LETTER TO CYRUS R. VANCE FROM W. F. RABORN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01580R002004220055-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 3, 2013
• Sequence Number: 55
• Publication Date: July 20, 1965
• Content Type: LETTER

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? 3., --- t>lfCt I.
Dear Cy:
20 July 1965
I have noted Dr. McMillan'a memorandum of 13 July
addressed to you and me on the subject of a New Satellite
Search/Surveillance System. This memorandum Indicates
that the Director of NRO may be already planning to decide
on a specific eystem.
You will recall that you and I discussed this matter
and we agreed that any decision should await the technical
advice of the Land Panel of PSAC which is meeting on 21
July. Their guidance-will be most helpful to you and to me
in making a final judgment on any specific search and
surveillance system. .
I trust that the foregoing .conforms to your under-
standing of how we plan to proceed.
The Honorable Cyrus R. Vance
Deputy Secretary of Defense
- The Pentagon
Washington, D. C.
Sincerely;
/8/ ?Red?
W. F. Raborn ,
Original by 0 / DDS &T/SPS :JNMcMAHON (16 July 65)
Retyped by 0/DCI: WElder:jmg (20 July
Copy 1 Sec'y Vance
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3Y:L;Vi1t 1
4.
16 July 1965
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence
SUBJECT
Reply to Dr. McMillans Letter of
12 July 1965 relative to New
Search System
The attached letter has been prepared for your
signature as a response to Dr. McMillan's letter of
IrJ July. I have coorcinated the suggested reply with
John Bross, who concurs with it as is. It is recom-
mended that you sign the attached letter.
Attachment: ais
1 ....21
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da:trissItic.::17.3 : IL T
ALBERT D. WHEREON
Deputy Director
for
Science and Technology
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OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY
bOD
SUBJECT:
DEPARTMENTOFTHE AIR FORCE
WASHINGTON
Satellite S
July 13 1963
llance System
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The'purpose of this wenorandum is to provide a status
report on MR0 activities toward meeting setellite search and
surveillance requirements in the 1967 and subsequent time
period.
Iv-house SRO analyses, in conjunctionwith competitive
contractor parametric studies end team>logy investigations,
have progressed to a point that permits decisions to be made
with high confidence about the overall system configuration.
The SRO is now in a position to proceed with an orderly program
toward a first launch of a new system in the last quarter of
FY 67. The paragraphs which follow briefly describe the major
elements of the system.
Camera SO-system
The MR0 has continued to fund both the Eastman Rodak and
ltek efforts. The basic characteristics of sich camera sub-
system are essentially unchanged from the material presented
to Dr. Land's panel last February. The soundness and feasibility
of both designs have been further verified. The Et proposal
remains the most straightforward design, with the least technical
risk, and it has been selected as the primary camera sub-system.
We will fund a back-up camera development to the EX effort,
however, and build approximately five flight articles, scheduling
at least three for flight test. For this purpose, I propose to
compete the present Itek and Perkin-Elmer designs, and select
the most promising as an alternate camera configuration within
the next few months.
LOT
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?Ji...3.01 I -
with
on s
adv
Pallos
des
cOrt
sign
with the
on
La
icle
orbital lifetime r era' t
proposa1 are clearly superior to C.
spacecraft effort will be supported at USC
lho CS spacecraft selected will have the fot
seterlitics
Possess an orbi
2. Accomodate the
ass and carry at least lOGO lbs o
0
pr
in
3. Have an itegrai o t?acklust too;
4. gave redundant coamd and. controLs *t
sub-systems for bib reliability;
5. Have an integral sad improved Stellar.
s a en;
ompatible with tanned? ivy
er etements of the support forces;
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OUAI
The spacecraft. design is based on proven technology and
should not be the pacing item toward first launch and an early
operational capability.
Bappte
In conjunction with tbe several spacecraft designs, the
NRO has analysed all boosters which might reasonably be employed.
Although several combinations are possible, the optitum booster
for this 20-30 day system is the TITAN-IIIK? with two two-segment
?strap-on solids (120" diameter). This combination will boost
more than 13,000. lbs of payload into a polar orbit.
Accordingly, I have selected the riTAN-uu with the two
segment strap-ons (a shred-out of the TITAN-IIIC Development'
Program) as the system booster and am preparing appropriate .
procurement instructions to the TITAN SPO.
In this regard, it will be necessary to modify an additional
launch pad at Point Arguello. Pad 4 has been selected for the
nun-nu with the 120" strap-on solids. PALC II will thus
become a TITAN /II complex, since Pad 3 is now being modified
to a TITAN III-X/A0ENA capability (for CAMBITA.CUBED). Addition-
ally, sufficient ME will be added to the MOL ILC to use that
facility, when available, as a back-up and alternate facility
for both pads 3 and 4.
Re-entrz Vehicles
Planned orbital lifetimes, the number of days required far
access to the Sino-Soviet Bloc, and total film weight to be
carried were key factors in determining the number of RV's to
be employed. For example, twenty- five day lifetimes will
provide complete photographic access to the entire Sino-Sovlet
Bloc at least four times in a single mission (ranging from
four accesses to all portions of the southern latitudes, to
more than twelve accesses in the northernmost areas). In view
of these and other-factas we have selected four medium-sised ?
RV's as the standard configuration. This will permit the return
of a bucket of film after each complete photographic access to
the entire Bina...Soviet Bloc.
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If 1 om Ike T....10
our lat-configur be
tions and return * able
nee this wouLl not r
system (in view of i
continue investigating the use
16 -? an dternste
ad of our actions in this re
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