!!  spellx done
3  Bootlegging Flag to the Moon
   The Washington Post, Sunday, August 7, 1966

        Breach of Discipline on Surveyor
        Violated International Space Policy

     A news dispatch has disclosed that Surveyor, the spacecraft
which soft-landed on the moon, carried an American flag.  It was
smuggled aboard in a hollow tube at the direction of Sheldon
Shallon, chief scientist for the project at Hughes.  It is sad
to note that this news item has not been followed by another --
one denying the accuracy of the first or one reporting strong
disciplinary measures on the part of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration.

     Does this appear a strong response to a patriotic gesture?
What harm could it have done?

     The outstanding success of the Surveyor mission is one of the
milestones of space exploration.  It has returned an abundance
of photographs of very fine quality and scientific importance which
open the door to photo reconnaissance of the moon and of planetary
surfaces.  The real time reception and monitoring of Surveyor's
descent onto the moon and the direct release of the photographs
to television viewers was an epochal event.  It was more dramatic
as fact than any of the science fiction of thirty years ago which
might have anticipated it.  It represents the utmost of intricate
technological accomplishment.  

     In such a complex process, many people are involved at every
step, and there are bound to be as many private judgments about
short cuts and improvements.  These may, of course, be valuable
as suggestions, but can hardly be tolerated for implementation
without careful engineering review at the system level.  This
discipline requires constant inspection, and above all, the most
rigorous attitude on the faithful following of the blueprint
specifications.

     In this light, the patriotic prank should be deplored if only
for its demoralizing effect on this discipline.  In turn, it can
only demoralize other countries' confidence in the U.S. control
of its space program.  This lack of confidence may also spill over
to other technology of world significance.

     The actual success of Surveyor I defeats any argument that the
added item eroded the mission, but as trivial as it was, there are
many ways in which an innocent flag might have spoiled adequate
control of vibration, temperature, attitude, communications or
other delicately interconnected functions.  How many other space
failures which did take place might be traced to human caprice
less readily admitted?

     The planting of a flag is also a political act, in the larger
system of which the space mission is a part.  Again, this time it
was presumably harmless, but can such a matter be left to a private
judgment?

     Above all, the bootlegged flag is an actual violation of an
important aspect of international space policy for the protection
of the moon and planets against avoidable contamination with earth
organisms.  At present, by fairly general agreement, the standards
for the moon are relaxed by comparison with the planets and neither
the United States nor the U.S.S.R. attempts perfect sterility of
lunar missions.

     The reason for this relaxation is that present scientific
knowledge argues strongly against the capacity of the moon's
surface to allow the propagation of any form of earthly life.  
However, NASA policy requires "minimum contamination" so that the
moon can remain a useful preserve for the detection of any life
that might be transported by, say, meteorites.  This calls for 
"clean room" standards during the assembly of spacecraft components.

     A bootlegged flag which could not have been subjected to such
control for decontamination is a clear violation of a policy to which
this country's honor has been attached and calls for strenuous
disciplinary measures to insure the integrity and credibility of
purpose of our future exploratory missions.

     If we do not repair this gap of discipline in our exploration
of the moon, how can we persuade other countries who compete for
priority in space to join us in the restraint needed to protect
the planets against even more serious intrusions in the future?

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