COMMITTEE ON AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES, The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:05 a.m., in room 235, Old Senate Office Building, the Honorable Howard W. Cannon presiding. Present: Senators Cannon, Young, Holland, Smith of Maine, Curtis, and Goldwater. Also present: James J: Gehrig, staff director; Everard H. Smith, Jr., Dr. Glen P. Wilson, Craig Voorhees, and William Parker, professional staff members; Sam Bouchard, assistant chief clerk; Donald H. Brennan, research assistant; Mary Rita Robbins, and Carol L. Wilson, clerical assistants. OPENING STATEMENT BY SENATOR CANNON Senator CANNON. The committee will come to order. Today the committee is meeting to hear testimony from Dr. Thomas O. Paine, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Dr. Paine will testify on the benefits that have accrued to our society from the space program. This is a matter of great interest to the Congress since the Federal Government allocates substantial resources to this program. People in and out of the Government frequently ask the question: "What good is it doing?" It reminds me somewhat of stories told about the famous British scientist, Michael Faraday. Many years ago he was lecturing on one of his many discoveries when a member of the audience somewhat irreverently interrupted him, asking, "Yes, but what good is it?" Faraday's reply was, "What good is an infant?" On another occasion he was explaining to members of the British House of Lords the miracle of electricity and again was asked, "But what good is it?" Faraday's reply was, "Some day you will tax it." Today we repeatedly hear the same question about the space program and it seems to me Faraday's replies then are appropriate now. The space program is only 12 years old and it is just an infant in terms of its development; nevertheless, some of the results from the space program have already produced goods and services which we tax." So that this committee and the Senate and the public will have an assessment of just how robust an infant space is and can judge its potential for new wealth and revenue, the chairman of this committee, Senator Clinton P. Anderson of New Mexico, with the agreement of (1) other members, called this hearing today. Dr. Paine, Administrator of NASA, is here to give us a picture of how the space program is affecting our everyday lives and what NASA is doing to help get the fruits of the space program to those who can benefit from them. Senator Smith? Senator SMITH of Maine. I have no statement. Senator CANNON. Very well. You may proceed, Doctor. (The biographical sketch of Dr. Paine follows:) BIOGRAPHICAL DATA, THOMAS O. PAINE, ADMINISTRATOR, NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (Appointed March 5, 1969; sworn in April 3, 1969) Dr. Thomas O. Paine was born in Berkeley, Calif., November 9, 1921, son of Commodore and Mrs. George T. Paine, USN (Ret.). He attended public schools in various cities and was graduated from Brown University in 1942 with an A.B. degree in engineering. In World War II he served as a submarine officer in the Pacific and the Japanese occupation. He qualified in submarines and as a Navy deep-sea diver and was awarded the commendation medal and submarine combat insignia with stars. In 1946-49 Dr. Paine attended Stanford University, receiving an M.S. degree in 1947 and Ph. D. in 1949 in Physical Metallurgy. In 1946 he married Barbara Helen Taunton Pearse of Perth, Western Australia. They have four children: Marguerite Ada, George Thomas, Judith Janet and Frank Taunton. Dr. Paine worked as a research associate at Stanford University from 1947 to 1949, where he made basic studies of high-temperature alloys and liquid metals in support of naval nuclear reactor programs. He joined the General Electric Research Laboratory in Schenectady, New York, in 1949 as research associate, where he initiated research programs on magnetic and composite materials. This work led to the first demonstration of the shape anisotropy effect in singledomain magnetic particles, and to the basic patents on "Lodex” permanent magnets. In 1951 he transferred to the Meter and Instrument Department, Lynn, Mass, as manager of materials development, and later as laboratory manager. Major projects ranged from development of photocells and non-arc-tracking organic insulation to solid-state nuclear reactor control systems and aircraft instrumentation. For the successful fine-particle magnet development program, Dr. Paine's laboratory received the 1956 Award for Outstanding Contribution to Industrial Science from the American Association for Advancement of Science. From 1958 to 1962 Dr. Paine was research associate and manager of Engineering Applicatons at GE's Research and Development Center in Schenectady. This involved organizing and managing a new laboratory component engaged in technical-economic studies and development programs in lasers, medical, electronics, electric vehicles, and many other fields. In 1963-68 he was manager of TEMPO, GE's Center for Advanced Studies in Santa Barbara, Calif. This 400-man, long-range planning and interdisciplinary study group conducted interdisciplinary research for federal, state and local governments, foreign nationals, banks, and industry. These programs ranged from criteria for selection of model cities to the logistics support system for Polaris submarines and from