NASA, CONTRACTOR REACH AGREEMENT ON SHUTTLE WORK.Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. moved a step closer to consolidating all space shuttle space shuttle, reusable U.S. space vehicle. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external tank. work under one contractor Friday when the agency signed agreements with United Space Alliance for launch processing and operations work. USA, a joint Rockwell/Lockheed Martin venture, will assume responsibility for shuttle shuttle: see loom. shuttle In the weaving of cloth, a spindle-shaped device used to carry the crosswise threads (weft) through the lengthwise threads (warp). Not all modern looms use a shuttle; shuttleless looms draw the weft from a nonmoving supply. processing, performed by Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral) U.S. launch site for manned space missions. [U.S. Hist.: WB, So:562] See : Astronautics , Fla., and for space operations conducted by Rockwell International Rockwell International was the ultimate incarnation of a series of companies under the sphere of influence of Willard Rockwell, who had made his fortune after the invention and successful launch of a new bearing system for truck axles in 1919. in support of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. USA is headquartered in Houston. The space flight operations contract announced Friday does not include space shuttle modification work, which is performed by Rockwell in Palmdale. ``We expect that it will be included in the space flight operations contract in the future,'' USA spokeswoman Barbara Zelon said. The formation of USA was announced in August 1995. Since then, USA officials have left open the decision of where they intend to perform space shuttle modifications. That decision, USA officials said, will be driven by NASA's needs and what the company can do to reduce costs. Rockwell is performing modifications to the orbiter Discovery at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale. In March, Rockwell announced it will perform modifications to the orbiter Endeavour at Palmdale beginning in August, about six weeks after Discovery is sent back to Florida. The move toward consolidating space shuttle operations under one prime contractor is part of a NASA plan to trim $5 billion from its budget by 2000. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion