Daniel O. Graham
Encyclopedia
Daniel O. Graham was a U.S. Army officer. Graham was born in Portland
, Oregon
and grew up in Medford
. He attended college at the United States Military Academy
at West Point
, the Army's Command and General Staff College, and graduated in 1946. He also attended the U.S. Army War College
and ultimately rose to the rank of Lieutenant General in the United States Army. Graham served in Germany, Korea, and Vietnam and received several decorations including some of the highest the United States military bestows: the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, and the Distinguished Intelligence Medal during his distinguished 30 year military career.
from 1967-1968 he was chief of the Army's military intelligence estimates.
Graham served again in the Office of National Estimates during 1968-1971, then served as Director of Collections for the Defense Intelligence Agency
in 1971. During 1973-1974 Graham served as Deputy Director of the CIA under Director William Colby
and from 1974-1976 he was the Director of the DIA. Ronald Reagan
called upon General Graham to be his military advisor for his 1976 and 1980 campaigns. General Graham is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame
.
In later years, Graham devoted a lot of time to the research and development of Single-Stage To Orbit (SSTO) spacecraft in conjunction with NASA
. McDonnell Douglas
was awarded a contract to build an SSTO test vehicle on August 16, 1991, and named it the DC-X for Delta Clipper Experimental. The name honored the firm's successful Thor
/Delta rocket
and recalled the famous 19th-century commercial clipper ships
. The McDonnell Douglas SSTO team saw the Delta Clipper as opening the "space trade routes in the same way that the Yankee Clipper
ships opened the sea trade routes." The needs of the commercial launch industry thus were integral to the thinking of the McDonnell Douglas DC-X team. General Graham envisioned the DC-X as the perfect inexpensive launch and delivery vehicle for his proposed Brilliant Pebbles space-based ballistic missile defense shield.
The first test launch of the DC-X was on August 18, 1993. The test flight verified flight control systems and vertical landing capabilities and was deemed a success after reaching a 46 m altitude in a 59 second flight. The second flight on 1993 September 11, 1993 tested ascent and landing mode control and ground effects survey, reaching 92 m in a 66 second flight. The third test flight on September 30, 1993 demonstrated 180 degree roll and provided aerostability data while reaching 370 m during 57 second flight. Unfortunately, this marked the last test of first series as the vehicle was mothballed when SDIO funding ran out.
On June 20, 1994, the DC-X rose once again for the first flight of second series after additional SDIO funding was received. Operating with a full propellent load, the flight tested the radar altimeter in control loop and reached an altitude of 870 m during a 136 second flight. Demonstrating an unplanned event on June 27, 1994, the DC-X became the first unmanned vehicle to save itself when an in-flight abort occurred after a gaseous hydrogen explosion. The vehicle demonstrated autoland its capabilities after reaching an altitude of 790 m during a 78 second flight. After repairs were made, the DC-X continued expansion of the flight envelope on May 16, 1995, demonstrating constant angle of attack after reaching an altitude of 1330 m during a 124 second flight. Graham was elated and continued to work closely with the program. Unfortunately, Graham would not live to see the full glory of the DC-X program. He died in December 1995.
On Friday, June 7, 1996 at White Sands, New Mexico
, the second series vehicle designated DC-XA was successfully launched. It flew to a height of 485 meters (1,600 ft) and then moved horizontally 105 meters (350 ft) before safely landing. After that flight, NASA officials announced that the DC-XA had been renamed the "Clipper Graham" in memory of Lt. General Daniel O. Graham. The next day, June 8, 1996, to demonstrate the quick-turnaround capability of the rocket, the Clipper Graham soared into the skies over the old White Sands Missile Range
to a height of 3,120 meters (10,300 ft) and stayed in the air for over two minutes before landing. That flight was the highest and longest the vehicle had ever flown until then. A lofty tribute to an SDI and SSTO pioneer.
Robert A. Heinlein
dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls
to
Graham and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy
.
After retiring from the army, Gen. Graham's goal was to promote a defense against nuclear weapons. The father of seven, he felt it was unconscionable to fail to protect the American public against nuclear attack. Also, as a student of military history, he was keenly aware that no weapon was abandoned until a defense made the weapon obsolete.
