Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 196’7 March 15
going maintenance, modification, and installation of additional
instrumentation since Jan. 31 in preparation for new program, was
scheduled for late March or early April. (NASA Release 67-59; FRC
Release 5-67)
* Changes in NASA staff alignment: Harold B. Finger, Manager of NASA-
AEC Space Nuclear Propulsion Office (SNPO) since its formation in
1960, was named to new NASA position of Associate Administrator for
Organization and Management. He was succeeded in SNPO by his deputy,
Milton Klein. Reporting to Associate Administrator Finger would be
Assistant Administrator for Administration William E. Lilly ; Assistant
Administrator for Industry Affairs Dr. Bernhardt L. Dorman ; Assistant
Administrator for Technology Utilization Dr. Richard L. Lesher ; and
former LaRC Assistant Director Francis B. Smith in new post of Assistant
Administrator for University Affairs. University Affairs Office would
integrate, coordinate, and guide NASA’s relationships with colleges and
universities; manage the Sustaining University Program; and assume
other duties previously assigned to OSSA’S Office of Grants and Research
Contracts. Dr. Thomas L. K. Smull, formerly Director of Grants and
Research Contracts, was appointed Special Assistant to the Adminis-
trator on NASA-NAS and NASA-NAE relationships.
Other changes: DeMarquis D. Wyatt became Assistant Administrator
for Program Plans and Analysis and David Williamson was appointed as
his deputy. Budget and programming functions previously under Wyatt
were transferred to the Office of Administration, where they would be
integrated into a NASA-wide system for resources management, including
programming, budgeting, personnel management, and financial report-
ing. Breene M. Kerr, Assistant Administrator for Policy Analysis, re-
signed to return to private industry but would continue to serve as
part-time consultant to NASA; Gen. Jacob M. Smart (USAF, Ret.) suc-
ceeded Kerr in addition to continuing to serve as Special Assistant to the
Administrator; William E. Lilly, Director of Program Control, OMSF,
became Assistant Administrator for Administration, replacing General
Smart; and John Biggs, Deputy Executive Secretary, became Executive
Secretary, replacing Col. L. W. Vogel (USA), who returned to his previous
assignment as Executive Officer. (NASA Releases 6747, 6749, 67-50)
NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications Dr.
Homer E. Newell, testifying before House Committee on Science and
Astronautics’ Subcommittee on Space Science and Applications, said the
scientific community saw a need to develop a spacecraft to make meas-
urements at low altitudes-about 80 mi-to investigate transition be-
tween the meteorology of the lower atmosphere and the aeronomy of
the upper. In the lower atmosphere the constituents are thoroughly
mixed; in the upper, they tend to separate by gravity with the heaviest
below and the lightest above. “The importance of this transition region
has been revealed by the [sounding] rocket program, but only satellites
can provide the global measurements needed to establish the lower
boundary conditions for the upper atmosphere as a whole,” Newell
said. “Such a mission would require the development of a spacecraft
with a restartable engine in order to achieve an adequate lifetime.”
(Testimony)
a Sen. Clinton P. Anderson (D-N.Mex.), on behalf of himself and Sen.
Margaret Chase Smith (R-Me.) , introduced to Senate new $S.l-billion
FY 1968 NASA authorization bill (S. 1296) to reflect President Johnson’s
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