ment at this station, such as tracking antenna, building and utilities, will be used jointly during the early part of the program, it will be necessary to have independent facilities for the operational system by the end of calendar year 1963. Therefore, the fiscal year 1962 budget includes an item for general construction and equipment at an east coast station to permit the construction of the necessary buildings, antenna, and associated equipment. Since the east coast site will acquire only about one-fourth of the data, a single set of equipment will be sufficient. The general construction and equipment item includes funds for site preparation, construction of buildings and utilities, the large tracking antenna systems with associated electronic equipment, and general purpose telemetry equipment. The ground console for NIMBUS includes receiving and detection equipment, recorders, data display equipment, etc. The specialized data processing and terminal equipment is required to convert and process the signals received at the ground from the satellite before transmission to the National Meteorological Center at Suitland, Md. Requirements in support of this activity are as follows: Fairbanks, Alaska: General construction and equipment... General construction and equipment. Ground console__ Data processing and terminal equipment.. $5, 140, 000 4, 540, 000 1, 750, 000 890, 000 These funds will be made available to the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration. Support for operating the command and data acquisition stations will be required in fiscal year 1963. 3. Central data processing, analysis, and technical management Personnel compensation: Permanent. All other.. Subtotal. Personnel benefits. Other objects.......... Total costs.. Aver Aver Increase Aver Posi- age Amount Posi- age Amount Posi- age Amount tions num ber tions num ber tions num ber For equipment to convert the signals received from the NIMBUS satellite into suitable meteorological form for further processing and analysis at the National Meteorological Center, Suitland, Md.; also for the program supervision and coordination, program planning. preparation of speciications and supervision of contracts, control and programing of the satellite operations, and supervision of the overall system operations. Mr. THOMAS. Page 15 deals with spacecraft and launching. and you say— for the construction of command and data acquisition facilities at Fairbanks, Alaska, and on the east coast of North America to support the operational meteorological satellite program in the amount of $12,320,000. How much of that is a guess figure? How firm is it? Mr. THOMAS. Page WB-18 has an item of "General construction and equipment," $5,140,000, and then under "East coast of North America, general construction and equipment, "$4,540,000; “Special purpose equipment, ground console," $1,750,000, and "Data processing and terminal equipment," $890,000. That makes a total of $12,320,000. Page 19 covers personnel compensation, and you say you want 50 new jobs at a cost of $292,000 and under "Other objects" the amount is $2,366,200. You say this is— for equipment to convert the signals received from the NIMBUS satellite into suitable meteorological form for further processing and analysis at the National Meteorological Center, Suitland, Md.; also for the program supervision and coordination, program planning, preparation of specifications and supervision of contracts, control and programing of the satellite operations, and supervision of the overall system operations. OTHER OBJECTS What are your "Other objects" there? Your salary costs are small. What is the nature of this equipment? Mr. JOHNSON. This is what we call black boxes necessary to convert the raw signals into usable meteorological form. That includes equipment to receive the signals at the end of long-range communications links, put them into proper form to put them into the high-speed digital computers for high-speed processing. It also includes some equipment to prepare the data for storage in the archives for further research and development for climatology. Mr. THOMAS. Put in pages WB-22 and WB-23. (The pages follow:) 12 Personnel benefits... Justification of other objects Employer's share of employees' life insurance, health benefits, and retirement for technical management staff included under the central data processing, analysis, and technical management activity. 21 Travel and transportation of persons.. Per diem and transportation costs for the transfer of 34 employees, 600 days of travel, and the rental of 2 passenger vehicles from Government motor pools, all for technical management staff to operate the meteorological satellite program. 22 Transportation of things.... Transportation of household goods and supplies and equipment required for the technical management staff. 23 Rent, communications, and utilities. Local and long-distance telephone service, and the partyear rental of 6,600 square feet of space for the central data processing, analysis, and technical management activity. 1962 increase $21, 800 26, 400 33, 500 24, 000 25 Other services.. Contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for spacecraft and launching of 3, and launching backup for 1 additional, NIMBUS meteorological satellites, $38,000,000; maintenance of office machines, $600; contract with NASA for its share of direct technical management support, $570,000; and payments to the Weather Bureau salaries and expenses appropriation for administrative support of the meteorological satellite operation, $200,000. 26 Supplies and materials__. Maps, charts, and office and printing supplies for the central data processing, analysis, and technical management activity. 31 Equipment Ground console and data processing and terminal equipment for the command and data acquisition station on the east coast of North America, $2,640,000; central data processing and analysis equipment, $625,000; equipment for the storage and recall of meteorological satellite data, $250,000; and office furniture and equipment for technical management staff, $32,500. 