NRO-MOL_2015

66 The Dorian Files Revealed: a Compendium of the NRO’s Manned Orbiting Laboratory Documents
manned optical reconnaissance system
capable of achieving at least {better
than 1 foot} ground resolution. Other
mission applications of the MOL
program such as sea surveillance,
COMINT and ELINT are secondary and
may be accommodated if no appreciable
compromise to the orbital vehicle
which meets the primary objective
is required. 38
Reviewing the current status of optical technology, Dr.
McMillan noted that there was considerable skepticism
about the possibility of fabricating mirrors in diameters
greater than 60 inches. He therefore suggested that
the initial MOL flights “be predicated on a mirror of
approximately 60 inches of conservative design...
to operate with or without a tracking mirror.” He also
recommended that General Greer initiate related
development work, including advanced development of
larger optical systems (with diameters {greater than 60}
inches) which at a future date might be used in the MOL
program. In addition, he provided guidance for the award
of additional “black” contracts to Itek and Perkin-Elmer ‡‡ . 39
On 26 and 29 May, in advance of meetings with the
MOL Policy Committee and with Drs. Brown and
Hornig, the Air Force Under Secretary sat in on several
more “dry run” presentations by AFSC and afterwards
suggested some additional changes for the MOL Policy
Committee briefing on 1 June. In attendance at this latter
briefing were Zuckert, McMillan, Flax, Marks, McConnell,
Blanchard, Schriever, and Ferguson. General Evans
opened the presentation with a brief resume of the recent
study activity and stated the principal conclusion—that
“a large optical telescope could be built for manned
orbital operations, that man could plan a useful role
in the alignment and checkout of large structures in
orbit, and that the program could be justified in terms
of the high resolution obtainable {1 foot or less} through
employment of man in orbit.” 40
General Evans was followed by Dr. B. P. Leonard of
the Aerospace Corp., who reviewed overall MOL, vehicle
characteristics and compared the results to be obtained in
high resolution optical reconnaissance from the manned
versus unmanned modes. The basic argument in favor
of MOL, he said, was that the unmanned optics currently
being flown were able to achieve ground resolution
{better than one foot} and that, at best, an unmanned
system could approach {something less} as a limit §§ .
However, the latter would require a major advance in the
state of the art, whereas in the manned mode {one foot}
or better could be achieved “with existing technology,
with growth improvement toward {better} resolution.”
Following Leonard’s statement, General Maxwell briefed
the Committee on the results of the MOL laboratory
vehicle competition. The Source Selection Board had
rated the four participating contractors in the following
relative order of merit: Douglas Aircraft Company,
General Electric Company, Boeing Aircraft Company,
and Lockheed Missile and Space Company. General
Maxwell stated that the first two companies showed a
clear margin of superiority over the last two. 41
The Committee consensus was that justification for the
program should, as proposed, emphasize the higher
resolutions that could be obtained from the manned
system. The Committee approved submission of a
proposed USAF MOL program to OSD but with certain
changes to highlight the primary mission. A series of
top level briefings followed. Dr. Brown was briefed on 2
June and the President’s Science Advisory Committee
on the 10th. Dr. Seamans and other NASA officials were
briefed on the 23rd. Dr. McMillan, who was quite pleased
by these presentations, congratulated General Schriever
“on the high quality of the proposed MOL program
recently submitted for approval.” He said it was evident
from the excellence of the final product that “much
creative imagination, intelligent analysis, and plain hard
work” had gone into it. The final briefings to the MOL
Policy Committee and to Dr. Brown and PSAC, were, he
said, of outstanding overall quality and “auger well for
the future conduct of the MOL program.” 42
Several other factors at work during the first half of 1965
also tended to auger well for the program. One was the
dramatic “spacewalk” on 18 March by Soviet Cosmonaut
Pleksei A. Leonov, who maneuvered outside his space
capsule for about eight minutes. No one was more
impressed by Leonov’s extravehicular activity—another
Soviet “first”— than members of the House Committee
on Government operations. In a report on U.S. space
activities released to the public, the committee strongly
recommended that Secretary McNamara “without further
delay, commence full-scale development of a manned
orbital laboratory (MOL) project.”
‡‡ On 15 June 1965 General Martin advised McMillan that contractual actions had been
initiated with Itek and Perkin-Elmer. (Msg. 8045, Martin to McMillan, 15 June 1965.)
§§ The figures given by Dr. Leonard for the manned system’s capabilities were
goals, not actual products. A later study (1967) of the various products obtained
by the unmanned system showed that the best ground resolution ever obtained
was 15.5 inches. Most flight produced results of 30 inches or more.