NRO-MOL_2015

172 The Dorian Files Revealed: a Compendium of the NRO’s Manned Orbiting Laboratory Documents
$600,000 a year in leased costs. Sixteen remaining
MOL computers were ordered reallocated to support
Air Force/DoD requirements.
Dr. Seamans also approved the ad hoc group’s
recommendation transferring to NASA the MOL
astronaut feeding system, pressure suit assemblies,
waste management system hardware, and return the
Gemini equipment previously provided to the Air Force.
Other MOL hardware and technology—including fuel
cells, attitude control engines, biotechnology and certain
classified experiments hardware and equipment—were
to be transferred to various Air Force laboratories and
R&D activities. 7
On 29 September, after the ad hoc group completed
its study of possible uses of classified MOL equipment,
Dr. Seamans approved the turnover to the Air Force
Avionics Laboratory of the image velocity testing and
sensor equipment, the Bi-mat On-Board Film Processor,
visual display projector, acquisition tracking scope, and
other items. 8
Concerning the other classified MOL hardware and
equipment, Air Force and NASA officials over a period
of several months studied their possible use by the
Space agency. This effort began as early as 6 June
1969, the day after word of MOL’s termination was
passed to the Air Force, when Secretary Seamans met
with space agency officials and offered them any MOL
equipment and technology that might be useful. Present
at this meeting were Colonel Ford and Samuel H.
Hubbard, Chief of MOL’s Plans and Technology Division
(a NASA assignee). Arrangements were made to brief
space agency officials on the DORIAN equipment.
Subsequently, NASA in September 1969 advised the
Air Force it was strongly interested in General Electric’s
Acquisition and Tracking System (ATS) and Mission
Development Simulator (MDS) for possible use in the
space agency’s earth sensing program. It also requested
additional information about Eastman Kodak’s facilities
and capabilities to build large optics for its astronomy
program. Mr. Hubbard arranged to accompany Dr. Henry
J. Smith and W. S. Schneider of NASA to Rochester for a
briefing on the firm’s technological advances. 9
During the fall of 1969, in accordance with NASA’s
expressed interest, a space agency contract was let to
General Electric and Itek (through Air Force channels)
for a study of the application of the ATS and mission
simulator to the space agency’s mission ** . Col. Lew
Allen of the Office of Space Systems was designated as
NASA’s focal point for the study. After NASA expressed
interest in Air Force technical participation, Dr. McLucas
** The contract was dated 17 November.
on 23 December 1969 designated Headquarters AFSC
and Col. Stanley C. White, former MOL Assistant
for Bioastronautics, as NASA’s point of contact. Col.
Benjamin J. Loret and Col. C. L. Gandy, Jr.: both
formerly with the MOL Program, were named to assist
†† 10
Colonel White.
Meanwhile, in August 1969 Dr. Smith and Mr.
Schneider of NASA accompanied Hubbard to Eastman
Kodak, where they were briefed on the significant
advances the firm had made in sensor technology. A
list of MOL equipment that possibly could be used in
NASA’s astronomy program was later provided them.
Subsequently, at Hubbard’s suggestion, NASA awarded
a study contract to Eastman Kodak (20 January 1970)
to undertake a rigorous analysis of what astronomical
use could be made of MOL hardware. The equipment,
meanwhile, was stored at the Eastman facility pending
NASA’s review of the study and its decision about a
future approach. 11
On 15 February, at the direction of Secretary Seamans,
the MOL Program Office closed its doors. The Systems
Office was scheduled to shut down on 30 June 1970.
Thereafter, residual contractual matters were to be
referred to AFSC and all other MOL matters to the Office
of Space Systems for disposition.
Could the Program Have Been Saved?
After MOL’s demise, there was a post-mortem within
and outside the Program Office on what steps might
have been taken to save the project. One view—strongly
held by some individuals—was that the Air Force
managers had made a serious error trying to proceed
with a full- equipped, “all-up” MOL system. That is, they
argued the program might have survived if General
Evans’ suggestion of March 1966 had been pursued—
decoupling the optics from the first manned flight in order
to fly the “man-rated system” alone at an early date. If
MOL had been flying, they believed, it might have had a
better chance of surviving.
Another view—expressed as early as 1964—was even
more pertinent. As noted in Chapter IV, when General
Bleymaier briefed the Air Staff Board on 4 January 1964
on AFSC’s proposed MOL implementation plan, General
Momyer expressed concern about “putting all the Air
Force man-in-space eggs in the reconnaissance basket.”
He recommended that other missions be examined.
†† Dr. McLucas informed Dr. Newell of NASA that the Air Force retained “a
continuing high interest in the ATS and is enthusiastic about the possibility that it
may be flown in AAP. The objectives that we hoped to achieve in MOL using this
equipment remain valid and we would hope that some if not many of them could
be accomplished in the workshop.” [Memo, McLucas to Newell, 23 Dec 69]