Mission Man on the Moon 1968
Thomas Jefferson Model United Nations
Conference
TechMUN 2017
High School Crisis
Chairs: Shivam Kollur and Varun Saraswathula
Director: Niharika Vattikonda
TechMUN || Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology ||
April 21-22, 2017
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Letters from Your Director and Chairs
A note from Niharika...
Welcome to TechMUN 2017! My name is
Niharika Vattikonda, and I will be your
crisis director for Mission: “Man on the
Moon” 1968. I’m excited to see committee
take action on both of our fascinating topics
while making sure that the Soviet Union
doesn’t get to the moon first! I’m a junior at
TJ, and I’ve been a member of TJMUN for
three years now. Outside of MUN, I am an
officer for Coding Lady Colonials and a
member of the HackTJ Organizing Team,
and in my free time, I’m most likely watching Madam Secretary, Designated Survivor, or
Grey’s Anatomy. In the future, I hope to study Computer Science and Political Science to
pursue a career at the intersection of government and technology entrepreneurship.
For those of you who are new to crisis, unlike your chairs, I will not be serving on the
dais, but rather I will be creating crises for committee to solve and responding to your
directives behind the scenes. In both public and private directives, I will be looking for
creative solutions that may not have been implemented in 1968 but are still grounded in
what would have been technologically feasible at the time. For individual delegates’
private directives, I hope to see well thought-out arcs that adapt to the changing crisis
environment and ultimately promote your own interests in committee. Good luck in
your research and I look forward to seeing you in April!
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A note from Shivam...
Welcome to TechMUN 2017! My name
is Shivam Kollur, and I will be serving as
one of your co-chairs for Mission: “Man
on the Moon” 1968. I can’t wait to see
this committee work towards engaging
each topic in the important quest to
outdo the Soviets and reach the moon
first. I’m a senior and TJ, and am in my
third year of MUN. I also serve as
captain of TJ’s Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Team and enjoy binging Netflix, reading
philosophy, and bouncing around Wikipedia pages. Though I don’t quite know where I’ll
be spending the next 4 years, I hope to study Business and International Relations.
My role in this committee is going to be to moderate debate and observe how you work
to adapt to the crises that Niharika throws at you. I’ll be looking for productive debate,
poise and composure in speaking, and creativity in committee strategy. I hope that this
committee can give you an enjoyable experience to point to in the future, and good luck
in your research!
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A note from Varun...
Hello delegates! Welcome to TechMUN. My
name is Varun Saraswathula, and I will be
one of your co-chairs for Mission: “Man on
the Moon” 1968. I’m really excited to see all
of your hard work and research, and see how
you will respond to what we are going to
throw at you! I am a junior at TJ and in my
third year of Model UN. In addition to MUN,
I love to read and watch Netflix, as well as
run when the weather permits. I hope to
study chemical engineering in college and
work in industry in the future. I look forward
to meeting all of you April; happy researching!
If you have any questions about committee, crisis, or MUN in general, please send us an
email at [email protected].
Best Wishes,
Niharika, Varun, and Shivam
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Starting Point: September 16th, 1968
This committee will start on September 16th, 1968, the day after the Soviet Union
launched the Zond 5 with a biological payload (“Timeline of Space Exploration”). Over a
year ago, on January 27th, 1967, Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee
were killed in a fire during an onboard test on Apollo 1 in Cape Kennedy, Florida. These
were the first American spacemen who were killed on the job, and investigations showed
that the Apollo spacecraft had significant structural designs and that NASA needed a
comprehensive emergency readiness plan (The Learning Network). While NASA has
suffered multiple setbacks, the Space Race is a matter of national pride, as the winner of
this race not just shows which country has the best technology and military capabilities,
but rather which political system, communism or capitalism, can be successful (The
White House Historical Association).