In 1981 Graham founded High Frontier, Inc.
, a private organization that promotes a kinetic-energy weapons approach to space-based defense with help from members of President Ronald Reagan's "Kitchen Cabinet".
According to Graham, he is considered by most to be the actual originator of the Strategic Defense Initiative
concept. However, the plan as put forward by Reagan also included an emphasis on directed energy technologies such as lasers and particle beams, in addition to the cheaper, "off the shelf" kinetic energy technologies promoted by Graham and High Frontier.
The Strategic Defense Initiative Organization was renamed by President Bill Clinton
to the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization on May 13, 1993 and continues today.
He was also a member of the American Freedom Coalition and was vice chairman of the U.S. Council for World Freedom, and served on the advisory board of a Unification Church
sponsored anticommunist association, CAUSA- USA.
-- President Ronald Reagan, March 1993
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and grew up in Medford
Medford, Oregon
Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...
. He attended college at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
, the Army's Command and General Staff College, and graduated in 1946. He also attended the U.S. Army War College
U.S. Army War College
The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks...
and ultimately rose to the rank of Lieutenant General in the United States Army. Graham served in Germany, Korea, and Vietnam and received several decorations including some of the highest the United States military bestows: the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, and the Distinguished Intelligence Medal during his distinguished 30 year military career.
History
From 1963-1966, Graham worked for the CIA in the Office of National Estimates. During the Vietnam warVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
from 1967-1968 he was chief of the Army's military intelligence estimates.
Graham served again in the Office of National Estimates during 1968-1971, then served as Director of Collections for the Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
in 1971. During 1973-1974 Graham served as Deputy Director of the CIA under Director William Colby
William Colby
William Egan Colby spent a career in intelligence for the United States, culminating in holding the post of Director of Central Intelligence from September 1973, to January 1976....
and from 1974-1976 he was the Director of the DIA. Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
called upon General Graham to be his military advisor for his 1976 and 1980 campaigns. General Graham is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame
Military Intelligence Hall of Fame
The Military Intelligence Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame established by the Military Intelligence Corps of the United States Army in 1988 to honor soldiers and civilians who have made exceptional contributions to Military Intelligence...
.
In later years, Graham devoted a lot of time to the research and development of Single-Stage To Orbit (SSTO) spacecraft in conjunction with NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
. McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...
was awarded a contract to build an SSTO test vehicle on August 16, 1991, and named it the DC-X for Delta Clipper Experimental. The name honored the firm's successful Thor
Thor (launch vehicle)
Thor was an American space launch vehicle derived from the PGM-17 Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile. The Thor rocket was the first in a large family of space launch vehicles that came to be known as Delta...
/Delta rocket
Delta rocket
Delta is a versatile family of expendable launch systems that has provided space launch capability in the United States since 1960. There have been more than 300 Delta rockets launched, with a 95 percent success rate. Two Delta launch systems – Delta II and Delta IV – are in active use...
and recalled the famous 19th-century commercial clipper ships
Clipper ships
At the 'crest of the clipper wave' year of 1852, there were 200 clippers rounding Cape Horn.Notable examples of the clipper ship include:* Archibald Russell, 1905, a steel-hulled 4-masted barque, 291.3 ft. x 43 ft. x 24 ft., built by Scott Shipbuilding and Engineering Co of Greenock...
. The McDonnell Douglas SSTO team saw the Delta Clipper as opening the "space trade routes in the same way that the Yankee Clipper
Yankee Clipper
Yankee Clipper can refer to:* Clipper ships developed by New Englanders in the mid-19th Century* A Pan American Airways Boeing 314 flying boat* The nickname of Joe DiMaggio, a Major League Baseball player* The Apollo 12 command module...
ships opened the sea trade routes." The needs of the commercial launch industry thus were integral to the thinking of the McDonnell Douglas DC-X team. General Graham envisioned the DC-X as the perfect inexpensive launch and delivery vehicle for his proposed Brilliant Pebbles space-based ballistic missile defense shield.
