Gl MINI AND APOI.I.O 



179 



Plans of the past must become the crucial experiments and hardware of today 

 I encourage you to use these hearings to maximum advantage -to get the pro- 

 gram before the committee and the people. 



The one-manned Earth orbiting Mercury program had been concluded 

 in 1963- The two-manned Gemini program had slipped a year. But 

 the three-manned Apollo lunar program was progressing nicely, with 

 the first unmanned Saturn 1 launch on January 29, 1964. For the first 

 time, the United States could claim the ability to orbit a heavier 

 pavload than the Russians. (Thinking in appropriations terms, Repre- 

 sentative Albert Thomas, who did not customarily commit slips of 

 the tongue, referred to the "payroll" orbited by the Saturn). By 1964, 

 Mueller had taken a firm grasp on a reorganized NASA manned space 

 effort. And President Johnson in his State of the Union and Budget 

 Messages made it clear that he intended to support the goal of a 

 manned lunar landing before the end of the decade. 



After its usual round of extensive visits to contractors and held 

 installations, the Manned Space Flight Subcommittee in 1964 recom- 

 mended onlv minimal reductions of $41 million out of a grand total 

 of S3. 541 billion requested. This prompted Daddano to observe how- 

 lean the budget actually was, and that "as we have looked at it, 

 there is no question but that further cuts will in fact be expensive 

 They will cost the country more * * *. There is no doubt in our minds 

 but that cuts at this time will stretch out the program to the point 

 where it will not onlv be more costly, but perhaps will prevent us 

 from accomplishing our objectives before the end of this decade." 



Mosher agreed, pointing out that for the first time witnesses were 

 able to give more concrete answers, thus eliminating some of the 

 guesswork. "In the beginning, we were doing some drastic cutting 

 because every one of us were doubtful as to exactly what they really 

 needed, and today they are giving us the information necessary for us 

 to come to conclusions and I think it is a very healthy and good sign," 

 Mosher reported to the full committee in executive session. 



In 1964, the opposition votes on the floor showed an increase, as 

 the House sustained the recommendations of the Science Committee 

 by a vote of 283-73 on March 25. But the committee succeeded in 

 beating back the only two amendments which were offered, further 

 indication of the faith which the House had in the committee's 

 thorough groundwork. 



CRITICAL ISSUES COUNCIL 



At Cape Kennedy on May 28, 1964, Chairman Teague and members 

 of his subcommittee witnessed the successful firing of a Saturn I two- 

 stage launch vehicle, which boosted into orbit an Apollo "boilerplate" 



