Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in ... - The Black Vault

Exploring the Unknown 603
than for other systems. The estimate that an additional $103.8 million, available
beginning January 1, 1963, could advance the date of the first C-5 launch by some
five months, appears well founded. This conclusion is reinforced by the fact that the
Marshall Space Flight Center has been relieved in recent month of responsibilities
for several vehicles and may be expected, therefore, to exercise effective technical
and managerial control over the C-5 development and its funding.
3. In view of the many engineering uncertainties with respect to the
eventual reliability of systems as complex as the C-5, any advancement in the date
of first launch will enable more extensive testing, and therefore earlier elimination
of design inadequacies and faster growth in the reliability of the vehicle to be used
for the first manned lunar landing attempt.
4. Although it cannot be argued at this time that an advance in the C-5
launch schedule will necessarily result in an earlier date for the first lunar landing
attempt, it is quite certain that time lost now on the C-5 cannot be regained later.
Accordingly, if future successes in the spacecraft development program should
promise earlier availability of the Apollo system, it would be possible to take
advantage of this only if earlier availability of the C-5 has been previously assured.
[3] In view of the above, it appears to be important to proceed immediately
with the acceleration of the C-5 development and to provide the $103.8 million
in FY 1963 supplemental appropriations as soon as possible. As I point out earlier,
this step would only be effective if it can be taken very soon. If authorized these
funds would be used by the NASA as follows:
(In millions of dollars)
First Stage (S-1C at Boeing) $ 25.8
Second Stage (S-II and F-1, J-2
engines at NAA)
Guidance, ground support,
etc.
$68.0
10.0
Total — $103.8
Jerome B. Wiesner
Document II- 35
Document Title: “Letter to James Webb from Vannevar Bush,” 11 April 1963.
Source: Folder 18675, NASA Historical Reference Collection, History Division,
NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.
Dr. Vannevar Bush was the head of the World War II Office of Scientific Research and
Development and in 1945 authored the seminal report “Science: the Endless Frontier,” which
was the charter for the post-war involvement of the Federal Government in the support of