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DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 

WASHINGTON 

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OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 

JUN 1 19116 

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 

May 31, 1966, and is submitted in accordance with the 

May 23, 1966 instructions from the Office of the Secretary. 

SIGNED 

B. A. SCHRIEVER 

General, USAF 

Director, MOL Program 

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I. PROBLEMS 

Fiscal Year 1967 Funding Requirement 

It now appears that a MOL program which best balances 

the date of the first manned flight with orderly progression of 

the development program will require a FY 67 funding level of 

approximately $250 million, with a first manned flight date in 

December 1969. Any funding level appreciably lower than this 

would have an impact of a further slip in the schedule for a 

manned reconnaissance capability. If additional MOL funds are 

not appropriated by the Congress, reprogramming within the 

Air Force appears to be the only source of additional MOL funds. 

II. CHANGE PAST MONTH 

A. MOL Policy Committee Meeting 

A meeting of the MOL Policy Committee was held in 

Washington on May 20 to review program cost and schedule options 

in preparation for Air Force submission to DDR&E by mid-June. 

Contractorst Phase II cost proposals to date have been submitted 

on a program baseline of nine launches scheduled on four-month 

centers starting in October 1968. For reasons of economy and 

critical lead time requirements on the DORIAN optics, which are 

pacing other program segments, a new baseline was approved by 

the Committee for program planning and costing. The new program 

baseline is depicted on the MOL Summary Schedule attached to this 

report. 

The Systems Office estimates the cost of this revised 

program at $1.751 billion with a funding requirement for new 

obligating authority in FY 67 of $251.9 million. Contractors' 

estimates, to be submitted on the new baseline in early June, 

will serve as a departure point for initiating Phase II contract 

negotiations. 

B. DORIAN Cost Group Meeting 

The Senior Cost Review Group on the DORIAN cost 

addition to a review of the Eastman Kodak and Gen al Electric 

submissions met with the Director NRO, on May 11, 1966. 7 

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cost submissions, the following funding decisions on the Applied 

Research Programs were reached: 

3 

DORIAN 

Proceed with CER-VIT development. Total cost 

of facilities at Owens-Illinois for development of 

CER-VIT will be approximately $2.0 million, 

required in FY 67. Effort to date has been towards 

development of a 59-inch mirror but will now be 

extended to start development of the 72-inch DORIAN 

mirror. The FY 67 submission will include $1.5 

million for development of 72-inch blanks. 

(1) 

(2) Image Motion Compensation Sensor (IMC) to be 

funded by MOL at a level of $2.25 million in 

FY 67. This sensor would provide additional 

error signal, as sensed at the image plane, 

and is mandatory for the unmanned concept. 

Current efforts are in progress at Itek and 

Goodyear. 

(3) SIGINT Studies will be funded in FY 67 at a 

level of $1.35 million but the identification of 

all hardware will be carried below-the-line. 

C. Review of DORIAN Effort at Eastman Kodak 

As a result of a visit and review of the DORIAN effort 

at Eastman Kodak on May 17 by Director, NRO and Director, MOL, 

it was agreed that the MOL Program proceed on a schedule which 

protects the option to conduct the first flight of MOL with DORIAN 

optics in December 1969. This is to be accomplished using the 

compatibility model with the possibility to be explored of using 

high quality optics. This action to protect the option for an 

early flight with optics is to be accomplished with no increased 

risk or degradation to performance or schedule of the April 1970 

launch with Flight Model Number 1. 

D. Selection of Additional MOL Aerospace Research Pilots 

Five astronauts have been selected in the second increment 

to be assigned to the program, including three Air Force, one Navy, 

and one Marine Corps officer. Public announcement of the selection 

PaZe cf =;1: Pages Copy of et_ copies aratz contz,0:14/./ 2-66° 
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will be made in the near future, in a form similar to that used 

to announce the first selection, i. e. , at a press conference, 

probably in Los Angeles. It is anticipated that they will be 

assigned to the MOL Systems Office this summer, with advanced 

MOL training at the Aerospace Research Pilot School to commence 

in November. 

E. Congressional Activities 

The MOL Program Office provided backup to Major 

General in Congressional hearings during May 1966 on 

military construction funding requirements. 

