S.4711.05 ,

04(31 -7

Ve"Aw' .2 

(.4 L7:1

3RONOL031 fin= AND SAMS. PROGRAM 2 MRCS 1959 TO DIECIX3ER 1960 ;4..,146(

3 Abril 1959 • Amendment No. 10 to Mal Order 9,58 - approved the4JMUD

Sentry Develapment Plan of 30 January 1959 to thi

extent it pertains to pmyload programs of visuals-we out,

visual rscovery,,and ferret readout. •

. •

- 18 Nsa' 1959 . An= wig informed by ANTAT that VS 1171; bad been reis owed

from Raster tirtmncy List, 'sad Discordsr end Sentry .

on it with EZ ratings. AY priority for all three grans

rcastmwi as 1-A with 1-1 precedence.

26 LW 1959 ARPA directed that the Napping Program be deleted fr es

sentry. Xi= (Lockheat) vas notified.

5 June 1959 Nescafe frest ATMS to Alk dad AMID followed up the

action notification set forth in it 26 46ay 59 aim

Rename further directed that infer be provide/

t$0

as to recomy of ftmds anticipated,by cancellation •

of )•hpping -Program. The mount $1••T K had•been

to the 'Sentry rapping Preemie.

. 2 June 1959 =gm was informed that ARi bad Lad dawn ground ru..es

for the initial FT 1960 budget deters/nation. ,..43se

were: gentry $3.35. bi, with Sentry recovery przo,v-en • X) to be deferred pealing review. So increment

`to. the . ahem tundtvere g.T84344... ATM was. to 40 pit • •

revised development plans based on the above islet= c licau

1.5 July. 1959 • ' . Revised Sentry development plan mu; -submitted to Al2 i,

as required in 24 Jude Instructions.

20 JuXY 1959 ARPL, USAF, UDC were biiefed .on programs outlined i i the

revised develop:a:at plan. •

Sept 1959

• .•

6 Sept . 1959 .-

redesignated the Sentry Space Program of 11.7L tc• :be

SAMOS Progress. 'The purpose as atnted was to identil t

reconnaissance programos ;vith. en 13160‘11:0110 sixes that toes

not have *lesion •association. • •

• OSD/ARPA Nexuses authorised SAWS read,out. program •

fuacting in accordance with 15 Jul.y 59 Development II in

for IT 60 flinding of '$1143.7 N. Also 'authorized air id

on SANDS 5-5 (recovery) -camera only simtdirected ccs -

submission. ' •

•

. August 1959 • • Nearage from Office 'Secretary of Defense to ARDC

The OSD advised the Air Pere° Ballistic Misfile sion

of• the decision to proceed with a recovery portion ct the

SAMOS Program. •

- ;

+<-1.•

4 ^a Alen
• 17 NOV 1959

•

10 Sept 1953- 03D/ASPA ltessage mutter:zed an incre 'ace of funds fo:

FT eo to a total of 448. X for SAWS Itedoveri . .

for planning purposes, 2R 61 level of 4170. X for St

AMU' **seg. received stating that Lcvelopment Plas

should ancommdatc ac far as possible both readout a d

recovery parts of StX0S•vithin ;.248. X telling.

20 Ott 1959 ABDC *sus e quoted neabo frost SAY to Chief of Staff

(13 Oct 59) directing that all SAMS/XMAS and •

Discoverer actions be handled in AMC framevork. •

AIWD vas' advised by AFLAT that the Secretary of Del =we

had casignedrespoisibility . tor SAMOS FhakiI to the -

USAF. AMU directed that a deveiomoent plan be it:cared

by ANDC,.Operwtional Flan by Sis.C, 61/1 Logistic Plat • qc

ANC effective 23 Novetber 1959.

AIMMIOrwsrderra message to Anil' in anticipation c • arevised SAmos Enyelopsoot Plan w Operations acs'.

The =visage set forth a proposed SAMOS launch schnis

for the period - June 1960 to Mar 1962. The message .

further provided a sketch of subs arcs E and.F.

2 Oct 1959

21• cct 1959.

27 COIr 1959

• . . SAMS Program reeponalbility vat transferred free J.! PA

to the >pert:rent of the Air Force by mamorandun n't a

Secretary of Ltfente to Secretary of the Air ',Force . Az

Air Force doy.olopnoct plan vas rimusst,141.for.the

effective 15 January 1960. Toe plan wad plice ms.hania •

on p!..7sice..1 recovery and provide. as initial launch If a

recoverable payload yell in advance of FY 62. • 7

•

7 Dec 1959. Menoramdum tract Secretaryi of .Defense to ASD (Coopt c •ler)

directed •the 'transfer-of Itnu•s° froz-ANPA to the fpr

}EMS, SAMOS and r.liscoverer Programs. • . •

le* 1959

•

)3I 2.teaeage provided AFG7J1 recommendations for a E. Jr<

Subeysien I. . data processing. aystom you'd. tie.. •

utilized as a link •between the SAS E and P *stet 1.,••

15-Jen 1960 SAMOS Svised Drfelopmemt Plan van submitted to VC .

for siproval..

BMX Program Office was directed to align progran . " Ithin •

fund cellings'•rithlezphasis on photo over ferret. • • • '

•

. 4./

•
15 Feb 1960

Jelin Tenancy Agreement for use of the Wituai

accomplished and.documentesi.

