The six projects I have just discussed are NACA's proposed new research facilities. Modernization of research and technical facilities: The other items of our proposed construction program are for modernizing existing research and technical facilities and for general plant and utility improvements. It is proposed to modify the existing materials research facility at the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory and to install new equipment to make possible research on metallurgical and ceramic materials for advanced nuclear and chemical powerplants. Equipment for melting refractory materials at temperatures up to 7,000° F., and for forming or fabricating and evaluating materials up to 4,000° F. will be provided. Nuclear aircraft and rocket engines require materials that have special nuclear properties and that are able to withstand temperatures considerably above those in use in jet engines. Because of this large temperature increase, it is not feasible to expect that current studies to improve the jet engine super alloys will lead to adequate materials for these newer applications. New and novel materials must, therefore, be considered. At the Ames Laboratory, it is proposed to modify the flight research facility by a two-story addition to house electronic simulator equipment, office space for scientific personnel, and small laboratories for aircraft and missile instrument research work. The modified laboratory is designed to provide all the necessary equipment to permit the characteristics of the overall flight-control and command systems of aircraft to be studied on the ground by means of simulators both for automatically controlled aircraft and for aircraft in which a human pilot must manipulate the controls in response to instrument indicators. At the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory it is proposed to install an indirect-type heat exchanger to raise the air temperature in the unitary plan tunnel without contaminating the tunnel air stream. the higher speed ranges, the present limitation of tunnel air temperature to 320° F. does not adequately simulate the actual flight condition for air-breathing powerplant operation. The new heater will permit temperatures approaching 950° F. to be reached. Modifications to the altitude tunnel at the Lewis Laboratory are proposed to provide a capsule and trust stand with supporting instrumentation and equipment for rocket engine installations, the exhaust from which will discharge into the return passage of the tunnel. The apparatus will be used for study of control systems and exhaust nozzle efficiency in large rocket engines under conditions of high-altitude operation. In addition to modernizing the research facilities just discussed, it is also necessary to retube the propulsion systems facility primary cooler at the Lewis Laboratory. The primary exhaust gas-cooler for the No. 2 test chamber of this facility has been subjected to high local temperatures, vibration and corroding impurities in the water. Many of the tubes have deteriorated to the point where they had to be blanked off. In order to permit normal operation of this unique facility and to forestall further damage to the secondary cooler and possibly the exhauster, it is essential to replace the wornout tubes. Plant and utility improvements: The shoreline at Wallops Island, where NACA's Pilotless Aircraft Station is located, has been receding rapidly during the last 2 years, and the existing seawall has been exposed up to 4 feet at some points. It is estimated that when erosion exposes 9 feet, the seawall will fail. In order to protect the station from severe damage it is necessary to construct creosoted timber groins at 400-foot intervals and extending 200 feet into the ocean. The success of such erosion control has been observed at three beach areas on the coast of Maryland and Delaware. It was determined that they are being protected and built up by a similar system of groins recommended by the Federal Beach Erosion Board. Also required is the installation of approximately 19,000 feet of cable to provide a 110-kilovolt tie line between the east and west areas at the Langley Laboratory. Power from the existing electrical supply system is distributed through 2 cables which together have an optimum nominal rating of about 25,800 kilovolt-ampere. These cables can be loaded to capacity by full-power operation of any one of the large east area tunnels. One cable has been in operation since 1941 and the other since 1944. They have been operated with an overload on numerous occasions. The proposed cable will support 60,000 kilovolt-ampere. This, Mr. Chairman, summarizes NACA's proposed 1959 construction program. We urge the