Answers were provided to questions by Mr. Sikes of 

the House Appropriations Committee. Identical questions had 

been posed for Dr. Foster to answer and as inserts for the 

record in General Curtin's testimony. 

Several statements on MOL were prepared for possible 

use by various Congressmen during a House debate on the military 

space program. 

F. MOL Funding Status 

Obligation Authorities issued during May 1966 to 

General Berg and General Martin totaled $3, 435, 167. This 

brings the total of funds released by the MOL Program Office 

since Presidential announcement last August to $90,782,167. 

All identified program requirements through June 30, 1966 have 

been funded with the $90,000,000 FY 66 funds previously released 

by DDR&E. A request for the release of the remaining $60,000,000 

of MOL deferred FY 66 funds has been made. These funds are 

required to meet first quarter FY 67 requirements which include 

the final two months of Phase C Definition and the initial month 

of Phase II Development. 

III. CURRENT STATUS 

A. Unmanned DORIAN System Studies 

The Unmanned DORIAN System Studies, conducted at 

the request of Dr. Foster DDR&E are scheduled for initial review 

by the Director, NRO and Director, MOL in Los Angeles on June 7. 

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This review will include the results of the contractors' studies, 

SAFSP in-house studies and MOL Systems Office inputs. 

the conceptual design within 

Materiel Command 

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Dr. Flax has requested DDR&E that submission on the 

results of these studies be extended to June 17 to allow for 

refinement and completeness subsequent to the scheduled review 

on June 7. 

B. MOL Abort Recovery Aircraft Staging Base 

Initial MOL recovery planning has established a need 

for a staging area along the flight vehicle ascent ground track 

to support flight abort recovery operations. Henderson Island, 

an uninhabited British possession, has been selected for initial 

survey. The staging area must operationally support twelve 

HC-130 aircraft and eight helicopters. Since very little information is available, a request was made to the U. K. for 

permission to send a survey party to Henderson Island to 

evaluate the suitability of the Island as a staging base. Informal 

approval has been given to conduct the survey. Of the possible 

sources of transportation to Henderson Island, the earliest 

departure date presently uncovered is September 1, 1966. This 

date would not be early enough to permit inputs into the FY 68 

military construction budget submission to OSD. Consequently, 

other sources of transportation are still being investigated. 

C. Assignment of..NASA Personnel to MOL Systems Office 

Dr. Seamans, Deputy Administrator, NASA in a letter 

to General Schriever on May 2, 1966 concurred in the mutual 

benefits to be achieved in assigning NASA personnel to the MOL 

Systems Office. Implementing actions are underway to identify 

personnel with the necessary qualifications and experience. 

D. MOL Ocean Surveillance Mission 

The conceptual design of an ocean surveillance payload 

for IvIOL is nearing completion by the Navy. In order to obtain 

approval to enter the contract definition phase it will be necessary 

to present a detailed briefing on the conceptual design to DDR&E. 

The tentative schedule leading up to the presentation to DDR&E is 

listed below: 

DATE ACTIVITY 
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June 27 

July 8 

July 11 Review by Deputy Director, MOL 

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Review by Deputy Chief of Naval 

Operations (Development) 

Review by Assistant Secretary of the 

Navy (Research and Development) 

July 13 Review by the Director, MOL 

July 14 Review by the MOL Policy Committee 

(If necessary) 

July 15 Presentation to DDR&E 

IV FORECAST FOR FUTURE 

A. The results of the Unmanned DO N System Studies 

to be reviewed by Dr. Flax and General S hriever on June 7 

in Los Angeles. 

B. Public announcement of the selection of five additional 

MOL Aerospace Research Pilots to be made during June. 

C. Firm cost estimates on FY 67 funding requirements, 

together with technical and schedule justification to be documented 

and submitted to DDR&E by mid-June. 

D. Contract negotiations with major associate contractors 

for the Engineering Development Phase to commence in June. 

E. Remaining $60 million of FY 66 MOL deferred funds to 

be released by OSD to support first quarter program requirements. 

F. Selection to be made during June on the award of the 

MOL Data Management Sub-System. 

V. DUE DATE FOR NEXT PROGRESS REPORT 

Next monthly MOL Program Progress Report to be 

submitted July 8, 1966. 

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