NASA AUTHORIZATION FOR FISCAL YEAR 1974 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 1973 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES, The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:50 a.m., in room 235 Russell Senate Office Building, Senator Frank E. Moss (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Moss, Haskell, Goldwater, Helms, and Bartlett. Also present: Robert F. Allnutt, staff director; Mary Jane Due, counsel chief clerk: James J. Gehrig, Glen P. Wilson, Craig Voorhees, Charles Lombard, Lester Fettig, professional staff members; Ralph E. Vandervort, assistant chief clerk; and Mary Rita Robbins, clerical assistant. OPENING STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN The CHAIRMAN. This hearing will now come to order. Yesterday, we had a very interesting and profitable hearing in which Dr. Fletcher predicted things that were going to happen between now and 1985 as the result of experimentation and technological breakthrough and exploration done in the space program. Today we will consider specifics insofar as the authorization bill is concerned. Today Mr. Myers and his associates will begin their testimony on Space Flight Operations, Space Shuttle, and Advanced Missions authorization requests for 1974. On Friday we will hear further testimony on these matters and on Shuttle facilities construction authorization. We look forward to hearing from Mr. Myers, Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight of NASA. Dr. Fletcher is also here today. He says he is going to be an observer more than a witness today. We are pleased to have you with us, Dr. Fletcher. If one or two of the questions ricochet off and hit you, I hope you will accept them in good grace. Mr. Myers, we are very glad to have you. You may proceed. [The biographies of Mr. Dale D. Myers and Mr. Charles E. Koenig follow:] BIOGRAPHY OF DALE D. MYERS, ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR, OFFICE OF MANNED SPACE FLIGHT Dale D. Myers is Associate Administrator for Manner Space Flight, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He assumed direction of NASA's manned space flight program on January 12, 1970. In this capacity he is responsible for the planning, direction, execution, and evaluation of NASA's overall manned space flight program. These functions include management authority over the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Manned Spacecraft Center, and John F. Kennedy Space Center. (317) Myers was born in Kansas City, Mo., on January 8, 1922. He was graduated from the University of Washington, Seattle, Wash., in 1943 with a bache lor of science degree in aeronautical engineering. He received an honorary Ph. D. from Whitworth College in 1970. He joined North American Aviation in June 1943 as an aeronautical engineer. In 1946 he joined the Aerophysics Department of North American, which was engaged in research and development of long-range supersonic guided missiles. He progressed through aerodynamics and flight test to assistant director of the aerophysics department in 1954. In 1956 he was named chief engineer of the newly formed missile division, and in 1957 became program manager for the Air Force Hound Dog missile. He was appointed vice president and program manager of the Hound Dog program in 1960. In April 1964 after a short period of advanced design, he became vice president and program manager of the Apollo command and service modules activities at North American Rockwell Corp., the company's present name. Myers is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a fellow of the American Astronautical Society. In February 1969 he was awarded the NASA Certificate of Appreciation for his contributions to the Apollo 8 Moon-orbiting flight, and in September 1969 he received the NASA Public Service Award for his contributions to the success of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. In February 1971 he received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal for his contributions to the continuing success of the Apollo program. Myers is married to the former Marjorie Williams of Seattle, and has two daughters. BIOGRAPHY OF CHARLES E. KOENIG, DIRECTOR, RESOURCES ANALYSIS, OFFICE OF MANNED SPACE FLIGHT Charles E. Koenig has been Director, Resources Analysis since November 1968. He is responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining information systems essential to properly coordinate the OMSF budgetary requirements with the Bureau of the Budget and Congress. He is responsible for developing and implementing cost models and methods that will properly portray reliable cost estimates and analyses for alternate and/or changes in program plans and schedules. He also serves as the focal point on matters relating to the OMSF budgetary process and cost estimating. Koenig joined NASA as a resources programing specialist in May 1962. His experience at NASA includes: chief, launch vehicle and propulsion resources (1962-63); chief, Apollo resources control (1963-64); and