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NRO APPROVg 

RELEASE 1 JU 

.11711.0i .:11141, 

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141 

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X\XXX 7EA 

FOtR ONE C..E 

T3r3L- CRC 7202 1242 

rqt:o !ATE CITE WHIG 3061, 

IAN SEM 

r Om MCMILLAN TO GREER, THIS MESSAGE IN SIX PARTS. 

PIT I. THIS MESSAGE PROVIDES THE DIRECT ION WHICH HAS EVOLVED AS A 

:HIES LT OF TIE FRESENTAT IONS AID D ISCUSSIONS OF 17.19 MAY ON THE MOL 

p-,_ 0GRAt4 AU) IS TO BE APR_ LED TO THE MOL EFFORTS IMMED LATELY. PLEASE 

PP °VIDE A COPY OF THIS MESSAGE TO GENERALS FUNK AND BLEYMAIER FOR *

THI: IR GUIDANCE AND NECESSARY ACTION. 

P"',1 II. TT DEVELOPMENT OF OPT I CAL TECHNOLOGY LEADING TO OPT I CAL 

SYSTEVS CAPAFLE OF IMPROVED RESOLUTION IS TIE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF 

ThE MCI. FRCGRAM. THE INIT IAL OBJECT IVE IS TO DEVELOP AM DEMONSTRATE 

AT TIE EARL IEST TIME AN OPERATIONALLY USEFUL HIGH RESCLUT ION MANNED 

(Tyr !CAL RECONNAISSANCE SYSTEM CAPAFLE OF ACHIEVEING 

_GROti'O RESCLUT ION. OTHER MISSION APPLICATIONS OF TIE MOL 

POGRAM SUCH AS SEA SURVEILLANCE CONK ANEI EL INT ARE SECONDARY APO 

n • TO HE ORBITAL 

tiPM MED. 

PADT III. !IT ASSESSLENT OF THE PRESENT A E OF 0 TECHNOLOGY 

P0 ICATES THAT THERE WILL CE CONSIDERABLE SKEPT IC ISM REGARDING THE 

PRESENT AGIL ITY TO FABRICATE MIRRORS OF THE NECESSARY OPT ICAL QUALITY 

IN 0 IAMF.TERS GREATER THAN APPROXIMATELY 60 INCHES. THIS SKEPTICISM 

WILL EXTE:0 TO FLATS TO BE USED IN CONJUNCT ION WITH SUCH MIRRORS THAT 

PE NECESSARILY LARGER. Fit/TIER THERE IS GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT 

FLATS TO BE USED IN CONJUNCT ION WITH MIRRORS OF THE CODER OF 

DIAMETER CR GREATER ARE NOT WITHIN TIE PRESENT STATECF-TIE-ART AN) MAY NOT BE ACHIEVABLE WITHIN TIE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. 

IN ADO IT ION THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT THERMAL, WEIGHT 00 STRUCTURAL 

F).39._Evs rrA VERY LARGE MIRRORS AND FLATS. THEREFORE, THE !NIT IAL 

FL IGHTS SF :1110 BE PREDICATED ON A MIRROR OF APPROXIMATELY 60 INCHES 

DIAMETER OF CONSERVAT IVE DESIGN. THIS OPT ICAL SYSTEM MAY BE DESIGNED 

TO OPERATE EITHER WITH OR wrrHoUr A TRACKING MIRROR, TIE ADVANTAGES 

07 A TRACK! te MIRROR SYSTEM VERSUS POINTING THE PRIMARY OPT ICS W ILL 

E SUBJECTED TO CAREFL1. ANALYSIS, AND THE RESULTS WILL BE REVIEWED 

BY SAFUS. AS A PARALLEL EFFORT, WORK SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN IM ED IATELY TO DEVELOP A MIRROR AT LEAST 60 INCHES IN D IAMETER OF LIGHTER 

Y1 !CHI* IT 14 THE INTENT ION THAT IT BE DEMONSTRATED IN LIEU OF TIE 

MORE CONSERVAT wE DESIGN APPROACH IF THE TECHNOLOGY PROGRESSES 

S'IFF IC IENTLY OTO JUSTIFY A FL IVIT DEMONSTR AT ION. DEVELOPMENT WILL 

/LSO BE tPDERT MN OF LARGER OPT !CAL SYSTEMS OF 13 IAKTERS (EST !MATED 

TO BE UP TO THAT FLYAFtE WITHIN THE WEIGHT 

3 SIZE EI-NELOPE OF TIE T ITAL IIIC 7 SEGMENT ORBITING VEHICLE 

0.3%1SINAT 10g. A DESIGN EASED ON POINT RIG OF TIE PRIMARY OPT les Wit 
NRO APPROVED FOR 

RELEASE 1 JULY 2015 

r 1!D. coATINuING INVEST foci OF THE TECHNOLOGY OF ACHIEVIt9 

N-! Re,i1 Dlr.:ETERS WILL BE CONTINUED. TO INCLUDE 

. CC NCEPTuAL DESIGN OF SYSTEMS WHICH COLLO 

THIS WORK IS INTETED TO DEEM 

ii2VANCE3 TECHNOLOGY EXPERIMENTS THAT COLLO BE CON3uCTED ON TIE MDL 

1.7.HICLE. *NE. DESIGN OF THE INITIAL ORBITAL VEHICLE WILL BE 

CAPABLE OF AcCOmMODAT IND THIS PROGRESSIVE OPTICAL CAPABILITY WITH 

MINRAL CHANGE. 