32 Lands and structures_. Construction of one command and data acquisition facility at each of a Fairbanks, Alaska, and east coast of North America location, $9,680,000; construction of office space to house operational and management staff of the meteorological satellite program, $600,000. Mr. THOMAS. This language is worth repetition: 1962 increase -$38, 770, 600 4, 200 3, 547, 500 10, 280, 000 Contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for spacecraft and launching of three, and launching backup for one additional, Nimbus meteorological satellites, $38 million; maintenance of office machines, $600; contract with NASA for its share of direct technical management support, $570,000; and payments to the Weather Bureau salaries and expenses appropriation for administrative support of the meteorological satellite operation, $200,000. Then supplies and materials, $4,200 and equipment, $3,547,500. You then speak of ground console and data processing and terminal equipment for the command and data acquisition station on the east coast of North America, $2.6 million; central data processing and analysis equipment, $625 million; equipment for the storage and recall of meteorological satellite data, $250,000; office furniture and equipment for technical management staff, $32,500. That is a lot of furniture for 50 employees. Then under "Lands and structures for the construction of one command and data acquisition facility at each of the Fairbanks, Alaska, and east coast North America locations," $9,680,000; "Construction of office space to house operational and management staff of the meteorological satellite program," $600,000. These are good, broad, generous figures, but if there is anybody on earth who can do it, we think you can, Doctor. We are going to compliment you on that with the left hand and now with the other comes that right hand. CURRENT NEED FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS It looks you could get along with about $35 million the first year, does it not? Dr. REICHELDERFER. Mr. Chairman, these estimates are based upon very careful considerations by the departments concerned, and something would have to be very seriously curtailed if we did not get the full $53 million. Mr. BOLAND. Could part of this supplemental be deferred until you come up for the regular hearing before the regular committee? Dr. REICHELDERFER. No, it has 15 to 18 months' lead time, almost 2 years. Mr. BOLAND. You really do not need the center up on the east coast or in Fairbanks, that $9 million item in this budget? Why can you not wait until January to pick up that $9 million in the regular budget? Mr. JOHNSON. The problem again is one of construction time in ordering this complex equipment, particularly when you talk about Fairbanks. The construction period is very, very limited and the contracts have to be let approximately 2 years ahead of the time you want the station. As to the east coast station, we do not have quite the same problem. Mr. BOLAND. Does NASA have something at Fairbanks now? Mr. JOHNSON. They have one under construction now and they anticipate it will be saturated with their own research and development requirements in about 2 years. In order to prevent interruption of continuous observation, it is necessary to construct one solely for the observational system. Mr. BOLAND. What is the cost of the NASA facility at Fairbanks, do you know? Mr. JOHNSON. I think it is somewhere in the neighborhood of $7.5 million. Specifically, I am not certain of the total cost of the station since it is a multipurpose station serving Mr. BOLAND. Are these command and data processing facilities close together up at Fairbanks? With respect to distance, where is the NASA command data acquisition facility at Fairbanks in relation to yours? Mr. JOHNSON. We would anticipate it would be right alongside so we could share some of the housekeeping facilities. Mr. THOMAS. Would you repeat the answer to the last question? Dr. REICHELDERFER. Reduction of our estimates to $35 million would mean the cancellation of two launchings which means an interruption in the coverage. This is serious. Mr. THOMAS. Since you got that firmly on the record, let this be off the record. (Discussion off the record.) Mr. BOLAND. It would appear to me there was money in the NASA budget for the launching of satellites. Mr. THOMAS. For the record, Doctor, are you going to handle this money yourself? Dr. REICHELDERFER. The Weather Bureau will handle it. Mr. THOMAS. That is you? Dr. REICHELDERFER. Yes, I will be responsible. Mr. THOMAS. If you are going to be responsible for watching it, I will go along with you because we know you will take good care of it. You are going to keep it separated from NASA's money? Dr. REICHELDERFER. Yes, sir. Mr. THOMAS. You are not going to have too much as compared with that crowd? Dr. REICHELDERFER. We are aware of this. Mr. THOMAS. You are going to beat Dr. Webb down and make him get the prices right to you? Dr. REICHELDERFER. We have a pretty good reputation for being tough traders on things of this kind, Mr. Chairman. Mr. THOMAS. Gentlemen, do you have any questions? ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL REQUESTED Mr. ROONEY. How many additional employees are involved in this? I note that at one point you say 29 and then at another, 200. Dr. REICHELDERFER. The amount is $292,000 and may I ask for some help on this? Mr. GLEITER. It is 50 positions, Mr. Rooney, and the amount is $292,000 for salaries. Mr. ROONEY. Then you have 29 at page WB-1. I suppose that means the average number although the number involved in this estimate is 29? Mr. GLEITER. Yes, sir. That is the average employment or manyears for those 50 people working, and that would be 29 man-years. Mr. ROONEY. That is all. Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Boland? Mr. BOLAND. You are going to spend an average of $60 million for the next 5 years, including this supplemental, under this plan for an operational system? Dr. REICHELDERFER. That is correct. NASA FACILITIES AT FAIRBANKS Mr. BOLAND. Has NASA already started construction of facilities at Fairbanks? Dr. REICHELDERFER. Yes. Mr. BOLAND. When do you anticipate this will be ready? Mr. BOLAND. When this is completed, it will be somewhat the same type of facility you will have in your command and data acquisition facility? Dr. REICHELDERFER. We have threshed this out pretty carefully. This does represent a large increase but NASA assures us that the volume of material that will be coming in from satellites from their own research and development satellites will completely flood their facilities and if we want continuous read-out, as we need, we will have to provide it under this plan. Mr. BOLAND. NASA will be getting information from different types of satellites? Dr. REICHELDERFER. Communication satellites and other satellites. |