The research and technology programs which are under NASA management are coordinated with related programs in the Department of Defense through the Aeronautics and Astronautics Coordinating Board.

The identified part of the NASA program in research and technology is subdivided as shown on the slide (fig. 188). These subdivisions are aeronautical research and technology, nuclear systems technology which include nuclear rockets and nuclear-electric propulsion, and space vehicle research and technology. And that includes also our propulsion and power, chemical power. In addition to these

ADVANCED RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
AREAS OF ACTIVITY

R 62-399

FIGURE 188

clearly defined areas, a certain amount of general research is encouraged at the various centers of NASA. This general research is vital as a means for allowing gifted scientists to inject totally new ideas and principles into our thinking about aeronautics and space exploration.

The budget estimated for the advanced research and technology program is presented here (fig. 189). The budget moves from $323.3 million in fiscal year 1962-plus a $26 million supplemental for a total of $349.3 million-to an estimate of $618.5 million for fiscal year 1963.

You will note that research, development, and operation requests are greater in all areas. The most significant increases occur in the areas of launch operations development, nuclear systems technology,

TOTAL ADV RES & TECH $223.0 $323.3 $ 26.0 $ 618.5

FIGURE 189

AA 62-326

electric propulsion, and liquid propulsion. These increases reflect costs of moving from study and advanced design into full development programs. For example, in the area of liquid propulsion, the F-1, J-2, and M-1 engines are involved. The other line item increases result from intensified effort and the costs of flight research support. One item, the launch operation development shown on the slide, is $21.5 million. I would like to point out that $18.3 million of this is for range support operation at Cape Canaveral for our launch programs. The remaining is for the advanced technology.

The budget estimates for construction of facilities in fiscal year 1963 total $113.8 million. This includes several areas, and in general, one, the construction at Lewis Research Center of a special environmental facility for the study of space propulsion systems, and a facility for studying propulsion problems peculiar to lunar landing and takeoff; two, construction at the Nuclear Rocket Development Station for engine and stage assembly and disassembly facilities, and a nuclear rocket test stand; three, construction at Ames Research Center of a space flight guidance research facility; and, four, construction at Langley Research Center of various specialized equipments. I would like to introduce, Mr. Chairman, some of our members of the program office of advanced research and technology. It is possible that they may be speaking before you in various other hearings, if you will permit.

Mr. ANFUSO. I certainly do. Go right ahead.

Mr. DIXON. I would like to introduce Mr. Boyd Myers-Mr. Myers is director of our program review and resources-Dr. Kurzweg, direc

tor of basic research; Dr. Edson is one of our technical assistants; Mr. Newell Sanders is director of program coordination; Mr. Milton Ames is director of space vehicle and launch technology; and Dr. Kelley is director of our electronics and control. He is also a commander in the U.S. Navy.

Mr. ANFUSO. He looks like one of the astronauts.

Mr. DIXON. Yes, sir. And I have one more.

Mr. ANFUSO. Dick Slayton, exactly, I thought it was Dick Slayton. Mr. DIXON. John Sloop is Director of Propulsion and Space Power. He is a very important part of this program, too.

Mr. ANFUSO. Now, will you introduce Mr. Finger? I understand he is to testify.

Mr. DIXON. Yes.

The first part of our presentation in detail is related to our work on nuclear systems and electric propulsion and Mr. Harold Finger will make this presentation. Mr. Finger is directing the NASA work on nuclear systems and the AEC work related to the Rover or nuclear rocket program. He is Manager of the Joint Atomic Energy Commission-National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Space Nuclear Propulsion Office. In this capacity, he is responsible for the work in both agencies related to the development of nuclear rocket propulsion systems. He is also Director of Nuclear Systems in NASA. He will make the summary remarks as you have asked, Mr. Chairman.

(The biographical sketch of Harold B. Finger follows:)

BIOGRAPHY OF HAROLD B. FINGER, DIRECTOR OF NUCLEAR SYSTEMS, OFFICE OF ADVANCED RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

Harold B. Finger is Director of Nuclear Systems in NASA'S Office of Advanced Research and Technology, and Manager of the joint AEC-NASA Space Nuclear Propulsion Office. Prior to his appointment as Director of Nuclear Systems, effective November 1, 1961, he was Assistant Director of Nuclear Applications in NASA's Office of Launch Vehicle Programs. He has been Chief of Nuclear Engine Program since the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was established October 1, 1958, and was named Assistant Director for Nuclear Applications in NASA on March 5, 1961. He has been Manager of the AECNASA Space Nuclear Propulsion Office since August 31, 1960. In this capacity

he is responsible for all aspects of the development of nuclear rocket propulsion. As Director of Nuclear Systems, he manages all aspects of NASA's research and development program on nuclear electric power systems and electric propulsion, as well as the flight testing of these electric systems and of nuclear rocket systems.