The first test launch of the DC-X was on August 18, 1993. The test flight verified flight control systems and vertical landing capabilities and was deemed a success after reaching a 46 m altitude in a 59 second flight. The second flight on 1993 September 11, 1993 tested ascent and landing mode control and ground effects survey, reaching 92 m in a 66 second flight. The third test flight on September 30, 1993 demonstrated 180 degree roll and provided aerostability data while reaching 370 m during 57 second flight. Unfortunately, this marked the last test of first series as the vehicle was mothballed when SDIO funding ran out.
On June 20, 1994, the DC-X rose once again for the first flight of second series after additional SDIO funding was received. Operating with a full propellent load, the flight tested the radar altimeter in control loop and reached an altitude of 870 m during a 136 second flight. Demonstrating an unplanned event on June 27, 1994, the DC-X became the first unmanned vehicle to save itself when an in-flight abort occurred after a gaseous hydrogen explosion. The vehicle demonstrated autoland its capabilities after reaching an altitude of 790 m during a 78 second flight. After repairs were made, the DC-X continued expansion of the flight envelope on May 16, 1995, demonstrating constant angle of attack after reaching an altitude of 1330 m during a 124 second flight. Graham was elated and continued to work closely with the program. Unfortunately, Graham would not live to see the full glory of the DC-X program. He died in December 1995.
On Friday, June 7, 1996 at White Sands, New Mexico
White Sands, New Mexico
White Sands is a census-designated place in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,323 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, the second series vehicle designated DC-XA was successfully launched. It flew to a height of 485 meters (1,600 ft) and then moved horizontally 105 meters (350 ft) before safely landing. After that flight, NASA officials announced that the DC-XA had been renamed the "Clipper Graham" in memory of Lt. General Daniel O. Graham. The next day, June 8, 1996, to demonstrate the quick-turnaround capability of the rocket, the Clipper Graham soared into the skies over the old White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
to a height of 3,120 meters (10,300 ft) and stayed in the air for over two minutes before landing. That flight was the highest and longest the vehicle had ever flown until then. A lofty tribute to an SDI and SSTO pioneer.
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls: A Comedy of Manners is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1985. Like many of his later novels, it features Lazarus Long and Jubal Harshaw as supporting characters.-Plot summary:...
to
Graham and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy
Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy
The Citizen's Advisory Council on National Space Policy was a group of prominent US citizens concerned with the space policy of the United States of America...
.
Political activism
Graham was chairman of the American Space Frontier Committee, the Coalition for the Strategic Defense Initiative, and in 1978 he became Co-Chairman of the Coalition for Peace through Strength.After retiring from the army, Gen. Graham's goal was to promote a defense against nuclear weapons. The father of seven, he felt it was unconscionable to fail to protect the American public against nuclear attack. Also, as a student of military history, he was keenly aware that no weapon was abandoned until a defense made the weapon obsolete.
In 1981 Graham founded High Frontier, Inc.
High Frontier
High Frontier may refer to:*High Frontier, an American group established in the 1980s by former Lieutenant General Daniel O. Graham to advocate for the Strategic Defense Initiative...
, a private organization that promotes a kinetic-energy weapons approach to space-based defense with help from members of President Ronald Reagan's "Kitchen Cabinet".
According to Graham, he is considered by most to be the actual originator of the Strategic Defense Initiative
Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative was proposed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983 to use ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The initiative focused on strategic defense rather than the prior strategic...
concept. However, the plan as put forward by Reagan also included an emphasis on directed energy technologies such as lasers and particle beams, in addition to the cheaper, "off the shelf" kinetic energy technologies promoted by Graham and High Frontier.
The Strategic Defense Initiative Organization was renamed by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
to the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization on May 13, 1993 and continues today.
Unification Church
The Unification Church is a new religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. In 1954, the Unification Church was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea, as The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity . In 1994, Moon gave the church...
sponsored anticommunist association, CAUSA- USA.
Quote From Ronald Reagan
"As you know, Dan, you and I were talking about missile defense before you set up High Frontier in September of '81...You and a small group of dedicated, determined people helped us move the SDI concept over all the roadblocks put up by people of less vision and belief in American capacity. God bless you!"-- President Ronald Reagan, March 1993