Oct 5 1963
From The Space Library
Rep. Thomas M. Pelly (R.-Wash.), minority member of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics, asked that the Committee investigate alleged waste in the space program to determine how much money has been wasted, by whom, and whether some projects have fallen so far behind that money earmarked for them in the FY 1964 budget can be cut out because it cannot be spent within the fiscal year. He requested that the investigation be undertaken immediately so that it can be finished before Congress takes final action on the NASA budget. (Troan, Wash. Daily News, 10/5/63)
NASA Fifth Anniversary Banquet held in Washington, D.C., sponsored by Aerospace Industries Association, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Aviation/Space Writers Association. Dr. James Doolittle, last Chairman of the NACA, served as Master of Ceremonies. After speaking of the tangible achievements of NASA, Dr. Doolittle said: "Just as well known, to this audience at least, are the less tangible achievements of NASA's last five years. I think, however, that they bear reemphasizing. "I refer first of all to the rapidly growing competence and effectiveness of the Government-industry-university space team-an American space team that simply did not exist five years ago. Today, the team is a valuable source of national strength, prestige, and security." Other factors mentioned were "openness of the NASA program," "inspiration which the astronauts of our space program have given to our youth," and that difficult achievement, "a balanced program " (CR, 10 /9 /63; A6327)
Senator Clinton P. Anderson (D.-N.M.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences, called on the banquet guests to assist in getting a $5-billion-plus budget passed by Congress. He added: ". . . let's remember that there would be no basis for the modest space research agreements the United States has with the Soviet Union if this country had not demonstrated to the Russians the great strength of our space program. We bargain-and must continue to bargain-from a position of strength and those who criticize space spending should not overlook this fundamental point." (CR,10/9/63, A6333)
Dr. Edward C. Welsh, Executive Secretary of the National Aeronautics and Space Council, made five main points about the space program: "the space successes of this country have been truly remarkable"; "This is a national program"; "This is also an international program"; "This is a growing and permanent program", and "This is no time for complacency complacency about our space competence." (Text)
NASA Administrator James E. Webb took time in his remarks to comment on the impression that NASA was dissatisfied with industry in the space program. He suggested that it was faulty reporting to pick one page of criticism out of a 443-page report that essentially spoke of industry's "'great job." Wash.. Post, 10/6/63)
On the eve of its fifth anniversary, NASA had run into a patch of "attack by partisan politicians, budget-cutters, those who want the military to have a stronger role in space, mismanagement sleuths, and persons confused by President Kennedy's bid for a joint U.S.-U.S.S.R. moon venture," Howard Simons claimed in the Washington Post. He cited NASA's budget troubles, with the $5.7 billion request already cut to a $5.3 billion authorization, another $200 million already cut by a House Appropriations Subcommittee, and even further cuts threatened in the full Committee. NASA Administrator Webb, Simons said, had blamed budget problems on House Republicans, charging that they " 'are following a political line trying. to make the President's pro gram look foolish-'Nuts,' as Eisenhower called it. They have moved to the position that military activities in space are the only ones worthwhile."' Under mismanagement charges, Simons listed the GAO report on the Centaur program and the NASA charges of substandard workmanship by industry in the Mercury program, which in itself implied, according to Simons, a NASA admission that it had not supervised industry effectively. (Wash. Post, 10/5/63, 4)
Speaking on Cuban television from Havana, Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova said that she was a member of the team of Russian cosmonauts chosen to make the trip to the moon and that Yuri Gagarin headed the team. She said she would propose that a Cuban woman be included on the team. The Russian plan for a moon flight was described by Miss Tereshkova : the manned capsule would be launched into earth orbit, where it would rendezvous with an unmanned tanker spaceship; then another rocket would be launched from earth and tow the manned-vehicle-tanker combination to the moon. (AP, Wash. Eve. Star, 10/5/63)
A change in the political climate in the last few months had NASA in trouble on its fifth anniversary, according to John Finney of the New York Times: The trouble really began when scientists began to question the validity of the manned lunar landing. "The approach being urged by the scientific critics is a step-by-step program calling first for lunar investigation by instruments and then a manned program that would not divert resources from other fields of scientific research." It was this approach that was being followed until May 1961, when President Kennedy declared the high priority goal of a manned lunar landing in this decade. "Increasingly, the attack on the space budget is taking on a partisan tinge, and the Administration in turn is reacting in a partisan manner. It is significant, for example, that in the House Appropriations subcommittee the votes to cut the space budget were strictly along partisan lines with the exception of Clarence Cannon .... " (Finney, NYT,10/6/63)
Aerospace manufacturers on the West Coast, indicated they had no interest in a study commission made up of representatives of the companies, the two big unions-United Auto Workers and International Association of Machinists-and Government. Such a commission had been recommended last year during wage negotiations and endorsed by Prof. George W. Taylor, of the Univ. of Pa., who was President Kennedy's representative. The proposal was endorsed by the two unions on Oct. 4. The companies were reported to fear that such a commission would be prelude to industry-wide bargaining, which they oppose, and that Government representatives would be partial to labor. (Langruth, NYT, 10/7/63,22)
In Rome, Pope Paul VI received several hundred delegates from 30 countries attending the Sixth International Congress of Aeronautical and Space Medicine. Among those received was Prof. Vasily Parin of the U.S.S.R. (NYT, 10/6/63, 25)
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