MEMORANDUM FOR FILES January 26, 1962

SUBJECT: Ad hoc Life Sciences Committee of the SSB convened with Dr.
Newell in his office, 9:15 a.m., January 25

Present: Messrs. Pittendrigh, Hartline, Lambertsen, Newell, Nicolaides,
Quimby, Jacobs, Peavey, Derbyshire

Dr, Newell described the essential parts of the recent NASA
reorganization, pointing out thet the biological program at NASA was now
divided between two offices, the Office of Manned Space Flight and the
Office of Space Sciences, Manned Space Flight has chosen to limit its
program strictly to the active flight projects, that is, Mercury, Gemini
and Apello, No research not required by one of these programs will be
considered, The Office of Space Sciences currently considers its program
in space biology to consist of two parts: (a) exobiolozy and (b) the
influence of the environment on biological material. Dr. Newell pointed
out that this leaves a prey area between the two offices which no one is
considering, For example, the studyof higher animals such as man and the
general biolozy areas of ecological systems, human factors and so forth,
He reported that the NASA now has established a committee to look at the
biological field as a whole and to recommend how this gray area might be
handled. He su.gested that this might result in the establishment of
some biolosicail activity in the Office of Advanced Research & Technology,

Messrs, Quimby and Jacobs then presented the current programs
of the Office of Space Sciences in exobiology and environmental biology,
respectively, This material is contained in a paper presented to the
AAAS Denver meeting by Quimby (previously distributed) and a paper,
"Environmental Biology," by Jacobs which is attached,

At the conclusion of these presentations, Mr. Nicolaides
pointed out the capabilities and responsibilities of the Office of Space
Sciences, that is, (1) control of all launch vehicles less than the
Saturn and (2) most satellites, He pointed out that this meant that
Space Sciences now had access to and responsibility for the tools nec-
essary to perform its mission,

At this point Messrs. Quimby and Jacobs were excused and the group
turned to consideration of biological program problems in the Office of
Space Sciences,
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It was agreed that except for the program in exobiology
there is no scientifically sound program in the Office of Space Sclences
at this time. Dr. Newell asked the group for advice on the question of
developing a recoverable satellite system for biological experiments in
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space. He pointed out that if such a system were needed at some future
time, the biological community must say so and work must be started.

If biologists do not ask for such a system, it will not be planned and
it will not be ready. He called the group's attention to last year's
plans for utilization of the Mercury capsules for biological recoverable
laboratories, pointing out that all of these plans were cancelled when
the Mercury capsules became unavailable through a change in the manned
flight program, He predicted that reliance on capabilities developed
elsewhere for other reasons would always suffer the same fate anu that
therefore if a recoverable system for biological experiments was needed
his office would, of necessity, have to plan for and buaget a specific
development.

While the group was zenerally inclined to answer this question
in the affirmative, it felt that so important a question should be
debated by the members of the Board's biological committees, It was
azreed that the committees would consider utilization of nonrecoverable
satellites, the need for special ground-based laboratories, laboratory
pilot experiments prior to space flight, and the gray area and overlap
problems resulting from the compartmentalization of biology in NASA.

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Dr. Newell appealed to the group for assistance in securin;
a competent scientist to serve as his Director of Bioscience Programs,
identifying this as his outstanding problem. There was agreement in the
group that this position was one of national importance and that it
was indeed an urgent matter, The group felt that the position could
not be filled on a rotating basis but that the right man mizht be able
to utilize senior consultants, after the pattern on the ONR London
office, at some later time, The zroup agreed to undertake the task of
filling this position and accepted the responsibility for establishing
initial contacts with selected candidates on Dr. Newell's behalf. (Sub-
sequently the group agreed to enlist the support of Dr. Bronk and pos-
sibly appropriate divisions of the National Research Council to broaden
its membership and to emphasize the importance which it attaches to this
responsibility.)

In the discussio” of several possible candidates it was noted
that the emeritus class should not be overlooked. The existing civil
and military services should also not be neglected,

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In response to a question, Dr. Newell expresseu his interest
in havin: a biological policy paper containing specific action elements
and advice on what tc jo for his use, The wroup agreed to prepare such
a document and provide it as soon as pessible, Dr. Newell aiso indicated
his interest in receivins personal comments from members of the jroup.
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The group also agreed, at Dr, Newell's request, to be available for
frequent meetings with him in support of the biological side of the
Office of Space Sciences,

Concern was expressed by the group on the quality of the
Ames scientific program and of its plans for considerable expansion,
Dr, Newell advised the group that the Ames program came under his
control and was currently being held in a status quo, He pointed out,
however, that without a competent biological director he was in no
position to take other action,

In response to a question from Dr, Lambertsen concerning the
establishment of clear lines of authority and responsibility relative
to biology in NASA, Dr. Newell suggested that this would never appear
on paper, In his opinion, agreement can be reached by focusing on a
single question, what is to be done and then proceeding, He noted that
to try totdidy up all aspects on a philosophical basis would require
years of debate,

G,. A. Derbyshire

cc: S, Pittendrigh
J, Lambertsen
K, Hartline
Lederberg
Odishaw

C, Peavey

Amu BOO
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