NRO-MOL_2015

Foreword
ix
I am pleased to see the publication of The Dorian Files
Revealed: The Secret Manned Orbiting Laboratory
Documents Compendium. This collection joins two
others released in the last five years by the Center for
the Study of National Reconnaissance (CSNR)—one
on the Gambit and Hexagon Photoreconnaissance
satellite programs and the other on the Quill radar
imagery experimental program. All three were inspired
by the Central Intelligence Agency’s Center for the Study
of Intelligence Corona photoreconnaissance satellite
program compendium—released in conjunction with the
Corona program declassification. We believe that these
compendiums, with a historical essay on the programs,
are well suited to help the American public understand
the importance and contributions of the nation’s national
reconnaissance programs.
The Manned Orbiting Laboratory Program was
publically disclosed from its early inception—first by
the Air Force in 1963 and later by President Johnson in
1965 when the program was described as a means for
advancing the military’s use of space. Many elements
of the program have been well known, including the
identities of the men selected to serve as MOL crew
members, the configuration of the launch vehicle used
to place the MOL in orbit, and general details of some
of the experiments that were planned for the vehicle.
What has not been revealed, until now, is the extent to
which the MOL was designed to serve as a platform for
national reconnaissance collection.
In the many years since MOL’s termination a dedicated
group of space enthusiasts have discussed what could
have been had the program continued. Perhaps a
different perspective is to question the contributions of
the program in terms of expertise that was carried to
other space and national defense programs by those
who participated in MOL and the development and
transfer of technology from the MOL program. On these
terms, MOL has a strong and important legacy here at
the National Reconnaissance Agency and elsewhere in
federal space and national defense enterprises.
This compendium will provide a large body of material
that historians can use to better understand the
development of US space and national reconnaissance
programs. The collection will also be useful for scholars
who describe lessons learned from past space and
national security programs for application to present and
future challenges. We look forward to continuing to share
documentation that explains the invaluable contributions
of the nation’s national reconnaissance programs and
their unique legacies.
Robert A. McDonald, Ph.D.
Director,
Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance
National Reconnaissance Office
Chantilly, VA
Readers of this compendium will find a remarkable
collection of documents. The collection has a number of
themes. For instance readers will find documents on the
public affairs strategy for explaining a military program
in space. This was, and remains, a sensitive subject
especially as adversaries seek advantages offered
through space reconnaissance and technical programs.
Readers interested in cooperation between US
government organizations will note the efforts necessary
to accommodate different objectives between the US Air
Force, NASA, and the NRO. Readers interested in the
origins of manned space stations will discover a wide
range of concepts to assure continued presence of US
military crews in space. Readers will find concepts born
in the MOL program take remarkable shape in programs
matured under NASA manned space programs.
Readers will also gain insight into the resource battles
that occur as administrations weigh the advantages
and tradeoffs of programs competing for the same pool
of scarce resources. Finally, the document collection
provides insight into how a large program is terminated
and closed out.