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Physical Sciences: General (1) [5 of 7] [1992]
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Physical Sciences: General (1) [5 of 7] [1992]
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Allan D. Bromley Files
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
2005-0336-F
2005-0336-F
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Science and Technology Policy, Office of (OSTP)
Series:
Bromley, D. Allan, Files
Subseries:
General Science Files
OA/ID Number:
62042
Folder ID Number:
62042-005
Folder Title:
Physical Sciences: General (1) [5 of 7] [1992]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
0
0
0
0
"Document Control"
TYPE:
ACTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 9202382
ORIGINATOR: 02
STATUS I
DIRECTORATE STATUS
FROM:
OJSERKIS, Maurice
TO:
DR. D.A. BROMLEY
DATE OF
CORRESPONDENCE: 07/27/92
SUBJECT: HE IS FORWARDING HIS IDEAS FOR A NEW DESIGN FOR
COMBUSTION ENGINES, AND HE SEEKS OSTP'S ASSISTANCE
WITH GETTING THIS PROGRAM TO THE MARKET PLACE.
DIRECTORATE
STAFF
ASSIGNED: PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ASSIGNED:
Lee Schoole
ACTION
AS Direct NECESSARY Reply, if
STAFF
REQUIRED:
ACTION:
SENDER'S DUE DATE:
OSTP DUE DATE:
08/27/92
STAFF DUE DATE
DATE COMPLETED:
DATE COMPLETED/DEPT: 11/24/92
COPIES TO: D. Allan Bromley
WHITE HOUSE TRACKING #:
CONTACT PERSON:
PHONE:
EXT:
REMARKS:
Dr. Seleneder responded
OSTP RECEIVED: 08/14/92
DEPT RECEIVED: AUG | 7 1992
FILE: P-PHYSICAL SCIENCES
CENTRAL FILES:
MAURICE J OJSERKIS
VP
2392
OJSERKIS CONSULTANT ENGINEERS
RR 6 BOX 115E OCEAN HGTS AV
#2050
PLEASANTVILLE
NJ 08232
Dr. D. Allan Bromley
27-July-1992
Science -uvisor to the President
OFFICE OF SCIENCE & PEDENOLOGY
SIGNATURE #II 55
Old Executive Office Building
17th Street Pennsylvania Avenue,
Washington, D.C. 20506
MAIL ROOM
Dear Dr. Bromley:
They say that Detroit automotive makers are not truly innovating
and competing against the foreign Japanese competitors.
Per enclosed two page memorandum, I wish to perfect and place
into volume production a new and revolutionary INTERNAL COMBUSTION
ENGINE who will be very high-horsepower, be of lo-pullution, be very
efficient and be CHEAP to manufacture using American workers.
The engine will be Air-Cooled , 100% all aluminum and die-cast
for low-labor-cost of manufacture. Besides the U.S. automotive
industry, it should find excellent application 00 the Department of
Defence, J.S. Army use in TANKS and combat vehicles.
My engine consists of a NEW combination of BELL-PROVEN concept
and is based primarily on the Burt-MacCullom ingle Sleeve Valve as
was SO successfully perfected and used in Bristol AERCULES and
CENTAURUS aero engines before and during World-Wer-II. They made
some 131, 000 of these 1,200 engines using some 71,000 workers.
with the advent of the JST ENGINE, this technology was shelved and
forgotten til now. With the 1886 admonition of Sir Dugald Clerk,
inventor of the Outboard motor two-cycle engine, for the first time
in modern days, my enaine will use BOTH SIDES OF THE PISTON to make
power, and I will COMPOUND the exhaust gases which are normally
wested, and make en additional 20% free power or more miles per gallon
by using a power-recovery turbine to sena this power DIRECTLY geared
to the engine crenkshaft.
They say that"Everyone talks about the Weather, out no one does
snything about it." I an an ex-World-War II Bomber & Test Pilot who
is an Aeronautical Engineer. I sincerely believe that with GOVERNMENT
support such as the British had, that perfecting my engine can truly
sllow our U.S. auto industry to attain their former leadership and
engineering superiority.
1.0V can you and your office help me and this project? The patents
are in progress with the patent office.
Thanki... you for your early attention and reply, I beg to remain
Sincerely yours,
I.
Maurice J. Ojserkis
OJSERKIS OCESELTING ENGINEERS
RD6 115E Ccean Heights Av. #2050
Pleasesntville, N.J. 08232
.J0:grs CO: 2-pg Memo.
(609) 927-6593.
Maurice J. Ojserkis
OJSERKIS CONSULTING ENGINEERS
RD6 115E Ocean Heights AVH205
Bargaintown, N.J. 08232
A PROJECT TO GIVE BIRTH TO A REVOLUTIONARY NEW INTERNAL COMBUSTION
(609) 927-6593.
ENGINE WHICH SHOULD ALLOW THE AMERICAN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY TO TRULY
INNOVATE & COMPETE ON DOMESTIC & WORLD MARKETS.
For the last one hundred years the gasoline burning automobile
engine has hardly changed, apart from band-aid anti-pollution devices.
The automotive industry talks of meaningless MILES PER GALLON rating
and ignores true engine efficiency by NOT stating pounds of fuel per
horsepower hour in order to evaluate one engine over another.
The Public is mislead and does not realize that in most cases
the auto manufacturer reduced car weight ( and in many cases car Safety)
of a vehicle and thereby claimed more Miles per gallon, instead of
making his car engines more efficient and using less fuel per power
output. Instead of designing an engine to reduce Nitrogen Oxides and
unburnt HydroCarbons, he adds on costly gadgets AFTER-THE-FACT, to reduc
pollution after it has been generated instead of designing to prevent 82
in the first place.
Almost all auto vehicles utilize four stroke engines which use only
one of the four strokes to make power, while allowing the other three
strokes to WASTE power in one form or another. Seventy-five percent
wastage is not very efficient.
While two stroke engines are used in some heavy-duty trucks and in
small appliances, they have virtually no usage in the world auto
industry due mostly to poor fuel utilization and excessive air pollution
In 1886 before hardly any autos existed on the roads, the inventor
of the Outboard Motor 2-cycle engine, Sir Dugald Clerk, in one of the
first of his long line of his-authored textbooks, mandated that the
auto industry and industry in general must avoid shortages of Petroleum;
avoid polluting of the air; and he said that engines must use BOTH SIDFS
of the piston (as in Steam engine usage.)
A New Jersey Inventor, Maurice J. Ojserkis, foumder of the new
Minicord Motors Corporation, has heeded Dugald Clerks admonitions and
has patents in progress on an engine which utilized BOTH SIDES OF THE
PISTON, and also COMPOUNDS and recuperates some 20% extra power or lower
fuel consumption by gearing the exhaust energy back into the engine
crankshaft while internally self-supercharging the engine for superior
breathing and power output of the engine. It does this without needing
external mechanically or exhaust driven superchargers to compress the
mixture.
At the Flick-of-a-Switch, the Minicord engine changes from
six cylinder mode to Twelve cylinders. The power increase is
instantaneous and dramatic. It uses three of the four strokes to
make power.
The basic MINICORD engine is of six cylinder flat-opposed format
and air-cooled looking not unlike the old VOLKSWAGEN Beetle engine
from the outside. The interior is radically different. It 19 smaller
than conventional engines, has less weight, lower pollution, higher
power and is of substantially lower cost to the auto manufacturer. It
lasts longer with less care needed than conventional engines and debunk:
the misleading present car buyer advertising which touts the advantages
of sixteen, twenty-four and thirty-two valve engines, when in truth,
this just results in higher cost, more parts to clack around inside the
engine, earlier and higher engine repair and replacement of parts.
For those who remember the old Willye-Kuight silent six engine
of the late 1920's, the Minicord engine is substantially more quiet
despite being air-cooled.
The MINICORD engine utilizes well proven technology of the
Burt-McCollum single sleeve valve as was so successfully used before
and during World-War II in the British BRISTOL-HERCULES aero engines
of some one thousand two hundred horsepower each. The British mass-
produced some 131,000 of these engines which lasted about 312-times longe
than American Pratt & Whitney and Wright engines before needing overhau.
With the advent of the Jet Age, this technology was shelved and
forgotten til now.
With active support of the British Air Ministry, they employed
some 71,000 workers making Hercules engines, and this is & goal towards
which MINICORD hopes to reach in the State of North Caroling.
The MINICORD engines will be 100% all-aluminum and will require
the new utilization of thousands of tons of aluminum per year whilst
employing thousands of new workers to make same to satisfy domestic
and world-wide market requirments. This engine has the potential to
rejuvinate American industry and make America more competitive while
demonstrating true innovation.
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20506
November 24, 1992
Dear Mr. Ojserkis:
Thank you for your recent letter regarding high-horsepower, energy-efficient, and low-
pollution, internal combustion engines. The two-page description of your project
provided interesting reading. Unfortunately, this office does not provide funds for
pursuing research and development activities-that capability resides in other Federal
agencies.
I wish you every future success with your project.
Sincerely yours,
Lu S. Schrolder
Lee S. Schroeder
Assistant Director
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Mr. Maurice J. Ojserkis
RR 6 Box 115E Ocean Heights Ave.
Pleasantville, N.J. 08232
"Document Control"
TYPE:
ACTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 9202382
ORIGINATOR: 02
STATUS I
DIRECTORATE STATUS
FROM:
OJSERKIS, Maurice
TO:
DR. D.A. BROMLEY
DATE OF
CORRESPONDENCE: 07/27/92
SUBJECT: HE IS FORWARDING HIS IDEAS FOR A NEW DESIGN FOR
COMBUSTION ENGINES, AND HE SEEKS OSTP'S ASSISTANCE
WITH GETTING THIS PROGRAM TO THE MARKET PLACE.
DIRECTORATE
STAFF
ASSIGNED: PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ASSIGNED:
ACTION
STAFF
REQUIRED: AS NECESSARY
ACTION:
SENDER'S DUE DATE:
OSTP DUE DATE:
08/27/92
STAFF DUE DATE
DATE COMPLETED:
DATE COMPLETED/DEPT:
COPIES TO: D. Allan Bromley
WHITE HOUSE TRACKING #:
CONTACT PERSON:
PHONE:
EXT:
REMARKS:
OSTP RECEIVED: 08/14/92
DEPT RECEIVED:
FILE: P-PHYSICAL SCIENCES
CENTRAL FILES:
MAURICE J OJSERKIS
VP
2382
OJSERKIS CONSULTANT ENGINEERS
RR 6 BOX 115E OCEAN HGTS AV
#2050
PLEASANTVILLE
NJ 08232
RECEIVED
Dr. D. Allan Bromley
27-July-1992
Science Advisor to the President
OFFICE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
92 AUG 14 All: 55
Old Executive Office Building
17th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20506
OSTP
Dear Dr. Bromley:
MAIL ROOM
They say that Detroit automotive makers are not truly innovating
and competing against the foreign Japanede competitors.
Per enclosed two page memorandum, I wish to perfect and place
into volume production a new and revolutionary INTERNAL COMBUSTION
ENGINE who will be very high-horsepower, be of lo-pullution, be very
efficient and be CHEAP to manufacture using American workers.
The engine will be Air-Cooled , 100% all aluminum and die-cast
for low-labor-cost of manufacture. Besides the U.S. automotive
industry, it should find excellent application to the Department of
Defence, U.S. Army use in TANKS and combat vehicles.
My engine consists of a NEW combination of WELL-PROVEN concept
and is based primarily on the Burt-MacCullom Single Sleeve Valve as
was so successfully perfected and used in Bristol HERCULES and
CENTAURUS aero engines before and during World-War-II. They made
some 131,000 of these 1,200 H.P. engines using some 71,000 workers.
With the advent of the JET ENGINE, this technology was shelved and
forgotten til now. With the 1886 admonition of Sir Dugald Clerk,
inventor of the Outboard motor two-cycle engine, for the first time
in modern days, my engine will use BOTH SIDES OF THE PISTON to make
power, and I will COMPOUND the exhaust gases which are normally
wasted, and make an additional 20% free power or more miles per gallon
by using a power-recovery turbine to send this power DIRECTLY geared
to the engine crankshaft.
They say that 'Everyone talks about the Weather, but no one does
anything about it." I am an ex-World-War II Bomber & Test Pilot who
is an Aeronautical Engineer. I sincerely believe that with GOVERNMENT
support such as the British had, that perfecting my engine can truly
allow our U.S. auto industry to attain their former leadership and
engineering superiority.
How can you and your office help me and this project? The patents
are in progress with the patent office.
Thanking you for your early attention and reply, I beg to remain
Sincerely yours,
Many.
Maurice J. Ojserkis
OJSERKIS CONSELTING ENGINEERS
RD6 115E Ocean Heights Av. #2050
Pleaseantville, N.J. 08232
MJO:grs CC: 2-pg Memo.
(609) 927-6593.
Maurice J. Ojserkis
OJSERKIS CONSULTING ENGINEERS
RD6 115E Ocean Heights vi#2050
Bargaintown, N.J. 08232
(609) 927-6593.
A PROJECT TO GIVE BIRTH TO A REVOLUTIONARY NEW INTERNAL COMBUSTION
ENGINE WHICH SHOULD ALLOW THE AMERICAN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY TO TRULY
INNOVATE & COMPETE ON DOMESTIC & WORLD MARKETS.
For the last one hundred years the gasoline burning automobile
engine has hardly changed, apart from band-aid anti-pollution devices.
The automotive industry talks of meaningless MILES PER GALLON rating
and ignores true engine efficiency by NOT stating pounds of fuel per
horsepower hour in order to evaluate one engine over another.
The Public is mislead and does not realize that in most cases
the auto manufacturer reduced car weight ( and in many cases car Safety)
of a vehicle and thereby claimed more Miles per gallon, instead of
making his car engines more efficient and using less fuel per power
output. Instead of designing an engine to reduce Nitrogen Oxides and
unburnt HydroCarbons, he adds on costly gadgets AFTER-THE-FACT, to reduce
pollution after it has been generated instead of designing to prevent sam
in the first place.
Almost all auto vehicles utilize four stroke engines which use only
one of the four strokes to make power, while allowing the other three
strokes to WASTE power in one form or another. Seventy-five percent
wastage is not very efficient.
