Memorandum for Dr. G. B. Kistiakowsky on 1961 Estimates

STANDARD FORM NO 64 PRIVILEGED INFORMATION nore - Budget Office Memorandum UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO : G. B. Kistiakowsky DATE: November 14, 1959 FROM : Jesse L. Mitchell A SUBJECT: NASA 1961 Estimates and BOB Staff Proposal to BOB Director DISCUSSION 1. In a nutshell (not considering the as yet unresolved details of ABMA-NASA), the situation is asfollows: 1960 1961 1961 NASA Program NASA Request BOB Staff Recommended 500.575 783.300 554.900 The difference of about 228 million between the NASA request and BOB staff recommended represents a reduction of about $113 million in the amount requested for scientific applica- tions and supporting research, 86 million reduction in vehicle and general technical development, 22 million in follow-on man in space, and 6 million in supporting operations. 0. At this level of overall thinking - Doesn¹t the 10% increase recommended by BOB represent 3 too small a rate of growth for the 2nd full year of a major National effort? Isn't the almost 60% increase requested by NASA closer to a reasonable initial rate of growth? Is not 1961, considering the technological developments in hand, the time to greatly increase our efforts to exploit these developments for scientific applications 2. In a little more detail -- BOB applied essentially the following assumptions in arriving at the recommended level of funding. a. Project Mercury as planned but defer follow-on "Man in Space" beyond 1961. b. Only one high thrust booster development, and that the $140 million to be shifted from defense K-9419 will be adequate to cover this development. PRIVILEGED INFORMATION