Yep, direct hit. FORTRAN was the de facto language in engineering and scientific circles. The 7-track tapes were phased out by the mid 1960s; but, now that I think about it, the government probably used them a lot longer.
I worked at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville in the 1973-1975 time frame, and handled an awful lot of 9-track tapes. I bet some of the 7-track units were lurking there.