DOD/NASA Study Bullish on Shuttle

NASA completed its initial report for the STG on future space transporta­tion requirements in mid-May; the report concluded that “fully reusable or near fully reusable systems offer the maximum potential for an economic and versatile space shuttle system that could readily satisfy a vast majority of future space transportation requirements.” Also, a “reusable space shuttle would provide a broad range of capability in space operations—a capability that is the keystone to the success and growth of future space flight develop­ments for exploration and exploitation of near and far space.”7 The separate Air Force study effort was finished in the same mid-May time frame. The next step in the process was integrating the two studies into a single report, to be submitted to the STG by June 15. Lead responsibility for assembling the final study report was assigned to a national security community sup­port contractor, The Aerospace Corporation; Aerospace staff member Don Dooley led the report-writing effort.

The Air Force was not the only national security organization participating in the shuttle study. Also deeply involved was the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the organization created in 1961 to develop and operate the highly classified intelligence satellites that provided crucial national security information to the nation’s leadership. In 1969, the very existence of NRO was classified, and thus NRO participation in the shuttle study could not be publicly acknowledged. The director of the NRO was a civilian, usually holding a high-level Air Force position, such as undersecretary or assistant secretary, but because the NRO was classified this responsibility was not acknowledged. The Aerospace Corporation supported not only the space elements of the Air Force but also the activities of the NRO, and thus was well positioned to reflect the interests of both organizations.8