Mar 30 1971
From The Space Library
Dr. George M. Low, Acting NASA Administrator, testified on aerospace unemployment before Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences during FY 1972 authorization hearings : From number of studies of unemployment of scientists and engineers, estimated 30 000 to 40 000 were out of work at end of 1970, "The majority of these came from aerospace-related industries. Projections indicate that this number could more than double by June 1972, which means that as many as 30 percent of the Nation's aerospace scientists and engineers will be unemployed. The effect of this national trend-in terms of an individual scientist or engineer being reemployed - is magnified by the concentration of this unemployment, geographically and by training and experience.... This not only causes great personal hard-ship but ... represents the loss of a tremendous national resource." NASA- sponsored survey by Battelle Memorial Institute of persons laid off by group of NASA contractors from June 1968 to September 1970 had made preliminary findings: only 31% had found permanent jobs, 32% had found temporary jobs, 32% were still unemployed, and 5% had left work-force. Average person was unemployed 31 weeks. Of those who had found permanent jobs, only 18% returned to aerospace. Of those permanently employed outside of aerospace, only 12% reported having positions highly related to aerospace skills and 50% reported new positions unrelated to aerospace. Unemployment rate of those over 50 was 48%. Of those who had found permanent work outside, 31% said they would not return to aerospace if given opportunity; 16% said they would. Preliminary results of survey indicated "we are losing much of the aerospace capability that is an indispensable ingredient of our long term economic strength and national security." In closing, Dr, Low made point that there was "no either/or choice between technological advances and social advances. Without technology, we cannot maintain the capability to deal effectively with any national problem." Dr. Low was questioned on his testimony that U.S.S.R. was spending more on R&D than U.S. was spending in total science and technology area. He answered that Soviet space program, with apparent Soviet policy of steadily increasing R&D investment, would soon match and then surpass U.S. program in size and accomplishment. "For this comparison, I am dealing with the combined civil and military space programs of both nations; to try to differentiate between civil and military activities of the U.S.S.R. would be speculative at best. The most difficult comparison to try to make between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. economies or programs is in terms of absolute costs: each national economy is geared and motivated to produce a different, non-parallel mix of goods and services." (CR, 7/31/71, E8611-2)
Dale D. Myers, NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, discussed future of Apollo program: "We can now move with confidence to the final phase. . . . In these last missions, we will expand the capability of the system very dramatically. Design changes in the spacecraft and supporting equipment will allow the two astronauts in the lunar module to remain on the moon up to 67 hours, as compared with 34 hours on Apollo 14. The scientific payload landed on the moon will be doubled to above 1200 lbs [544 kg]. Changes in the command and service modules will permit up to 10 days total flight time and major increases in orbital scientific activities. During the Apollo 15 and 16 missions small subsatellites will be placed in lunar orbit and will continue to make scientific measurements long after the astronauts return to earth." In Skylab program, "three separate three-man Skylab flight crews will be selected during the coming year. Scientist astronauts will be included. . . They plan to perform about 50 experiments in various disciplines. Twenty of these are in the life sciences, to determine how human beings adjust and perform under the conditions of prolonged space flight, up to 2 months' duration. "They will also operate the Skylab Earth Resources Experiment Package in the second space flight phase of NASA's earth resources program. These observations will be in conjunction with [and] complementary to those [of] the automated earth resources test technology ERTS, to be launched in 1972." FY 1972 request for space shuttle of $100 million would provide for broad spectrum of studies, including analysis of new alloys and promising external materials for thermal protection; test demonstrations of design concepts for structures; wind-tunnel tests to define aerodynamic heating, launch aerodynamics, etc.; design of long-lead time hardware, subsystems, and test devices; initiation of scaled model for flight tests; dynamics testing; electronic-data-bus-system demonstration testing; and integration of upgraded fuel-cell electrical power subsystem with other components for proof-of-concept testing. (Transcript)
Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr., Secretary of the Air Force, testified on DOD applications of space transportation system and DOD-NASA team-work on space shuttle: "Present DOD satellite communications program consists of two major systems: The long distance point to point or strategic system and the local-area multiple-user or tactical system. . . We are pursuing a new system called Defense Satellite Communications System, Phase II, which can provide many voice channels to selected limited areas of the earth. These present and proposed systems give us the flexibility for voice and teletype communications from our forces overseas and allow rapid transmission of photographic images from operational theaters to the United States." In conjunction with NASA studies, USAF was analyzing defense applications of space shuttle to provide better insight into utility of concept for DOD. USAF was providing NASA with data to help ensure that con-figuration was of maximum utility to DOD. NASA and USAF had worked jointly on engine development. Air Force "has supported advanced development efforts on liquid rocket engines in the past, and more recently concluded a hydrogen/oxygen high performance engine demonstration program," Engine, XLR-129, had "provided the basis for selection of the reusable high pressure rocket engine concept for the shuttle. It also provided design data for a 250 000-pound [1100-kilonewton] thrust engine which supports the cur- rent shuttle engine design concepts." In operational testing area, "USAF and NASA recently conducted unpowered approach and landing demonstrations with F-111s and B- 52s. . . . These demonstrations investigated terminal area energy management for maneuvering reentry vehicles and have a relationship to the Space Shuttle operational concepts." (Transcript)
DOT request to Congress for $97.3 million to terminate SST Development program was prepared by James M. Beggs, Under Secretary of Transportation. Sum did not include repayment of $58.5 million risk capital contributed by nine U.S. airlines and KLM Royal Dutch Air-lines to support SST R&D. (AP, NYT, 3/31/71, 3:27)
U.K. government and Lockheed Aircraft Corp. agreed on terms for perpetuating Rolls-Royce engine developed for Lockheed's L-1011 TriStar jet transport after two-day meetings in Washington, D.C. Terms would be submitted to airlines that had ordered aircraft and to banks financing sales. (Witkin, NYT, 3/31/71, 1)
ABC, CBS, and NBC TV networks had filed statement with FCC saying they planned use of other domestic comsats for program transmission rather than building separate satellite system of their own, Wall Street Journal reported. Networks were negotiating with several companies on use of domestic comsats but would like to keep their own option open in case negotiations failed to lead to "satisfactory" arrangements. (WSJ, 30/30/71, 6)
U.S.S.R. at Geneva disarmament conference introduced draft treaty that would bind nations "not to develop, produce, stockpile or otherwise acquire" microbiological or other biological agents or toxins "not designed for the prevention of disease or for other peaceful purposes." (Lusinchi, NYT, 3/31/71, 1)
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