details of the meeting were worked out by 

General Stewart and Mr. Luskin, the AAP Manager at NASA 

Headquarters. 

Principals present at the meeting were Major General 

Stewart, Major General Bleymaier, and Mr. Palley representing 

AF/DOD; Mr. Charles Mathews, Mr. Harold Luskin and Mr. Douglas 

Lord representing NASA. Mr. Robert Johnson, McDonnell Douglas 

also sat in most of the meeting. 

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General-Stewart's introduction included a brief 

resume of the events leading to the meeting. He assured 

the group that the Air Force was prepared to provide any 

MOL data NASA might request and would be willing to accomplish 

any additional studies within reason. General Stewart pointed 

out that because of the program security and contractual 

constraints, this data could best be obtained by having the 

appropriate NASA people work very closely with both the Air 

Force and the Air Force contractors. 

Mr. Mathews stated his position by saying that 

NASA had found it necessary to re-evaluate and revamp 

their concepts on advanced planning. It was inferred that 

this action was a direct result of the NASA financial 

situation. To accomplish this objective, NASA set up a 

task force to review their future activities and rescope 

their work. One of the options available for consideration 

by the task force is the near term extension of manned 

space flight. In this vein, NASA wishes to look at the 

capability potentially offered to them by the MOL Program 

hardware. 

The meeting was the first step in getting specific 

technical data required by NASA to help them examine the 

applicability of the MOL to long duration (60 to 90 days) 

on-orbit operations. In response, the MOL Systems Office 

and Aerospace presented the results of MOL advanced planning 

activities that concentrated on studies relating to 30, 60 

and 90 day operations. The presentations were followed by 

discussions and a tour of the McDonnell Douglas MOL facilities. 

In the afternoon session specific MOL data that is 

to be furnished NASA was identified; channels of communications established; and arrangements completed for the delivery 

of the data. 

C. Assignment of NASA Representative to MOL. 

NASA nominated, and the Air Force has accepted, 

Mr. Samuel H. Hubbard to represent NASA in the MOL Program 

Office. Mr. Hubbard will become Technical Advisor and 

Chief, Technology and Plans Division when he assumes his 

new duties about the middle of July. He currently is 

assigned to the Apollo Applications Program Office and 

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his previous assignment had been as Special Assistant to 

the Director, Gemini Program in the Office of Manned Space 

Flight. 

III. CURRENT STATUS 

A. Funds. 

No further FY 1968 funding action was required 

during June and the contractors proceeded in accordance 

with the previously agreed on funding plan. 

In response to the Air Force request for an initial 

FY 1969 release of $170.0 million, DOD released $150.0 

million. In turn, $80.0 million has been made available 

to the Systems Office to fund items deferred from FY 1968 

and to sustain contractor efforts during July. Fund releases 

will continue on a monthly basis until a new schedule is 

adopted compatible with an FY 1969 NOA of $515.0 million. 

B. 

The Systems Office has been studying the possibility 

f incorporatine into MOL 

Total estimate• cost is approximate y $1. 

mil ion and involves primarily changes to ground and flight 

vehicle software along with additional simulation effort. 

The study has been approved to continue at the study/ 

definition level not to exceed $100,000. Any effort beyond 

this level will require a specific proposal describing the 

work to be accomplished, applicable schedules, and estimated 

cost to be approved by SAFRD. In the meantime, a brief 

summary which outlines the operational concept and expected 

usefulness of this capability will be published at an early 

date and circulated in the R&D and intelligence community 

for comment. 

C. Image Velocity Sensor. 

General Electric has reduced the Itek funding for 

IVS work to a level commensurate with the termination and 

wrap-up of the Itek work. Itek had indicated that they 

could complete a new brassboard model late this calendar 

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year which would correct certain deficiencies in their 

original version. Because the IVS is such a critical 

item and because of the uncertainties attendant to the 

work of other contractors, the Systems Office in conjunction with General Electric will determine if Itek 

can deliver a new brassboard for approximately $300,000 

as previously indicated by Itek. If so, Itek will be 

authorized to proceed with the work. 

IV. FORECAST FOR FUTURE 

A. NASA/PSAC Science and Technology Panels Visit 

The combined PSAC and NASA Science and Technology 

Panels will visit McDonnell Douglas Astronautics at 

Huntington Beach on July 20 for briefings and discussions 

of the AAP and MOL programs. 

The objective of the visitors is to examine the 

MOL space vehicle for possible AAP purposes. The MOL 

sessions will be confined to the Secret-SAR level and 

will not deal with the experimental payload equipment. 

The mock-up will be appropriately modified and the 

company presentations will be oriented so as to satisfy 

this objective. 

The MOL Systems Office has been alerted to the 

impending visit and will arrange, with the contractor, 

to see that the visit is informative and useful. 

B. Program Review Council Meeting 

The MOL Program Review Council will meet near 

the end of July to review program changes necessitated 

by the reduction in the FY 1969 NOA. The exact date and 

agenda will not be set until after the scheduling meeting 

of the week of 15 July is completed. 

V. DUE DATE FOR NEXT STATUS REPORT 

The next monthly MOL Program Progress Report will be 

submitted August 7, 1968. 

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