While two stroke engines are used in some heavy-duty trucks and in
small appliances, they have virtually no usage in the world auto
industry due mostly to poor fuel utilization and excessive air pollution.
In 1886 before hardly any autos existed on the roads, the inventor
of the Outboard Motor 2-cycle engine, Sir Dugald Clerk, in one of the
first of his long line of his-authored textbooks, mandated that the
auto industry and industry in general must avoid shortages of Petroleum;
avoid polluting of the air; and he said that engines must use BOTH SIDFS
of the piston (as in Steam engine usage.)
A New Jersey Inventor, Maurice J. Ojserkis, foumder of the new
Minicord Motors Corporation, has heeded Dugald Clerks admonitions and
has patents in progress on an engine which utilized BOTH SIDES OF THE
PISTON, and also COMPOUNDS and recuperates some 20% extra power or lower
fuel consumption by gearing the exhaust energy back into the engine
crankshaft while internally self-supercharging the engine for superior
breathing and power output of the engine. It does this without needing
external mechanically or exhaust driven superchargers to compress the
mixture.
At the Flick-of-a-Switch, the Minicord engine changes from
six cylinder mode to Twelve cylinders. The power increase is
instantaneous and dramatic. It uses three of the four strokes to
make power.
The basic MINICORD engine is of six cylinder flat-opposed format
and air-cooled looking not unlike the old VOLKSWAGEN Beetle engine
from the outside. The interior is radically different. It is smaller
than conventional engines, has less weight, lower pollution, higher
power and is of substantially lower cost to the auto manufacturer. It
lasts longer with less care needed than conventional engines and debunks
the misleading present car buyer advertising which touts the advantages
of sixteen, twenty-four and thirty-two valve engines, when in truth,
this just results in higher cost, more parts to clack around inside the
engine, earlier and higher engine repair and replacement of parts.
For those who remember the old Willye-Kuight silent six engine
of the late 1920's, the Minicord engine is substantially more quiet
despite being air-cooled.
The MINICORD engine utilizes well proven technology of the
Burt-McCollum single sleeve valve as was so syccessfully used before
and during World-War II in the British BRISTOL-HERCULES aero engines
of some one thousand two hundred horsepower each. The British mass-
produced some 131,000 of these engines which lasted about 3/2-times longer
than American Pratt & Whitney and Wright engines before needing overhaul.
With the advent of the Jet Age, this technology was shelved and
forgotten til now.
With active support of the British Air Ministry, they employed
some 71,000 workers making Hercules engines, and this is & goal towards
which MINICORD hopes to reach in the State of North Caroling.
The MINICORD engines will be 100% all-aluminum and will require
the new utilization of thousands of tons of aluminum per year whilst
employing thousands of new workers to make same to satisfy domestic
and world-wide market requirments. This engine has the potential to
rejuvinate American industry and make America more competitive while
demonstrating true innovation.
"Document Control"
TYPE:
MEETING REQUEST
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 9200531
ORIGINATOR: 02
STATUS I
DIRECTORATE STATUS
FROM:
KOFF, Bernard L.: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES, PRATT & WHITNEY
TO:
DR. D.A. BROMLEY
DATE OF
CORRESPONDENCE: 02/14/92
SUBJECT: HE IS FORWARDING A COPY OF A PAPER WHICH SUMMARIZES
THEIR PROGRESS IN COMMERCIAL JET ENGINES AND
OUTLINES STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE. HE REQUESTS TO
MEET WITH DR. BROMLEY TO DISCUSS FUTURE PROSPECTS.
DIRECTORATE
STAFF
ASSIGNED: PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ASSIGNED:
ACTION
STAFF
REQUIRED: AS NECESSARY
ACTION:
SENDER'S DUE DATE:
OSTP DUE DATE:
03/05/92
STAFF DUE DATE
DATE COMPLETED:
DATE COMPLETED/DEPT:
COPIES TO: D. Allan Bromley
WHITE HOUSE TRACKING #:
CONTACT PERSON:
PHONE:
EXT:
REMARKS: ENCLOSURE TO PHYSICAL SCIENCES.
OSTP RECEIVED: 02/20/92
DEPT RECEIVED:
FILE: P-PHYSICAL SCIENCES
CENTRAL FILES:
0531 A,
UNITED
P.O. Box 109600
TECHNOLOGIES
West Palm Beach, FL 33410-9600
PRATT&WHITNEY
(407) 796-5285
Bernard L. Koff
RECEIVED
Executive Vice President
Engineering and Technology
92FE820 &2 08
February 1992
Hon. Dr. D. Allen Bromley
Assistant to the President for
Science and Technology
Old Executive Office Building
17th & Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Room 358
Washington, D.C. 20506
Dear Dr. Bromley:
Attached is a paper presented last spring
that summarizes how we made progress in
commercial jet engines and outlines a
strategic roadmap for the future. I
would like to discuss the exciting future
prospects with you at your convenience
because of the importance to our aero-
space industry and balance of trade.
Sincerely,
BIKAH
mmg
Attachment
SPANNING THE GLOBE
PRA
WITH
JET PROPULSION
AIAA Paper #2987
Presented by:
B. L. KOFF
Executive Vice President
Group Engineering & Technology
Pratt & Whitney
Presented at:
AIAA 1991 Annual Meeting and Exhibit
William Littlewood Memorial Lecture
April 30 - May 2, 1991
Arlington, Virginia
AUG 7 1992
"Document Control"
TYPE:
ACTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 9202237
ORIGINATOR: 02
STATUS I
DIRECTORATE STATUS
FROM:
HIRAO, Yasuo: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF RADIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
TO:
DR. D.A. BROMLEY
DATE OF
CORRESPONDENCE: 07/27/92
SUBJECT: HE IS WRITING REGARDING THE SHUTDOWN OF THE BEVALAC
FACILITY.
DIRECTORATE
STAFF
ASSIGNED: PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ASSIGNED:
ACTION
STAFF
REQUIRED: FOR DAB'S SIGNATURE
ACTION:
SENDER'S DUE DATE:
OSTP DUE DATE:
08/20/92
STAFF DUE DATE
DATE COMPLETED:
DATE COMPLETED/DEPT: 9/14/92
COPIES TO: D. Allan Bromley
INTERNATIONAL/POLICY
WHITE HOUSE TRACKING #:
CONTACT PERSON:
PHONE:
EXT:
REMARKS:
Dr. Ent respond
OSTP RECEIVED: 08/06/92
DEPT RECEIVED:
FILE: P-PHYSICAL SCIENCES
CENTRAL FILES:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20506
September 14, 1992
Dear Dr. Hirao:
I am writing in response to your letter to Dr. Bromley concerning plans by
the Department of Energy to terminate BEVALAC operations.
The DOE is responding to the fact that its nuclear physics research
program, which has provided most of the funding to operate the
BEVALAC, is increasingly turning its attention to other facilities. Given
this declining nuclear physics interest, the Department has attempted to
ascertain whether other users of the BEVALAC find the facility sufficiently
important to their activities to provide funds to sustain BEVALAC
operation. To date, no other science community or funding agency has
expressed that degree of interest.
If the situation changes and funds from medical or other programs
become available to support the BEVALAC, the DOE will reevaluate its
plans to close the facility. Thank you for your letter and the information
it contains.
Sincerely,
actuat
Karl A. Erb
Associate Director for
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Dr. Yasuo Hirao
Director
Division of Accelerator Research
National Institute of Radiological Sciences
9-1, Anagawa-4-chome
Inage-ku, Chiba-shi 263,
JAPAN
2237
THE INTERIOR THE INTERIOR
TAKE
United States Department of the Interior
PRIDE IN
AMERICA
RE
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
March
1849
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
June 16, 1992
92 JUN 22 P3: 04
Honorable D. Allan Bromley
Assistant to the President
USTP
for Science and Technology
MAIL ROOM
The White House
OEOB, Room 358
Washington, DC 20506
Dear Dr. Bromley:
Attached is an article out of the New York Times dated June 11 which causes this Department
some concerns (this is an understatement).
I assume that Dr. Tucker's expertise is in physical services; not biology, silvaculture, or forest
management. I can find no evidence he shared his findings with this land management
Department, nor those with expertise in biodiversity or ecosystems.
What I do note, is that Dr. Tucker used government resources, and "knowledge" gained from
his job, to press forward his personal agenda. Even the timing of the release suggests this. He
has done so in the name of science though the science is incomplete and, therefore, is not
scientifically credible for policymaking purposes.
Our knowledge is limited to the article but with that in mind we question the legality and
especially the ethics of Dr. Tucker's conduct.
The reason I am bringing this ethical matter to your attention is because you are the ranking
scientist in this administration, and as such, you more than anyone, are probably concerned
about the integrity of the scientific community and the conduct of government scientists.
I wish I could forward a recommendation or suggestion, but if you wish to address this specific
problem, please know that this Department will enthusiastically support that endeavor.
Sincerely,
Churshirt JOHN E. SCHROTE
Assistant Secretary
Policy, Management and Budget
Attachment
cc:
Secretary
THE NEW YORK TIMES, THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 1992
The Earth Summit:
A Closer Look at the Vanishing Forests
Space Photos Show Forests in
Pacific Northwest Are in Peril, Scientists Say
By TIMOTHY EGAN
Officials of the United States Forest
Special to The New York Times
Service, which sets policy on such log-
day that the President saw many satel-
SEATTLE, June 10 - A team of
ging operations, say it is misleading to
lite photos that day and did not specifi-
Government scientists mapping
make judgments about forest practices
cally recall the ones comparing defor-
estation.
changes in the earth's surface says the
based on pictures from space.
latest satellite pictures show a surpris-
Almost all the cut-over Forest Serv-
In Brazil, Dr. Tucker said, most of
the Amazon forest remains intact de-
ing level of damage to the richest for-
ice land has been replanted with new
ests of the United States.
trees, they say, but this is not shown in
spite years of cutting and burning to
When compared particularly with
the pictures from space because newly
clear land for agriculture and develop-
the tropical rain forests of Brazil, the
planted plots look the same as bald,
ment. The forest's edges have been
pushed back and some sections have
evergreen forests of the Pacific North-
deforested areas until the trees are
west, although only a tenth the size,
about 10 years old.
been opened in the interior, but the vast
expanse of forest is undisturbed.
appear to be in danger of losing their
The NASA pictures are bound to in-
biological vitality, the scientists said.
fluence the debate in Congress over
By contrast, he said, in the Pacific
how much logging should be allowed in
Northwest a large portion of the forest
They said the pictures show the na-
tional forests in the Northwest so torn
the national forests, The Bush Admin-
has been cut into small segments by
up by thousands of clear-cuts that the
istration wants to open up logging on
roads and development or logging.
logging threatens the ability of the for-
four million acres, in two areas of the
When loggers clear-cut a tract of land,
they cut down all the trees on hundreds
ests to support a diversity of species.
state of Washington that contain large
of plots of 40 to 60 acres each
The scientists, from the National
sections of old growth forest. Several
Aeronautics and Space Adminstra-
bills pending in Congress would pre-
Cutting the Forest to Pieces
tion's Goddard Space Flight Center in
serve most of the remaining forest.
"What so astonished us when we
Greenbelt, Md., are led by Dr. Compton
Aerial tours of clear-cuts in the
started to do this comparision was the
J. Tucker. They base their conclusions
Northwest have proved to be one of the
tremendous degree of fragmentation in
on pictures from space of the tropical
most convincing lobbying tools for
the Northwest," Dr. Tucker said. "It
rain forest in Brazil and the temperate
groups opposed to extensive logging.
appears that much of the forest has
rain forests of Washington and Oregon.
Dr. Tucker said he made his pictures
been literally cut to pieces."
'Severe Fragmentation' Found
available because he thought the com-
Some biologists compare the forests
parison was relevent to the internation-
of the Northwest to a shirt that has
"When you compare the situation in
al debate.
been perforated again and again; after
the Pacific Northwest to the Amazon of
Mapping Terrestrial Changes
awhile there are many holes and little
Brazil, the Northwest is much worse,'
shirt. They contend that the region's
Dr. Tucker said in an interview. "The
Dr. Tucker, a senior fellow at the
Goddard Center who has worked for
national forests have been so sliced up
pictures show this amazing, graphic
by small clear-cuts that the overall
situation the severe fragmentation
the space agency for years, heads a
of the forest in the Northwest."
15-member team that has been using
health of the forest is at risk.
Because the continuity of the forest
satellite pictures to map changes in the
is so badly damaged, he said, such
earth's surface. He directs a unit of the
New Logging Methods
logging "has serious implications" for
Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics.
The Forest Service announced last
the diversity of plant and animal spe-
His past studies have focused on the
week that it was retreating from its
cies needed to maintain a healthy bio-
Amazon rain forest and on the growth
decades-old policy of clear-cutting. Un-
logical system.
of the Sahara Desert.
der the new logging methods, some
He has spent much of the past year
trees will be left standing as a means of
comparing pictures of the Pacific
encouraging a more natural regenera-
Northwest with those of Brazil. Some of
tion of the forest.
the pictures were shown to President
The satellite analysis of the forests in
Bush during his visit to the Goddard
the Pacific Northwest and Brazil adds
Center two weeks ago.
a new dimension to a claim that many
A White House spokesman said to-
environmentalists have made about
logging in the United States.
Extensive mapping by the Wilder-
ness Society, for example, has conclud-
that would protect the world's plant
ed that a little more than 10 percent of
and animal species.
the original 25-million-acre forest that
In Dr. Tucker's analysis, the biggest
once stretched from Northern Califor-
threat from logging in the Pacific
nia to the Canadian border is intact.
Northwest is to the diversity of species,
This great swath of trees, including
a point on which many Forest Service
species like the Pacific yew, which
officials agree.
contains a cancer-fighting compound,
Pictures Termed Misleading
and many plants and animals in dan-
ger of being lost forever, is generally
But John Lowe, the deputy regional
considered the biggest and richest of
forester for the Pacific Northwest, said
the satellite pictures do not show the
American forests.
In recent years, as other countries
replanting that has taken place in
have stepped up their criticism of for-
many areas.
