Saturday Session
The Saturday meeting was opened with a discussion by Dr. Berkner
concerning the problem that had come up on the Needles Experiment,
‘Dr..Berkner reported that the experiment as now proposed is acceptable
but that larger follow-up experiments might cause considerable interference
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with radio astronomy. A committee of the Space Science Board » headed by
' Dr. Porter, recommended that the whole project be declassified and that
it be publicized as a scientific experiment,
He wants to declaseify tke experiment:
part of it but keep the classification of the project. He also recommends
transfer from the DOD to NASA because it is really a passive communications
experiment, and that it probably should be used in some way, for example
bouncing TV.
It wae strongy recommended that it not be used to bounce,
for example, a picture of the President just before the Summit for fear that the
propaganda effect would backfire.
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It was also.strongly recommended that the
concerning thie experiment be given out as an IRE paper or a
paper at an Internatidnal Scientific Meeting. A parallel paper to the one
presented to the Space Science Board by Porter's committee .is. being prepared
to give the technical details df the Needles experiment and and an analysis of
its effects.
“
r
It will indicate what top astronomere such as Leo Goldberg think
about the radioastronomical effects of the Neadles experiment,
It appers that
Needles.is under the supervision of Lincoln Laboratory for the Defense Departmen!
at the present time,
Two men primarily responsibile for the technical analysis
ow?
of the effects areMike Villard of Stanford and Walt Morr of Cambridge.
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