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SPIES in SPACE: Reflections on National Reconnaissance and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory TABLE of CONTENTS

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SPIES in SPACE: Reflections on National Reconnaissance and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory TABLE of CONTENTS IN THE WORDS OF THOSE WHO SERVED by Courtney V. K. Homer CSNR CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF MAY NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE 2019 IN THE WORDS OF THOSE WHO SERVED WHO THOSE OF WORDS THE IN MAY 2019 by Courtney V. K. Homer CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE MAY 2019 Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance The Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance (CSNR) is an independent National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) research body reporting to the Director/Business Plans and Operations Directorate, NRO. The CSNR’s primary objective is to advance national reconnaissance and make available to NRO leadership the analytic framework and historical context to make effective policy and programmatic decisions. The CSNR accomplishes its mission by promoting the study, dialogue, and understanding of the discipline, practice, and history of national reconnaissance. The CSNR studies the past, analyzes the present, and searches for lessons for the future. Contact Information: Phone, 703-227-9368; or e-mail, [email protected] To Obtain Copies: Government personnel may obtain additional printed copies directly from CSNR. Other requesters may purchase printed copies by contacting the Government Publishing Office. Selected CSNR publications are available on the Internet at the NRO web site. Published by NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance 14675 Lee Road Chantilly, Virginia 20151-1715 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800 DC area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2104 Mail: Stop IDCC Washington, D.C. 20402-0001 ISBN: 978-1-937219-24-6 SPIES IN SPACE: Reflections on National Reconnaissance and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD ............................................................................................................................... v PREFACE ............................................................................................................................................ vii INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1 THE GENESIS & BEGINNINGS OF MOL ............................................................................ 1 DynaSoar ...................................................................................................................................... 1 The MOL Concept and End of DynaSoar ................................................................................ 2 Early Studies ................................................................................................................................. 3 MOL Experiments ....................................................................................................................... 5 MOL’s Proponents and Critics ................................................................................................... 7 MOL and the Public .................................................................................................................... 8 MOL on the International Stage ................................................................................................ 9 MOL Takes Shape ........................................................................................................................ 11 The Program Office ..................................................................................................................... 13 MOL Goes Public ........................................................................................................................ 13 Establishing a Program Office ................................................................................................... 14 The Mechanics of MOL .............................................................................................................. 16 MOL Contractors ........................................................................................................................ 21 An Updated Management Approach ........................................................................................ 22 Endnotes ....................................................................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER 2 THE MOL PILOTS .......................................................................................................................... 29 Selecting the First Group ............................................................................................................ 29 The First Group of MOL Pilots .................................................................................................. 31 Selecting the Second Group ....................................................................................................... 35 The Second Group of MOL Pilots ............................................................................................. 36 Selecting the Third Group .......................................................................................................... 38 The Third Group of MOL Pilots ................................................................................................ 39 Endnotes ....................................................................................................................................... 42 CHAPTER 3 MOL UP AND RUNNING ........................................................................................................... 45 Integrating Man ........................................................................................................................... 45 Individual Roles ........................................................................................................................... 46 A New Concept For Man ............................................................................................................ 49 The Role of the Astronaut ........................................................................................................... 52 iii In The Words of Those Who Served Training the Crew ......................................................................................................................... 54 Water Training .............................................................................................................................. 55 Survival Training .......................................................................................................................... 56 Cross-Organizational Training ................................................................................................... 58 MOL’s Secrecy ............................................................................................................................... 58 MOL’s Relationship with NASA .................................................................................................. 60 The MOL Build-Up ....................................................................................................................... 61 Endnotes ......................................................................................................................................... 63 CHAPTER 4 THE END OF MOL ........................................................................................................................... 69 The Debate over the Necessity of Man ....................................................................................... 69 The Soviet Concern ....................................................................................................................... 73 The Importance of Very High Resolution Reconnaissance ..................................................... 74 The NASA/DoD Overlap ............................................................................................................. 75 Budget Challenges ......................................................................................................................... 76 MOL’s Slipping Schedule .............................................................................................................. 78 Justifying MOL .............................................................................................................................. 80 MOL Continues ............................................................................................................................. 83 Talk of Cancellation ...................................................................................................................... 84 Terminating MOL ......................................................................................................................... 87 MOL’s Termination and its People .............................................................................................. 90 MOL’s Termination and its Hardware ........................................................................................ 92 Looking Back and Lessons Learned ........................................................................................... 93 Endnotes ......................................................................................................................................... 95 INDEX .................................................................................................................................................. 103 iv SPIES IN SPACE: Reflections
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