computerized management information systems to economic development in Africa. About 15 percent of these studies were for top management of the parent company. On January 31, 1968, President Johnson appointed Dr. Paine Deputy Administrator of NASA. Upon the retirement of Mr. James E. Webb on October 8, 1988, President Johnson named Dr. Paine Acting Administrator of NASA. His nomination as Administrator was announced by President Nixon on March 5, 1969; this was confirmed by the Senate on March 20, 1969. He was sworn in by Vice President Agnew on April 3, 1969. Dr. Paine's professional activities have included chairmanship of the 1962 Engineering Research Foundation-Engineers Joint Council Conference on Science and Technology for Less Developed Nations; secretary and editor of the E.J.C. Engineering Research Committee on the Nation's Engineering Research Needs 1965-85; member, Advisory Committee and local chairman, Joint American Physical Society-Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers International Conference on Magnetism and Magnetic Materials; chairman, Special Task Force for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; lecturer, U.S. Army War College and American Management Association; Advisory Board, AIME Journal of Metals; member, Basic Science Committee of IEEE and the Research Committee, Instrument Society of America; Collier Trophy Award Committee. Dr. Paine is a member of the Sigma Xi; the Army and Navy Club, the Cosmos Club, the National Aviation Club, Washington, D.C.; New York Academy of Sciences; American Physical Society; Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers; American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers; American Society of Metals; Institute of Metals (London); Submarine Veterans of World War II; Society for the History of Technology; Marine Historical Association; American Museum of Electricity; Newcomen Society (London); Naval Historical Foundation; American Association for the Advancement of Science; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; U.S. Naval Institute; Navy League; Association of the U.S. Army; Instrument Society of America; Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; National Space Club Board of Governors; American Astronautical Society Fellow. Dr. Paine received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Brown Univerversity on June 2, 1969. STATEMENT OF DR. THOMAS 0. PAINE, ADMINISTRATOR, NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION; ACCOMPANIED BY DR. GEORGE M. LOW, DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR; WILLIS H. SHAPLEY, ASSOCIATE DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR; ROBERT F. ALLNUTT, ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS; DR. JOHN E. NAUGLE, ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR SPACE SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS; AND LEONARD JAFFE, DEPUTY ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR SPACE SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS Dr. PAINE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, early last Tuesday Explorer 1, America's first satellite, made a fiery reentry into the atmosphere over the South Pacific. Launched 12 years and 2 months before, this tiny 30.8-pound spacecraft discovered the earth's Van Allen radiation belts, and provided America's first reply to the challenge of Sputniks I and II. Next Saturday NASA plans to launch Apollo 13 with three astronauts and a 300,000-pound payload into earth orbit. If all goes well, Capt. Jim Lovell and his crew will then relight their Saturn V rocket's third stage for NASA's fifth lunar flight and third landing, during which they will conduct scientific experiments and explore the moon's ancient Fra Mauro formation. America's first dozen years in space saw our orbital payloads increase from 30.8 pounds to 300,000 pounds-10,000 times-our speed record increase from 1,900 m.p.h. to 25,000 m.p.h.-13 times and our flight altitude record increase from 126,000 feet to 234,500 miles— 10,000 times NASA astronauts have now logged a total of 5,843 hours in space, safely flying more than 70 million miles in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. Twelve Americans have orbited the moon; four have left their footprints on the lunar surface. Between Explorer 1 and Apollo 13 NASA also successfully launched 154 unmanned space craft, 23 of them in cooperative international programs. These have returned new scientific and practical data of great value from observations of the earth, sun, moon, planets, stars, and the fields and particles of interplanetary space. Impressive practical benefits have been realized from experimental and operational weather, geodetic, navigation, comunication, and other global application satellite systems. Although worldwide TV coverage of NASA missions has brought our dramatic space achievements before the largest television audiences in history, the benefits and full impact of our space program on society are just beginning to be understood. Our spectacular achievements in space have overshadowed the less dramatic but equally important story of the many benefits the Nation is realizing from our space program. I, therefore, particularly welcome this opportunity to appear before you this morning to discuss not only the scientific and technological benefits the Nation is receiving from