SPACE SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS IN THE 1970'S 



325 



A graduate of the University of Virginia Law School, Downing 

 won a Silver Star as a mechanized cavalry troop leader with General 

 Patton in France, where he commanded the first troops to invade 

 Germany in 1944. "Historically, the man who represents my district 

 has to get on the Merchant Marine Committee," Downing relates. 

 The location of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., 

 Virginia's largest employer, was one of the reasons Downing originally 

 applied for and was appointed to membership on the Merchant Marine 

 and Fisheries Committee. There he developed a close friendship and 

 working relationship with Miller and Karth, who also served on that 

 committee. 



The presence of Langley Research Center and Wallops Station, 

 NASA installations in Downing's district, caused him to seek and 

 obtain membership on the Science Committee in 1962. There he rose 

 in seniority on Karth's subcommittee, as well as on the Subcommittee 

 on NASA Oversight. A staunch conservative in contrast to Karth's 

 liberalism, Downing worked closely with Karth and supported him on 

 all the major decisions made by the subcommittee. 



There was a reshuffling of personnel on the Space Science and 

 Applications Subcommittee after Karth left the chairmanship and 

 Downing took over in the middle of the 92d Congress in January 1972. 

 The following served under Downing's chairmanship during 1972: 



Democrats Republicans 



Thomas N. Downing, Virginia, Chairman Robert Price, Texas 



James \V. Symington, Missouri Larry Winn, Jr., Kansas 



John F. Seiberling, Jr., Ohio Barry M. Goldwater, Jr., California 



Morgan F. Murphy, Illinois R. Lawrence Coughlin, Pennsylvania 



Mendel J. Davis, South Carolina John N. Happy Camp, Oklahoma 

 Bob Bergland, Minnesota 



As a subcommittee chairman, Downing's style differed from 

 Karth's. He was inclined to be more courteous and tolerant toward 

 witnesses, and perhaps less incisive in the type of combative question- 

 ing which Karth pursued. But like all chairmen of the Subcommittee 

 on Space Science and Applications, he placed heavy stress on NASA's 

 need to place a higher priority on programs for the benefit of all man- 

 kind. In his first subcommittee report to the full committee, Downing 

 deplored the fact that NASA was stressing "certain expensive scientific 

 projects" instead of putting more money in applications. He added: 



For several years the Subcommittee has urged NASA to give greater emphasis to 

 Space Applications. These recommendations have been largely disregarded by NASA 

 * * * The announcement of the creation of the Office of Applications was greeted by 