chief, resources analysis (1964-68). Prior to joining NASA he was with the U.S. Air Force from 1950 to 1962. He served in the Army Air Force from 1943 to 1946. Koenig was born August 7, 1924, in Marshfield, Wis. He graduated from American University, Washington, D.C., in 1950 with a B.S. degree. He has received outstanding performance awards in 1959, 1960, 1961 and quality increases in 1963 and 1968. Koenig is married to the former Jeanne Fenoglio of Fort Worth, Tex. They have three children and reside at 7309 Candlewood Drive, Alexandria, Va. STATEMENT OF DALE D. MYERS, ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR MANNED SPACE FLIGHT, NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION, ACCOMPANIED BY DR. JAMES C. FLETCHER, ADMINISTRATOR, AND CHARLES E. KOENIG, DIRECTOR OF BUDGET, OFFICE OF MANNED SPACE FLIGHT Mr. MYERS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the Manned Space Flight budget for fiscal year 1974. I would like to discuss the highlights of our request. However, before I proceed let me discuss, for a moment, the Manned Space Flight program and where we are today. I would also like, with the chairman's permission, to submit for the record a more detailed statement. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. I have a copy of that and I can see that it is a detailed statement. It will be placed in the record and it will be very valuable. Volume II, which are illustrations, will be printed. Mr. MYERS. Very good. STATUS OF MANNED SPACE PROGRAM Accomplishment I strongly believe that the terms "accomplishment," "transition," and "commitment to the future" best signify the present state of manned space flight. All of us can be justly proud of this Nation's accomplishments, in space, which could never have been realized without the strong support of this committee. The Nation has come a long way since the early days of the Mercury program. We have mastered the technology to reach out beyond our planet and to view the Earth in an entirely new perspective. The historic accomplishments of the Apollo program are an open record and an enduring tribute to a basic belief in human progress. The Apollo flights, in 3 short years, gave us an order of magnitude increase in our knowledge of the solar system. Although the epic Apollo voyages have ended, the results of these missions will provide the scientific, the technical, the medical, and the managerial communities with a rich store of data that will be studied and analyzed for for many years to come. I purposely included, in addition to the much heralded scientific treasure of the Apollo program, the technical, the medical, and the management fields since so much of what we have learned falls in these categories and is of direct and practical benefit. Beginning Era of Space Utilization Having completed the Apollo program, we have now completed a transition. We have moved from the era of learning how to live and work in space to a new plateau, where this Nation can utilize space and its unique capabilities for expanding its horizons in science and in applications, in defense, commercial activities, and in international cooperation at reduced costs. The challenge facing us now is to consolidate, to refine and to apply what we learned as we move into the era of space utilization for man's benefit. Skylab, with its first launch only a few weeks away, is the first post-Apollo step into the extensive utilization of space. Much of what we will learn in Skylab will be based on our experiences in the past, while at the same time, will be absolutely essential to chart the future. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, we refer to it as ASTP, is also a part of our new plateau in the use of space. Here we are taking a major step forward in meaningful and beneficial international cooperation in manned space flight. Commitment to the Future A thrust of this magnitude implies a commitment to the future. We are committed to international cooperation. There has been a steady increase of international interest and participation in our manned space flight programs. There are 48 international investigations in the Skylab program, for example. I would like to interject here that these investigations do not involve our funds. The foreign participants are using their own money. The ASTP mission itself will also be an undertaking of unique international character. Later, the Space Shuttle, now being developed, will provide ample additional opportunities for meaningful technical and economic cooperation in space. One of its many new opportunities will be to carry the Sortie Lab, now being developed by a group of European nations, again using their own funds. We are also committed to the use of space at the lowest possible cost. This commitment is based on the knowledge gained from over a decade of successful space flight, and the capability to apply that knowledge to reducing the cost of producing space results. Let me now continue with the specifics of my presentation to you