Although the money costs are simply astronomical, I think this the least serious side of the matter. I think the manpower and facilities requirements are more serious. If we put the suggested effort into the space program we will simply have to curtail certain other scientific activities. Such is the glamour of this field that we will, moreover, have a generation of young men largely headed for the moon, so to speak, rather than headed for a wide range of other scientific careers. I especially deplore the major emphasis upon the physical sciences, to the extent that this must unhappily involve a diminution of effort on the biological and medical sciences. It is of course intellectually important that we gain more knowledge about the universe in which we live. But the fact is that a very large fraction of the scientific data which we need to collect in space and bring back down to the earth can be collected by purely electrical and mechanical packages of equipment and can, through the marvels of modern telemetry and radio, be returned to listening and recording devices on the earth. The total cost of this kind of experimentation, although substantial, is small indeed as compared with the costs of attempting to put men on the moon and, eventually, even on the more distant planets. It is this frantic and to me rather cheaply dramatic aspect of the space program that seems primarily objectionable. The sum of $30 billion, which is undoubtedly an underestimate of the total cost of "putting a man on the moon," is a sum so large that the ordinary human being can simply not grasp its magnitude. It was for that reason that I wrote a short article (in Saturday Review, Aug. 4, 1962) to point out what alternative things could be done with $30 billion. With that sum one could give a 10 percent raise in salary, over a 10-year period, to every teacher in the United States from kindergarten through universities (about $9.8 billion required); could give $10 million each to 200 of the better smaller colleges ($2 billion required); could finance 7-year fellowships (freshman through Ph. D.) at $4,000 per person per year for 50,000 new scientists and engineers ($1.4 billion required); could contribute $200 million each toward the creation of 10 new medical schools ($2 billion required); could build and largely endow complete universities with liberal arts, medical, engineering, and agricultural faculties for all 53 of the nations which have been added to the United Nations since its original founding ($13.2 billion required); could create three more permanent Rockefeller Foundations ($1.5 billion required); and one would still have left $100 million for a program of informing the public about science. I want to emphasize that I am sure that the individuals who are energetically sponsoring the U.S. space efforts are competent and sincere and patriotic individuals. But I do not think that the magnitude and character of this effort is justified on scientific grounds alone, and I have in fact never discussed this matter with any responsible and experienced scientist in the United States who has not agreed with the general views which I have here expressed. (The biography of Dr. Weaver follows:) DR. WARREN WEAVER, VICE PRESIDENT, ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION Born Reedsburg, Wis., July 17, 1894; s. Isaiah and Kittie Belle (Stupfell) W.; B.S., U. of Wis., 1916, C.E., 1917, Ph.D., 1921, L.L.D., 1948; Sc.D., U. of Sao Paulo (Brazil), 1949; m. Mary Hemenway, Sept. 4, 1919; children-Warren, Helen Hemenway, Asst. prof. math., Throop Coll., 1917-18, Calif. Inst. Tech., 1919-20: asst. prof mathematics, U. of Wis., 1920-25, asso. prof., 1925-28, prof. and chmn. dept., 1928-32; lecturer U. Chicago, summer 1928; dir. div. of natural sciences, Gen. Edn. Bd., 1932-37; dir. div. of natural sciences Rockefeller Foundation, 1932-55, vice pres. for natural and medical sciences, 1955-59. Chairman basic research group Research and Development