GeSp1171

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Number: 1171 Name: NASA REPLY TO MOONCABLE

Address: J.E.D.CLINE1 Date: 900613

Approximate # of bytes: 3780

Number of Accesses: 8 Library: 3

Description:

Historical file on Mooncable concept

by JED Cline in 1972. this is

NASA's ICB reply of June 23, 1972,

deferring consideration of concept.

Referred mooncable document to be uploaded when

problem with upload is resolved.

Keywords: mooncable

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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

Washington, D. C. 20546

Reply to attn of: KB June 23, 1972

Mr. James E. D. Cline

905 Old Topanga Canyon Road

Topanga, California 90290

Dear Mr. Cline:

Your letter of June 3, 1972, which was addressed to Dr. George M.

Low, Deputy Administrator fo the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration and which briefly described your concept entitled

"The Mooncable: Gravitational-Electric Siphon in Space", was

referred to the Inventions and Contributions Board for review and reply.

We are also in receipt of related correspondence and a

document entitled "The Mooncable: A Profitable Space Transporta-

tion System", which was forwarded to this office by Mr. Monte Mott,

Patent Counsel of the NASA Pasedena Office. A review has now been

completed of all of your material that has been received, and we

should like to provide you with the following explanatory comments

and suggestions.

The proposal which you have outlined in your correspondence is obvi-

ously conceptual in nature, and describes a project which, if under

taken, would involve a significant expenditure of time and money to

transport materials from the lunar surface to the earth. For your

information, the lunar landing of the Apollo 17 mission which is

now scheduled to take place in December, 1972, will conclude NASA's

program to investigate the lunar surface, at least so far as the

immediate future is concerned. Following termination of the Apollo

program, we shall move on during the remainder of this decade to the

Skylab program and subsequently, to the Space Shuttle program. You

will find enclosed a copy of NASA EP-81 entitled: Man in Space

(Space in the Seventies), which explains how NASA plans to accomplish

the objectives of these programs. Present and future budgetary com-

mittments to attain the goals outlined in this booklet will not per-

mit the consideration of expentitures for extensive new projects such

as the one you have submitted, and we are therefore not able to make

a favorable recommendation with respect to your proposal.

In your letter to Dr. Low, we inferred that you were requesting that

NASA contribute funds for the promotion of the project you have

proposed. We believe you should be aware of the regulations that

apply to joint projects involving the expenditure of NASA funds

and, for that purpose, are also sending you a copy of a NASA

booklet entitled "Guide to Policies and Procedures for Sponsored

Research" which we believe you will find informative and helpful.

The successful completion of the concept which you have proposed

would depend upon the verification of a number of unsubstantiated

assertions that are made in your presentation, and there is, of course

no certainty that such confirmation could be extablished. This is

an additional and importatnt reason for deferring consideration of

your concept. Although we cannot make a favorable recommendation

in response to your proposal, we do want to thank you for permitting us

to examine its contents, and to express our appreciation for your

interest in contributing to the advancement of NASA's future program.

(signed)

Francis W. Kemmett

Director of the Staff

Inventions and Contributions Board

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