U.S. SPACE EFFORT

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29913, 29 August 1962, Page 13

U.S. SPACE EFFORT

‘Civil-Military Row Brewing’ (N.Z.P.A .-Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, August 28 A full-scale row is brewing in Washington between military leaders and civilians over the United States space programme. according to the “U.S. News And World Report.” In the wake of the Soviet Union's twin cosmonaut feat, the Defence Department was becoming increasingly concerned about the alleged lack of emphasis on the military aspects of space developments, the magazine said. They were deeply convinced Mr Khrushchev was making not only a race for the moon but was directing his main energy and resources to mastery of space regions nearer the earth. Congress and the military were questioning whether the United States was doing enough to prevent Russia emerging as military master of outer space. Experts were divided on whether war in space should be seriously considered but “Air Force planners . . . are already laying out requirements for any space battlefield of the future.” Most of the United States space effort was handled by the civilian National Aeronautics and Space Administration and by civilians in the Defence Department. The magazine said that the N.AS.A. had an annual budget of 3800 million dollars, compared to 1500 million dollars for Defence Department space programmes.