George E. Mueller to Director, Manned Spacecraft Center, et al., “Revised Manned Space Flight Schedule,” 31 October 1963

IN REPLY REFER TO:

M-C M 9330.186

TO: Director, Manned Spacecraft Center

Houston 1, Texas

Director, Launch Operations Center

Cocoa Beach, Florida

Director, Marshall Space Flight Center

Huntsville, Alabama

FROM: Deputy Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight

SUBJECT: Revised Manned Space Flight Schedule

Recent schedule and budget reviews have resulted in a deletion of the Saturn I manned flight program and realignment of schedules and flight mission assignments on the Saturn IB and Saturn V programs. It is my desire at this time to plan a flight schedule which has a good probability of being met or exceeded. Accordingly, I am proposing that a flight schedule such as shown in Figure 1, with slight adjustments as required to prevent “stack-up”, be accepted as the official launch schedule. Contractor schedules for spacecraft and launch vehicle deliveries should be as shown in Figure 2. This would allow actual flights to take place several months earlier than the official schedule. The period after checkout at the Cape and prior to the official launch date should be designated the “Space Vehicle Acceptance” period. With regard to flight missions for Saturn I, MSC should indicate when they will be in a position to propose a firm mission and spacecraft configuration for SA-10. MSFC should indicate the cost of a meteoroid payload for that flight. SA-6 through SA-9 missions should remain as presently defined.

It is my desire that “all-up” spacecraft and launch vehicle flights be made as early as possible in the program. To this end, SA-201 and 501 should utilize all live stages and should carry complete spacecraft for their respective missions. SA-501 and 502 missions should be reentry tests of the spacecraft at lunar return velocity. It is recognized that the Saturn IB flights will have CM/SM and CM/SM/LEM configurations.

Mission planning should consider that two successful flights would be made prior to a manned flight. Thus, 203 could conceivably be the first manned Apollo flight. However, the official schedule would show the first manned flight as 207, with flights 203-206 designated as “man-rating” flights. A similar philosophy would apply to Saturn V for “man-rating” flights with 507 shown as the first manned flight.

I would like your assessment of the proposed schedule, including any effect on resource requirements in FY 1964, 1965 and run-out by November 11, 1963. My goal is to have an official schedule reflecting the philosophy outlined here by November 25, 1963.

George M. Low

George E. Mueller

Deputy Associate Administrator

for Manned Space Flight

Enclosures:

Figure 1

Figure 2

FIGURE 1 - FLIGHT SCHEDULE

Saturn I

Saturn I-B

Saturn V

FIGURE 2 - DELIVERY SCHEDULE (AMR)

Latest Allowable Deliveries

SATURN I-B

SATURN V