PART IV, AS A PARTIAL IMPLUENTAT ION OF TIE ABOVE, ITEK AND 

PEP K I N-EL ER WILL ENTER INITO ADD IT ONAL STUDY CONTRACTS AND ANALYSES 

10t.TRING TIC OBJECTIVES OUTLINED ABOVE IN THE RANGE OF 

OPTICAL SYSTEMS, THE EASTMAN KWAK DOR IAN CONTRACT WILL BE 

REORIENTED TO PERMIT ADDITIONAL STUDY IN THESE AREAS. CONTACT WITH 

CC'PCRATE LEVEL PERSONNEL OF OWENS ILLINOIS IS AUTHORIZED AM) A 

s!',:OLE IVIDUAL OF CORPORATE VICE PRESIDENT LEVEL OR ABOVE MAY 

E PRIEM.) ON THE NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE PROGRAM IN ORDER THAT THE 

T icNAL UR IT Y IMPL ICAT IONS AM) IMPORTANCE OF THE IR WORK WITH " 

:VIT MATERIALS IS FILLY UNDERSTOOD. owEN ILLINOIS WILL BE 

r::,:.:otrAcED TO ACCELERATE TIE DEVELOPMENT or TECHNOLOGY ASO FACIL IT■ 

-ES To HANTS LARGE OPTICAL BLANKS UP TO APPROXIMATELY 

mg) TO MAKE THEIR FACILITY WEDS KNOWN TO ACCOMPLISH THIS 

Tps-Ar, THIS CONTRACT IS TO BE COORDINATED WITH EASTMAN KODAK TO 

SIRE THAT Cf/ENS ILLINOIS IS AWARE THAT THEIR PRESENT WORK WITH 

Efi.:,TmAN IS PART OF TIE SAME OVERALL PROGRAM OF NATIONAL INTEREST. 

IN ADD IT IOM THE PRESENT CAPABILITY AT MERMAN OPTICAL TO FABRICATE 

LARGE BERYLL h IM MIRRORS OF PE NECESSARY OPTICAL QUALITY SHOUT/ BE 

At4 PROCuRDENT OF AN ADDITIONAL BLANK SHOILD BE CONSIDERED. 

A P3PcPAN MUST BE DEFINED TO IDENTIFY AN) BRIM EXPERT EXPERIENCE AM) 

TECHNIQUES TO FEAR ON THE METALLURGICAL AM OTHER KEY PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH BERYLLIUM MIRROR FABRICATION. 

PART V. co NT !NW% WORK MUST ALSO BE CARRIED ON TO MORE ADEQUATELY 

DEFINE APPROPRIATE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR caw, SEA SURVEILLANCE, 

ANL EL INT PAILOADS, IT IS EVIDENT THAT THERE ARE MANY UNKNOWNS IN 

ITS DEVELOn:E.. NT OF A USER'. COHINT CAPABILITY, PARTICULAR EMPHASIS 

IS REOU1REO TO DEFINE THESE UNKNOWNS IN SOME DETAIL AN) SPECIFY TIE 

LEO fx.. DMAM REQUIRED FOR SOLtff ION, MAXIMUM SINIILAT 

(,UZ AN) AIRCRAFT TESTS SHOILD BE PLANta, ORBITAL FLIGHT TESTS 

is:ILL BE APPROVED ONLY AFTER SUFFICIENT PLANNING AND ANALYSIS HAS BEEN 

to= TO SHO/ THE NEED FOR SUCH FLIGHT TESTS. 

PART VI. CO IT TONAL GUIDANCE ON ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM PLANS AM) 

CRGANIZAT ION OF TfE TYO HOUR PRESENTATION TO THE I/Ct. POLICY 

CO"tITTEE ON 1 JUNE 1965 MI) SUBSEQUENT PRESENTATIONS Will BE 

FRI'VE DE. AN IN.IT UAL REVIEW OF THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN, SCHEDULES AND 

COT TO MEET TIE MOL PROGRAM AS DEFINED ABOVE WILL BE CONDUCTED 

FY CEP 'RAL rvAtsis ON 28 MAY AT SSD. 

Cr-Z): WILL RERUN UPON REQUEST 

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