favorable consideration by your committee of H. R. 11805. Mr. DURHAM. Have all of these items been cleared by the Budget Bureau? Mr. CROWLEY. Yes. Mr. DURHAM. Is this your total authorization for the year? Mr. CROWLEY. This will be the total authorization for construction and equipment this year to date, fiscal year 1959. Mr. DURHAM. Mr. Price. Mr. PRICE. Are any of these facilities in this proposed legislation in any way duplicative of any existing facility of the NACA? Mr. CROWELL. No, they do not. Mr. DOYLE. May I ask a question, Mr. Chairman? Mr. DURHAM. Mr. Doyle. Mr. DOYLE. You mentioned 5 million plus for modernization. What is the nature of the modernization? Is it in any way the result of new technological advances and improvements, or is that what you mean by modernization, or why do you need to modernize? Mr. CROWLEY. We need to modernize the existing research facilities to increase their capacities to take care of the new speeds and altitudes that we have to take care of today with the increased speed and altitudes of missiles and satellites, and things of that nature. Mr. KITCHIN. Mr. Chairman, may I ask one question? Mr. DURHAM. Mr. Kitchin. Mr. KITCHIN. In line with the modernization program, for as far in the future as you can see at the present time, will this accommodate your practical usage of the research laboratories? Mr. CROWLEY. Yes, as far as we can see, this modernization will make these particular facilities being modernized as advanced as we can possibly see at the present time. Mr. DURHAM. Some of this is the modernization of the present program? Mr. CROWLEY. There are $23,458,000 of new facilities, new equip ment. Mr. DURHAM. What is that, primarily? Mr. CROWLEY. They consist of about 6 different items, hightemperature structural dynamics facilities; that is, a facility for testing structures at very high temperatures, a 12 by 12-inch hydrosonic helium tunnel, that is making use of helium so we can make tests at very high Mach numbers. Mr. DURHAM. Have you got one of those? Mr. CROWLEY. We have changed one of our older tunnels to use helium, but this will go to much higher speeds, and it is a relatively small one, 12 inches square. Mr. PRICE. Mr. Chairman, I think the committee is well informed on the nature of the work that the NACA does. We recognize the essentiality of having the proper tools to do this work. Without the basic work that they do in this field, very little would be accomplished in the years to come in the advance of aviation. I hope we can act rapidly on this bill. Mr. DURHAM. Since this is one of the things being stressed at the present time, basic research, primarily, may I ask you how much you were cut this year by the Budget Bureau from what you requested? Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Ulmer, who is our budget officer, will answer that. Mr. ULMER. Mr. Chairman, we submitted a facilities budget totaling $39,844,000. $6,780,000 of that was pulled out and provided in a supplemental estimate for the fiscal year 1958; an amount of $26,220,000 was permitted to be requested in our 1959 budget. Mr. DURHAM. So you were not so far off in your original request? Mr. ULMER. Not far off, that is right. Mr. PRICE. Mr. Chairman, may I develop that a little further? You actually, then, got everything that you submitted to the budget? Mr. ULMER. Not quite. There was some cut. Mr. PRICE. How much? Mr. ULMER. Around $6 million or $7 million. Mr. PRICE. Was there any essential project you felt was not allowed by the Budget? Mr. ULMER. We felt they were essential, Mr. Price, but the cut was made in a lump sum and we were permitted to include in the approved amount the projects of highest priority. Mr. PRICE. Did the cut eliminate any specific project? Mr. ULMER. It required some projects to be eliminated, yes. Projects deleted by the Bureau of the Budget in NACA fiscal year 1959 construction program Project Location Modifications to extend the test range of the unitary plan tunnel.. Ames. Langley. 1-foot hypervelocity tunnel_ Ames. Modernization and relocation of the preflight jet. Wallops. Magnetic core storage for data reduction computer--. Diffuser for the 9- by 6-foot thermal structures tunnel. Land acquisition... Modification of the 9- by 18-inch supersonic flutter tunnel. Lewis. Langley. Instrument research building extension... Diffuser soundproofing for the unitary plan tunnel.. Do. Do. Also, you said you fared fairly well as to Budget considerations, for the projects that you submitted. Was there any restriction on the ceiling of what you could submit to the Budget? Mr. ULMER. No, sir; we did not operate under a ceiling on what we could submit. Our main committee, the NACA, determined the level of the budget