April 1968

From The Space Library

In MIT Technology Review, Gen. Bernard A. Schriever (USAF, Ret.) , President of B. A. Schriever Associates, and Dr. William W. Seifert, Assistant Dean of MIT School of Engineering, wrote "Air Travel Threatens to Become Hard-to-Get." Unless we "begin now to take steps to meet the demands of the future, sheer growth in population and the accompanying economic demands could so saturate our trans­portation system, especially the air system, that mobility could become a premium service instead of a routine accommodation." Median fore­casts were that by 1980 number of domestic revenue passengers carried by airlines would quadruple, with air cargo growing 10 times. (MIT Tech Rev, Vol. 70, No. 6; W Post, 10/15/68, B4)

House Committee on Science and Astronautics published Survey of Views of Leading Industrial Executives on the National Space Pro­gram. Rep. Olin E. Teague (D-Tex.), Chairman of Subcommittee on NASA Oversight, had queried 750 U.S. senior executives; 449 had re­plied. Majority considered $5 billion annually for NASA funding to be "about right"; 54% favored maintaining goal of manned lunar landing in this decade; 96% ranked national defense high-priority assignment; 69% felt NASA had made "much" scientific and utilitarian contribution. In context of Vietnam War, 47% favored same level of funding for space program on basis of contribution to national security. (Text)

National Science Foundation's Reviews of Data on Science Resources presented information on scientific and technical personnel in Govern­ment in 1966. Federal Government had employed 149,300 civilian sci­entists and engineers in October 1966, increase of 4% over December 1964 figure and annual gain of 2%-substantially below 5% annual gain in 1962-64 and in entire 1959-64 period. There were 72,500 scien­tists on rolls in October 1966, increase of 6% over total 68,300 reported two years earlier, and average gain of 3% per year, only half the 6% average increase in 1959-64. Approximately 13% of natural scientists and 8% of engineers in U.S. were employed in Federal Government in 1966, accounting for 9% of total U.S. employment in those occupations. DOD continued as largest employer of scientists and engineers, with total of 66,000. Women professional scientific and technical personnel increased more than 3% between 1964 and 1966, to 32,300, 17% of total profes­sional scientific and technical personnel in both years. (NSF Release 68-16)

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