INFORMATION ON (Sanitized)LAUNCHING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP66B00560R000100110013-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 17, 2001
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: December 10, 1963
• Content Type: MEMO

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DD/S&T-2313-63
1 0 DEC 1933
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence
SUBJECT: Information on SATURN Launching
REFERENCE: DCI Memorandum to DD/S&T, dated
6 December 1963
1. This is in response to your request of
6 December for information on the SATURN launching
proposed for December. From our NASA contacts, we
have been able to learn that a SATURN C-i with a
Douglass S-4 second stage, a nosecone, and 19,000
pounds of sand ballast will be fired this month. It
will place 38,700 pounds in orbit, including the
19,000 pounds of sand. When the orbit decays, this
material will be burned up or re-entered, depending
on its size. The 19,000 pounds of sand will almost
certainly burn up completely. However, there is
approximately 2300 pounds of hard structure which will
probably re-enter intact in thirty-two individual chunks.
These are the pieces which will weigh between 100-150
pounds. The NASA people stated clearly to me that the
interpretation of the one in fifty thousand number is
as follows.
2. There is a chance in fifty thousand that one
of these thirty-two heavy pieces will hit someone
somewhere on the earth. They point out that one chance
in one hundred thousand is the normal range of safety
limits. However, I questioned whether this is based
on a uniform distribution of the people all over the
world or makes a presumption about where the re-entry
will take place. The obvious point is the one you raised,
to wit, if the re-entry occurs over Los Angeles, the
odds are very much higher of having a fatality than if
NASA(s) review(s) completed.
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SUBJECT: Information on SATURN Launching
it occurs over Baja,$ California. The point of orbital
re-entry is completely unknown at the time the firing
takes place. Our contacts had no satisfactory explanation
for this. Their uncertainty can be a reflection of the
fact that they are not making the calculations and hence
do not understand the criteria, or that NASA itself is
slightly confused on the basic issue. I can pursue
this further if you wish, but feel that this really is
somewhat outside our jurisdiction in line of principal
responsibility.
25X1A
ALBERT D. WHEE LON
Deputy Director
(Science & Technology)
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