and there was no ceiling on what they could approve. Mr. PRICE. You submitted every project that you thought was essential for the next fiscal year? Mr. ULMER. Yes, sir. Mr. PRICE. You were not restricted in any way to most essential projects? Mr. ULMER. No, sir. Mr. PRICE. As against less essential projects, or not so essential projects? Mr. ULMER. No; no more so than the consideration that is normally involved in that sort of thing. You must gear your program to what you are able to handle within a given fiscal year, but there was no other ceiling established by anyone. Mr. PRICE. You were allowed to do that, and you made your submissions on that basis rather than on any restriction not to submit projects not so essential? Mr. ULMER. Right, sir. Mr. DURHAM. Well, I have always felt that the agency is one of the most important ones that we have. It is a small agency, but it has done one of the most outstanding jobs of any agency of the Federal Government. Certainly I am one of those that wants you to have all of the tools that are necessary to carry out whatever you feel is neces Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Do you feel this is necessary in the interests of the security of our country at the present time? Mr. CROWLEY. Yes, essential. Mr. CUNNINGHAM. And that is the opinion of those that you represent? Mr. CROWLEY. Yes, sir. Mr. CUNNINGHAM. That is all, Mr. Chairman. Mr. DURHAM. Any further questions? Mr. PRICE. Mr. Chairman, I move the approval of the measure and suggest it be reported to the full committee with favorable action of the subcommittee. Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Seconded. Mr. DURHAM. You have heard the suggestion. Bill H. R. 11805 is favorably reported without objection. Mr. Kelleher. H. R. 11700 Mr. KELLEHER. Mr. Chairman, H. R. 11700 is another bill of the NACA, in which there is a Defense Department interest. (The bill referred to is as follows:) [H. R. 11700, 85th Cong., 2d sess.] A BILL To authorize civilian personnel of the Department of Defense and certain personnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics to carry firearms Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That chapter 81 of title 10, United States Code, is amended (1) by adding the following new section at the end thereof: "1585. Carrying of firearms. "Under regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, civilian officers and employees of the Department of Defense may carry firearms or other appropriate weapons while assigned investigative duties or such other duties as the Secretary may prescribe."; and (2) by adding the following new item at the end of the analysis: "1585. Carrying of firearms." SEC. 2. Officers and employees of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics may carry firearms or other appropriate weapons while assigned special duties under regulations to be prescribed by the Director of that Committee. Mr. KELLEHER. I believe the witness will want to explain briefly the background of this bill. Mr. DURHAM. Mr. Dembling. Mr. DEMBLING. My name is Paul G. Dembling. I am General Counsel of NACA. As you gentlemen know, on June 2, 1958, the House of Representatives passed H. R. 12575, an act to provide for research into problems of flight within and outside the earth's atmosphere, and for other purposes. On June 16, the Senate passed the bill, as amended. The bill is now in conference. H. R. 12575 establishes the National Aeronautics and Space Agency, or Administration, using the present National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics as its nucleus. The bill, as passed by both Houses of the Congress, contains comparable provisions authorizing officers and employees of the new organization, employees of its contractors and their subcontractors engaged in the protection of property owned by the United States and located at facilities owned by or contracted to the United States to carry firearms while in the conduct of their official duties, as is necessary in the public interest. This would obviate section 2 of H. R. 11700 at the present time. In view of the imminence of the passage of the space bill, it is recommended that section 2 of the bill before you, 11700, be stricken. Mr. DURHAM. Any questions? Mr. Becker? Mr. BECKER. No. This was introduced at their request, and if it is their wish to eliminate section 2, it is perfectly satisfactory with me. Mr. DEMBLING. It is covered, sir, in the new bill. Mr. BECKER. That is all right, I understand that. Mr. PRICE. Mr. Chairman, I move the approval of the bill, 11700, with the suggested amendment striking out section 2. Mr. DURHAM. Without objection, the bill is reported favorably to the House with amendments. |