2009 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program

spoke to the origins of the U-2 program at NASA
and twists of fate that brought them to Ames, the
evolution of the reimbursable projects,, and Marty’s
as facility director at Dryden. Unfortunately the
interview ran out of steam before we got to the
meaty topics of Aircraft consolidation at DFRC,
or the establishment of Dryden as an independent
Center. I have tried to take these war stories and
place many of them in the context of NASA
themes of the late ‘60s, early ‘70s.
In this short story, I have captured several of
Marty’s stories in limited detail and without his
colorful language.
Contributed by Jim Weber
Marty Knutson attended the University of Minnesota
majoring in electrical engineering. He began his
aviation career as an aviation cadet in the U.S. Air
Force in 1950. Following service in the Korea conflict
and participation in developmental test and operation
missions in F-84s, he joined the CIA’s Air Division
flying U-2s. He retired from the Air Force in 1970,
having logged over 6,500 hours of flight time.
Marty was flying U-2s out of Cyprus in mid 1970,
when he retired from the Air Force. As Marty
was retiring, the CIA was considering getting out
of the air business, as the big eyes in space were
becoming very capable. The agency was planning to
give a couple of U-2s to NASA. Marty was asked
to help NASA develop a U-2 Program Plan, Marty
reluctantly agreed after loosing a drinking contest
with Carl Duckett, the Deputy Director of the CIA.
These were heady times for NASA, we were in the
thick of the Apollo missions, and trying to come up
with a new, post Apollo plan for the Agency. Thomas
O. Paine was the NASA administrator. John Naugle
was NASA’s Associate Administrator for Space,
The Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS)
program was just starting. In 1970 NASA selected
GE as prime contractor for ERTS.
John Naugle was reluctant to embrace Marty, as
he was concerned about Marty’s connection with
the CIA, concerned about any connection with a
spy agency. Naugle left an introductory meeting
when he learned Marty was flying CIA missions as
recently as the week before.
Naugle came to want Marty to come to NASA
with the aircraft, currently slated to go to Rome
NY. Marty, who grew up in Minnesota, knew he
doesn’t like the cold, balked at the idea. After some
wrangling, Marty agreed to start the U-2 program
at Ames, an offer he couldn’t pass up. It seems
JSC wasn’t interested in the U-2s, as they were
convinced hey would crash.
Hans Mark was the Director of Ames at the time.
He had heard from the NASA Administrator
and the Director of the CIA that Marty was
coming. In 1971 Marty Joined NASA at the Ames
Research Center as manager of the Airborne
Instrumentation Research Project. Shortly after
arriving at Ames, Marty was prohibited from flying
the U-2s, reflecting John Naugle’s fear of agency
guys.
Marty combined his knowledge of the U-2 ops,
and the insight into the AF/CIA U-2 supply chain
to ensure NASA got low hour airframes, Marty
got three airplanes from the Agency, just out of
overhaul, all the updates and everything. Marty
repainted the U-2s in the NASA colors. The first
airplane came to Ames Research Center in June of
’71.
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