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PROPOSAL EVALUATION SHEET

 

No. Tiree investroaton lustiturion
Be7092 Detection of Microorganisms W Vishniac Yale U

on other Planets: Suitable

Instruments

Comments (tr Mont Space fs Requinco PLease Use Aoorrionat Paes)

1 am not altogether an objective bystander on this proposal, having played
some part in Instigeting the discussions at MIT, and some corresponding ones
here. | am hopeful that there will be additional proposals of a similar nature
relative to scheduled contact probes, especially to Mars, about 5 years from
now. It Is Important to get microblologists of Vishniac's (high) calibre én-
terested in these questions, and without Inordinate delay If the most efficient
use 1€ to he made of the early probes.

Or. Vishniac Is certainly asking for a modest sum-- perhaps unrealistically
so-- and the main virtue of his preliminary work may be to discover the kinds of
design problems that will be encountered in optimization of the detector. it is
possible (though not Immediately evident) that similar automatic devices may play
a useful role in other types of research.

However, in view of the limitations of funds available to NSF, and the liberal
Support given to NASA, it seems quite plausible that responsibility for the pro-
{ss should be accepted by NASA, There are two reservations on this statement:

1) It should not be used as an excuse to deflect or defer supportfor the
project, andx particubarty If NASA is still at an organizational stage where it
may not be making grants of this type, and (2) that fundamental work In space-
related sclences, as opposed to the development of payload hardware, should certainly
not be the special responsibility of NASA, Certainly | can see no sound obj ection
to NSF devoting small sums for preliminary work If NSF is the most expeditious
source. If NSF Is to administer funds on the likely scale required, for example
to bulld actual prmpm prototypes of the payload detectors, it would needa additional
funds aa In no mean measure to ensure adequate support for other basic programs.

If Vishniac had less Integrity or ability as a scientist, the ‘hardware’ argument
might be more compelling an argument against the propopal. At the moment, the
‘hardware' has to be developed as the means to answer some very pervasive questions
and If the NSF, for any reason, cannot support the project Itself, it should
be certain that prompt support Is avallable elsewhere.

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