The Research and Program Management appropriation provides for the Manned Space Flight expenses of managing and directing our program efforts, and for maintaining the operational capability of the three Field Centers. For the Manned Space Flight centers, the budget request is about 70% for civil service salaries and related expenses, 16% for institutional support services provided by contractors, 2% for travel, and 12% for all other support costs. During fiscal year 1971, MSF was assessed a reduction of 425 civil service positions as part of the Agency's directed personnel cutback to achieve a $9.0 million reduction in its' authorization request. The savings to be realized from this reduction-in-force were more than offset by the general salary increases for government civilian and military personnel approved in April 1970 and again in January 1971. These increases are included in a proposed supplemental request. The FY 1972 requirement for Research and Program Management is $332.0 million, a decrease of $16.8 million from the FY 1971 plan, MR 71-5145. Our budget request is based on a further reduction of 619 civil service positions, an average of 5% below the FY 1971 manning level, and related reductions in supporting activities. In spite of continuing increases in all cost areas, we have rolled back planned spending to approximately the FY 1970 level. MR 715146. It will be necessary to absorb any further wage escalation in support services contracts, price increases in materials and equipment, and other increased costs, by further reducing the levels of goods, services and manpower in those areas. The reductions in civil service personnel at the Headquarters and at the Manned Space Flight field installations, combined with the sharp downward employment trend in space hardware and support services contractors, has focused greater emphasis on efforts to achieve economy and efficiency while preparing the groundwork for major achievements in the 1970's and beyond. We will continue efforts to develop concepts and management approaches that will contribute to the most efficient use of dollar and manpower resources. 1972 NASA AUTHORIZATION FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 1971 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND ASTRONAUTICS, FIELD HEARINGS SKYLAB PROGRAM REVIEW FOR THE HOUSE SCIENCE & ASTRONAUTICS COMMITTEE (By F. J. Sanders) SKYLAB PROGRAM OVERVIEW The Skylab Program is the initial step toward an Earth Orbital Space Station. Over an 8 month period during 1973 it will be operated by a 3-man crew with each crew spending up to 56 days in orbit. The mission has two major objectives. The first is centered around the extension of man's space flight capabilities. This will involve an assessment of man's operational capabilities as well as extensive biomedical experiments to determine accurately the effect of longterm space activities on the human body. The second major mission objective concerns scientific experiments. A large solar telescope will obtain data on the sun from a vantage point above the earth's atmosphere and its inherent filtering effects. Other experiments will view the earth to develop earth resources information. The Skylab vehicle is shown in Figure 1. The major living quarters and experiment areas are contained in The Orbital Workshop which is being developed by MDAC-West. The Control Center is located in the Airlock Module which is being developed by MDAC-East. The crew ferry vehicle is a modified Apollo Command and Service Module which will deliver crew for the three manned visits as shown in Figure 2. MDAC is heavily involved in the Skylab Program as indicated by Figures 3 and 4. In addition to furnishing two sets of hardware for the Skylab Core Vehicle (Payload Shroud, Airlock Module, and Orbital Workshop), we also furnish the Saturn-IVB second stage of the ferry vehicle (4 units). Major Program Milestones for MDAC hardware are shown in Figure 5. PAYLOAD SHROUD The Skylab Payload Shroud under development at MDAC-West offers launch protection and support for the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) and serves as an aerodynamic fairing over the Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) and Airlock Module. It is jettisoned in four panels after orbital insertion as shown in Figure 6. The technique used avoids contamination of the payload through use of an expanding bellows which provides thrust as shown in Figure 7. The sequence of events is illustrated by Figure 8. The shroud has been successfully tested under vacuum conditions at NASA's Lewis Research Center. This test setup is shown in Figure 9. Following the jettisoning of the shroud, the ATM is rotated 90° from its launch position to its orbital position by the Deployment Assembly shown in Figure 10, which is under development at MDAC-East. |