NASA's work, but also the impressive values in many other fields which the average citizen is increasingly receiving as a dividend from the space program. I shall outline, as I see it, the broad impact space is having, and will continue to have, on our society, our technology, our industrial economy, and our planetary environment. I shall touch upon the direct benefits to science, to meteorology, to communications and to management; and outline the new processes whereby NASA is more effectively transferring technical information and getting it used throughout our socioeconomic system. BYPRODUCTS LISTED IN SEVEN APPENDIXES We have brought with us several exhibits to illustrate for you some typical examples of the many valuable contributions space technology is making to nonspace problems. I shall mention a few of these byproducts in my testimony, but there are far too many to cover in the time available here today. To give this committee a more complete picture, therefore seven appendixes are attached to my statement: Appendix 1 describes the NASA technology utilization program, and includes 12 attachments listing reports, abstracts, conferences, computer programs, inventions and patents. Appendix 2 describes NASA scientific and technical publications, of which more than 1.6 million were distributed last year. Representative recent titles are listed, and the distribution described, including the 3,211,500 microfiche1 copies distributed on request in 1969. Appendix 3 describes the space program's contribution to American schools, including audiovisual material and curriculum resources, of which the January 1970 issue of Social Education says, *** the curriculum publications of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, are far ahead of anything educational publishers have produced." The Spacemobile project which in 1969 reached 3,306,410 students live and 20,391,500 via TV is also described and evaluated. Appendix 4 describes each of the Space Research Laboratories built at 34 institutions of higher learning across the Nation during the 1 Microfiche-A 4" by 6" sheet of microfilm on which are placed 60 individual pages. 1960's and in which more than a thousand young men and women have already done graduate work toward their doctorates. Appendix 5 describes public interest in NASA, including in 1969 the 968,830 letters we received, the 37.6 million people who viewed our exhibits, the 9.8 million who saw NASA films directly, the 248 million who saw them on TV, the quarter of a million people who attended a talk by a NASA speaker, and the 2,600,000 visitors from all over the world who toured NASA's facilities. Appendix 6 summarizes 1969 news media coverage of NASA's activities, including the 3,497 newsmen accredited to Apollo 11 from 57 countries, the 1,167,559 NASA photos distributed to the press, the 734 U.S. TV stations who subscribe to NASA's film features with an estimated 347 million viewers, and the 3,200 U.S. radio stations and 954 newspapers who subscribe to NASA features. Appendix 7 describes the NASA reliability and quality assurance program, lists its publications, and provides examples of the Alert program which rapidly informs other agencies and industry of hazardous parts and materials of general concern, including the cause and recommended corrective action. With your permission, Mr. Chairman, we will furnish this rather voluminous material for the record, and I will proceed to summarize the benefits of the space program to the Nation and to the average citizen. 1. IMPACT ON SOCIETY Chairman Anderson recently observed the space advances of the past decade, culminating in the Apollo 11 lunar landing, were: "achievements that have moved the minds of men around the globe." This is not hyperbole; it is an historic fact. Today we live in a different world because in 1958 America recognized the challenge of space and boldly made the required national investment to meet it. Since then over a billion children have been born all around the world, the first space age generation. Because of the space program, they will learn a new science, a new cosmology, and a new view of man and his destiny in the universe. Our dramatic flights to the moon rightly appear to us as a revolutionary victory of mankind over the earth's gravity and the vacuum of space, which previously confined life to our home planet earth, but they will be commonplace to this generation. Today's children can look ahead confidently to new opportunities and to great new strides that man will make in the 21st century, when they will be in their thirties and forties. Their generation will view the earth as a whole for the first time, and be able to deal with technology, with science, and with philosophy as a unified experience, common to all men of the blue planet earth. This will have profound consequences, which we can just begin to perceive. But we, of course, can no more fully visualize the effect of this new technology on their lives 30 years hence, than we could fully visualize today's technology back in 1940. I do not know how to express in dollars the human values of new horizons and of new hopes for a better world that have resulted from the space program's demonstration that free men of competence and good will can work together within our institutions to achieve almost impossible goals. And I believe the space program will continue to act |