August 12, 1959

Or. G. A. Derbyshire

Space Sclence Board

Natlonal Academy of Sclences
2101 Constitution Avenue
Washington 25, 0. C.

Dear Dr. Derbyshire:
Thank you for the reports received In good order.

Dr. Hartline's Interim statement seems to me excellent. Possibly,
a more detailed presentation on extraterrestrial life might be desirable;
whether the Westex report can be ready for your deadline, and If so,
whether It should be Incorporated In Sclence In Space or treated separately
are both problematical.

The only comment | have Is that the last page may overrate the
difficulty of decontamination: a revision closer to the tone of SSB-100
would be more consistent. By the same argument | would say that decontamination
is (now) not so much the most urgent problem as that It Is the first one
and a necessary basis for subsequent exploration. More emphasis should
be placed now on experimental construction taking advantage of clean
Instruments.

This Is not Important but 1 have a personal allergy to the term
"blosciences'' which Tumps a fot of Incommensurables.

| have to give some more thought to whether Man-In-Space Is a program
of sufficient value in any sphere to warrant our urging the ''collaboration
of a larger scientific community."

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg

P.S. 25 coptes of ‘Research In Space’ for local propaganda?