engineers, and others engaged in research in aerospace science and technology.

Table 8-1 summarizes the status of the seven remaining active grants, two of which requested construction bids during the period.

RESEARCH GRANTS AND CONTRACTS

At the time of this report, approximately 1,300 project-oriented university grants and contracts resulting from the funding of unsolicited proposals were active. The activities reflect the interests and capabilities of investigators in areas related to the NASA mission.

The Office of University Affairs continued its efforts to ensure agency-wide program coordination and consistency in its dealings with universities, while gradually decentralizing some responsibility for university activities to the field centers. Basic policy guidelines and criteria for approval of foreign travel were distributed, and a senior policy advisory council was established representing NASA Centers and offices with substantial university involvement. Also, steps were taken to establish a computer-based system to provide prompt and complete programmatic and managerial information on the total NASA university program. System specifications were defined, input and output mechanisms established, and operational procedures were being developed.

Step Funding

Step funding, a method of ensuring stability of support for long-range academic research, was initiated by NASA in 1959 and further developed within the Sustaining University Program's multidisciplinary research grants.

A step-funded grant obligates funds for the support of a research project at the full level for the first year, 2/3 of that level for the second year, and 1/3 of full level for the third year. At the beginning of the second year, supplemental funds equal to one year of full support are awarded and spread over the following three years. When a decision is made to cease support of a step-funded grant no further funds are added, but the project still has a twoyear phase-out period at reducing levels, which enables the research to be concluded in an efficient and orderly manner. Twohundred grants operating on a step-funded basis were in effect.

The substantial progress made in NASA's scientific and technical information program was matched by advances in its educational programs and services. Far reaching effects of the Agency's technology utilization program were evident from the benefits many nonaerospace businesses, universities, and non-profit institutions were deriving from the use of information on Government sponsored aerospace research and development.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS and SERVICES

NASA provided audiovisual materials, consultants, exhibits, field trips, publications, and speakers to summer workshops serving over 10,000 teachers through more than 170 programs in 45 states and Puerto Rico. The workshops, funded by local districts, states, or the Federal Government, introduced background materials in aeronautics and space activities for classroom use and for developing new curricula. (NASA participated at the request of workshop directors.)

The six NASA award winners from the International Science Fair in Detroit-accompanied by a teacher of their choice-visited an Agency field installation which they chose. Winners came from California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas, and Michigan. (19th Semiannual Report. p. 135.)

Spacemobiles

In 7,160 presentations before school children and educational and civic groups, NASA's spacemobile lecture-demonstration

teams spoke on space science and exploration to 1,227,509 persons. Also, an estimated 12,526,622 people were reached through 82 radio and television programs. In addition, spacemobiles manned by local lecturers trained by NASA spacemobile specialists, were operated in Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Holland, Israel, and the Philippines.

Motion Pictures and Publications

Six new NASA informational-educational films and a new filmstrip were completed and released for loan to schools, civic and professional organizations, and TV stations. The films and 17 new educational publications are described in appendix N.

Television and Radio

Apollo Digest, a series of 30 five-to-ten-minute films on various aspects of the Apollo manned space flight program, was released for network and local television station news and documentary productions in December. TV stations used them before and during the Apollo 8 mission. The films were also made available for speakers, exhibits, spacemobile presentations, and other uses. The series is described in a brochure available from Television Productions/Services, Code FP, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. 20546.

Also, prints of other NASA films provided, upon request, to television networks and stations were seen by millions of viewers throughout the country. Special release was made of The Flight of Apollo 7 film to requesting television stations, and of the film America In Space: The First Decade. In addition, special audiovisual materials (films, film clips, prints of Apollo Digest films, graphics, and prints of NASA's Aeronautics and Space TV series) were distributed to television networks and stations during the Apollo 8 mission. They were used by the three major American TV networks, and, overseas, by the British Broadcasting Corporation, the British ITV network, the West German TV network, and others.

The Agency's television series Aeronautics and Space Report was distributed monthly to hundreds of requesting stations. These five-minute films included short features on a wide range of NASA projects and activities.

Twenty-six weekly five-minute taped programs on the Space Story were distributed to radio stations coast to coast. NASA Special Reports, a monthly 15 minute-program, was also sent to radio stations nationwide. In addition, taped interviews with

NASA field installation staff members and one minute-taped informational announcements, NASA Space Notes, were widely distributed to radio stations periodically.

SCIENTIFIC and TECHNICAL INFORMATION

In its scientific and technical information program, NASA developed software for the new Agency-wide network of remote consoles for "on-line" information retrieval (NASA/RECON); further expanded its current-awareness announcement service (NASA/SCAN) to meet the needs of NASA contractors and other Government agencies; and set up an experimental program to apply "user charges" for certain document services.

A detailed statement on progress in the RECON and SCAN (Selected Current Aerospace Notices) computerized information storage and retrieval systems was published in the 19th Semiannual Report, p. 136. The administrative change applied to the user charges is described in the following paragraphs.

User Charge Program

Cooperating with the Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information of the Department of Commerce, NASA has established this experimental program of user charges for certain document services, which were previously available without charge to Government agencies, contractors, and others directly engaged in aerospace activities. The program roughly parallels a charge system recently instituted by the Defense Documentation Center for the Department of Defense, and is consistent with principles being developed by the Committee on Scientific and Technical Information for uniform Federal practices in this area. It transfers to the Clearinghouse the responsibility for satisfying, at established prices, requests for "hard" (facsimile) copies of unclassified-unlimited documents announced through NASA's information system. Unchanged are primary distribution of NASA publications, secondary (request) distribution of all documents in microfiche form, and the distribution of classified or limited documents. This NASA-Clearinghouse arrangement will be reviewed in June 1969, its impact tentatively evaluated, and its terms revised as necessary.

Technical Publications

Several of the Agency's special publications, issued during the last six months of this year, are listed in appendix O.