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Exploring the Unknown 563
Memorandum for the Chairman, National Aeronautics and Space Council
Subject:
Request for Highest National Priority for the Apollo Program
1. The programs that now enjoy the highest (DX) national priority
are: Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, Polaris, BMES, SAMOS, Nike-Zeus, Discoverer,
Mercury, and Saturn. Of these, the first eight are managed by the Department of
Defense, and the last two by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The prescribed criteria under which the President has made these determinations
is that these programs have objectives of key political, scientific, psychological or
military import.
2. The NASA is requesting that the Apollo program be added to this
list. Recognizing the need to restrict the number of projects on the list to the
absolute minimum, NASA is prepared to drop Project Mercury from the list by
the end of Calendar Year 1962, at which time its mission should be essentially
complete. NASA will also expect to drop the Saturn vehicle project from the list
except insofar as it pertains to the Apollo mission. In adding Apollo, the NASA
would be requesting a DX priority for all of these elements of the Apollo program
that are essential to its ultimate mission: to effect a manned lunar landing and
return in this decade. The essential elements of the Apollo program would
include development of the spacecraft and launch vehicles as well as the facilities
which are required for their development, testing and use. Elements of certain
other name projects would thus be included, such as Saturn and Gemini, but only
insofar as they are directly applicable to the manned lunar landing.
3. Decisions on the assignment of highest national priority are made by
the President and in the case of space program projects, he takes into consideration
the advice of the National Aeronautics and Space Council. Therefore, I ask that
this matter be placed before the Council at an early date.
4. I shall be pleased to supply any further information you think is
essential to the Council’s consideration.
James E. Webb
Administrator
Document II-24
Document Title: Ted H. Skopinski, Assistant Head, Trajectory Analysis Section,
NASA-Manned Spacecraft Center, to Chief, Systems Integration Division, “Selection
of lunar landing site for the early Apollo lunar missions,” 21 March 1962.
Source: Folder 18675, NASA Historical Reference Collection, History Division,
NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.