(c) Arts and Industries Building, $41,000: To repair the roof by removing the loosened and blistered roof coatings, replace metal flashings, and install a threeply built-up roof covering.

(d) Reduction to appropriation, -$58,000: While the increases listed above total $227,000, a net increase of $169,000 is being requested for rehabilitation of buildings since projects amounting to $58,000 in fiscal year 1961 were completed.

Net increase, $169,000.

(4) An increase of $80,000 to provide for moving and storing museum materials to facilitate the reconstruction work and installation of air conditioning in the Natural History Building.

Need for increase.The Congress appropriated funds for fiscal year 1961 for the rehabilitation and modernization of the Natural History Building and for construction of the east wing. Construction commenced early in January 1961 and by fiscal year 1962 substantial changes in the building will be underway and large scale moving operations will have to be undertaken. Offices and storage areas currently occupied in the Natural History Building must be vacated to permit access to them for reconstruction work and for installation of air-conditioning ducts, plumbing, and telephone utility lines. Included in this moving program are storage cases containing valuable and delicate specimens, many of which are irreplaceable; exhibition cases; office furniture; equipment; and supplies. Temporarily these materials and the staff concerned will have to be located elsewhere in the building or in storage space.

Plan of work. The increase will be used to employ 13 laborers to assist in the large-scale moving operations explained above and to rent space ($40,000) to store museum objects, furniture, equipment, and accessories during construction of the additions to the Natural History Building.

(5) An increase of $70,000 for within-grade promotions.

The Classification Act of 1949, as amended (5 U.S.C. 1121), provides that permanent employees compensated on a per annum basis shall be granted periodic step increases. Based on a position-by-position study, the apparent cost of within-grade promotions in fiscal year 1962 and the carryover cost of prior year within-grade promotions are $94,000. Giving effect to the anticipated turnover rate, it is estimated that this cost will be reduced by $24,000. The latter amount is comprised of $18,000 representing the cost of within-grades not granted or terminated because of turnover and $6,000 denoting savings on separations at above minimum salaries. In arriving at the $6,000 savings, allowance was made to provide for hiring at above the minimum rate.

(6) A net increase of $86,000 primarily for personnel benefits and miscellaneous staff increases.

Need for increase.—(a) With the establishment of 168 (net) new positions in fiscal year 1962, the Smithsonian Institution will require additional funds for its share of the cost of such personnel benefits as retirement, social security, insurance, and health for these new employees.

(b) Miscellaneous staff increases will be required because of the additional workload in the National Collection of Fine Arts and the growth of certain programs in the Museum Service.

Preserving the world-famous collections, preparing exhibition catalogs and information releases, and planning the remodeling of the Civil Service Commission Building will increase the workload of the National Collection of Fine Arts.

The staff of the Museum Service must be increased because of the operation of recorded gallery tours and the growth of the central slide library and the Junior League docent program.

Plan of work.--The increase will be used as follows:

(a) To provide personnel benefits for 168 new employees (the amount was computed by applying currently prevailing cost factors to each new position at the base of the appropriate grade)

(b) To employ a museum aid, research assistant, and 2 clerical assistants in the National Collection of Fine Arts and 3 aids and a clerktypist in the Museum Service_

(c) To provide minor increases for night-work differential and con-
tractual services ($4,000), which are offset by the savings result-
ing from the decrease of 1 day in pay above 52 weeks ($19,000).
Net reduction to appropriation_

Net increase....

$69, 000

32, 000

-15, 000

86, 000

1 Excludes $18,000 supplemental requested for wage rate increase effective Dec. 25, 1960.

1 Excludes $18,000 supplemental requested for wage rate increase effective Dec. 25, 1960.

RENOVATION OF EXHIBITS

1. Halls completed and opened to the public by the end of fiscal year 1960:

2. Halls to be completed and opened to the public by the end of fiscal year 1961:

(a) Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy (d) Numismatics Hall

(b) Fossil Plants and Invertebrates (f) The second North American ArcheHall ology Hall

(c) The first North American Arche- (g) Prehistoric Mammals Hall

3. Construction only partially completed by the end of fiscal year 1961: (a) Peoples of the Pacific Hall

4. During the fiscal year 1961 drawings will be finished and contracts awarded for the following halls:

NOTE.-Fiscal year 1961 and fiscal year 1962 obligations total $455,000.

1961

1962

Rehabilitation of
utilities. Re-
quest appropria-
tion of $818,000,
1962.

1963

1964

1965

1966

Construction of buildings and facilities. (Request appropriation for
capital outlay, less than $1,000,000 per year.)

WORK PERFORMED UNDER GRANTS AND CONTRACTS FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES

Grants

The Institution receives grants from funds available to Federal agencies. Listed below are the amounts and the agencies from which the Smithsonian received grants in fiscal year 1960 together with an estimate for fiscal year 1961:

These grants enable the Institution to participate in the satellite tracking program; to operate the Science Information Exchange, a clearinghouse for research in life sciences and physical sciences, and to conduct research studies in such diverse subjects as the economic system of the Herero; plant physiology; marine fauna, tropical Pacific area; morphology and paleocology of Permian brachiopods; behavior of tropical birds; phanerogams of Columbia; systematics of Chilopoda and Diplopoda; South American microlepedoptera; early Tertiary mammals of North America; lichens of the Western Hemisphere; and flora of Fiji. There follows a brief statement of the Smithsonian Institution's functions under the grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

THE SATELLITE TRACKING PROGRAM OF THE SMITHSONIAN ASTROPHYSICAL
OBSERVATORY

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory assumed the responsibility for establishing and operating a program for optical tracking of artificial earth satellites, as a part of the U.S. participation in the International Geophysical Year. The most powerful equipment possible for the precise photographic observation and determination of satellite positions, the Baker-Nunn camera, was constructed, and 12 observing stations were set up throughout the world. Furthermore, to provide more data for observing objects before orbital calculations were underway, the volunteer moonwatch visual observing program was established as an international effort. The only international tracking system operating at the launching of the first satellite, The Smithsonian satellite tracking program continued to operate successfully.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has supported this program since the end of the International Geophysical Year.

Four specific scientific goals were established at the beginning of the satellite tracking program and continue to represent its purpose:

1. To develop and gain experience in observational and computational methods for dealing with artificial satellites and space vehicles.

2. To determine atmospheric densities at very high altitudes and to establish the laws of density variations with altitude, latitude, longitude, daily factors, seasonal factors, and solar activity.

3. To determine the gravitational potential of the earth of its effect on the motions of satellites.

4. To determine geodetically the geometric shape of the earth and to tie together the networks of the various continents to within an order of magnitude better than previous methods made possible.

The 12 Baker-Nunn camera stations are in Florida, the Netherlands West Indies, Peru, Argentina, the Union of South Africa, Spain, Iran, India, Autralia, Japan, Hawaii, and New Mexico. The associated 110 international volunteer visual moonwatch stations in 22 countries supply additional observations and act as a surveillance system for lost satellites.

Accomplishments

The range capability of the Baker-Nunn camera has made it possible to photograph Vanguard I, the 6-inch "grapefruit" satellite, at a distance of 3,000 miles, and the "paddle wheel" satellite nearly 14,000 miles from the earth.