gg HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



dated May 4, starting: "We c.mnot concede the Moon to the Soviets, 

 for it is conceivable rhat the nation which controls the Moon may well 

 control the Earth." Brooks noted that he and his committee believed 

 that "the United States must do whatever is necessary to gain une- 

 quivocal leadership in space exploration." The committee recom- 

 mended an immediate acceleration of programs for communications, 

 television, weather, and navigation satellites. Also suggested was an 

 orbiting astronomical observatory aimed at discovering "the origin, 

 evolution, and nature of the universe." The memorandum also argued 

 the economics of a larger space program, pointing out that the Soviets 

 were devoting 2 percent of their gross national product to space, and 

 "a $5 billion a year space program represents only about 1 percent of 

 our gross national product, even half of which offers returns crucial 

 to the leadership, the prestige, and perhaps even the survival of the 

 United States." 



In a series of executive sessions between May 1 and May 4. the 

 committee broke open the budget. The committee voted to restore 

 every penny of the nearly $200 million cut from NASA's requests by 

 the President's Bureau of the Budget. In addition to a $15 million add- 

 on authorization for solid fuel propulsion, the committee voted to fund 

 $50.2 million above the Budget-approved figure for Project Apollo. 

 The committee voted every penny that NASA had requested, and had 

 been cut by the Budget Bureau, and added $7.6 million for additional 

 Apollo tracking facilities and staffing the Apollo program. 



By these actions, the Science Committee sent a clear message to 

 the President that he could and should raise his own sights on the 

 future of the space program. 



At a final executive session on May 4, 1961, the committee in 

 morning and afternoon sessions worked feverishly to hammer home 

 the final details of the authorization bill. Knowledge of the Johnson 

 study was piecemealed to the committee, and had its effect in the bull- 

 ish attitude of the committee, as the following typical colloquy 

 indicates: 



Mr. Mosher. Do you have information that the- administration will come in 

 with recommendations that will completely differ from what we are accomplishing? 



Chairman Brooks. All I know is a study is being made of this at this time. The 

 public is pretty well shaken up that the Russians did orbit the Earth with a man 

 and we ha\en'i - 



Mr. Mosher. I would assume that this shakeup in public opinion would be 

 reflected in the administration's recommendations 



Chairman Brooks [continuing]. What we know is that they are making a study. 

 I think their study is very appropriate in the light of the fact that we have just put 

 through a measure implementing the Space Council and the Space Council is at work. 



