SPACE SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS IN THE 1970'S 353 



TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION 



As noted in chapter VII, the technology utilization program was 

 the subject of annual efforts by the committee to try and persuade 

 NASA that more emphasis should be placed in this area. Under the 

 leadership of the Hechler subcommittee from 1970 through 1974, and 

 the Fuqua subcommittee from 1975 until the end of the decade, the 

 scenario each year went like this: (1) NASA would present a pitifully 

 small budget request, starting at $4 million and eventually rising to $9 

 million; (2) the committee would devote considerable time listening 

 to the very fascinating review of the varied spinoffs in practical bene- 

 fits produced by American industry; (3) the committee would invar- 

 iably vote annual increases, urging NASA to give a higher priority 

 to the program; (4) the House of Representatives would customarily 

 vote larger authorizations than the Senate, and the House conferees 

 from the committee would frequently win out to include the higher 

 figure in the final bill; (5) the Appropriations Committees would 

 usually cut back the program; and (6) NASA would rarely ask for 

 larger increases in the technology utilization program, despite the 

 almost certain knowledge that such increases would have been 

 approved 



In 1970, Hechler engaged NASA witnesses in one of a continuing 

 series of pointed colloquies which seemed to produce non-answers : 



Mr. Hechler. This committee has very strongly supported technology utilization 

 from the beginning * * * and we are very disturbed by the reduction in the amount 

 of NASA support. 



Mr. Day [in charge of technology utilization]. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Hechler. You wouldn't care to react or comment on that observation? 



Mr. Day. Well, our management does feel strongly about the technology utiliza- 

 tion program, and supports it strongly at all levels. 



Mr. Hechler. What percentage of the NASA budget are you spending on tech- 

 nology utilization? 



Mr. Day. I believe about one-tenth of 1 percent. 



Mr. Hechler. That seems to me to be the kind of commentary I wanted to make 

 on the amount of importance that you ascribe to something the country feels is very 

 necessary. Dr. Low, would you like to address yourself to that question? 



Dr. Low [NASA Deputy Administrator]. Mr. Hechler, as we have discussed 

 before here, we would like to really increase every area in NASA's budget. In making 

 the hard decisions this year as to where to take our cuts, this was one area we felt 

 we should support at the $4 million level. 



Mr. Hechler. Therefore you only cut it 20 percent. 



Dr. Low. We did, yes, sir; we cut it from $5 million to $4 million. 



Mr. Hechler. The argument that I am trying to make here is not that you haven't 

 received an overall cut, but that at a time when the attention and interest of both the 

 Nation and the Congress is focused on results and application to people here on Earth, 

 why can't you put a little bit more emphasis on what the people of this country are 

 interested in, rather than what you are interested in? 



