RESOURCES SUMMARY

The fiscal year 1965 request and a comparison with previous years is shown by figure 362. The fiscal year 1965 total request is slightly

OFFICE OF ADVANCED RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

FIGURE 302

less than the previous 2 years, with construction of facilities down considerably.

The requested amount for administrative operations, and the numbers of people, are shown on figure 363, broken down by installation.

As you can see, the only increase in positions will be at the Electronics Research Center.

The increase in funding is required to pay for a full year under the higher salary schedule, and, to permit adequate support of facilities newly brought into operation.

These funds, in addition to paying salaries, pay for the power to operate our large wind tunnels and the rental of our computers.

The construction of new facilities in the NASA research centers is vital in order that the highly competent staff of scientists and engineers that we have been able to build up over many years of operation have the most advanced tools with which to work.

While we do our best to renovate and add to existing facilities within our operating budgets in order to keep them up to date, it is also necessary to build some new facilities. As you can see from

figure 364, our total facility construction program is getting progressively smaller.

There were contained in previous budgets several large and unique, and, therefore, very expensive facilities. We are concentrating on the early completion and operation of these facilities and, therefore, the request this year is lower than in previous years.

The distribution by location also shows that, of the total requested, $10,000 will go toward construction of facilities at the new Electronics Research Center; the balance will be used at the other laboratories.

Research and development funds are utilized to support the inhouse operation of the NASA research centers, through the procurement of program related equipment and supplies, and to contract for research and technology with industry and universities and other nonprofit institutions. While the total requested for fiscal year 1965 is virtually the same as for fiscal year 1964, figure 365 indicates how

the internal distribution is revised in order that the emphasis may be placed on the programmatic activities that are increasing in impor

tance.

The largest single increase, shown for aeronautics, will be for airbreathing propulsion technology in support of the national program to build a supersonic commercial air transport. The large increase in chemical propulsion is required for funding of the large solid motor demonstration project which was funded previously under Defense Department appropriations.

CONCLUSION

In my statement I have attempted to present an outline of the general character and the direction of NASA's program of advanced research and technology for fiscal year 1965. In addition, I have outlined for you the resources required to support such a program. As you have seen, it is an effort involving many diverse tasks varying from small research experiments at NASA centers or universities to experimental subsystem developments with industrial contractors.

I have attempted to choose examples of those which point up the direction to be taken in each of the important segments of the program. Most of my examples illustrated advanced hardware development so that you may more easily relate our work with the other components of the space program.

Before concluding, however, I would like to point out that a large part of our useful work cannot be exhibited by explicit hardware devices. I refer here to our contributions to new theories, physical principles, and numerical data relating to aeronautical and space flight.

This part of our output manifests itself in terms of technical reports and papers. During calendar year 1963, a total of 1,049 NASA

reports and papers were published by NASA scientists participating in the advanced research and technology program. I have in front of me samples of the types of reports which have been published which you may examine if you desire to do so.

A program of research such as I have outlined which looks beyond today's technology is believed to be a prerequisite for continued advancement in our quest for mastery of atmospheric and space flight. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you.

I have heard many fine things said about your work. I think you are getting along fine.

Senator Smith?

EARTH TO ORBIT RECOVERABLE BOOSTER

Senator SMITH. Doctor, what is the air recoverable earth-to-orbit booster which you referred to on page 4.

Dr. BISPLINGHOFF. This is a concept which has not reached the status of a project as yet. But it is a concept on which we are doing some of the very earliest research. It would involve using an airbreathing engine as the first stage booster in going to orbit. Most of the conceptual studies which have been made of this so far have indicated that what one would do is fly off the ground like an airplane with an air-breathing engine. It would probably have a second rocket stage which would allow one to insert a rather heavy payload into an earth orbit and then the air-breathing first stage would come down and land like an airplane.

SUPERSONIC TRANSPORT PROBABLY NOT OPERATIONAL UNTIL NEXT DECADE

Senator SMITH. Is there any probability that the supersonic transport which you describe on pages 5 and 18 will become technologically possible to build in the decade?

Dr. BISPLINGHOFF. It is my own belief, Senator Smith, that the supersonic transport that the airlines would find economically attractive to them will probably not be built in this decade. I think we will need to do a certain amount of additional research in order to provide the technology that is needed to build such an aircraft that will have a long lifetime and a low cost per seat-mile. It is therefore my belief that we will go into the next decade before we have such a machine that can be used on the airlines.

MIXTURE OF FLUORINE AND OXYGEN (FLOX) WILL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE PAYLOADS

Senator SMITH. How far along are you in your propulsion experiments with the fluorine mixture which you talk about on page 9?

Dr. BISPLINGHOFF. We have done quite a bit of work on this. This has been the subject of research for some time within the NASA. In fact, this is one of the technologies that is passing beyond the boundaries of my office and into the hands of the other mission offices. The Office of Space Science and Applications is now studying the possibility of mixing about 30 percent fluorine with the oxygen in the ATLAS booster. This will give them a significant increase in payload with the ATLAS booster. So I would say in answer to your question that this

picce of research which we have been doing in my office for some years is now passing into use in the mission offices. We would expect that the so-called floxing of our boosters will be something that we will do quite a bit of in the future.

Senator SMITH. Thank you very much. I don't have any other questions at this time. Dr. Bisplinghoff. Mr. Di Luzio has some for the chairman, and for himself, to ask of you.

MOST OF WORK CONTRACTED OUTSIDE OF NASA

Mr. Di Luzio. Doctor, on page 2 of your prepared statement, you state the principal instruments by which the programs are carried out are your four field centers. Then you talk about a split between inhouse and industrial activity, or in-house and contract activity.

Dr. BISPLINGHOFF. Yes, sir.

Mr. DI LUZIO. Can you supply for the record the split as to how much is done in-house and what is contracted out?

Dr. BISPLINGHOFF. Yes, sir; I can just say very generally now that less than 30 percent of our R. & D. dollars are spent for in-house activities and more than 70 percent are spent under contract with universities and with industry. I could give you a more detailed breakdown of what constitutes those percentages if you wish me to for the record. Mr. DI LUZIO. I think it would serve a purpose if we had a little breakdown.

(The information was submitted as follows:)

It is estimated that, of the funds requested, 70 percent will be spent with industry, 7 percent with universities and nonprofit institutions, and 23 percent will be uilized for the payment of salaries and benefits to NASA employees.

DISCUSSION LEVEL OF NASA'S AERONAUTICAL RESEARCH

Mr. DI LUZIO. Going to your research in aeronautics, the statement is made that it is practically doubled from $16 million to $37 million, or some such figure.

Dr. BISPLINGHOFF. Yes, sir.

Mr. DI LUZIO. However, the $37 million includes a substantial sum for the supersonic transport?

Dr. BISPLINGHOFF. Yes, sir.

Mr. DI LUZIO. As you know there has been some criticism of NASA for being glamorized with space and forgetting the near environment. There has been much interest in getting a better understanding as to the full scope of NASA's activity in aeronautical research.

Mr. DI LUZIO. At one time we asked for a table or a study made to show not only the direct costs which reflected the $37 million but also the indirect support by the various centers supporting aeronautical research?

Mr. DI LUZIO. Can you attempt to prepare such a data sheet for the committee so we can get a better feel for it?

Dr. BISPLINGHOFF. Yes, sir. We would be very happy to do that, Mr. Di Luzio. We have made such a study ourselves. Of course, the $37-million figure does not represent the total resources that NASA is investing in aeronautics. The aeronautics program is very