I'd appreciate any comments and suggestions, and would be happy to answer any questions.
The proposal which you have outlined in your correspondence is obviously conceptual in nature, and describes a project which, if undertaken, would involve a significant expenditure of time and money to transport materials from the lunar surface to the earth. For your information, the lunar landing of the Apollo 17 mission which is now scheduled to take place in December, 1972, will conclude NASA's program to investigate the lunar surface, at least so far as the immediate future is concerned. Following termination of the Apollo program, we shall move on during the remainder of this decade to the Skylab program and subsequently, to the Space Shuttle program. You will find enclosed a copy of NASA EP-81 entitled: Man in Space (Space in the Seventies), which explains how NASA plans to accomplish the objectives of these programs. Present and future budgetary committments to attain the goals outlined in this booklet will not permit the consideration of expentitures for extensive new projects such as the one you have submitted, and we are therefore not able to make a favorable recommendation with respect to your proposal. In your letter to Dr. Low, we inferred that you were requesting that NASA contribute funds for the promotion of the project you have proposed. We believe you should be aware of the regulations that apply to joint projects involving the expenditure of NASA funds and, for that purpose, are also sending you a copy of a NASA booklet entitled "Guide to Policies and Procedures for Sponsored Research" which we believe you will find informative and helpful.
The successful completion of the concept which you have proposed would depend upon the verification of a number of unsubstantiated assertions that are made in your presentation, and there is, of course no certainty that such confirmation could be extablished. This is an additional and importatnt reason for deferring consideration of your concept. Although we cannot make a favorable recommendation in response to your proposal, we do want to thank you for permitting us to examine its contents, and to express our appreciation for your interest in contributing to the advancement of NASA's future program.