Jan 5 1972
From The Space Library
President Nixon announced decision U.S. should develop space shuttle system. In statement released from San Clemente. Calif., following 45-min meeting with Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, and Dr. George M. Low, Deputy Administrator, President said: "I have decided today that the United States should proceed at once with the development of an entirely new type of space transportation system designed to help transform the space frontier of the 1970's into familiar territory, easily accessible for human endeavor in the 1980's and 1990's. "This system will center on a space vehicle that can shuttle repeatedly from earth to orbit and back. It will revolutionize transportation into near space, by routinizing it. It will take the astronomical costs out of astronautics. In short, it will go a long way toward delivering the rich benefits of practical space utilization and the valuable spinoffs from space efforts into the daily lives of Americans and all people. "The new year 1972 is a year of conclusion for America's current series of manned flights to the moon. Much is expected from the two remaining Apollo missions-in fact, their scientific results should exceed the return from all the earlier flights together. Thus they will place a fitting capstone on this vastly successful undertaking. But they also bring us to an important decision point-a point of assessing what our space horizons are as Apollo ends, and of determining where we go from here. "In the scientific arena, the past decade of experience has taught us that spacecraft are an irreplaceable tool for learning about our near earth space environment, the moon, and the planets, besides being an important aid to our studies of the sun and stars. In utilizing space to meet needs on earth, we have seen the tremendous potential of satellites for intercontinental communications and worldwide weather forecasting. We are gaining the capability to use satellites as tools in global monitoring and management of natural /resources, in agricultural applications, and in pollution control. We can foresee their use in guiding airliners across the oceans and in bringing televised education to wide areas of the world. "However, all these possibilities, and countless others with direct and dramatic bearing on human betterment, can never be more than fractionally realized so long as every single trip from earth to orbit remains a matter of special effort and staggering expense. This is why commitment to the space shuttle program is the right next step for America to take, in moving out from our present beachhead in the sky to achieve a real working presence in space- because the space shuttle will give us routine access to space by sharply reducing costs in dollars and preparation time." It was significant, President said, "that this major new national enterprise will engage the best efforts of thousands of highly skilled workers and hundreds of contractor firms over the next several years. The amazing `technology explosion' that has swept this country in the years since we ventured into space should remind us that robust activity in the aerospace industry is healthy for every one-not just in jobs and income, but in the extension of our capabilities in every direction. The continued pre-eminence of America and American industry in the aerospace field will be an important part of the shuttle's `payload.' " Shuttle program would "give more people access to the liberating perspectives of space, even as it extends our ability to cope with physical challenges of earth and broadens our opportunities for inter-national cooperation in low-cost, multi-purpose space missions." President quoted Oliver Wendell Holmes: "We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor." President concluded, "So with man's epic voyage into space-a voyage the United States of America has led and still shall lead." (PD, 1/10/72, 27-8; Transcript of Fletcher, Low press conference, 1/5/72)
Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, released statement from San Clemente, Calif., following President's announcement of decision to proceed with development of space shuttle. Decision was consistent with NASA FY 1972 budget and was "a most historic step in the nation's space program-it will change the nature of what man can do in space. By the end of this decade the nation will have the means of getting men and equipment to and from space routinely, on a moment's notice if necessary, and at a small fraction of today's cost. This will be done within the framework of a useful total space program of science, exploration, and applications at approximately the present overall level of the space budget." Dr. Fletcher described shuttle as "airplane-like orbiter, about the size of a DC-9 . .. capable of carrying into orbit and back again to earth useful payloads up to 15 feet [4.6 meters] in diameter by 60 feet [18 meters] long, and weighing up to 65,000 Is [29 500 kg]. Fuel for the orbiter's liquid-hydrogen liquid-oxygen engines will be carried in an external tank that will be jettisoned in orbit" Orbiter would be launched by unmanned booster and would operate in space for one week, during which crew could launch, service, or recover unmanned spacecraft; would perform experiments; and, in future, would resupply and restaff space modules brought to space by shuttle. He cited reasons "space shuttle is important and is the right step in manned space flight and the U.S. space program," First, "the shuttle is the only meaningful new manned space program which can be accomplished on a modest budget. Second, the space shuttle is needed to make space operations less complex and less costly. Third, the space shuttle is needed to do useful things. Fourth, the shuttle will encourage greater international participation in space flight," Dr. Fletcher said NASA and contractors would focus until late February on technical areas, including comparisons of pressure-fed liquid- and solid-fuel rocket-motor options for shuttle's booster stage, before NASA issued requests for proposals in the spring. "This summer we will place the space shuttle under contract and development work will start." At press conference in San Clemente following release of shuttle statements, Dr. Fletcher and Dr. Low discussed President's decision, Dr. Fletcher said President was "particularly anxious that I stress the international aspects of this. This program will be open to all nations of the world, and it is his hope some day that foreign visitors from all over the world will be able to participate by moving to and from space in the space shuttle." NASA anticipated that "at its peak. the direct employment on the space shuttle will be of the order of 50,000 individuals. Of course, a great many of those will be employed in this area." Responding to question, Dr. Fletcher said decision on shuttle launch site, "which will be the same as the landing site," depended on recommendation of launch site selection group. "It is not necessarily Cape Kennedy or any other site at this time." (Text: Transcript)
Ames Research Center, Langley Research Center, and Manned Spacecraft Center had received over 250 proposals for using space-related technology to solve problems of air pollution, water pollution, solid waste management, and clinical medicine, NASA announced. Proposals were in response to re iuest for ideas to demonstrate possible applications of NASA-developed technology to public problems. They would be reviewed by experts and one or more projects in each category might be selected for maximum $75 000 contract. (NASA Release 72-3)
Results of computer study made by Massachusetts Institute of Technology for International Club of Rome, organization of distinguished world social scientists, were described in Washington Post. Study, made with dynamic worldwide model, traced effects of population, capital investment, geographical space, natural resources, food production, and pollution upon each other. Findings had shown "crisis level" 40 or 50 years away with few remaining options. Current age might be golden age, with higher life quality than in future. Next century might find four-sided dilemma-suppression of industry by shortage of natural resources, decline of population because of pollution, limits on population by food shortage, or population collapse from war, disease, and stresses of overcrowding. Birth control might be self-defeating by bringing improved food supply and living standards, causing resur- gence of population growth; poor countries might have no "realistic hope" of reaching living standards of rich countries. Disparity between developed and underdeveloped nations might be equalized as much by decline in developed nations as by improvement in underdeveloped nations; rich industrial societies might be "self-extinguishing"; and poor countries might be unwise to persist in industrialization. "They may be closer to an ultimate equilibrium with the environment than industrialized nations." (Sterling, W Post, 1/5/72, A16)
Federal Pay Board rejected contract settlements that would have provided first-year increase of 12% to more than 100000 aerospace industry workers in 1973. (Shabecoff, NYT, 1/6/72, 1)
Erhard Milch, pioneer of German civil aviation who had been in charge of supply and development for wartime Luftwaffe, died of liver ailment at age 79. (AP, W Star, 1/30/72, B10)
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