"The big difference between us and
estry practices in South American na-
tions, some of these countries, includ-
Brazil is that we are trying to bring it
back," Mr. Lowe said. "Deforestation
ing Brazil, have countered by citing the
is not the business we are in. It never
destructive logging of ancient forests
in the Pacific Northwest.
has been. We have been 99 percent
As delegates met in Rio de Janeiro
successful in bringing in new forests
this week for the Earth Summit, lead-
after logging."
ers from the northern nations have
He acknowledged that the clear-cut-
continued to press for restrictions on
ting in the Northwest had left many
logging in tropical forests.
experts concerned about a drop in the
The United States delegation arrived
diversity of species. These people say
in Rio proclaiming protection of the
that when a natural forest is replaced
world's forests as the main objective.
by commercially valuable trees, the
As an incentive to developing coun-
plot becomes a farm, not a forest, and
tries, President Bush said the United
biological interaction is damaged.
States would increase its aid to other
But Mr. Lowe defended the practice.
nations' forestry programs by $150
"Certainly, we have fragmented the
million, to $270 million, in the next
landscape," he said, "but overall the
fiscal year.
forest is healthy enough to operate as
But the Bush Administration has op-
an ecosystem that will foster species
posed as too costly a proposed treaty
diversity."
THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 1992
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
*
*
*
Earth Summit negotiators reached an
accord on a compromise text that trims a
request for financing commitments for envi-
ronmental efforts, the Reuters news agency
said. Reuters said the draft text, hammered
out in all-night talks in Rio de Janeiro,
substantially waters down an initial funding
appeal. (Related story on Page A2)
*
*
*
"U.S. Finds Success In Rio With Oceans Pact"
"Popularity Puts Pacific Sharks At Risk" (Earth Summit)
(USA TODAY - 6/11/92)
"Purse-Strings Issue Snarls Ambitious Environment Plan"
(Washington Times - 6/11/92)
"U.S., Third World Reduce Gap At Rio" (Earth Summit A1)
"Critics Say U.S. Behind The Curve"
(Washington Post - 6/11/92)
"Bush's Badge Is Waiting" (Earth Summit - Editorial)
(Wall Street Journal - 6/11/92)
AUG 27 1992
"Document Control"
TYPE:
ACTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 9202469
ORIGINATOR: 02
STATUS I
DIRECTORATE STATUS
FROM:
TAMPLAIN, Julia B.
TO:
DR. D.A. BROMLEY
DATE OF
CORRESPONDENCE: 07/27/92
SUBJECT: SHE IS WRITING REGARDING THE SEIZURE OF THE
TYRANNOSAURUS REX REMAINS FROM THE BLACK HILLS
INSTITUTE.
DIRECTORATE
STAFF
ASSIGNED: PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ASSIGNED: Done
ACTION
STAFF
Reply letter
REQUIRED: AS NECESSARY
ACTION:
SENDER'S DUE DATE:
OSTP DUE DATE:
09/09/92
STAFF DUE DATE
DATE COMPLETED:
DATE COMPLETED/DEPT: 8/37/92
COPIES TO: D. Allan Bromley
WHITE HOUSE TRACKING #:
CONTACT PERSON:
PHONE:
EXT:
REMARKS:
OSTP RECEIVED: 08/26/92
DEPT RECEIVED:
FILE: P-PHYSICAL SCIENCES
CENTRAL FILES:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20506
August 27, 1992
Dear Ms. Tamplain:
Thank you for your recent letter to Dr. Bromley regarding the recent seizure of the
Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton from the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research. I am
sure you realize that Dr. Bromley cannot get involved in a criminal investigation, but I
thought you would like to know that we are inquiring as to the storage conditions and
treatment that the skeleton receives while in the custody of the FBI. We will try to ensure
that the scientific value of the remains are preserved while the courts decide the legal issues
involved. Thank you for bringing this issue to Dr. Bromley's attention.
Sincerely yours,
Dard cc
David C. Cranmer
Fellow
Ms. Julia B. Tamplain
2289 Country Club Drive
Laplace, LA 70068
2469
RECEIVED
92 AUG 26 All : 58
2289 COUNTRY CLUB DRIVE
LAPLACE, LOUISIANA 7000M
July 27, 1992
D. Allan Bromley
Assistant to the President for Science and Technology
Office of Science and Technology
Executive Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20240
Dear Mr. Bromley:
As a concerned citizen and taxpayer, I feel compelled to protest the seizure of
"Sue", reputed to be the world's best preserved tyrannosaur, from the Black
Hills Institute of Geological Research in Hill City, South Dakota. Rather than
sealing the Institute's premises while legal questions are debated, the U.S.
Attorney's office physically removed precious fossils without regard to proper
handling or storage techniques.
It is unthinkable to me that the U.S. Attorney presumes his staff to be
qualified in the highly specialized discipline of paleontology. I pray for "Sue"
to be returned to the Black Hills Institute immediately before further damage
is done to the fossil. In the interest of scientific research and as an outrage
against the abuse of governmental power, I seek your assistance in achieving
this goal.
Sincerely,
Tamplain,
AUG 12
AUL
"Document Control"
TYPE:
ACTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 9202270
ORIGINATOR: 02
STATUS I
DIRECTORATE STATUS
FROM:
CASHMORE, R.J.: UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
TO:
DR. D.A. BROMLEY
DATE OF
CORRESPONDENCE: 07/24/92
SUBJECT: HE IS WRITING REGARDING THE FUNDING CUT FOR THE SSC.
DIRECTORATE
STAFF
ASSIGNED: PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ASSIGNED:
Lee School
ACTION
STAFF Common letter (Cashmore, Mkritchyan,
REQUIRED:
FOR DAB'S SIGNATURE
ACTION: Dani) thanking Them for Supporting SSC
+ Honce (Smate funding for P4193 9/29/92 753
SENDER'S DUE DATE:
OSTP DUE DATE:
08/21/92
STAFF DUE DATE
DATE COMPLETED:
DATE COMPLETED/DEPT:
COPIES TO: D. Allan Bromley
INTERNATIONAL/POLICY
WHITE HOUSE TRACKING #:
CONTACT PERSON:
PHONE:
EXT:
REMARKS:
OSTP RECEIVED: 08/07/92
DEPT RECEIVED:
FILE: P-PHYSICAL SCIENCES
CENTRAL FILES:
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
September 29, 1992
Dear Professor Cashmore:
Thank you for your recent letter regarding funding of the Superconducting Super Collider.
We in the Administration, including the President, have worked very hard with Congress
to turn the earlier House vote around. These efforts have been successful, and joint
congressional action has restored funding to the SSC. The restoration, while substantial,
is still under the President's request for fiscal 1993 but will allow us to move forward on
constructing this forefront research facility.
Thank you again for your expression of interest and support.
Sincerely yours,
Douan Romby
D. Allan Bromley
The Assistant to the President
for
Science and Technology
Professor R. J. Cashmore
University of Oxford
Department of Physics
Nuclear Physics Laboratory
Keble Road
Oxford OX1 3RH
UNITED KINGDOM
2270
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
Telephone: Switchboard (0865) 273333
92 AUC 7 All 53
Direct Line (0865) 273323
PARTICLE & NUCLEAR PHYSICS
Secretary (0865) 273353
Nuclear Physics Laboratory
Telex:
83295 NUCLOX G
Fax:
Email:
[email protected]
MAIL OSTP ROOM
Keble Road
(0865) 273418
Oxford OX1 3RH
Professor of Experimental Physics
and Head of Particle & Nuclear Physics
R.J. CASHMORE
RJC/JR
24 July 1992
Dr D Allan Bromley
Science Advisor to the President
Old Executive Office Building, Room 360
17th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20506
USA
Dear Sir
I was both surprised and dismayed when results of the Vote of Congress on the support
of the SSC were known. Many scientists in the United Kingdom have been keen to
participate in this forefront scientific activity and have already deployed substantial
resources in preparing for the experiments at the SSC. This development has made
it essentially impossible to seek long term support for the construction of the experi-
ments and a contribution to the SSC experimental programme, and only when a clear
indication of commitment to the project is obtained from the United States will it be
possible to seek long term funding.
At a somewhat different level, the whole of the world scientific community will be
disappointed by what will undoubtedly be seen as a United States retraction from
forefront science. This will be a sad event for a country which has, for so long, led our
scientific activities and which has such a successful history in this area.
Dr D Allan Bromley
Page 2
I do hope that the Senate and the House of Representatives can come to some agreement
in support of the SSC and that this can become a long term commitment which can
then in turn be supported by scientists and governments from outside the United States.
I would like to wish everyone success in their efforts to reverse the existing situation.
Yours sincerely
R.J. Cashmore
R J Cashmore
cc: Dr Roy Schwitters
Dr Frank Press
Admiral James D Watkins
Dr William Happer
"Document Control"
TYPE:
ACTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 9202407
ORIGINATOR: 02
STATUS I
DIRECTORATE STATUS
FROM:
HABRAND, J.L., ROSENWALD, J.C. and MAZAL, A.: CENTRE DE
PROTONTHERAPIE D'ORSAY
TO:
DR. D.A. BROMLEY
DATE OF
CORRESPONDENCE: 07/24/92
SUBJECT: THEY ARE WRITING TO EXPRESS THEIR CONCERN OVER THE
CLOSING OF THE BEVELAC FACILITY.
DIRECTORATE
STAFF
ASSIGNED: PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ASSIGNED:
ACTION
STAFF
REQUIRED:
FOR DAB'S SIGNATURE
ACTION:
SENDER'S DUE DATE:
OSTP DUE DATE:
09/01/92
STAFF DUE DATE
DATE COMPLETED:
DATE COMPLETED/DEPT: 9/4/92
COPIES TO: D. Allan Bromley
INTERNATIONAL/POLICY
LIFE SCIENCES
WHITE HOUSE TRACKING #:
CONTACT PERSON:
PHONE:
EXT:
REMARKS:
Dr. ERB Responded
OSTP RECEIVED: 08/18/92
DEPT RECEIVED:
FILE: P-PHYSICAL SCIENCES
CENTRAL FILES:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20506
September 4, 1992
Gentlemen:
I am writing in response to your letter to Dr. Bromley concerning plans by
the Department of Energy to terminate BEVALAC operations. I was
interested to read your account of the contributions the BEVALAC has
made in this area.
The DOE is responding to the fact that its nuclear physics research
-
program, which has provided most of the funding to operate the
BEVALAC, is increasingly turning its attention to other facilities. Given
this declining nuclear physics interest, the Department has attempted to
ascertain whether other users of the BEVALAC find the facility sufficiently
important to their activities to provide funds to sustain BEVALAC
operation. To date, no other science community or funding agency has
expressed that degree of interest.
If the situation changes and funds from medical or other programs
become available to support the BEVALAC, the DOE will reevaluate its
plans to close the facility. Thank you for your letter and the information
it contains.
Sincerely,
Karl A. Erb
Associate Director for
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Dr. J.L. Habrand
Dr. J.C. Rosenwald
Centre de Protontherapie D'Orsay
Centre Universitaire
Bat. 101-15
rue Georges Clemenceau
F 91400 Orsay
FRANCE
Loh?
CPO
RECEIVED
CENTRE DE PROTONTHERAPIE D'ORSAY
SYNDICAT INTERHOSPITALIER POUR L'UTILISATION MEDICALE DU SYNCHROCYCLOTRON D'ORSAY
18 P 02
CENTRE UNIVERSITAIRE - BAT. 101 15, rue Georges Clémenceau - F 91400 ORSAY
TELEPHONE (33-1) 69 41 71 65 TELECOPIE : (33-1) 69 41 71 66
SECRETARIAT MEDICAL : (33-1) 69 41 62 43
OSTP
Dr
Assistant To the President For
Science and Technology Policy
Room 360, Old Executive Office Building
17th & Pennsylvania Avnue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Paris, 24 july 1992
Dear Sir,
We have been strongly shocked after having heard about the intention of the US Department of
Energy to shut down the Berkeley's Bevalac in the near future.
This information arrives at a time when the use of high energy heavy particles for radiotherapy
is expanding, with initiation of several projects based on beams made of protons or heavier ions.
A unique experience has been acquired by the group at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory during the
past 35 years. Further developments are still expected from this group, leading to an
improvement of the therapeutic results, due in particular to the progress of radiobiology,
medical imaging and computerized treatment planning and to the availability of deeply
penetrating heavy ions.
Our center has just started a programme of protontherapy using a 200 MeV proton beam
generated by a synchrocyclotron. A collaboration has beeen initiated between our group and the
group at LBL concerning radiation protection and dose computation. In addition, we are all very
interested in exploring, beyond the protons, the therapeutic capabilities of heavier particles.
Considering all these reasons we want to stress the need to continue the biomedical programme
in LBL and, in this respect, to keep the Bevalac open. There is still much to do, for the benefit of
scientific research and patient cure. We therefore give our full support to all those who are
opposed to the shut down of the Bevalac
J.L. HABRAND, MD
J.C. ROSENWALD, PhD
Medical Coordinator
Technical Coordinator
X A. MAZAL, PhD
Project Manager
TYPE:
ACTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 9202177
ORIGINATOR: 02
STATUS I
DIRECTORATE STATUS
FROM:
OSTRACH, Simon: CASE WESTERN UNIVERSITY
TO:
DR. D.A. BROMLEY
DATE OF
CORRESPONDENCE: 07/24/92
SUBJECT: HE IS WRITING REGARDING COMMENTS DR. BROMLEY MADE
REGARDING SCIENCE IN A MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENT AT
THE RECENT CONVOCATION OF PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES AT
THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.
