A Newly Discovered NASA Memo

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Suite 5K39
Washington, DC 20546

August 15, 1969

To: United Kingdom Royal Aircraft Establishment - Space Department

From: Dr. Thomas O. Paine, Administrator, United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration TOP

Recent Concerns over British Space Exploration

The purpose of this memorandum is to begin an inquiry as to the methods and practices of the British space exploration effort. Suspicions of unsafe and unethical practices have arisen since the public release of the audio records by civilian David Robert Jones of a manned space flight that occurred recently. The flight was allegedly manned by a single crew member, a Major Tom of what we assume is the RAF.

First, records indicate that prior to liftoff, the crew was instructed to ingest protein supplements. It would please us to know whether the Major's protein levels were temporarily low or whether he suffered from a chronic deficiency. We are also aware that a boost in protein levels may be RAE policy for the benefit of all crew performing manned spaceflight. Should this be the case, we would be interested in seeing the research indicating what benefit this has on the crew's physiology.

Transcripts indicate that, soon after launch, an inquiry was made from Ground Control as to the nature of the t-shirt worn by the crew member. It is greatly disturbing to think that (a) the Major was not given a highly specialized and thoroughly inspected space suit, and (b) the Ground Control personnel were unaware of the status of his attire, regardless of the quality thereof.

Following a brief spacewalk, it seemed apparent that the crew member's opinion of the spacecraft was unsatisfactory, as he referred to the vehicle as a "tin can." We would like to know whether the Major had any history of depression or other mental abnormalities. In addition, it would seem that he felt unable to perform any mission-oriented tasks due to the blue color of the Earth. We would speculate that at least one aspect of the mission was the study of the behavior of optics in space, though this information is likely classified.

Further along in the progress of the mission, at around half the distance to the moon, the transcript indicates that there may have been a grave error. The Major indicated a loss of motor control and knowledge of the ship's trajectory. Ground Control responded with indications of a disruption in one or more of the craft's electronic subsystems. At this point, there seemed to be a communications failure, concluding the recorded radio transmissions.

We at NASA would like to know the status of the mission and whether our resources could be used to solve any problems in your department regarding this specific mission. We look forward to hearing the status of your affairs and await the opportunity to provide assistance.