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DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE Control System WASHINGTON 

.01 

to 01 152) 4 0 OA IA 

1111101.1111111114c 

NOV 1 1966 

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 

October 31, 1966 and is submitted in accordance with 

the October 14, 1966 memorandum from the Office of 

the Secretary. 

1,R 4eANAAw Appa JAMES FERGUSON 

General, USAF 

Director, MOL Program 

1 Atch 

a/s 

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I. PROBLEMS 

A. Contract Negotiations 

With the exception of the Eastman-Kodak and 

Martin Companies, negotiations with MOL Program major 

contractors have not yet been concluded. The Government 

and company negotiators are continuing to press diligently to resolve or compromise their differences. The 

Government target date for completion of negotiations 

with Douglas, McDonnell and GE remains November 10, 1966. 

The differences between the government and contractors 

positions is sufficiently large to suggest that the 

November 10 date is somewhat optimistic. 

B. Aircraft Support for MOL Crew Members 

The total aircraft requirement for support 

of MOL astronauts consists of: 2 F-104 and 2 T-38 aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base to support advanced 

flight training; 2 T-39 aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport, and 5 T-38 aircraft at Los Alamitos 

Naval Air Station for Space Flight Readiness training. 

The requirement for one T-39 and all five T-38's is 

unfulfilled, and the Air Staff has indicated that these 

aircraft are not available. The Director, MOL has sentO/T 

a letter to Headquarters USAF, emphasizing the need for ltapw" 

T-38 aircraft for Spaceflight Readiness training for Afrt the MOL astronauts. The letter includes a request for . 

ten manpower spaces to support the MOL flying operation 

at Los Alamitos Naval Air Station. An Air Staff reply AA' 

is expected within the next few weeks. Secretarial 

assistance may be required if Headquarters USAF does not 

provide the necessary aircraft and manpower support. 

CHANGES PAST MONTH 

A. SAC Representative 

Major Richard A. DeLong has been selected as 

the SAC representative to be assigned to the Mission 

Planning Division of the MOL Program Office. A firm 

assignment date has not been determined; however, January 

1967 has been suggested to Headquarters SAC as being 

acceptable. Major DeLong is currently assigned to 

DORIAN 

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Headquarters SAC (Directorate of Plans) and has been 

associated with the SAC "blue suit" simulation and 

analysis capability for approximately two years. 

B. MOL Launch Complex - VAFB 

The design of the MOL Launch Complex will be 

completed by November 1, 1966. It is anticipated that 

invitations for bids on construction of long lead time 

items will be requested on November 15. Authority was 

granted on October 17 to advertise prior to release of 

funds. The advertised package will include launch 

facilities with an estimated cost of $21.8 million. 

Short lead time items not in the advertised package 

include the intersite railroad, soil erosion, Segment 

Ready Storage Building, Segment Receipt Inspection 

Building, Diesel Electric Generating Plant, Ready Building and Antenna Towers. 

C. Phase IC Contract Extensions 

In order to protect long lead-time development 

requirements, supplementary agreements to existing Phase 

IC contracts have been entered into with Douglas, General 

Electric and McDonnell Corporations. These contracts 

were for a total of $12.2 million, $3.6 million and $6.0 

million respectively, and cover the period September 1 

through October 31. They were designed to protect the 

MOL Program Phase II schedule while negotiations of the 

definitive contracts continues. If the negotiations 

continue past mid-November, new supplementary agreements 

will be required. 

D. Vice Chief of Staff Briefing 

On October 17 General Holloway was briefed on 

the MOL Program at the DORIAN level by General Evans 

and Colonel Norman. 

III. CURRENT STATUS 

A. Funds 

The total of funds released against the MOL 

line item since program approval in August 1965 is now 

approximately $151.7 million. The FY 1966 carry-over 

balance held by the Director, MOL Program, is approximately $14.5 million as of October 31, 1966. This carryDORIAN 

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over will be exhausted within the next two months and itAipt

will require initial releases of FY 67 funds during 

December 1966. .994"1 

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B. NASA Assignee to MOL SPO 

A NASA civilian has been identified for 

assignment to the West Coast Engineering Directorate. 

His clearance status is now undergoing review. 

C. HST Launch 

Preparation for launch, on November 3, of 

the Heat Shield Test (HST) Gemini spacecraft on Titan 

IIIC Vehicle #9, continues on schedule at Cape Kennedy. 

Check-out of the launch configuration has proceeded 

with minimal difficulty and final qualification of 

experiments to be flown has been completed. The launch 

trajectory provides for separation of the Gemini spacecraft after apogee for a sub-orbital reentry, and 

injection of the remaining cylindrical test structure, 

with OAR experiments, into orbit with the transtage. 

The public affairs plan for this launch has 

been approved by OASD/PA and distributed to all action 

and interested organizations by SAF-OI. The plan outlines procedures for "open" news media coverage of the 

launch similar to past Titan II launches. The basic 

policy provides for minimum MOL exposure in the news 

media by avoiding mention of MOL involvement wherever 

possible in official releases and briefings. Information 

materials were prepared accordingly and approved by OSD. 

D. Abort Recovery Staging Base 

The Chief of the 

has concurred with the MOL Program proposal for the joint :MOL construction and use of the 

Easter Island airfield facilities. Funds to accomplish 

the construction augmentation required by the MOL Program 

have been requested. The additional funds required for 

the runway augmentation, which is in the initial phase #*640 of construction, should be transferred by early November 

1966. A diplomatic clearance request for MOL Program 1444 

Easter Island operations has been transmitted to the 

American Ambassador to Chile. Program change requests 4:240 

for the recovery forces (H-53's and C-130's) are being 

evaluated by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. 

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E. Technical Review of Phase II Contracts 

Special processing procedures for AFSC approval 

of Phase II MOL Contracts have been established. These 

procedures include the requirement for a technical 

review of the contracts prior to approval by the Deputy 

Chief of Staff/Procurement and Production, Headquarters, 

AFSC. The MOL Program Office will assume the responsibility for determining that the technical and engineering 

specifications and requirements of the different contractors efforts are not duplicative or contradictory, 

and that where there are interfaces, the contracts 

properly provide for these. A Technical Review Team has 

been established and will convene at SSD on November 7 

for approximately one week. 

IV. FORECAST FOR FUTURE 

A. November Program Review 

The review is scheduled for November 17 at 

Los Angeles. The principal agenda item will be a review 

of negotiated program costs. 

B. MOL Policy Committee 

Tentative plans are being made for a MOL Policy 

Committee meeting on Monday, November 21. The purpose 

of the meeting will be to review total program costs 

and fiscal year funding requirements in the light of 

negotiated Phase II Contracts. 

V. DUE DATE FOR NEXT PROGRESS REPORT 

Next monthly MOL Progress Report to be submitted 

December 7, 1966. 

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