The information herein begins in late 1959 and the first item
Pe
coh tp

ee

neem +

is an early draft of the "Development and Funding Plan for High Altitude Vela,"
distributed on about 1 Feb. 60 by Taschek.

The development program for the

satellite packages includes low altitude and deep space probes.

NY

The important

recommendations are as follows:

1.

That R & D satellite launchings begin which, after the 4th successful flight,
should have determined a prototype detection system.

This will produce the

end item about 3 years after program inception.

2.

Direct-support flights be flown by Nike-Cajun rockets, deep space probes
(609Al1), and Aerobee-300 rockets.
That the technical control of the project be divided into 3 approximately
separable areas of pay load, vehicle, and ground communication.
That, as the program progresses, intensive consideration be given to adapting
the detection system to the problems of obtaining weapons diagnostics
information.
The various types of detection capabilities to be attempted and instrumentation

equipment, methods, etc. are detailed at some length with some specifics of the
development and testing of these methods.

Also, there is a listing of proposed

rocket firings for payloads to aid in Vela Hotel satellite development.

The

first series would begin 1 May 60 with Nike-Cajun rockets be fired to about
100 mile altitudes from Fort Churchill (perhaps).

Deep space probes would

be fired concurrently and beginning shortly thereafter by AFSWC on the 609A~1
rockets from Cape Canaveral, providing altitude capability greater than 30,000

miles.

A third capability which may or may not be needed would be the Aerobee-

300 rockets which could be launched from Wallops or Eglin to about 300 mile |

altitudes beginning about 1 Aug.

The deep space 609 test could begin on 11 May.

Select target paragraph3