Lt General B.A. Schriever in Congressional testis:cm,'

before the .!louse Committee on Science and Astronaut• : s

(Brook Committee) *gain stressed the urgency of the FIDAS,

SAMOS, and Communications Satellite Prograas.

ATM Message stated that Arsic bad approved the SM4

DeVelOpMent Plan dated 15 January 19613.

284622 1960

5 Feb 1960..

'27 Feb 1960 USA? informed Alla(Dthat the 'Office of Secretary of

*Wens* had approved a basic SAMOS and MIDAS R&D Pr3;ram.

The aPproVal did not include authorizations 'or fundia:fOr

development.of SAMOS and MIDAS operatiohs.

' 4 Harch 1960 The Corp of Engineers was requested to proceed with

arrangements for -contructiOn of the SAMOS Emtly Fix

facility st Omaha.

18 Usich 1960 SAMOS Launch Pad '#1 vas completed at Point Arguello.

Technical support building plans and ipecificatione ?ere

released to the contractor.

20 April 1960 •

An'investigatiOn vasimade to determine the feesibilJw

of. tarrying :220 pound .Timy Back package for Vela f)tel

Pith SAMOS.Payloada. The purpose to measure high

enemy electrons (beta particles) in the lover' Vann I:len

Belt. Berate of the investigation. indicatedthat t

Pik Back•package could be carried • vithout jeopardising

the primary mission. • . .

'- • ..

4.kai 1960 • sate study was prepared which indicated ansecc . ion sit

to the program in .light of the national. situ:A$.02.4 .?1,32e.

for to General tehrierer was confir. se&

for. 14.''June .1960 with further presentation to the

* --- Veepons Board on 15 June 1960.

2 Jurie 1960: 8q, usAY directed the . SAMOS Program Office to revise the

211140T-DevglopmeittAand Operational Plan to -reflect a

tisipler.progras. : This Masan-line-with the directiv..

issued by the Under Secretary of the Air Force on - 27 NW 1960 to the effect that the MD exploitation.: sus

. operational plans be re-evaluated due to considerabl:

technical uncertainty of information 'that may be obt ned :i

*bY t. eb4.1404$ Pnaripadspf the -system. • •
5 July 1960

5 Ally 1960

6 4u.17 1960

8 July 1960

3 Jane 1960

.4171.960

.1 •

The first SANDS flight Agesa left the Systems Test: see

-

Departmen: of Defeass . directed that constr;iitton.Of•

Early Fix Facility at Ooshesuspended pending furs t

review of requirements. '

Intelligence Requirements'ior Satellite Reconnaisam ce

Systems are. established GSTB.

AYMITIftyposal oa 5 July 1960 Develowent Plan for .NMCG

was presented to OEM. Later the same day, presen ations

were made,to Secretary Sharp and Under SecreitaryCni ryk.•

DND. Devel;poent Mita proposal for SANDS van Premmmu i to

SANDS Working Cramp.

END proposal and Recoa Panel comments were presenut to

Weapons Boardrand Secretarrof the Air Force. •

15 July, 1960 The SANDS Development Plan VOA presented to MAC es i late:

. to DOM and•other agencies.. The National Security

Committee vas briefed in early August 1960.-

•

20 July 1960 Nleseme iedicetedtapproval of two adiitional

'launch pads with blockhouse adjacent to Complex 1, it

Arguello.

. •

11 August 1960 SAF Order designated General Robert E. Greer as Dire :tor

of thl SANDS Project with duty station at El SegumliA,

California. The projeet office would be . a.fteld a):1 =ion

of the Office Secretary of the Air Force.

\'N \\\' \\\

to ef,of sum-USAF eetablialad,

policy etating . that.there 'would be no review or ap;prial

channels betveen:Uw. Direct.cit'of the.SANDS4tOjeetli143

:'the Secretary of thiAir Force.

1O.Oct'

Oct 1960

-,,. • Sectetary of Defense memoranduarto SAP stated .that

- 'had been. taken.by the - National Security Council And

Approved by the President to place the Air Force Sat.11ite

Reconnaissance Program (SAMOS ) on a very high priort,y.-

. • The first SAMOS vehicle 2101, Vas launch& t

Arguello on . 11 October 60. The satelliteumbilical:'sid not

release and-the . nitrogen fill line was pulled out•ol•the

Agena vehicle as the Atlas lifted from:the-pad.;.. Sep ratio•
•

157/W1960

•

and Age= engine ignition var y naval. .Agena attittle

control had been lost. The thrust vas not directeci into

the orbital injection plane. Engineering changes vi re

directed to prevent a similar occurrence in the fet-e.

Dr. Robert D. Fletcher, it Weather Service Coawame,

presented a briefing to mambers . OSAF, p4, ARDC, Aril ),

and SAMOS Project C/fice relative to A1J3 capabilitics .

and limitations of providing weather forecasts for ;1170S

and Space Reconnaissance Launches Mud orbits. •

29 $ov 1960 The SAMOS Project Office presented a general •S)4.0S

briefing to a Senatorial Group. Included vere seattirof

the" Senate Armed Services Committee. 4