SPACE SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS IN THE 1970'S 357 



The Committee believes, however, that such a large expansion in one year must be 

 carefully initiated and controlled to assure success and avoid the pitfalls of too rapid 

 growth. Accordingly, the Committee does not agree with the House action which 

 added another $2 million to the already planned program expansion, resulting in a 

 proposed 63 percent increase in one year. 



This smothered the chance to make a dramatic leap forward in tech- 

 nology utilization as the United States of America approached its bicen- 

 tennial year. The conference committee compromised on $8 million. 



In 1976, NASA pleased the subcommittee by presenting its Tech- 

 nology Utilization budget request first on the list, and some kind of 

 record was set when Edward Z. Gray appeared for the third year in a 

 row. What's more, Mr. Gray came up with a suggested increase from 

 the $7 million NASA had proposed the prior year up to $7.9 million. 

 After due deliberation, the Fuqua subcommittee added $500,000. 



Winn, ranking Republican on the Subcommittee on Space Science 

 and Applications, told his House colleagues on March 22, 1976: 



The program plays a major role in terms of dissemination of technological informa- 

 tion and transfer of advanced technology from the aerospace sector. We on the com- 

 mittee are well aware of the danger of "overselling" aerospace fallout and the tendency 

 of some to view technology utilization as simply more public relations. However, we 

 feel that the modest increase of funding here, $500,000 will be returned man, fold 

 in transferring NASA-developed technology to applications in the private sector and 

 within other Government agencies. 



Grudgingly, the Senate committee finally recognized the need for 

 more activity in this area, and took the somewhat radical step of 

 recommending that $200,000 be added to the NASA request. The usual 

 custom of splitting the difference did not occur in the conference com- 

 mittee, which finally decided to stick to the modest increase voted by 

 the Senate. 



In 1977, Edward Z. Gray, who seemed by now to be a fixture, 

 appeared for the fourth straight year on behalf of the technology 

 utilization program. The first budget of the Carter administration 

 included $8.1 million for the program, which the House on recommen- 

 dation of the subcommittee and full committee promptly hiked to $9.1 

 million. Fuqua told his House colleagues that one of the reasons for 

 the increase was that the committee wanted NASA to "conduct a 

 cost-benefit analysis of the program and report the results of that effort 

 to the committee not later than December 31, 1977." Finally, the 

 Senate went along with the increase, thus making the annual conference 

 committee argument unnecessary. But after laboriously marching up 

 the hill for a modest increase, the Science Committee was pushed back 

 when the House and Senate appropriations committees heartlessly 

 decided to cancel out the entire increase. Nevertheless, NASA dutifully 

 proceeded with the cost-benefit analysis. 