DIRECTORATE
STAFF
(both at)
ASSIGNED:
PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ASSIGNED: Doug
Minus of th vision W/KE,
ACTION
STAFF
REQUIRED: FOR DAB'S SIGNATURE
ACTION:
SENDER'S DUE DATE:
OSTP DUE DATE:
08/17/92
STAFF DUE DATE
DATE COMPLETED:
DATE COMPLETED/DEPT: 8/3/92
COPIES TO: D. Allan Bromley
Steve Olson
WHITE HOUSE TRACKING #:
CONTACT PERSON:
PHONE:
EXT:
REMARKS:
Dr. Eit despted the for DAB
OSTP RECEIVED: 08/03/92
DEPT RECEIVED:
FILE: P-PHYSICAL SCIENCES
CENTRAL FILES:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20506
August 17, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR THE FILES
FROM:
DOUG BEASON DB
SUBJECT:
SIMON OSTRACH'S LETTER TO DAB ON
MICROGRAVITY MATERIALS SCIENCE
RESEARCH
Main grievance is with a "no valid science" claim by OSTP for microgravity materials
science
His White Paper describes very generically the importance of microgravity research
-- He concludes it mostly benefits basic science
-- His arguments are limited to:
1) Microgravity provides a unique environment
2) Transport phenomena are significantly influenced by gravity
3) Empirical means alone should not be used to develop space
technologies
From OSTP's internal paper, OSTP does not have a problem with this
-- OSTP argues that because microgravity materials research will mostly
benefit basic research, it should therefore be judged according to standard
basic research merit criteria
-- OSTP further found that there was no convincing evidence that space
station experiments are dramatically superior to other materials science
research
OSTP's main point that microgravity science's value as fundamental science is not
qualitatively superior still makes sense
RECOMMENDATION: OSTP's March 11, 1991 analysis stands -- OSTP does not argue
the need for microgravity materials science research, we only argue that it be judged
according to the same standards as other basic research
...
and microgravity experiments
appear not to be dramatically superior to other materials science research
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
August 31, 1992
Dear Dr. Ostrach:
Thank you for your recent letter and accompanying materials. I am writing to correct a
misunderstanding in your correspondence concerning the statement that "no valid
science" could be performed in a microgravity environment.
Certainly I would not support such a statement. I have no doubt that both the validity
and quality of science in a microgravity environment would be very good. I should add,
however, that I do not believe that the $40 billion space station program can be justified
on the basis of microgravity science.
Rather, that justification is found in the space station's critical role in the manned
exploration of space in my view. I do anticipate very interesting ancillary research as a
byproduct of this endeavor.
I appreciate this opportunity to clarify my position.
Sincerely yours,
DAMAN D. Allan Bromley Bromley
The Assistant to the President
for
Science and Technology
Dr. Simon Ostrach
Wilbert J. Austin Distinguished Professor of Engineering
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Case Western Reserve University
10900 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7222
2177
EIVED
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
32ATC 3 P4:16
July 24, 1992
OSTP
MAIL ROOM
Dr. D. Allan Bromley
Assistant to the President for
Science and Technology
Executive Office of the President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Dr. Bromley:
At the recent Convocation of Professional Societies at the National
Academy of Engineering I was distressed to hear you say that you and your
staff know of no valid science that could be performed in a microgravity
environment. As a scientist who has been involved with NASA's microgravity
program for many years and just completed an outstanding series of experiments
on the USML-1 shuttle mission, I would like to know the bases for your
conclusions.
I would call your attention to three reports, Refs. 1 to 3, issued by the
National Research Council which indicated many important and fruitful research
areas for microgravity research. The members on the committees that
developed those reports included distinguished space scientists and a Nobel
laureate in physics in addition to people involved in microgravity research.
Another report by the Space Studies Board, Ref. 4, has just been issued and
still another SSB Committee is developing a report, "A Strategy for
Microgravity Research for the 1990's," which is to be completed by the end of
the year.
In short, this unusual multi- and cross-disciplinary research area has
been evolving over the years and has received careful scrutiny and endorsement
by a broad segment of the science community. This research is quite different
in many ways from the space sciences and seems to be different things to
different people.
I have enclosed a White Paper on microgravity research that was recently
released which helps to describe the nature and importance of microgravity
research. I believe it is a precursor for other cross-disciplinary research
which is essential for the Nation's technological leadership and it impacts
the lives of the citizens more directly than much of the research in the pure
sciences.
Simon Ostrach
Wilbert J. Austin Distinguished Professor of Engineering
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
MAILING ADDRESS
VISITORS AND DELIVERIES
Phone 216-368-2942
Case Western Reserve University
Glennan Building
Fax 216-368-6445
10900 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7222
Dr. D. Allan Bromley
7/24/92
-2-
I hope that, in view of the above, you will re-examine your position on
microgravity research. I would be happy to help in any way you deem
desirable.
Very truly yours,
Simmin Optrach
Simon Ostrach
S0:oam
Enclosures: 2
References
1.
Industrial Applications of the Microgravity Environment, Space
Applications Board, 1988.
2.
Space Science in the Twenty-First Century: Imperatives for the Decades
1995 to 2015: Overview, Space Studies Board, 1988.
3.
Ibid: Fundamental Physics and Chemistry, Space Studies Board, 1988.
4.
Towards a Microgravity Research Strategy, Space Studies Board, 1992.
WHITE PAPER ON NASA-WIDE MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The NASA microgravity science and applications program is a fusion of the
Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) Physics and Chemistry
Experiment (PACE) program and the then separate Office of Space Applications
Materials Processing in Space program and was ultimately assimilated into the
Office of Space Science and Applications (OSSA) as a separate discipline
office. It has been managed by OSSA since 1983 as a separate science
discipline division and, reflecting its origins, is still considered by many
observers to be essentially a "materials processing in space program". In
recent years it has become much more broadly based and scientifically
oriented. It has been designated as one of the two main research activities
for Space Station Freedom and has been receiving an increasing budget for
flight hardware development.
Microgravity research is directed to such topics as materials science,
combustion, fluid flows, heat and mass transfer, fundamental physics, and
biotechnology. Thus, it represents interdisciplinary research activities in
space and on the ground in which the underlying theme is the study of
transport and interfacial phenomena and their effects on physical, chemical,
and biological systems. Because of its inherent breadth and
cross-disciplinary nature a strong and unified constituency has not yet
developed. As a result of this and its early history as an applications
program there is some skepticism and criticism of the program's scientific
1
integrity and merit.
A group of respected and experienced scientists (see Appendix) who
represent most major areas of microgravity research and who participate in
every major advisory group, both internal and external to NASA, together with
a distinguished fluid and thermal scientist, who has had no personal
involvement in NASA's microgravity research program, were assembled under the
auspices of the Universities Space Research Association's (USRA) Microgravity
Science and Applications Science Council to provide NASA with a more global
view of the challenges and opportunities in developing a comprehensive
world-class microgravity research program and to recommend what is required to
meet them. This "White Paper" is a report of their deliberations and
recommendations. In no way should this report be considered as an evaluation
or criticism of any existing NASA programs. Such considerations were beyond
the scope of the study. The purpose of the study was to take a
forward-looking view, without constraints of existing NASA organizational
structures, to identify rich and meaningful microgravity science and
applications research so that the program can flourish and contribute to
NASA's success and the Nation's welfare.
The scientific basis for microgravity research is often misunderstood and
is articulated here to allay misconceptions and to entice high-quality
researchers to the field so that a constituency can be developed to
participate in the program and serve as its advocate. While the low-gravity
environments of orbiting spacecraft and extra-terrestrial bodies present
unique conditions for serious scientific study, an often overlooked critical
2
fact is that the reduction in gravity also directly and dramatically
influences transport phenomena which play an essential role in a wide range of
processes that are important in both space-based and terrestrial technologies.
Furthermore, since space experimentation is both extremely costly and limited
in accessibility, mission-enabling technologies (e.g., life- and
operating-support systems) and commercial opportunities cannot be successfully
developed unless the approaches are well coordinated and based on a
scientifically sound foundation. A succession of primarily empirical
investigations, however well justified each individual experiment may be, will
not likely succeed. A broad-scope, well-coordinated microgravity research
program is essential to provide the scientific and engineering base for such
developments. Therefore, for NASA to accomplish its numerous and diverse,
manned and unmanned, space missions it is essential that a productive
microgravity research program should both serve the science community and also
provide a practical knowledge base on which space technologies can be
developed in a cost-effective, reliable, efficient, and timely manner. Such
considerations will require broadening the scope of the present microgravity
research program and will significantly enhance its value to NASA and
contribute to the Nation's industrial competitiveness.
A number of direct needs that follow from such a viewpoint are identified
herein. Some deal with scientific and technical issues, some with policy
matters, and others with policy implementation and public relations. Together
they indicate the need for enhanced continual interaction among the various
NASA units, external scientists and engineers, and industry and advisory
3
bodies. To satisfy such needs working groups are recommended, viz.,
discipline working groups to identify a broad range of relevant scientific
topics, intra-agency groups supplemented by external scientists and engineers
to define gaps in knowledge for which research is required for efficient space
technology and commercial endeavors development, and interdisciplinary "tiger"
teams of the most mature and experienced people in the program to help focus,
prioritize, and give advice on top-level decisions which can satisfy both the
desires of scientists and the needs of technologists. Cross-disciplinary
workshops and special lecture series are recommended to stimulate interest in
microgravity research and to disseminate the results to the various
constituencies, such as industry. This will help ensure that the most
significant and highest-quality research will be performed to accomplish
NASA's many missions and that a constituency for the program will be molded to
serve as the program's advocate, to give it credibility, and increase its
visibility.
The main points made herein are that:
1.
Microgravity provides an unique environment (not unlike that of
ultra-high vacuum facilities, supercolliders and high-magnetic field
laboratories) for conducting world-class scientific research.
2.
Transport phenomena which play an essential role in many processes that
are important in both space-based and terrestrial technologies are
significantly influenced by gravity and the research on these phenomena
in the current program is highly relevant to activities throughout NASA.
This type of research is of an interactive laboratory type which requires
scientists in space and is different from the observational-type research
associated with the more traditional space sciences.
3.
Because access to space is limited and costly, empirical means alone
should not be used to develop space technologies and commercial
4
opportunities. Scientific scrutiny must be given to the associated
processes to identify gaps in knowledge that require directed research
which will enhance the timeliness, cost-effectiveness, reliability and
efficiency of the developments. This scrutiny will broaden the scope of
the present microgravity research program and it emphasizes that
microgravity research is essential Agency-wide.
The essence of the recommendations made herein can be summarized by one
word, interactions. There must be direct and continual interactions among all
NASA units and with scientists and engineers both in academia and industry.
Working groups (different from advisory committees) are suggested as one means
of ensuring the interactions. There may well be other ways to accomplish the
objectives. Time and resource limitations precluded extensive exploration of
alternatives or of the implications of what is presented herein to existing
NASA activities. Furthermore, it would be inappropriate to do so. What is
intended herein is to bring to NASA's attention a more global and integrated
view of microgravity research and to indicate its importance to the entire
Agency. A great deal of experience and wisdom exists both within NASA and in
the science and engineering communities and these should be integrated more
closely than ever before to determine specific ways to meet the challenges and
opportunities of the future.
5
FOREWARD
Despite three National Research Council reports 1,2,3 that indicated
numerous valid reasons for microgravity research, NASA's microgravity science
and applications program has different connotations to the various
constituencies on which it depends for support and implementation. To the
Congress, some NASA administrators and scientists, and many researchers it is
a "materials processing in space program," which reflects its early history.
basic
Space scientists (e.g., astronomers, planetary scientists, etc.) are skeptical
science
of the microgravity program's scientific content and some openly assert that
anly?!
there is no scientific validity to the subject. The program has received
relatively little support and visibility and, therefore, has been constrained
to an effort of limited scope.
In this White Paper the nature of microgravity research will be outlined
and its scientific basis will be identified. It will be shown that
microgravity research is broader in scope than presented in Refs. 1 to 3, is
central to NASA's overall mission, and is of profound importance Agency-wide,
not only to the Office Of Space Science and Applications (OSSA) but also to
the Office of Commercial Programs (OCP), the Office of Aeronautics and Space
1
Industrial Applications of the Microgravity Environment, Space Applications
Board, NRC, 1988.
2 Space Science in the Twenty-First Century, Imperatives for the Decades 1995
to 2015: Overview, Space Studies Board, NRC, 1988.
3 Space Science in the Twenty-First Century, Imperatives for the Decades 1995
to 2015: Fundamental Physics and Chemistry, Space Studies Board, NRC, 1988.
6
Technology (OAST), the Office of Space Exploration (OSE), and the Office of
Space System Development (OSSD) which is responsible for Space Station Freedom (SSF).
In this way, the scientific relevance of microgravity research will be
demonstrated and it will also be shown that applications are an essential part
of those activities. The implications of this global viewpoint are that the
microgravity research program must not only broaden its scientific scope but
also must expand its activities to provide a knowledge-base from which space
technologies and commercial applications can be more efficiently and
economically developed. A corollary of this viewpoint is that the research
activities and mission effectiveness in all the offices cited above (OSSA,
OCP, OAST, OSE, OSSD) will be enhanced.
7
INTRODUCTION
The low-gravity environments aboard orbiting spacecraft and on
extra-terrestrial bodies offer unique conditions for scientific inquiry and
also present challenging problems and opportunities for commercial
developments and for mission - enabling technologies, such as life- and
operation-support systems. The main unique characteristic of low-gravity
environments is that gravitational body forces are reduced. This leads to
diminished buoyancy-driven flows and sedimentation and to the increased
importance of surface tension at liquid interfaces. Thus, multiphase and
multicomponent fluid behavior, e.g., mixing and separations, and interfacial
phenomena are significantly affected. Almost all fluid transport phenomena
(flows and heat, momentum, and mass transfer) are directly influenced by
gravity. It must be recognized that such phenomena are vital elements in a
wide range of physical, chemical, and biological systems, many of which are
important in both terrestrial- and space-based technologies. Thus, if NASA's
overall program in space science, exploration, transportation, and
commercialization is to be successful, cost effective, reliable, and efficient
it is essential that a comprehensive understanding be obtained of low-gravity
fluid phenomena and extraterrestrial process operations.
Traditionally, NASA's microgravity research program has been centered in
the Microgravity Science and Applications Division (MSAD) in OSSA. Although
primary emphasis was originally given to materials processing, there now is an
appreciation that microgravity science and applications comprise a broader
8
range of research activities that are to be conducted terrestrially and in
space. The current microgravity research program includes such topics as
materials science, combustion, fluid flows, heat and mass transfer,
fundamental physics, and biotechnology.