Finger joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the predecessor of NASA, in 1944 as an aeronautical research scientist at the Lewis facility in Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained until his appointment to the NASA Headquarters staff in 1958. In 1952 he was named Head of the Axial Flow Compressor Section and in 1954 was named Associate Chief of the Compressor Research Branch. Three years later, after having received training in nuclear engineering, he was made Head of the Nuclear Radiation Shielding Group and a Nuclear Rocket Design Analysis Group.

A native of New York City, Finger earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from City College of New York in 1944. He was awarded a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from Case Institute of Technology in 1950.

Finger has specialized in research in the fields of turbo-machinery, nuclear rockets, and shielding. He is the author of numerous technical papers, and was cowinner of the 1957 SAE Manley Award for the best paper on aeronautics presented during the year to the Society of Automotive Engineers. He is a member of the Institute of the Aerospace Sciences and the American Rocket Society.

Mr. and Mrs. Finger (the former Arlene Karsch) and their three daughters live in Bethesda, Md.

Mr. ANFUSO. Mr. Finger, before you testify, I want to tell you that all of the members of this committee received your statement yesterday and that is the procedure we are going to follow, to inform the members in advance and we hope to get the cooperation of NASA. I am going to now place the entire statement which you have made, for which I congratulate you, it is a very excellent statement, Mr. Finger, the entire statement will be placed into the record at this time. (The statement referred to is as follows:)

STATEMENT OF HAROLD B. FINGER, DIRECTOR, NUCLEAR SYSTEMS, MANAGER, SPACE NUCLEAR PROPULSION OFFICE, NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMISTRATION

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, nuclear energy offers to the space program a source of high energy required to perform difficult, long-range, high payload missions. The nuclear systems that are receiving emphasis in our programs are listed on the first chart (fig. 190). They are the nuclear rocket

NUCLEAR SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY

• NUCLEAR PROPULSION

• ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION

• ELECTRIC PROPULSION

FIGURE 190

(Rover) system and the nuclear electric power generating systems that are to be used for providing large amounts of auxiliary electric power and also for providing the power required in electric propulsion systems. I would like now to describe to you the status of our work on these nuclear systems, our program plans, and the mission capability that is potentially available from these systems.

The propulsion potential of the nuclear rocket and the nuclear electric rocket is shown diagrammatically in the next chart (fig. 191) in which I have indicated some of the missions that could be performed by the different systems being considered. The chemical rocket systems can perform near Earth manned missions, going out as far as the Moon. They can, of course, also be used for one-way instrumented probes and landings on the near planets. The nuclear rocket system can be used to perform heavy payload, manned, round trip missions to the Moon and the near planets, Mars and Venus. The electric rocket indicates performance potential for missions even beyond Mars and Venus. Although this chart is intended to indicate the mission potential of the nuclear propulsion systems, I must emphasize that these advanced nuclear systems could be combined with the chemical rocket launch vehicles that are now bing developed to significantly increase the payload capability of these chemical rockets in their Earth missions.

In

I will first discuss our nuclear rocket program being conducted jointly by NASA and the Atomic Energy Commission. Although the previous chart indicated the general type of mission that could be performed by nuclear rockets, the next slide (fig. 192) indicates a little more specifically the performance potential of the nuclear rocket. At the bottom of the chart is shown a conceptual drawing of a nuclear-powered space vehicle which would be assembled in, or be placed into, an Earth orbit to perform a Mars manned landing mission. this case, the nuclear space vehicle would leave the Earth orbit with a full load of hydrogen propellant. As the hydrogen was used up, the hydrogen tanks would be jettisoned. The nuclear-powered spacecraft would be established in a Mars orbit and a chemically propelled landing craft would, in this calculation, land three men on Mars. The men would then rendezvous with the orbiting spacecraft using a chemically propelled vehicle to take off from the surface of Mars and the spacecraft would then return to Earth. In this calculation, the entire trip takes 400 days, including a 40-day period at Mars during which time the exploration is conducted and Mars and the Earth are moving in their orbits about the Sun into proper relative position for the return trip. The total space vehicle weight in the initial Earth orbit is estimated at a million pounds. This initial weight will vary significantly with the radiation doses that will be encountered during the flight and the shielding required to protect the men from this space radiation. As you know, our space sciences program is concentrating on a better understanding of the radiation that will be encountered in space. In any case, the performance of this mission with an all chemical vehicle would require an initial weight in an Earth orbit about 10 times the value of the nuclear vehicle weight.

A drawing of the nuclear rocket engine is shown on the next slide (fig. 193) in a cutaway view that permits you to see the principal components of the system. In this system, hydrogen is pumped from the propellent tank to the regeneratively cooled jet nozzle where the liquid hydrogen is used to cool the nozzle walls. The hydrogen is then passed through the reflector portion of the reactor and on through the reactor core. The energy released by the fissioning of uranium in the reactor core heats the hydrogen to high temperature. The resulting high