The Soviets have faced challenges as well, as the death of Sergey Korolyov, the
Chief Engineer of the Soviet space program, in early 1966 led to some internal disorder
regarding the space program’s priorities (History.com). In the past two years, the
Soviets have largely overcome this obstacle, making significant headway in their quest to
have a Soviet land on the moon. At the time of this committee, the Soviets just launched
the Zond 5, which is carrying a biological payload to the moon and is likely to succeed
upon reentry, but United States has yet to launch the first crewed Apollo flight, a
necessary prerequisite to a manned journey to the moon (National Aeronautics and
Space Administration). This committee’s most recent action was to launch Apollo 6, the
final unmanned test of the Apollo spacecraft, on April 4th, 1968. While the Command
Module was recovered in good condition, this flight exposed major flaws that must be
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corrected for any future manned flight (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration).
This background guide will develop a background for the current state of the
Space Race and pose questions that you must consider for how to move forward with
both technological development and espionage. The discussion on past events and
technological developments in the US and the USSR is meant to provide a knowledge
base as to what is within the possibilities for crisis, especially with regards to your
personal directives. Since this is a historical and scientific committee, you will be
confined to the technologies available or in development at the time, but feel free to be
creative in starting new research and development projects to acquire better
technologies for the Apollo spacecraft. While this is a historical committee, this does
NOT mean, however, that you need to or will even be able to follow the historical path of
this committee - only your actions will decide how the United States’ space program and
our mission will succeed or fail.
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Topic 1: Technological Development
Over a decade has passed since the USSR launched Sputnik 1, the world’s first
artificial satellite and the first man-made object placed in Earth’s orbit, on October 4th,
1957, while also demonstrating the potentially deadly power of the Soviet R-7
intercontinental ballistic missile that was used to launch Sputnik. The next year marked
the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the
launch of the U.S. Army-designed Explorer I satellite (History.com). In the earlier years
of the space program, the Soviet Union held a significant advantage, having sent the first
human, Yuri Gagarin, into orbit in 1961, while the U.S. sent Alan Shepard into space,
albeit not into orbit, just a month after (“Timeline of Space Exploration”). While public
confidence in NASA remained high in the early 1960s, with the NASA budget increasing
by almost 500% between 1961 and 1964, in January 1967, a fire onboard the Apollo 1
launch simulation killed three astronauts, setting back the Apollo missions and the
public’s trust in space exploration.
The United States has also had similar fatal technological failures in the past,
such as the death of Michael J. Adams during a test flight mission known as X-15 Flight
191. Adams was test flying an experimental, hyper-sonic, rocket-powered aircraft called
the North American X-15, when the aircraft fractured into pieces minutes into the
launch, resulting in the death of Adams and the destruction of the aircraft (National
Aeronautics and Space Association). More recently, Apollo 6 was launched on April 4th,
1968 as a final unmanned test of the Apollo spacecraft, and several problems occurred
during the course of the mission that was primary designed to test the integrity of the
Saturn V launch vehicle and Apollo spacecraft. Just two minutes and five seconds after
launch, the Saturn V launch vehicle underwent a pogo oscillation, although this did not
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damage the Apollo spacecraft. Unrelated to this issue, the Lunar Module (LM) adapter
lost structural panels, and during the second stage burn, two of the five J-2 engines
(second stage) shut down, which prevented the spacecraft from reaching the 175 km
orbit that had been planned for. The lunar reentry was relatively successful, as the
Command Module was recovered in good condition, although the reentry velocity was
slightly less than what had been accounted for (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration).
Figure 1. Diagram of the Saturn V/Apollo Vehicle identifying the primary engines, some
of which malfunctioned during the Apollo 6 flight. (Courtesy of the U.S. Space and
Rocket Center Archives)
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Figure 2. Diagram showing the stages at which certain engines were to be
disengaged, leading up to the Apollo spacecraft in the final stage, although this
was not accomplished during the Apollo 6 flight. (Adapted from NASA Facts 33
Saturn V Poster)
However, while correcting the flaws of these imperfect launches may be
satisfactory for the next mission to launch a manned journey to the moon, the space
program as a whole must continue to encourage technological developments that will
increase our understanding of space as a whole and lay the groundwork for future
missions beyond the moon. Ideally, the objectives of a manned mission to the moon will
also include taking research samples of lunar materials and/or deploying equipment
that can be used in future experiments, such as solar wind research, seismic
experimentation, or communications that transmit signals back to Earth (National Air
and Space Museum). Moreover, a manned mission to the moon will allow NASA to
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collect lunar surface material and take up close pictures of the moon to be used in future
research (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
Questions to Consider:
1. How can cooperation with the private sector or with the Department of Defense
help advance technological development for future Apollo missions?