An important aspect of microgravity research is its inherent breadth,
which encompasses a number of sub-fields. Accordingly, microgravity science
is not a distinct discipline, but rather is a set of interdisciplinary space
research activities, in which a unifying and almost ubiquitous feature is the
study of transport phenomena in physical, chemical, and biological systems.
The fluid and thermal sciences, which are among the most highly developed
areas in classical physics, constitute the core of such studies.
In considering new and important directions for microgravity research
emphasis is given herein to transport phenomena because they are highly
gravity dependent and occur in so many technologies. This focus is in no way
meant to diminish the significance of other microgravity research topics. It
should be noted that research on transport phenomena requires scientists to
control and observe the experiments, i.e., it is of an interactive laboratory
type in contradistinction to the observational research performed by space
scientists.
It is the purpose of this White Paper to indicate that microgravity
research is of vital importance Agency-wide, i.e., it both impacts and depends
on activities not only in OSSA, but also in OCP, OAST, OSE, and OSSD. Thus, it
will be shown herein that the microgravity science and applications program
must be expanded in scope and depth specifically to include more emphasis on
9
the fundamental problems of extraterrestrial process operations. It follows
then that the important microgravity research will need to be recognized and
supported by all relevant offices within NASA.
10
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
The assertions made in the Introduction have implications for many
offices and divisions within NASA.
Microgravity Science and Applications Division (MSAD) -
The goals of the microgravity fluids research program to be sponsored by
MSAD are to:⁴
"Improve the understanding of those aspects of fluid dynamics and
transport phenomena whose fundamental behavior is limited or affected by the
presence of gravity, and where low-gravity experiments will allow insight into
that behavior; Provide basic scientific and practical knowledge needed to
design effective and reliable space-based systems and facilities which rely on
fluid processes in their operations;
and,
Assist the other MSAD disciplines, such as materials processing and combustion
science, by developing an understanding of those gravity-dependent fluid
phenomena which could affect the success of the programs."
A number of promising research areas that were identified by the Fluids,
Interfaces and Transport Discipline Working Group include capillary phenomena,
multiphase flows and heat transfer, double-diffusive transport,
magneto/electrohydrodynamics colloids and nucleation phenomena, and
solid-liquid interface systems. These topics are certainly interesting and
highly gravity-dependent and, therefore, are of scientific significance.
Moreover, to satisfy the need to broaden the microgravity research program a
4 NASA Research Announcement, Microgravity Fluid Dynamics and Transport
Phenomena, NRA-91-OSSA-17, pg. 5, August 23, 1991.
11
series of NASA Research Announcements was issued. 4,5,6,7,8,9 However, if the
goal of developing a knowledge base for the "design of effective and reliable
space based systems and facilities" is to be satisfied then the gaps in
knowledge that need to be filled to satisfy that goal must be clearly
identified. This, especially with regard to technological needs, could
lead to topics in addition to those cited above resulting in an enrichment of
the overall program. Furthermore, the associated research must be done over
the appropriate parametric ranges of operating conditions and configurations
(directed research) so that the information will be meaningful for enhancing
the technology design.
The direct implication is that there should be intimate and continual
interaction among MSAD, the Life Sciences Division, OCP, OAST, OSE, and OSSD
and also among both scientists and engineers in NASA, the universities, and
industry. The last is particularly important because the industrial personnel
who will design and fabricate the technologies are not as likely to read the
scientific papers scattered among diverse journals and, thereby, will not be
familiar with the nuances of the microgravity environment. Thus, another
5
Combustion, NRA-89-OSSA-22
6 Containerless Materials and Fluid Sciences, NRA-90-OSSA-23
7 Biotechnology, NRA-91-OSSA-18
8 Materials Science, NRA-91-OSSA-20
9 Fundamental Science, NRA-91-OSSA-24
12
implication is that there must be directed outreach programs developed for
industries so that they can be made aware of the differences between ground-
and space-based operations and performance and include them in their designs.
Office of Aeronautics, and Space Technology (OAST) -
The mission statement for OAST¹⁰ is that it "shall provide technology for
(present and) future civil space missions and provide a base of research and
technology capabilities to serve all National space goals." A well managed
*
and focused program will provide at least the following:
Development uncertainties will be reduced so that mission safety and
reliability would be increased.
Flight program development and operations costs would be reduced as would
also, thereby, the cost of access to space.
Mission performance would be enhanced.
New missions would be enabled.
Developed technologies would be more broadly applicable so that national
competitiveness would be improved.
10
Advanced Technology for America's Future in Space: A Review of NASA's
Integrated Technology Plan for the Civil Space Program, Preliminary Draft,
Space Systems and Technology Advisory Committee, June 24-28, 1991.
*
Paraphrased from the cited source.
13
Although some of the technologies required for NASA missions, such as
communications systems, robotics, and specialized instruments, do not directly
involve transport phenomena, many others do. Examples are: various power
systems; thermal management devices and systems; spacecraft fire hazard
management, cryogenic engines, fluid systems, and tankage; physical and
chemical life-support systems; and more mundane user-support subsystems, such
as toilets and refrigerators. More specifically, multiphase flow phenomena
which are highly gravity-dependent, are central to heat transfer in many
space-based systems, gas-liquid contacting for air purification and energy
generation, and also will play a major role in key space related and
extraterrestrial chemical processes, such as catalysis and ore
beneficiation. Fundamental studies are required to quantify the effects of
gravity on such phenomena prior to their application to process designs for
non-earth gravity levels. Therefore, as a specific example of the types of
interactions proposed herein, the MSAD and the OAST should be in close continual
contact so that the latter will be familiar with the on-going research in the
former and utilize the expertise which has and will be developed as a resource
in the development of OAST's long-range design considerations. Accordingly,
OAST should identify its planned technology developments so that the gaps in the
knowledge base required can be identified in order that the MSAD can be
supported to extend its basic research to those areas that will most
significantly assist OAST programs. If the basic knowledge is available, then
the OAST should support the required directed research for immediate
application.
14
As a specific example of the needed interaction between technology
development and basic research, safe, rational, and efficient heat transfer
design for reduced gravity applications is currently not possible because
fundamental knowledge of very low Reynolds number forced convection, boiling
and condensation in microgravity is lacking.
NASA's long-term mission to explore the universe is also clearly
dependent on understanding and exploiting the behavior of materials and
processes in reduced gravity. For example, the mining, winning, and
processing of extraterrestrial materials will be essential for extensive
exploration of the solar system. It would be too costly to transport
earth-based materials to the moon and other planets and, consequently, in situ
materials must be used. Current processing techniques based on terrestrial
experience will not suffice for obtaining large masses of materials under the
unusual conditions encountered in extraterrestrial environments. Technologies
to enable processes such as fluidized bed hydrogenation, electrolysis and
electrowinning, and vapor-phase pyrolysis must be developed and they all
involve transport phenomena modified by gravity. In addition, the
technologies for life- and operations-support systems, such as power
generation and storage, water purification, oxygen production, fuel and fluids
storage and management, all involve transport phenomena that are influenced
directly by gravity.
Thus, if reliable, cost-effective, and efficient technologies are
eventually to be developed to enable the NASA missions on the Shuttle, Space
Station Freedom, and other spacecraft then acquiring a great wealth of
15
fundamental understanding regarding the effects of gravity on many transport
phenomena becomes essential. This understanding should be pursued in NASA's
microgravity science and applications program as soon as OAST and the mission
offices have defined their technology and operations needs.
Office of Commercial Programs (OCP) -
The OCP sponsors industrial research and program initiatives that
encourage the participation of U.S. industry in commercial space endeavors.
The OCP-sponsored Centers for the Commercial Development of Space form
partnerships in which universities, non-profit institutes, and industries
participate in industry-driven focused and/or applied research.
Commercial microgravity programs require directed research on subjects
not very different from those pursued under basic microgravity science (MSAD)
and space-technology development (OAST) because biological, physical, and
chemical transport phenomena, which are highly gravity-dependent, are vital
elements in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food-processing, and biotechnical
industries as well as in materials processing. These transport phenomena
include: catalytic reactions, adsorption/desorption at solid and liquid
surfaces, dissolution and precipitation of crystals from solutions and
solidification of crystals from melts, electrochemical reactions, evaporation,
sublimation, condensation, etc.
Although most industrial processes and their associated equipment were
developed empirically, the same Edisonian procedures cannot be followed in the
16
costly, complex and limited access environments of orbiting spacecraft.
Microgravity research can enable preliminary evaluation to be made of the
myriad of space commercialization possibilities to screen out and focus on
those likely to benefit most from a low-gravity environment as well as to
provide the knowledge base for subsequent developments which serve to
accelerate commercial endeavors.
17
Life Sciences Division (Code SB) -
Life scientists have long appreciated the effects of gravity on the
structure, function, and evolution of terrestrial organisms of both the plant
and animal kingdoms. Geotropism in plants and the vestibular system in
mammals are but two examples that have a long history of detailed study.
Other effects such as calcium resorption from bones and lymphocyte activation
in the immune system have emerged as important biomedical issues only since
the entry of man into space.
It is already clear that if we are to carry biological systems into
space, both human and otherwise, a substantially more detailed understanding
must be acquired of the effects of gravity, and its absence, on living
organisms. This knowledge must be acquired not only at the organism level, for
the purpose of insuring human health, safety, performance and comfort, but
also at the cellular and molecular level as well. Only by penetrating the
fundamental biophysical and biochemical mechanisms by which cellular processes
are influenced, can we ultimately control the most visible manifestations.
Accordingly, the Committee on Space Biology and Medicine of the Space Science
Board defined the major goals of the scientific program to be:¹¹
1. To describe and understand human adaptation to the space
environment and the readaptation upon return to earth.
2. To use the knowledge so obtained to devise procedures that will
improve the health, safety, comfort, and performance of the
astronauts.
11 A Strategy for Space Biology and Medical Science, For the 1980s and 1990s,
National Research Council, 1987.
18
3.
To understand the role that gravity plays in the biological
processes of both plants and animals.
4. To determine if any biological phenomena that arise in an individual
organism or small group of organisms is better studied in space than
on earth.
The structures and mechanisms by which all cells operate rely upon the
same physicochemical processes of fluid flow and heat and mass transfer in
nonliving systems. These processes are ubiquitous and extend to cells,
tissues, organs, and entire living organisms.
To understand properly the higher physiological processes that govern,
for example, fluid distribution, heat dispersion, or muscle strength it
ultimately will be also essential to understand, in turn, the phenomena of
transport at the fundamental level as well as the interrelationships among
structure, stress and their biochemical consequences. If living organisms are
eventually to be maintained in a microgravity environment for extended periods
of time, then a far better appreciation and definition of how such processes
are affected by gravity will be essential.
Even at this time, attempts to describe accurately fluid redistribution,
bone resorption, and altered immune states in astronauts all suffer from a
lack of understanding of the key physicochemical and biochemical processes
operative in microgravity. Human health and protection of human physiology
and tissue integrity will be the direct and important beneficiaries of
microgravity research that is currently underway and planned for the future.
The interrelationship of the microgravity research within the Life Sciences
and the Microgravity Science and Applications Divisions (MSAD) programs should
19
be evident.
Another obvious area of interdependence of microgravity research between
the Codes is in biotechnology. This is a classic case where the pursuit of
the basic science and methodology is occurring in MSAD whereas the
applications should be addressed by the Life Sciences Division. The
implications of the combined activity are increasingly clear in that the
rapidly emerging biotechnology industry, perhaps destined to become the
prevailing industry of the early 21st century, is reliant on the development
and understanding of new processes for the growth, separation and
characterization of entities ranging from macromolecules to cells. Thus,
techniques such as cell culture, electrophoresis, X-ray crystallography,
chromatography, and isoelectric focusing have come to the forefront.
Experiments are still in their early stages, but it is already clear that
microgravity can be used in novel and important ways to understand and enhance
these methodologies, and in some cases make possible entirely new technologies
now unknown or unworkable in the presence of terrestrial gravity.
To cite one example, the value of preparing protein crystals of high
states of perfection in the elucidation of protein and nucleic acid structure
and the subsequent use of the conformational data for pharmaceutical design
and protein engineering is now beyond question. Data are accumulating that
demonstrate the benefits of a microgravity environment for growing certain
macromolecular crystals which are essential for achieving rational drug design
and therapeutic applications because the quality of the solid state depends on
what occurs in the fluid state.
20
Of course, the ultimate impact of microgravity research on the
improvement of human health, the development of novel treatments and
medicines, the better understanding of plant responses, and the ultimate
enhancement of our quality of life cannot be predicted. It is, however,
certain even at this very early stage in the development of microgravity
research that the information gained over the next decades can be applied to
obtain benefits which may be profound and wide reaching.
21
SUMMARY
Microgravity science is highly interdisciplinary and broad. It consists
of subjects as diverse as materials science, combustion science, physics,
chemistry, and biotechnology. The common denominator are the phenomena
affected by gravitational body forces, specifically, fluid flows, multiphase
mixing and separations, heat and mass transfer, and interfacial behavior.
Space system designers, engineers and the ultimate users of those systems
will continue to be confronted with the challenge of developing many new,
enabling, and critical concepts and technologies that involve transport
phenomena reacting to alien gravity environments. Unfortunately, predictive
models for low-gravity performance and operation of those technologies are
currently non-existent, inadequate, and potentially misleading. The same can
be said of industrial programs attempting commercialization in low-gravity
environments.
Normal-gravity mechanistic and/or empirical developments are not
appropriate for low-gravity applications. In the past, empirical means were
used to overcome difficult engineering problems encountered in the space
environment, but these have been costly, time consuming, and have resulted in
products or systems that are neither reliable, high-quality, nor efficient.
In addition, flight opportunities are much too scarce for purely empirical
approaches to advance technology in low-gravity environments. There is today
a growing awareness that by giving scientific scrutiny to all technology
developments many of those deficiencies could be overcome and, thereby, one
22
could enhance the Nation's global competitiveness. An important implication
of this logic is that researchers and engineers should interact much more
closely within a deliberate well-coordinated microgravity research program to
identify and solve the unique problems imposed by space-based operations.
