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Actionable Information for the '90so

February 2, L995 I.Iashington, D. C. Vol. 9, No. 2

"It's the overall top amount that is the problem.,.it's close-to a billion dollars than we originally thought we were going to'get to work with."

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SUBS RAISING RED FI"AGS ENTERING CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

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As space scation prime contractor Boeing prePares to divide the $5.6 billion contracc with its subcontractors, a number of program subs are dollar complaining the deal rnay not contain enough money to keep the billion program operating at full-sPeed' The threat of a.l.ying production or canceling outright some station hardware has become a strong possibility, some subcontractors are saying. "Some of our people are very concerned with SfnflOf. flMELINE , the low number Boeing took, " a subcontractor flow official says' "Now, Boeing will have to Feb. 2: Station Phase One otficially costs down and if they do chat directly down to begins as Shuttle Discovery p(eparos us...I don't see any other alternative but to take to conduct fly{cy of Russia's Mir space content out. " station. Launch slated lor 1 a.m. (EST), [hardware] official did not specify what components fly-by lor 10 a.m (EST). The removed or how hardware delivery might be Feb 10: Station chief Wilbur Trafton sctedules might be irnpacted. These details will be uplates f'fnSe Advisory C;ouncil, NASA Headquarters, 10 C.m" Rm. 9H40. during the negotiations, which Boeing made clearer uP bY the end of APril plans to wraP l-ate Feb., EarlY March: Meeting of station partners and Russia in Ottawa, the program has been "scoured" Even though Canada to hammer out intergovrn' subs may now be foreed to take for savings before, mental diplomatic and legal framework more cosJ cutting measures, including: delaying for station. hardware production; removing some hardware; council meeting on
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delaying testing and verification; and pushing costl lurther down to their subcontractors ' industry and congressional sources say' "threat of hardware cancellation While the subs enter negotiations] "could be posturing Iasthe process to tell " a ' too etrly" i'' . . . it's source says ' Capitol Hill

March 22' 23: ESA station. Final decision on clmmitment to station elPedeq at ministerial meeting in November. Aprll 31: Boeing exPests to sign
c-ontracts with station oubcontractors'

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SPACE STATION NEI{S,

February

2,

1995

Page 8

chair,sen.BarbaraMikulski(D-Md.),whowasrecentlyelectedSecretaryofthe
Denocratic Congressional Conference.
MDC STATION TESTING COMPONENTS ARRfVE AT BOEING. McDonnell Douglas Jan. 13 delivered to Boeing a replica of hardware to be used to evaluate station assenbly procedures. Ihe eluipment, which will be flor'rn on shuttle in Nov l-995' consiscl of 43 ,ir. harness assemblies and 18 fluid line assernblies. Aslronauts will practlce connecting and disconnecting the electrical and fluid lines in Ehe zero gravity environment during the shuttle mission.
CHECHNYA IMPACT ON STATION NOT CLEAR. rhe recent fishtins between Moscow and Chechnyan rebels has been a growing thorn in U.S. -Russian relations but it is still unclear \^that irnpact it night have on the station Project, officials say. "There hasn't been any real heat from Congress on this right now...the inpact renains to be seen, " Bob Clarke, NASA'S Point man for incernational affairs, told us. Marcia Smith, who follows Russian space issues at the Congressional Research Institute, adds that the longer the Chechnya situation drags out, the rnore ic will drain on Russia's overall budge!. "one would imagine space funding would eventually suffer," she said. MEETINGS PAYING WAY FOR RESTRUCTURED STATION AGREEMENT. Meetinss on station's Intergoverrmental Agreernent held in Washington, D.C., the week of Jan. 16 were a najor boost to the effort to hatruner out the international agreernent, according to European space officials. "This round of negotiations was quite productive," a European official told us Jan. 25. 'A1I the partners are beginning to come together and we're converging on a final text for the IGA. " The IGA was first written up in 1988 under the Space Station Freedon program and spells out political and diplornatic guidelines for station participacion and util ization.
TASTE BUDS IN SPACE. cet ready for the world's most bizarre taste test when Space Shuttle Discovery conducts a fly-by mission of Russia's Mir space station beginning Feb. 2. The $750,000 test \,/iII see Coke square off against Diet Coke with Discovery's crew as both judge and jury. Apparently, taste buds become less sensitive in space much like those of old and young people here on Earch. CocaCola hopes to use the information galhered to help pharrnaceutical cornpanies nake better tasting medicines. "They say they won't use the roission as an advercising stunt, " a NASA source says. "Buc we don't really believe them." Shuttle is slated to launch at 1a.n. EST and pass bv Mir nine hours later at 10 a.m. EST.

VAUGIIAN, GREENE NAMED TO STATION POSTS ATJSC. nese has setecred chescer "chet" vaughan to fill the newly created position of chief engineer for the station program. Jay Greene has been chosen to serve as the proje-t manager for space shuttle at the Projects Office at Johnson Space Center.

Sincerely,

V, Hrhn
It.lr:f_orward any

Randall Krongard, Editor Seth Arens te in, Managing Ed.itor

about-Space Station you nay have Krongard l:$111 - s6ss. ar llt1 Norrh tgrh st., Sre. 503, Arlinlton, Va., to Editor 7O3/s22 22209. phone: FAX: 703/522 _6448.
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