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COMMITS ON TWX ON PROVISIONS OF DRY AND WEDL IN MOL 

A. General Comments: 

The seven-flight MOL Program has been considered primarily as a 

research and development program although the third and subsequent flights 

are intended to produce valuable target intelligence. One of the 

primary objectives of the seven-flight program, as stated in the Flight 

Objectives Directive for MOL dated 2/8/67, has been to obtain quantitative 

date which will pears it assessment of the nature and value of critical 

contributions of man in increasing the quantity and quality of 

intelligence data obtained by use of the MDL intelligence collective 

system. _infficient data to have been obtained to permit an unequivocal 

comparison between oktimized manned and optimized unmanned modes of 

operation. Not too long ago we thougft that the MOL baseline program 

had the option to fly the last two flights manned in case something 

occurred to the automatic devices which would make it injudicious to 

fly the last two flights unmanned or in case men provided sufficient 

enhancement of intelligence content that the decision to go unmanned would 

be inappropriate from the standpoint of intelligence collection. 

The baseline MDL Frograa no longer has preserved the option for 

flights 6 and 7 to be flown in the manned mode. The WNDL has been removed 

from the baselin program. Now it has been proposed that the film 

processor be eliminated except for five frsnes per day. Additionally 

it is understood that proposals have slready been made to remove the 

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Thus the flexibility of man in the NOL has been gradually but 

steadily eroded. Flights 3, 4, and 5 'will not be optimized for MAA. 

The research and development capability is being diminished and the 

capability to Obtain sufficient data on man's ability to enhance the value 

of target intelligence has been reduced so much that a valid eomparison 

between an optimized manned and optimized unmanned nodes of operation 

will be difficult or impossible to be made. 

There Persists within the NM Program Office the uneasy feeling 

that moals methodically being eliminated from the MOL Program. Fighting 

for the retention of the film processor it but a-snail part of the 

whole picture. No one single event such as the readout or the film 

processor noted above could make or break the case that man's contribution 

is being endangered or reduced to en insignificant point. However, 

together the compiled effect is one of reducing man's.effectiveness or 

possible contribution to terms 'where he is doing only the job of the 

automatic system or at best only backing up a failed automatic system. 

Thus, unmanned flights, by default or by any economical comparison, 

must prove to be the most effective. The trend as noted here is one 

assuming that the basic■resolution is so such in doubt that all 

costs and engineering decisions most be taken at the expense of all of 

the other programs objectives (i.e., man's capability, data on increasing 

resolution). Similarly the insistence on 30 days of operation seems to 

override the value of testing the crew contribution even though it is 

for lesser periods of time. It would appear, from an Air Force point of 

view, that demonstration of man's capabilities to operate in a military 

.mode is morelelulable than shear Staying power for 30 days. 

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D. Specific Cc/manta on the Tye: 

There appears to be en inconsistency between paragraph 1 of the TWX 

and 8 ction D of SAMNA** for Record, subj:., Minutes, April 14 MOL 

Management Meeting. The WI tate* that a decision had been made that 

it was desired if feasible to retain DRY and WBDL provisions in *)L 

flights 3, 4,tand The minutes of the meeting were specific that 

space, weight and power provisions would be retained in MDL flights 3,4 

and 5. 

The briefing charts used at the MDL *moment Meeting showed that 

$4.9 million in PY-68 would be saved by deleting DRY and WBJ from 

baseline MDL. The WI stated that it would cost $5.5K in PY-68 to 

maintain the option of DRY and WEDL in flights 3, 4 and 5. Thai DRY 

and WM, could be retained in the lamellae at a savings of $600,000 

in 71-68 over maintaining an option for installing DRY and VIM. 

Paragraph 7 of the TWX states that retentions of DRY sad VDDL 

!would eliminate the capability of flying in a 90° inclined orbit. 

This is not so according to the minutes of the MDL Mknagemant Meeting. 

There would be little ',might margin., but the 1111 K would still have the 

capability of a 90° orbit. Also there is nothing sacred about either 

80° or 90° inclination or 10° increments. Why.not 85° or 86°? Wbgrnot 

tradeoff against a shorter mission? 

RECOMMENDATIONS: 

Retain within the baseline MDL Program (flights 3, 4, and 5) all 

provisions which will optimize a manned mode so that a fair evaluation 

of man's role in this military mission can be made. 

Con' 

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We should not mike a big issue of the reduced capacity film 

processor but should reexamine the reduced flexibility of man in the 

L. A atm* we cannot be built for retain the capability of t. 4 

developing 40 frames/day versus 5 frames/day specially since the WBDL 

has been deleted. 

The real decision is one for the program to decide whether it is to 

continue the oken/tunsumed comparison or not. 

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