Microgravity research on transport phenomena is directed to studies in
space which are of an interactive laboratory type and, therefore, differs from
the observational type of space science research made of space. This
indicates another significant role for "humans in space" in addition to those
of exploration and spacecraft repair.
23
RECOMMENDATIONS
The foregoing is not meant to imply that NASA is unaware of the problems
and challenges discussed. In fact, many steps have already been taken to
address some of these issues. For example, MSAD has recently issued NRAs⁴ to 9
to broaden the scope of its research program. OAST has an In-Space
Technology Experiments Program (INSTEP) and is suggesting the use of SSF for
technology development and qualification; the OCP's CCDSs do foster the
interaction of universities and industries. Also, NASA has sponsored a number
of workshops dealing with some of the subjects discussed above. Therefore,
what is to be presented in this section comes from an external and a more
global viewpoint and is intended to identify Agency-wide needs that follow
from the challenges and opportunities set forth earlier and the means of
satisfying them. Also, some aspects of fostering the broader NASA-wide
implications of microgravity research that have not been explicitly identified
will be indicated below.
Although each of the NASA program offices mentioned above seem to be
aware of the problems, there has not been a clear articulation of the fact
that microgravity research is an Agency-wide necessity. Overt actions, with
perhaps a few exceptions, have not been taken. The required continual and
direct intra-NASA interaction are lacking. Also, only a relatively few
high-qualified scientists and engineers who do research on transport and
interfacial phenomena are involved in the microgravity research program either
as investigators or as participants on advisory committees. The microgravity
research program has low visibility to most technologists and scientists
24
because relatively few transport phenomena studies have been funded and there
have been insufficient workshops disseminating information on such topics.
Thus, there is a great need for providing greater visibility to the
microgravity research program so that people with the proper expertise and who
are interested in interdisciplinary research become participants at all
levels. (The recent MSAD NRAs are a good first step in this direction.)
There is also a critical need for greater involvement of engineers who can
both identify the technological problems that will serve to broaden and focus
the science program and then use the research results in their designs.
The responses recommended to meet the critical needs facing NASA are to:
I.
Recognize the relevance of low-gravity research to many of NASA's
missions:
(a) Expand the scope of the current microgravity science program to new
areas and increase its breadth in order to develop a knowledge base
for mission-enabling technologies and to identify the best
commercial possibilities and enhance their development.
(b) Develop inter-divisional and intra-Agency cooperation in
microgravity research and identify scientists and engineers to help
support and further such Agency cooperation.
(c) Obtain broader interaction and representation in all NASA units of
distinguished scientists and engineers with expertise in disciplines
vital to researching and resolving microgravity related problems.
(d) Determine the best uses of Space Station Freedom for microgravity
research and for space qualification of critical technologies and
testing of prototype systems for both life- and operating-support
systems and for promising commercial enterprises.
(e) Establish a balance between fundamental and applications oriented
research.
(f) Expand the applications for which microgravity can provide an
advantageous environment.
25
II. Improve NASA's flight experiment development and support structure so
that it can operate in a more cost efficient and timely manner.
(a) Simplify and unify inter-Center and Headquarters interactions and
ensure close and continual involvement of the principal
investigators in all aspects.
(b) Explore opportunities for international cooperation and technology
transfer.
III. Improve assimilation and dissemination of low-gravity research results.
(a) Develop means of interacting with industry to obtain their input for
relevant research areas and to impart to them the latest state of
knowledge applicable to their responsibilities and concerns.
(b) Develop programs to support scientific manpower, training, and
education.
(c) Develop user-accessible archiving of important research data and
facilities information.
(d) Improve the visibility of the entire program by informing the
appropriate scientific and engineering communities, Congress, other
government agencies, and the public of microgravity research
objectives and results.
Some of the above are concerned with scientific and technical issues,
some with policy matters and others with implementation of policy and public
relations. They all indicate the need to involve a broader range of people,
e.g., more transport and biotechnology researchers, engineers, businessmen,
etc., than have, heretofore, been associated with the program. Much more
extensive interactions among these groups are essential, both within NASA and
with an external community. Thus, the over-riding challenge is to mold a
broad constituency of people with diverse disciplinary interests and
scientific, technological, and industrial orientations for identifying and
performing the highest-quality research and for providing the advocacy and
expansion of the microgravity research program.
26
Discipline Working Groups have served NASA well in identifying important
scientific topics. It is, therefore, recommended that other working groups
(as contrasted to advisory committees) be formed as well to meet the broader
range and scope of issues described above. For an example, intra-Agency
groups could be formed supplemented by external scientists and engineers to
define gaps in knowledge for which research is required for efficient and
reliable space technology and meaningful commercial endeavors development.
Interdisciplinary "tiger" teams of the most mature and experienced people in
the program could help focus, prioritize, and give advice for top-level
decisions. It would appear that the formation of such working groups is one
good way to broaden, enrich, and enhance all aspects of NASA's microgravity
research program and, at the same time, bring about the interactions among the
various types of people, both within NASA and the external community, that are
so necessary.
27
APPENDIX
USRA Microgravity Science and Applications Science Council
Dr. Simon Ostrach (Convener)
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH 44106
Dr. Robert Bayuzick
Materials Science and Engineering
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN 37235
Dr. Martin Glicksman
Materials Engineering Department
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY 12181
Dr. Alexander McPherson
Department of Biochemistry
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
Dr. Franz E. Rosenberger
Physics Department
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Huntsville, AL 35899
Dr. William A. Sirignano
School of Engineering
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92717
Dr. Raymond Viskanta
School of Mechanical Engineering
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN 47908
Also contributing:
Dr. Dudley Saville
Department of Chemical Engineering
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08540
28
March 11, 1991
SCIENTIFIC RATIONALE FOR THE RESTRUCTURED SPACE STATION
INTRODUCTION
At the request of the Vice President, the Office of Science and Technology Policy has
studied the restructured plan for the Space Station Freedom that was prepared by
NASA at the direction of Congress. We have focussed our attention on the broad
scientific and technological goals of the restructured program. In particular, we have
reviewed the merits of the two scientific thrusts microgravity materials science, and
life science that have been advanced as motivations for the Space Station project,
and have attempted to place these in perspective with other goals of the program.
It bears emphasis that our study of this new design and its scientific rationale has
been carried out under substantial time pressure and in many cases we have had to
rely on previous reports and analyses. To the extent possible, in the time available,
we have discussed these questions with a number of experts in the field. We cannot,
and do not, however, claim to have conducted an exhaustive study of the questions
involved; and we are perhaps more aware than most that the history of discovery in
fundamental science is consistently marked by surprises.
In the FY 1991 appropriations process, Congress directed that NASA assign highest
priority to the establishment of a fully equipped microgravity laboratory, in its
redesign of the space station. This mandate contrasts strikingly with the Augustine
Committee's recommendation that the "Space Station Freedom be revamped to
emphasize life sciences and human space operations, and include microgravity as
appropriate." In view of these opposed recommendations, a careful evaluation of the
motivations for the microgravity laboratory is essential.
MICROGRAVITY SCIENCE
The magnitude of the force due to gravity is a variable, together along with
temperature, pressure, electric and magnetic field strength, etc., that can influence the
outcome of an experiment in materials science. Any experiment that extends any of
these variables into a new range is likely to yield new results. The influence of
gravity is studied routinely in terrestrial experiments through the use of centrifuges
that increase the force of gravity. The novelty of the space environment is that it
permits researchers to study the effects of gravity at decreased levels, for extended
periods of time. In the early 1980's, when the space station research program was
initially formulated, there was considerable optimism for early commercial benefits.
However, commercial interest in microgravity materials science experiments aboard the
space station has waned over the years. Our review produced no evidence for a
significant commercially-driven motivation for a space station microgravity facility, as
well as a number of specific indications of decreasing interest. As a very recent
(February 1991) CBO study put it, "the last ten years have confirmed that processing
materials in space is an expensive, high-risk activity that is not likely to produce
economic returns in the near future [and] consequently, the private sector has not
invested substantial resources in microgravity activity".
With commercial applications no longer the driving force, interest in space station
microgravity experiments has shifted to basic research. Here, the arguments for
materials microgravity research aboard the space station are generically identical to
those used to justify any other materials science basic research initiative, and thus the
microgravity work should be evaluated according to the standard merit criteria. We
have not attempted to compare in detail the scientific merits of the space station
microgravity experiments with materials science experiments conducted on earth or on
rockets, Spacelab, Spacehab or on other space vehicles, but we have found no
convincing evidence that the space station experiments are dramatically superior to
the other materials science research. (In fact, Nobel laureate and American Physical
Society President Nicolaas Bloembergen recently stated, in testimony before the House
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, that "Microgravity, to be blunt, is of
microimportance to science...."). It has been argued, however, that the space station
will offer superior facilities, at little additional cost, for the research that will be
underway aboard the Spacelab system in the mid 1990's. In this view, NASA's
transfer of these activities from Spacelab to space station simply takes advantage of a
"free ride", constitutes a programmatic decision, and poses no policy issues.
With regard to space station microgravity science, we conclude that (a) its commercial
prospects are remote, (b) its value as fundamental science is not qualitively superior
to that of other research, (c) its attractiveness depends on the space station being
constructed for other purposes. It is important to note, in addition, that many of the
primary microgravity experiments cannot be conducted during periods when
astronauts are assembling or inhabiting the station. Thus, materials microgravity
research would only represent a transient use of the space station. Given that
microgravity research involves little incremental investment, that its benefits are
similar to those offered by other basic research projects of comparable incremental
cost, and that it will be a temporary activity aboard the station, this activity does
not provide a significant rationale for the space station.
Having concluded that microgravity materials research is at most incidental to the
space station, we turn now to the only remaining potentially important purely
scientific rationale for proceeding with this project.
LIFE SCIENCE
The primary thrust of the life sciences research program for the space station is to
support the manned space exploration program. There is widespread agreement that
manned exploration of space depends on understanding the health effects of exposure
to this environment and on developing the ability to counteract such effects. Issues of
critical importance to the health of astronauts include bone and mineral metabolism
(including loss of bone calcium resulting in osteoporosis); long terms results of
cardiovascular adaptation to action under microgravity conditions; muscular atrophy
from changes in exercise patterns; behavioral aberrations resulting from operating in
a high-stress situation in a far from ideal working/living environment; and potential
carcinogenicity or reproductive toxicity of exposure to radiation.
A number of studies have been conducted to identify the research that is needed to
address these issues. Some of this research can be carried out on earth. However,
experience on manned missions to date, including accounts from the Soviet space
program on flights of long duration, indicates that extensive manned exploration is
not feasible without the support of a comprehensive clinical research program
conducted in-flight. Long-term, well controlled trials, will be needed to determine
whether serious, potentially irreversible effects on physiology may be avoided or
ameliorated by exposure to artificial gravity, or by other means. These trials, as well
as essential studies of life support systems, will require a permanently-manned space
station. It is essential that data be obtained on a substantial number of human
subjects to insure that effects of imporatnce are not masked--or simulated by--
individual peculiarities. Indeed, we find that a man-tended station, if that were the
ultimate goal, would have little merit.
With the case for the redesigned space station thus resting squarely and solely, in our
opinion, on its role, from a scientific point of view, in supporting manned space
exploration, two issues require resolution. First, the current plan is ambiguous as to
whether microgravity experiments would continue into the permanently-manned phase.
We believe that they should not, and that the design should focus strictly on the
critical space medicine experiments. In any event, the human habitation of the
station is fundamentally incompatible with the requirement that the microgravity
experiments be unperturbed, and the latter requirement should not be permitted to
compromise the former. Second, it is the judgment of experts in the field that the
questions related to supporting human life in space cannot be fully answered without
the ability to control exposure to gravity. It may well be that some of the
abovementioned effects will show thresholds or nonlinearities and in consequence, if
we are to be able to extrapolate observations made in the space station to longer
duration exploration activities it is essential that at least one intermediate
grautational field value--between 0 and 1 g--be studied. Intermediate grautational
fields may, in themselves, be essential for long duration manned spaceflight.
We consider that the planned animal centrifuge is an essential feature of the station;
however such studies must be extended to humans and thus it is essential that the
design of the station not preclude a human centrifuge. The redesign has no such
provision, at present.
INTERNATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
From the outset of the space station program the U.S. has enjoyed active
collaboration with scientists and engineers from Japan, Canada, Europe and Japan.
In the most recent rescoping of the station, at Congressional direction, these
international collaborators have been involved in detail and we are assured that the
new design will satisfy their requirements.
This is an important consideration inasmuch as several of us in OSTP have ben told
personally--and pointedly--by the most senior representatives from Canada, Europe
and Japan, that having renounced major components of their domestic space
programs in order to participate in ours, should we fail to follow through on our
commitments regarding the station it will be very difficult to arrange further
cooperation in other areas of science and technology in the foreseeable future.
CONCLUSION
Given a national commitment to manned space exploration, the space station is
needed to find means of maintaining human life during long space flights. This is its
only scientific justification, in our view, and all future design efforts should be
focused on this one purpose. Neither the commercial processes nor the scientific
merit of the microgravity experiments come close to justifying the cost and effort
required to build, deploy and operate the station; moreover, provision for neither
processes nor experiments should, in any way, compromise the life science goals. The
issue of compatibility of microgravity experimentation with human habitation makes it
questionable whether microgravity experiments should be done at all in the space
station, except during the few years when the station is being assembled, and before it
becomes permanently manned. Finally, we recommend that high priority be given to
including a human centrifuge in the implementation of the design.
Having considered all the above, we are convinced that the ultimate, compelling
argument for the space station configured, as the Augustine Committee has suggested,
is that of a first step in the great adventure that will take mankind away from the
home planet for extended periods--and the true beginning of manned exploration of
the solar system and beyond. Although we focus here on the importance of the life
science data to be obtained from a permanently manned station, we should not forget,
or minimize, the importance of developing much of the space technology and know-
how required, for all subsequent exploration, in the relatively convenient low-earth
orbit environment to be occupied by the station.
Without having examined the detailed engineering features of the redesigned station,
we conclude that its conceptual design is appropriate to the goal of advancing man's
exploration of space.