today. Completion of the Successful Apollo Program Since my testimony on the fiscal year 1973 budget last year, we completed the Apollo program with the successful launches of Apollo 16 and 17. We are not requesting any funds for Apollo in fiscal year 1974. The Apollo accomplishments are well known. Each successive mission resulted in incremental and systematic expansion of our knowledge of the Moon, of the universe and the Earth, itself. The last mission, Apollo 17, was perhaps the most successful of the entire program. It had fewer anomalies than any other flight and set 10 records during its 1212 days in space. Apollo 17 was the first mission in which results from previous missions played a key role in the selection of the landing site. It was also the first mission on which a number of new and second generation experiments were available, based on past lunar experience. The crew included the first scientist geologist-astronaut and the flight carried more experiments than any previous Apollo mission. Starting with Apollo 15, experimentation took the lead role over exploration. Apollo 17 culminated this transition and, as a result, a wealth of new information was gained from this most scientifically rewarding mission. The Apollo 17 astronauts left a plaque on the lunar surface before the lift-off for their homebound journey. The plaque commemorates the completion of man's first exploration of the Moon. The term "first exploration" is significant because it carries the promise that someday man will return to the Moon to continue this great achievement of the century. Part of closing out the Apollo activity is a very careful screening of available production tooling for applicability to future shuttle or other NASA requirements. As far as the flight articles are concerned. assuming no need for the use of backup hardware in the Skylab or ASTP missions, we will have two Saturn V and two Saturn IB launch vehicles available. We will also have one completed CSM and two partially assembled by CSM's in addition to the backup Skylab cluster. This hardware will be placed in storage for potential use. We will continue to inform this committee of any changes in their status. IMPORTANCE OF MAN IN SPACE As important as the hardware is to the success of space missions, one should not ignore the continuing essential role of man in space. The versatile nature of man, time and again, proved itself in space. From the first suborbital flight in the Mercury program through the epic announcement of the Eagles' landing; during the near disaster on Apollo 13, and through the final Apollo missions with their historymaking extravehicular activities, it was man who made the difference. SKYLAB PROGRAM In the Skylab program, which is my next subject, we are going to evaluate further the unique capabilities of man as a participant in space flight activities. As I pointed out earlier, Skylab is the first new step into the extended utilization of space. It is also the first step toward reorienting manner space activities to Earth orbit, which is going to be the arena of operations for quite a long time. Obviously, Skylab is a logical extension of manned space flight, capitalizing on both Apollo hardware and on the hard-won operational experience we have developed in areas such as docking, crew transfer, and working in space. In this transition from lunar to Earth orbital activities. Skylab will extend man's previous experiences related to long duration space flight. UTILIZATION OF EXISTING HARDWARE "Utilization" is an important aspect of the program. From a hardware standpoint, we minimized program costs by extensive use of existing Apollo hardware. The launch vehicles, the command and service modules and even the shell of the orbital workshop are Apollo derivatives. Operationally, we utilize near Earth orbit to perform experiments in life sciences, solar astrononmy, Earth observations, material processing, astrophysics and man/systems integration. Over half of the Skylab experiments are in the areas of life sciences, astronomy, and Earth resources. MEDICAL EXPERIMENTATION For medical experimentation, Skylab offers a unique laboratory with features unattainable on Earth. This zero gravity environment will be sustained two to four times longer than for experiments on previous missions. This long duration will afford a much needed investigation of human physiological processes. Once the medical data from prolonged weightless environment are compared to those obtained on Earth, our basic understanding of these processes will be greatly extended. SOLAR ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICAL SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS Solar astronomy and astrophysical science experiments, above the filtering effect of the Earth's atmosphere, constitute a large part of the Skylab experiment program. The Sun and its influence on the Earth's environment will be studied extensively. A better understanding of four basic types of solar emissions-that is the white light corona, the |