2. How should current Apollo missions be adjusted so as to not impede future
missions by causing an accumulation of “space junk” in orbit?
3. Which research priorities will be given the most importance in deciding which
experiments will be conducted on the moon or which research agencies will
receive materials brought back from any manned moon exploration?
4. Public confidence in NASA has eroded in the past few years, especially as the
Soviet Union has surged ahead, so how can NASA improve relations with the
public which will allow funding to continue?
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Works Cited
History.com. "The Space Race." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 19
Feb. 2017.
"Michael J. Adams Biography." NASA History Office. NASA, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2017.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "Apollo 11 Mission Overview."
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, 17 Apr. 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "Apollo 6." NASA Space Science Data
Coordinated Archive. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, n.d. Web.
19 Feb. 2017.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "Zond 5." NASA Space Science Data
Coordinated Archive. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, n.d. Web.
19 Feb. 2017.
National Air and Space Museum. "Scientific Experiments." Apollo to the Moon. National
Air and Space Museum, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
The Learning Network. "Jan. 27, 1967 | Three Astronauts Killed in Apollo 1 Fire." The
New York Times. The New York Times, 27 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
"Timeline of Space Exploration." TheSpaceRace.com. TheSpaceRace.com, n.d. Web. 19
Feb. 2017.
The White House Historical Association. "John F. Kennedy and the Space Race." The
White House Historical Association. The White House Historical Association,
n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
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Topic 2: Espionage
In 1958, just a decade ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), designated to explore the “final
frontier,” and bring back information about the vast unknown of outer space
(History.com). While American satellites have been launched and American men have
been to space, space exploration is not only about scientific discovery; it has an alternate
purpose that is perhaps a driving factor in the development of new technologies and
policies: espionage. In July 1955, President Eisenhower proposed an “Open Skies” policy
which would have allowed both the United States and the Soviet Union to fly
reconnaissance aircraft over each other, but the Soviet Union rejected the proposal,
requiring President Eisenhower to investigate other forms of gathering intelligence.
Space proved to be an excellent alternative, because it allowed for safely spying over
other territories without permission, but also without any repercussions, because
satellites cannot be shot down from Earth (“Space Race Timeline”).
The Soviets were the first to implement that idea, with the launch of Sputnik, the
first man-made satellite to ever orbit Earth. They then followed Sputnik with the launch
of Sputnik II, which carried the first animal (a dog named Laika) into a space. At first,
the United States seemed to lag behind, with several failed attempts at a satellite, but
their quickly caught up to the Soviets with the launch of Explorer 1, the first American
satellite. However, mere satellites were not enough: by 1959, both the United States and
the Soviet Union had their eyes set on the moon. Once again, the Soviets were the first
to reach this goal, with the spacecraft Luna 2, which reached the moon’s surface, but
Luna 3 (launched one month later) also managed to photograph the surface of the dark
side of the moon (“Spies, Lies, and Paranoia”). This was alarming, because if the Soviets
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had the capability to photograph the moon and receive those images, they certainly had
the ability to do that to American soil. Luna 3 made the possibility of espionage very
real, thus making space exploration much more important for the United States.
Figure 3. The dark side of the moon, photographed by Luna 3 in 1959.
By the late 1950s, the United States also became deeply involved in espionage
through space exploration. With the creation of the classified National Reconnaissance
Office and national security oriented space program code-named Corona in 1958,
espionage and intelligence became very real in the United States space program (“The
Corona Story”). Corona was a huge undertaking by the United States, including three
main groups: the CIA, the Air Force, and various companies in private industry.