Bibliography
Advisory Committee on the Future of the U.S. Space Program
Report to the Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
December 17, 1990
Congressional Budget Office, Congress of the United States
Encouraging Private Investment in Space Activities, February 1991
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Future Use and Needs of the Space Station Complex for Science and Applications,
Revised Draft, August 3, 1984
OSSA (Office of Space Science and Applications) Mission Plan for the IOC Time
Frame of the Space Station Complex, First Revision, June 1985
Space Station Summer Study Report, March 1986, by the SESAC (NASA's Space and
Earth Science Advisory Committee) Task Force on Scientific Uses of Space Station
Microgravity Science and Applications Division, A Program Overview: 1986-87
Final Report, Space Station "Quick is Beautiful" Research Study Group, April 1988
Exploring the Living Universe, A Strategy for Space Life Sciences, June 1988
Space Station Science and Applications Utilization Plan for U.S. Users, preliminary
draft, August 1988 (forwarded to Dr. Jack Fellows, OMB via August 23, 1988 letter
from Joe Alexander, NASA)
Space Station Restructure -- Status Review, Dr. William B. Lenoir, February 5, 1991
National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences
"Practical Applications of a Space Station," National Academy Press, 1984
"Microgravity Science and Applications, Report on a Workshop," December 3-4, 1984,
Pasadena, California, National Academy Press, 1986
"Report of the Committee on the Space Station of the National Research Council,"
National Academy Press, September 1987
"Industrial Applications of the Microgravity Environment," National Academy Press,
1988
"Space Station Engineering Design Issues, Report of a Workshop," November 7-11,
1988, Irvine, California, National Academy Press, 1989
"Report of the Committee on a Commercially Developed Space Facility," National
Academy Press, 1989
National Academy of Public Administration
A Study of the Cost and Financing of a Commercially Developed Space Facility
(CDSF), A Report for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, April 1989
Office of Technology Assessment
Civilian Space Stations and the U.S. Future in Space, Summary and Study, November
1984 (OTA-STI-241)
Additional Documents
Letter of August 1, 1989 to Dr. Jack Fellows, OMB from Don L. Anderson, president,
American Geophysical Union forwarding AGU position on Space Station
"Toward Effective International Cooperation for Science on Space Station Freedom,"
The Final Report of the Joint Science Utilization Study, December 1989
Letter of January 8, 1990 to Prof. Berrien Moore of the University of New Hampshire
from Dr. Robert J. Bayuzick, Director, Center for the Space Processing of Engineering
Materials, Vanderbilt University, re. December 6-8, 1989 meeting of the SSSAAS
Testimony of Professor Nicholaas Bloembergen, president, American Physical Society,
to the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives,
January 28, 1991
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
Final Report to the Office of Aeronautics, Exploration and Technology, NASA, on
Assessment of Technologies for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI), December 31,
1990
Space Station Science and Applications Advisory Subcommittee
Minutes, March 21-22, 1988, Greenbelt, Maryland
Final Report, 1988 Summer Workshop, June 20-24, 1988, Hyannis, Massachusetts,
issued October 1988
Summary Minutes, October 13-14, 1988, League City, Texas, issued February 7, 1989
Overview of Meetings, Actions and Recommendations, presentation by P. Burnett
Frankel, November 3, 1988
Summary Minutes, Summer Study, June 26-30, 1989, Woods Hole, Mass., issued
December 29, 1989
Summary Minutes, December 6-8, 1989, Washington, D.C., issued February 23, 1990
Summary Minutes, March 7-9, 1990, Hampton, Virginia, issued May 25, 1990
Summary Minutes, Summer Study, June 11-15, 1990, Woods Hole, Massachusetts,
issued September 14, 1990
International Forum on the Scientific Uses of the Space Station (IFSUSS)
Letter of November 24, 1986 to Dr. Burton I. Edelson, Associate Administrator for
Space Science and Applications, NASA, from Dr. Peter M. Banks, chairman,
forwarding the report from the SESAC Task Force on Scientific Uses of Space
Station, October 15-17, 1986, Key Largo, Florida
Meeting Minutes, May 16-18, 1988, Trianon Palace, Versailles, France
Meeting Proceedings and Report, 8th Meeting, December 13-15, 1988, Toronto,
Canada, issued March 1989
IFSUSS Sagamihara Statement, October 19, 1989
TYPE:
ACTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 9202578
ORIGINATOR: 02
STATUS I
DIRECTORATE STATUS
FROM:
ENGLISH, George T.
TO:
DR. D.A. BROMLEY
ML 30 1992
DATE OF
CORRESPONDENCE: 07/21/92
SUBJECT: HE IS WRITING WITH HIS COMMENTS ON THE EARTHQUAKES
IN CALIFORNIA.
DIRECTORATE
STAFF
ASSIGNED:
PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ASSIGNED:
ACTION
STAFF
REQUIRED:
AS/IF NECESSARY
ACTION:
SENDER'S DUE DATE:
OSTP DUE DATE:
08/07/92
STAFF DUE DATE
DATE COMPLETED:
DATE COMPLETED/DEPT: 8/4/92
COPIES TO: D. Allan Bromley
WHITE HOUSE TRACKING #:
CONTACT PERSON:
PHONE:
EXT:
REMARKS:
Dr. Era respond, forwarded litter to V. Sirtten
OSTP RECEIVED: 07/24/92
DEPT RECEIVED:
FILE: P-PHYSICAL SCIENCES
CENTRAL FILES:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20506
August 4, 1992
Dear Dr. English:
Thank you for your letter in which you discuss the possibility of triggering
earthquakes through the use of controlled nuclear detonations. I am
forwarding your letter to a Federal interagency committee which has been
addressing the entire issue of naturally occuring hazards, for their
information.
Sincerely,
Karl A. Erb
Associate Director for
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Dr. George T. English, Jr.
3508 Woodridge Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20902-2349
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20500
August 4, 1992
Dear Dr. Sutton:
I am attaching a letter sent by George T. English
to Dr. Bromley concerning advance triggering of
earthquakes by nuclear detonations. Would you
please forward it to the appropriate FCCSET
working group.
Sincerely,
Karl Karl Erb
Associate Director
for Physical Sciences and Engineering
Attachment
Dr. Vickie Sutton
Assistant Director
for Science Councils
8LS2
RECEIVED Avenue,
Silver Spring, MD 20902-2349
92 JUL
24 July 21, 1992
Dr. Allen Bromley
Advisor to the President
for Science and Technology
Old Executive Office Building
OSTP
17th & Pennsylvania Avenue, N. WMAIL ROOM
Washington, D. C. 20506
Dear Dr. Bromley:
I am writing to you about an idea which occurred to me when I
read the 10 July 1992 issue of Science Magazine. On page 155, an
article titled "Ominous Pattern Looms in California Earthquakes"
describes the concern of seismologists about the Coachella Valley
segment of the San Andreas fault.
In other publications, I noticed estimates of perhaps 20,000 dead
and injured persons in the Southern California region as a
consequence of the forthcoming "big one". All the experts seem
to agree that "it" will occur within the next decade or so.
My thought is "why should the nation wait for the inevitable to
occur with the attendant massive human casualty toll when
deliberate intervention might preclude these losses?"
Specifically, I think that the "big one" could be deliberately
triggered in advance of nature's timetable through the use of
simultaneous nuclear detonations in drilled shafts placed every
kilometer or thereabouts along critical sections of the San
Andreas fault. In much the same way that avalanches are
controlled in mountainous regions, the forthcoming earthquake
could be triggered at a time when it would cause no loss of life.
With adequate planning and advance preparations, evacuation of
children, the elderly, and others could be accomplished before
the event in addition to the completion of timely property damage
mitigation measures such as the turning off of utility services
and the buttressing of critical structures.
Politically, such an idea might seem preposterous, but the
scientific community has the obligation to educate the populace
about this hazard and develop a means to mitigate the human
suffering that would result. I believe that former Surgeon
General Koop's anti-smoking campaign is an outstanding example of
scientific leadership in the public interest despite the personal
criticism he experienced.
Thank you for your attention to this "suggestion"!
Sincerely:
George T. English, Jr.
"Document Control"
TYPE:
ACTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 9202583
ORIGINATOR: 02
STATUS I
DIRECTORATE STATUS
FROM:
SUNDERMAN, Duane N.: NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY
JUL 30 1992
TO:
DR. D.A. BROMLEY
DATE OF
CORRESPONDENCE: 07/21/92
SUBJECT: HE IS FORWARDING INFORMATION REGARDING RENEWABLE
ENRGIES IN RESPONSE TO DR. BROMLEY'S ARTICLE IN
"POPULAR SCIENCE" MAGAZINE. HE OFFERS TO BREIF DR.
BROMLEY ON THE SUBJECT.
DIRECTORATE
STAFF
ASSIGNED: PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ASSIGNED:
ACTION
STAFF
REQUIRED: FOR DAB'S SIGNATURE
ACTION:
SENDER'S DUE DATE:
OSTP DUE DATE:
08/07/92
STAFF DUE DATE
DATE COMPLETED:
DATE COMPLETED/DEPT:
11/30/92
COPIES TO: D. Allan Bromley
WHITE HOUSE TRACKING #:
CONTACT PERSON:
PHONE:
EXT:
REMARKS:
Des Eat & Schnnder med 3 (hin on 11/30/42.
OSTP RECEIVED: 07/27/92
DEPT RECEIVED:
FILE: P-PHYSICAL SCIENCES-ENERGY
CENTRAL FILES:
2583
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
1617 Cole Boulevard
Golden, Colorado 80401-3393
(303) 231-1000
NREL
ROOP
$2,JUL 27 All 28
RECEIVED
July 21, 1992
Dr. D. Allan Bromley
National Science Advisor
New Executive Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20506
Dear Dr. Bromley:
I have just finished reading, with great interest, your interview comments regarding environmental and
energy concerns in the July issue of Popular Science. I was impressed not only with your
environmental concern, but also the depth of your commitment regarding the problems of ozone depletion
and global warming. It is reassuring to see this type of care and energy being devoted to these problems
by the President's Science Advisor.
I was also gratified by your generally complimentary views on solar energy. As you may be aware, at
NREL we share your view of renewables not as the single solution for the future, but as one component
of a broad-based energy supply strategy. We may be biased toward renewables, but we also like to think
we are realistic about their potential.
Some of your specific comments on renewables--particularly wind energy--were disappointing, however.
As you accurately pointed out in the interview, there has been a failure (until quite recently) to get the
word out on the real advantages and disadvantages of the various alternative energy sources. There are
several reasons for this failure, but whatever the reason for the information not getting out, lack of
accurate information was reflected in your comments on wind energy.
In the interview, you made three points regarding wind energy: 1) its reduced value because of the lack
of adequate storage, 2) excessive noise emissions from wind turbine rotors, and 3) unacceptable safety
hazards and human costs associated with the wind turbine life cycle. I'd like to discuss these points in
turn, in the spirit of your call elsewhere in the interview to "get the message out" about alternative energy
sources.
A Division of Midwest Research Institute
Dr. D. Allan Bromley
July 21, 1992
Page 2
THE VALUE OF WIND ENERGY WITHOUT STORAGE
The wind turbines operating in Hawaii and in four areas of California (the Altamont, Tehachapi and San
Gorgonio passes and the Suisun Bay) have shown that wind technology does not need storage to be
attractive to utilities. Pacific Gas & Electric has learned that the value of the energy produced by wind
turbines is not its steadiness, but rather its statistical predictability. The diurnal pattern of energy output
of the Altamont and Suisun Bay wind farms coincides fairly closely with periods of peak energy use. Carl
Weinberg of PG&E has said that these wind farms "provide a proven concept for how to operate wind
plants efficiently and economically." There are many other areas where similar resource and load matches
occur. In still other areas, fuel-saving, reductions in emissions, or even its ability to create jobs will make
wind energy very valuable. Of course, an economical electrical storage technology would enhance the
value of wind and photovoltaics even further.
EXCESSIVE NOISE
Modern wind turbines do not create excessive amounts of noise. One or two of the large experimental
machines tested 10 to 12 years ago did have severe noise problems because the rotors were located
downwind of the tower. The low frequency sound created when the blades passed through the tower wake
was objectionable to people whose homes were located in areas where terrain and atmospheric effects
amplified the noise. As a result, designers have learned to locate the rotors of large wind turbines upwind
of the tower. The typical modern 300-500 kW wind turbine is not noisy. At distances of 100 yards from
such a wind turbine operating in high winds, a typical measurement would be 60 to 65 dBA, about the
noise level of a busy office. At distances of a mile, even the "noisiest" machines are barely audible.
The subjective experience of being in the middle of a wind farm operating in high winds is much quieter
than standing next to a busy commuter highway. Our wind engineers do not think it is wise to locate
wind farms immediately adjacent to residential areas, but there is really no reason to do so. Recent
surveys by Pacific Northwest Laboratory indicate that there is an abundance of usable, non-residential land
with good wind resource.
Despite the lack of a real noise problem, we do have the perception of a noise issue. Because of this, we
have been working with the American Wind Energy Association and with the International Energy Agency
to create domestic and international noise standards for wind turbines. These standards are being closely
coordinated with siting standards also under development. The International Electrotechnical Commission
is presently adopting U.S. acoustics standards documents as working papers for new international
standards.
SAFETY HAZARDS AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
We are extremely concerned by the occasional injuries (and even deaths) associated with the wind
industry's operation of wind farms in California. These incidents are usually falls and electrical accidents.
We have been working closely with U.S. and European industry and research groups to develop
internationally recognized safety standards that will help eliminate these unfortunate incidents. But we
are aware of no scientific study that would rate the danger of wind farms as higher than other types of
Dr. D. Allan Bromley
July 21, 1992
Page 3
power plants. In fact, the industry is so new that a statistical study (favorable or unfavorable) would
probably be misleading. Certainly, there is risk involved with all mechanical appurtenances of modern
life. However, our recent experience with the DOE ES&H Tiger Team has reinforced our conviction that
all accidents involving electrical and mechanical power systems are avoidable if the proper operating
procedures and an active safety culture are in place. This would include the identification and analysis
of safety hazards, education and training, safety-oriented design, appropriate use of safety equipment, and
a "safety first" philosophy.