Board, Department of Defense, 1952-53. Served as 2d lt. Air Service, 1917-19; chmn. Section D-2, 1940-42, chief of applied mathematics panel Nat. defense research committee of Office of Scientific Research and Development, 1943-46; chmn., Naval research adv. com., 1946-47; mem. War Dept. Research Adv. Panel 1946-47; mem. adv. com. on Grants, Research Corp., 1947-51; mem. bd. sci. consultants, Sloan-Kettering Institute on Cancer Research, 1951-54; trustee Sloan-Kettering Institute, 1954—, chmn. com. on sci. policy, 1955-59; mem. exec. com., 1956- v. p., 1958-58; mem. research council Pub. Health Research Inst. City of N.Y., 1951-57; mem. nat. sci. bd. Nat. Sci. Found., 1956-60; trustee Alfred P. Sloan Found., 1956—, v. p., 1959, mem. exec. com., 1956-, nat. adv. cancer council USPHS, 1957member, vice chairman, member executive committee Health Research Council New York City, 1958-; bd. mgrs. Meml. Center for Cancer and Allied Diseases, 1958-59; vice chmn. bd., chmn. com. sci. policy Meml. Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1960-; mem. exec. com., mgr. Meml. Hosp. Cancer and Allied Diseases, 1959. Asso. trustee U. Pa.; trustee Acad. Religioa and Mental Health. Awarded King's medal for Service in Cause of Freedom, 1948; U.S. medal for Merit; Officer, Legion of Honor (France), 1950; Pub. Welfare medal, Nat. Acad. Scis., 1957. Fellow Am. Acad. Arts and Scis., A.A.A.S. (ret. pres., chmn. bd. 1955), American Physical Soc.; mem. American Math. Soc., Math. Assn. Am., Am. Phiols. Soc. (councillor), Am. Soc. Naturalists, Am. Soc. for Symbolic Logic, Council on Library Resources (director 1956-59); mem. Nat. Research Council Div. Phys. Scis., 1936-39; 1944-47. Corr. mem. Chr. Michelsens Institutt, Bergen, Norway, Phi Kappa Sigma, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi. Presbyn. Clubs: Cosmos; Century (N.Y.C). Author: The Electromagnetic Field (with Max Mason), 1929; co-author: Elementary Mathematical Analysis, 1925; the Mathematical Theory of Communication (with C. E. Shannon) 1949. Editor: The Scientists Speak, 1947. Contbr. papers on math. research in sci. jours. and on gen. aspects of sci. in gen. jours. Home: Second Hill, R.R. 3, New Milford, Conn. Office: Alfred P. Sloan Found., 630 Fifth Av., N.Y.C. 20, N.Y. INDEX A Abelson, Philip Hauge, Director, Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie In- Biography Discussion on Senator Smith's questions. Letter to Senator Anderson_ General testimony. - - Prepared statement__ Acceleration.. Advisory committees. (See National Aeronautics and Space Administra- tion, advisory committees; scientists, advice to Government; Space American Association for the Advancement of Science_. American Chemical Society. American Physical Society. Anderson, Senator Clinton P. Page 3, 4 10-24 13 3-9 13 64, 65, 67, 68, 80 238 3 147 147 1 9-12, 34-39, 49, 55, 56, 59, 60, 69-74, 87, 88, 94-96, 102-105, 115, 1, 241,' 242 243 247 241, 242 Opening statement on purpose of hearings. Scientists to be included in later missions__ Space Science Board, memo, SSB-264, April 20, 1962. Balloons, Berkner, Dr. Lloyd V., president, Graduate Research Center of the South- Discussion on Senator Smith's questions__ 107, 153, 180 104-105 105-115 Summary of. Bidding system, need for new procedure.. Biological satellites.. Biosciences. - 115-124 158, 165, 174, 175 75 13, 32, 55, 73-80, 91, 111, 113, 114, 123, 124, 131, 132, 182, 183 6, 187 247 22 C Committeé International Géophysique (C.I.G.). Committee on Undersea Warfare, National Academy of Sciences. Congressional hearings, use to obtain scientific advice on programs.. Corning Glass Co., development of fused quartz techniques. Cospar. (See Committee on Space Research). Cospar International Reference Atmosphere (CIRA). Curtis, Senator Carl T. Du Bridge, Dr. Lee A., president, California Institute of Technology: 21, 44-46, 54, 60, 65, 68, 71, 109, 112, 113, 155-157, 164, 165, 169 Effect of space program. 125, 156, 157, 164, 169, 172 |