NATIONAL MARINE SCIENCES PROGRAM 



MONDAY, DECEMBER 11,1967 



House of Representatives, 

 Subcommittee on Oceanography of the 

 Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 



Washington^ D.G. 



The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to notice in room 1334, 

 Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Alton Lennon (chairman of 

 the subcommittee) presiding. 



Mr. Lennon. Gentlemen, the subcommittee will come to order. 



We are delighted to have with us today as witnesses for the National 

 Aeronautics and Space Administration, Dr. Eobert C. Seamans, Jr., 

 the Deputy Administrator, accompanied by Mr. Leonard Jaffe, Di- 

 rector of the Space Applications Program. 



Gentlemen, I understand that you have a prepared statement and if 

 it is your pleasure. Dr. Seamans and Mr. Jaffe, you may proceed with 

 your statement and we will be delighted to hear from you. 



STATEMENT OF DR. ROBERT C. SEAMANS, JR., DEPUTY ADMINIS- 

 TRATOR, ACCOMPANIED BY LEONARD JAFFE, DIRECTOR, SPACE 

 APPLICATIONS PROGRAMS, NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE 

 ADMINISTRATION 



Dr. Seamans. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee; it is indeed a 

 pleasure and a privilege to appear before you at this time to discuss 

 the activities of N"ASA in connection with the long-range national 

 program in marine science. 



NASA's activities in space oceanography are exploratory in nature 

 to ascertain what, if any, potential benefits are to be gained in ocean- 

 ography through the application of space techniques and equipment. 

 Our current activities can be categorized in three major areas; first, 

 investigation of the applicability of existing space technology, such as 

 satellite data links, to problems of oceanography; second, studies of 

 remote sensing of oceanographic phenomena including analysis of data 

 obtainable from space missions not originally conceived for ocean- 

 ographic purposes such as Gemini, Tiros and Nimbus pictures; and 

 finally, when appropriate, development and test of remote sensors for 

 viewing and discrimination of oceanographic phenomena. 



Let me just say parenthetically that in addition we are conducting 

 design studies of satellite systems that include oceanography as wq)1 

 as other things such as geology and agriculture, and we are looking 

 at the commonality of the sensors between these disciplines. 



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