In addition, the environmental costs of wind energy are very low. The "energy payback period" of a wind
turbine is between 6 months and a year, one of the lowest among all modern energy sources. The only
metal used in modern wind turbines is in the tower and drive train components. There is no need to mine,
transport and store fuel; or to dispose of spent fuel, tailings, or residue. Wind turbines directly offset
hydrocarbon emissions (an estimated 2.7 billion pounds of CO2 in 1991 alone). Wind farms are
compatible with farming, ranching, and other low-intensity land uses. When they are removed from the
land, they leave only superficial, easy-to-heal marks. Recently, we have been concerned about evidence
that wind turbines are causing deaths of avian raptors in Altamont Pass. However, cooperative studies
by industry and people from the State of California are indicating that this may be a largely avoidable,
site-specific problem.
The foregoing is not to say that wind energy does not have problems (real or perceived) in the areas you
discussed in the interview. However, we are convinced that these problems are solvable, given a positive
policy environment that views the energy source in a fair and realistic manner. For a while, renewables
like wind energy may be "niche" energy sources in isolation, but taken together they can have a real
impact. In the near future, our analysts think that wind energy can be attractive to utilities in most areas
of the U.S. If they're right, wind plants can help eliminate the negative effects that CO2 reduction may
have on the Western economies.
We would be more than happy to discuss these issues with you in more detail or to provide additional
information on wind energy and other renewables. We would be most happy to provide a personal
briefing if your travels take you close to NREL.
Very truly
Numer
Duane N. Sunderman
Director
cc
R. Stokes
R. Thresher
D. Dodge
M. Davis
P. Kearns
J. McKelvey
"Document Control"
TYPE:
ACTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 9202581
ORIGINATOR: 02
STATUS I
DIRECTORATE STATUS
FROM:
KAWACHI, Kiyomitsu: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF RADIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
JUL 30 1992
TO:
DR. D.A. BROMLEY
DATE OF
CORRESPONDENCE: 07/20/92
SUBJECT: HE IS WRITING REGARDING THE SHUTDOWN OF THE BEVALAC
OPERATION.
DIRECTORATE
STAFF
ASSIGNED: PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ASSIGNED:
ACTION
STAFF
REQUIRED: DIRECT REPLY
ACTION:
SENDER'S DUE DATE:
OSTP DUE DATE:
08/07/92
STAFF DUE DATE
DATE COMPLETED:
DATE COMPLETED/DEPT: 8/31/92
COPIES TO: D. Allan Bromley
WHITE HOUSE TRACKING #:
CONTACT PERSON:
PHONE:
EXT:
REMARKS:
Dr. Ent recerded
OSTP RECEIVED: 07/27/92
DEPT RECEIVED:
FILE: P-PHYSICAL SCIENCES
CENTRAL FILES:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20506
August 31, 1992
Dear Dr. Kawachi:
I am writing in response to your letter to Dr. Bromley concerning plans by
the Department of Energy to terminate BEVALAC operations.
The main consideration is that the nuclear physics research program,
which provides most of the funding to operate the BEVALAC, is
increasingly turning its attention to other facilities. With the declining
nuclear physics interest, the Department has been assessing whether the
other users of the BEVALAC find the facility sufficiently important to their
activities to contribute funds from their programs for its operation. To
date, no other science community expressed that degree of interest, which
led to DOE's decision to phase out this facility.
If the situation changes and funds from medical or other programs
become available to support the BEVALAC, the DOE will reevaluate its
plans to close the facility. Thank you for your letter and the information
it contains.
Sincerely,
Karltsol
Karl A. Erb
Associate Director for
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Dr. Kiyomitsu Kawachi
Head of Heavy Ion Medical Physics
National Institute of Radiological Sciences
9-1, Anagawa 4-chome
Inage-ku, Chiba-shi 263
JAPAN
2581
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF RADIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Division of Accelerator Research
9-1, Anagawa 4-chome, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi 263, Japan
Dr. Allan Bromley
Assistant to the President for Science and Techno CSTP ogy,
Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
Room 360, Old Executive Office Building
17th & Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
ROOM MAIL
JUL and All: 28
RECEIVED
Washington, DC 20500
U. S. A.
July 20, 1992
Dear Dr. Bromley:
I am writing this letter to entreat you to reconsider the
decision of the shutdown of BEVALAC operation. It is deplorable
that US DOE has decided to shutdown the BEVALAC in next January.
The BEVALAC is not only used for nuclear science research, it is
also a very important facility for clinical trials of heavy ion
cancer therapy. The decision of the shutdown of the BEVALAC will
be a great disappointment for all the patients for whom this
therapy is the best hope of cure.
The BEVALAC, which was formerly used as Bevatron, may have
finished to perform its function as a nuclear science research,
but it still plays an important role in the clinical trials of
cancer therapy. The use of heavy ions, as compared to conven-
tional radiation techniques, has several significant advantages
in the cancer treatment. The heavy particles are expected to be
very effective in treating radiation resistant tumors, due to
their high biological effectiveness, They are also expected to
reduce the radiation complications and hazards, due to their
excellent physical dose localization, compared to conventional
radiation therapy. Therefore, here in Japan, the Heavy Ion
Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) is now under construction.
This construction is based on the helth and welfare policy,
"Comprehensive 10 years strategy for cancer control", of the
Japanese government.
The research works about medical application of heavy ions,
and the clinical trials, are very important. We have designed
the devices of the HIMAC irradiation system, such as multileaf
collimator for shaping an irradiation field to treat a patient,
based on the experimental result using the heavy ion beams from
the BEVALAC. At this moment, the BEVALAC is the only machine
in the world which can provide the heavy ion beams needed for
medical use. I am very worried about your untimely decision,
and I would strongly ask you that US DOE will reevaluate the
shutdown of the BEVALAC operation.
Sincerely yours,
in A 1$ th
Kiyomitsu Kawachi, Ph. D.
Head of Heavy Ion Medical Physics
Fax No. : Int. +81-43-287-0417
"Document Control"
TYPE:
ACTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 9202164
ORIGINATOR: 02
STATUS I
DIRECTORATE STATUS
FROM:
BOND, Warren: SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
TO:
DR. D.A. BROMLEY
AUG 4 1992
DATE OF
CORRESPONDENCE: 07/20/92
SUBJECT: HE IS WRITING REGARDING THE SEIZURE OF THE
TYRANNOSAURUS REX REMAINS FROM THE BLACK HILLS
INSTITUTE.
DIRECTORATE
STAFF
ASSIGNED: PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ASSIGNED: Done Crammer
ACTION
STAFF
REQUIRED: AS NECESSARY
ACTION:
SENDER'S DUE DATE:
OSTP DUE DATE:
08/17/92
STAFF DUE DATE
DATE COMPLETED:
DATE COMPLETED/DEPT:
COPIES TO: D. Allan Bromley
WHITE HOUSE TRACKING #:
CONTACT PERSON:
PHONE:
EXT:
REMARKS:
OSTP RECEIVED: 08/03/92
DEPT RECEIVED:
FILE: P-PHYSICAL SCIENCES
CENTRAL FILES:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20506
August 10, 1992
Dear Mr. Bond:
Thank you for your recent letter to Dr. Bromley regarding the recent seizure of the
Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton from the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research. I am
sure you realize that Dr. Bromley cannot get involved in a criminal investigation, but I
thought you would like to know that we are inquiring as to the storage conditions and
treatment that the skeleton receives while in the custody of the FBI. We will try to ensure
that the scientific value of the remains are preserved while the courts decide the legal issues
involved. Thank you for bringing this issue to Dr. Bromley's attention.
Sincerely yours,
Dod CC
David C. Cranmer
Fellow
Mr. Warren Bond
26 Underhill Drive, #304
Don Mills, ON M3A 2J3 CANADA
2164
REC
July 20, 1992
Mr. Warren Bond
26 Underhill Drive, #304
92 AU
Don Mills, Ontario
M3A 2J3
CANADA
D. Allan Bromley
Assistant to the President for Science
& Technology
MA ROL
Office of Science and Technology
Executive Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20240
U.S.A.
Dear Mr. Bromley:
On May 14, 1992, Federal Agents raided the Black Hills Institute of
Geological Research in Hill City, South Dakota, seizing "Sue", the world's
best preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex.
"Sue" was discovered on August 14, 1990 on privately owned, deeded land
near Faith, South Dakota. The landowner gave the Black Hills Institute
permission to excavate the fossil remains for which he was paid
$5,000.00.
A dispute arose between the Black Hills Institute and the Cheyenne River
Sioux Tribe, of which the landowner is an enrolled member, over the
ownership of the dinosaur.
The landowner's property is held in Trust by the Federal Bureau of Indian
Affairs. The Federal Antiquities Act and Title 25 of the U.S. Code
prohibits outsiders from making contracts with people of the Indian
Community without permission of the Federal Government. The Tribe's claim
to the fossil and the fact that it came off of land held in Trust by the
Federal government is what prompted the seizure.
The Black Hills Institute dealt with the landowner in good faith, (the
fact the land is held in Trust does not appear on the deed).
36 CFR Ch.11 (7-1-91 Edition), Part 296, Sec. 296.3(4)II lists
PALEONTOLOGICAL REMAINS as material remains, not to be considered
ARCHEOLOGICAL RESOURCES. Note: the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe have now
dropped their law suit.
Dr. Donald Wolberg, Secretary of the (National) Paleontological Society
and Paleontologist for the state of New Mexico stated in a Baltimore news
release that "Pete Larson and his group (Black Hills Institute) are among
the best collectors in the world they have an international
reputation".
Mr. Bromley
July 20th, 1992
Page 2
The Black Hills Institute of Geological Research have invested over
$100,000 in the project, opened their doors to Paleontologists from around
the world, have donated "Sue" to a non-profit museum they are building in
Hill City, and have stated "The fossil is not for sale, never, ever.".
The seizure places the fossil in great jeopardy of being permanently
damaged due to improper storage, has interrupted scientific study, and the
ensuing legal battle has financially hurt the Black Hills Institute.
The Black Hills Institute are clearly entitled to "Sue" and it should be
returned to them and allow the scientific study of this important find to
continue. I urge you to work to this end.
The "confusion" over Antiquities/Archeological Resources and
Paleontological Remains must be cleared up so misuse/abuse of the law will
not continue.
Your support will be very much appreciated.
Yours truly,
And
Member Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
"Document Control"
TYPE:
ACTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 9202554
ORIGINATOR: 02
STATUS I
DIRECTORATE STATUS
FROM:
HETRICK, David L.
TO:
DR. D.A. BROMLEY
DATE OF
CORRESPONDENCE: 07/16/92
SUBJECT: HE IS WRITING TO ASK DR. BROMLEY TO HELP PREVENT THE
CLOSING OF THE LOS ALAMOS CRITICAL EXPERIMENTS
FACILITY.
DIRECTORATE
STAFF
ASSIGNED: PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ASSIGNED:
ACTION
STAFF
REQUIRED:
FOR DAB'S SIGNATURE
ACTION:
SENDER'S DUE DATE:
OSTP DUE DATE:
08/06/92
STAFF DUE DATE
DATE COMPLETED:
DATE COMPLETED/DEPT:
COPIES TO: D. Allan Bromley
WHITE HOUSE TRACKING #:
CONTACT PERSON:
PHONE:
EXT:
REMARKS:
OSTP RECEIVED: 07/23/92
DEPT RECEIVED:
FILE: P-PHYSICAL SCIENCES
CENTRAL FILES:
Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
(George Bush Library)
Document No.
Subject/Title of Document
Date
Restriction
Class.
and Type
01a. Letter
To: Allan Bromley From: David Hetrick
7/16/92
(b)(1)
Re: Potential closing of Los Alamos Critical Experiments
Facility (1 pp.)
Collection:
Record Group:
Bush Presidential Records
Office:
Science and Technology Policy, Office of (OSTP)
Series:
Bromley, D. Allan, Files
Subseries:
General Science Files
WHORM Cat.:
File Location:
Physical Sciences: General (1) [5 of 7] [1992]
Date Closed:
3/22/2010
OA/ID Number:
62042-005
FOIA/SYS Case #:
2005-0336-F
Appeal Case #:
Re-review Case #:
Appeal Disposition:
P-2/P-5 Review Case #:
Disposition Date:
AR Case #:
MR Case #:
AR Disposition:
MR Disposition:
AR Disposition Date:
MR Disposition Date:
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act - [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act - [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
P-1 National Security Classified Information [(a)(1) of the PRA]
(b)(1) National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
P-2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2) of the PRA]
(b)(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of an
P-3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(3) of the PRA]
agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
P-4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
(b)(3) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIA]
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA]
(b)(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
P-5 Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(5) of the PRA]
(b)(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
P-6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA]
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA]
(b)(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed of
(b)(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
(b)(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
PRM. Removed as a personal record misfile.
Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
(George Bush Library)
Document No.
Subject/Title of Document
Date
Restriction
Class.
and Type
01b. Letter
To: James Watkins From: David Hetrick
7/13/92
(b)(1)
Re: Potential closing of Los Alamos Critical Experiments
Facility (3 pp.)
Collection:
Record Group:
Bush Presidential Records
Office:
Science and Technology Policy, Office of (OSTP)
Series:
Bromley, D. Allan, Files
Subseries:
General Science Files
WHORM Cat.:
File Location:
Physical Sciences: General (1) [5 of 7] [1992]
Date Closed:
3/22/2010
OA/ID Number:
62042-005
FOIA/SYS Case #:
2005-0336-F
Appeal Case #:
Re-review Case #:
Appeal Disposition:
P-2/P-5 Review Case #:
Disposition Date:
AR Case #:
MR Case #:
AR Disposition:
MR Disposition:
AR Disposition Date:
MR Disposition Date:
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act - [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
P-1 National Security Classified Information [(a)(1) of the PRA]
(b)(1) National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
P-2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2) of the PRA]
(b)(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of an
P-3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(3) of the PRA]
agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
P-4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
(b)(3) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIA]
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA]
(b)(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
P-5 Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(5) of the PRA]
(b)(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
P-6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA]
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA]
(b)(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed of
(b)(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
(b)(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
PRM. Removed as a personal record misfile.