Although Corona had many failures, by 1960, Corona’s first successful flight collected
almost 3,000 feet of film from space and covered more than 1.5 million miles of Soviet
territory (“A Look Back … CORONA: The Nation’s First Photoreconnaissance Satellite”).
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Corona missions were fairly successful, with satellites being able to take crisp images
from space, allowing for high resolution images from space (Richelson). Corona was a
successful alternative to other American espionage plans, which originally planned to
send men into the space to collect reconnaissance on countries like the Soviet Union
(“Spies in Space”). While putting a man on the moon certainly beats the Soviets in the
race to get there, we must also treat it as an opportunity to advance espionage and
protect American interests abroad using the technology developed, whether it be
through new cameras and imaging, aircrafts and rockets, or other technologies.
Figure 4. A 1967 test photograph from a Corona satellite.
However, this committee must be wary of not just satellite-based espionage, but
more traditional spy methods as well, as the Soviet Union is likely to have spies within
the space program and, more generally, the federal government to steal NASA’s
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engineering and design secrets. In fact, documents from World War II have shown us
that Soviet intelligence has often focused on turning scientists involved in arms
development or, in this case, spacecraft engineering against the United States; the most
famous one of these Soviet assets was Robert Oppenheimer. An investigation by the
Atomic Energy Commission determined that Oppenheimer, while serving as the director
for the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bomb, had direct connections with
Soviet intelligence. He and his family continually espoused Communist causes, and
there has been significant evidence that he recruited Communists to work on the
project; his opposition to develop the hydrogen bomb in spite of President Truman’s
orders were also cited as an example of his disloyalty to the United States
(“Oppenheimer Hearings”). This committee must seek to avoid any similar acts of
treason against the space program, which could cost the United States its global
standing; however, Oppenheimer was approached to spy for the KGB not by a Soviet,
but by Haakon Chevalier, an American professor, so simply targeting Soviet citizens will
not resolve the threats of KGB spies in the United States.
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Questions to Consider:
1. How can NASA work with organizations like the CIA and State Department to
improve American intelligence and promote American interests?
2. How should intelligence priorities and technological development to aid
intelligence be weighed against other research and development priorities for the
Apollo mission?
3. What can NASA do to improve its satellite technology to improve the quality of
American intelligence and the ability to conduct long-distance surveillance?
4. How can organizations like the CIA and the State Department use intelligence
from space to aid intelligence campaigns on the ground?
5. What can NASA do to deploy counter-surveillance against possible Soviet
satellites that may have been taking pictures of secure American sites?
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Works Cited
"A Look Back … CORONA: The Nation’s First Photoreconnaissance Satellite." Central
Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 30 Apr. 2013. Web. 19 Feb.
2017.
History.com Staff. "The Space Race." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010.
Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
"Oppenheimer Hearings." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.
Richelson, Jeffery T. "U.S. Intelligence and the Soviet Space Program." National
Security Archive. George Washington University, 4 Feb. 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
"Space Race Timeline." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
"Spies in Space." Spies in Space. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, n.d.
Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
"Spies, Lies, and Paranoia." Truman Library. University of Missouri, n.d. Web. 19 Feb.
2017.
"The Corona Story." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 27 May
2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
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Mission: “Man on the Moon” 1968 Positions
This committee will include a mix of both NASA and non-NASA positions. Some
positions, indicated by an asterisk are not necessarily formal positions, but embody
important responsibilities regardless. Also, because NASA’s organizational hierarchy at
the time of this committee was so fluid and certain individuals may have had increased
jurisdiction over what are now separate departments or centers, the positions in this
committee are more aligned to the current NASA organizational hierarchy and you will
derive your portfolio powers from these positions rather than the specific individual who
held the office at the time, which can be found at
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/organizationchart_nov2015.pdf.
If you have any questions about your position, please direct your questions to
[email protected].
Chief Financial Officer: Maintains financial conditions of the organization and
makes sure that resources are deployed effectively.
