A memo
March 10,1979
MEMORANDUM FOR: GEORGE P. SHULTZ
FROM: BRENT SCOWCROFT
SUBJECT: Future of NASA
The President read with interest and agreed with Mr. Blumenthal’s memorandum of February 25 on the subject of the future of NASA.
Further, the President approved Mr. Blumenthal’s plan to find enough reductions in other programs to pay for continuing NASA at generally the 3. 3 – 4.1 billion dollar level, or about 400 to 500 million dollars more than the present planning targets.
To quote, ‘
There is real merit to the future of NASA, and its proposed programs. The Space Shuttle and NERVA particularly offer the opportunity, among other things, to secure substantial scientific fall-out for the civilian economy at the same time that large numbers of valuable (and hard-to-employ-elsewhere) scientists and technicians are kept at work on projects that increase our knowledge of space, our ability to develop for lower cost space exploration, travel, and to secure, through NERVA, twice the existing propulsion efficiency for our rockets.’
Thank you.
cc: W.M.Blumenthal