Defence chief hints at military astronauts

Press, 9 February 1980, Page 7

Defence chief hints at military astronauts

X/pA ’ Washington The United States Defence Secretary (Mr Harold Brown) has ' said that the manned space shuttle is critical to American defence planning and he has hinted at some of the roles a new breed of military astronauts will play in Earth orbit. They will, he said, ferry navigation, missile warning, and other spy satellites into space, periodically service and retrieve data from some of them, and perhaps build huge orbiting research labs, reconnaissance posts, or command centres. Mr Brown also said the United States had evidence that the Soviets may be developing a reusable space vehicle like the shuttle, but it is believed their technology in this field may be as much as a decade behind America.

The secretary appeared before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which is considering budget requests for the shuttle by both the Defence Department and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. N.A.S.A. is developing the shuttle for use by both agencies. Technical problems have delayed its first manned launching nearly two years until next November at the earliest.

Most of the Space Agencylaunches will be from Cape Canaveral. Florida, but the Defence Department is building a launch facility at Vanderberg Air Force Base, California, from which shuttles can be boosted into orbits that fly over all areas of the globe. With as many as 50 manned launches a year contemplated by 1985. Congress has approved funds for four shuttles, and N.A.S.A. and the Pentagon have requested a fifth. As many as seven people can ride one of the craft.