Chief Information Officer: Ensures that information assets are acquired and
deployed in a manner that is consistent with federal policies and regulations as well as
NASA's strategic goals.
Chief Technologist: Creates vision for future technological development and
coordinates assets for research and development.
Chief Scientist: Principal advisor to NASA's administrator in terms of science issues
as well as an outlet for communication to the general public.
Chief Health and Medical Officer: Responsible for policy and oversight of all health
and medical issues at NASA.
Chief, Safety and Mission Assurance: Assures safety and enhances success of
NASA activities through development, implementation, and oversight over quality
assurance procedures.
Richard M. Helms, Director of CIA: Head of the Central Intelligence Agency,
which controls the collection and evaluation of all foreign intelligence.
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J. Edgar Hoover, Director of FBI: Head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
which has jurisdiction over intelligence and law enforcement to uphold national
security.
George P. Miller, Chairman of the House Committee for Science and
Aeronautics: Chairman of the House Committee for Science and Aeronautics, which
has legislative jurisdiction and special oversight of national space policy and exploration
and use of outer space.
Clinton P Anderson, Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space
Sciences: Senate committee has jurisdiction over the NASA and all aeronautical and
space sciences generally and is permitted to review military and civilian space activities
of the United States.
James Robert Jones, Chief of Staff: Primary means of contact between NASA and
the White House, advising the President based on NASA recommendations.
NASA Associate Director of the Office of Communications: Maintains public
engagement through media and official statements to inform the public of NASA's
progress and goals.
Associate Administrator of International and Interagency Relations: Office
of International and Interagency Relations provides coordination for all NASA
international activities and partnerships between NASA and other U.S. Executive
Branch offices and agencies.
Associate Administrator of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs: Office
of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs provides coordination of all
communications between NASA and the United States Congress as well as state and
local governments.
Associate Administrator of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate:
Directorate is responsible for NASA's aeronautic research and application in general
aviation, commercial aviation, and military aviation.
Associate Administrator of the Space Technology Mission Directorate:
Directorate is responsible for developing and designing the implementation of new
technology to be used in current and future NASA missions.
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NASA Associate Administrator for Education: Maintains oversight of education
expenditures across the agency to ensure that investments meet NASA's goal for the
promotion of education.
United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union: Head of diplomatic relations
with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
Liaison to the Office of Space and Advanced Technology (State
Department)*: Means of communication to office, which is underneath State
Department, ensuring that space activities support foreign policy objectives and
enhance America's technological competitiveness.
Liaison to the Department of Defense*: Means of communication to Department
of Defense, which is in charge of government agencies and functions relating to national
security and the United States Armed Forces.
Harold Brown, Secretary of the Air Force: Has the authority to dictate, and is
responsible for, all affairs of the Department of the Air Force.
Charles Harrington, Chairman of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel:
Head of the panel, which evaluates NASA's safety performance and advises agency on
ways to improve.
Director of the Langley Research Center: Coordinates space technology
development and testing that is conducted at the Langley Research Center.
Director of NASA Management Office: In charge of oversight over NASA's long
term projects and initiatives in research and development that are not able to be directly
managed by specific sectors.
Director of the Johnson Space Center (NASA Manned Spacecraft Center):
Coordinates human spaceflight research, training, and flight control activities conducted
at the Johnson Space Center.
Paul R. Ignatius, Secretary of the Navy: Has the authority to dictate, and is
responsible for, all of affairs of the Department of the Navy.
NASA General Counsel: The Office of the General Counsel provides leadership
regarding legal services related to all aspects of NASA activities for Center Chief and
Patent Counsel and, for Agency-wide issues, the Administrator.
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Helpful Links
● Timeline of the Space Race: http://www.thespacerace.com/timeline/
● Project Apollo Technical Drawings and Diagrams:
https://history.nasa.gov/diagrams/apollo.html
● All Apollo Missions: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo.html
● NASA’s Retrospective Analysis on the Apollo Project:
https://history.nasa.gov/Apollomon/Apollo.html
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