PARAGON WORKERS GET HIGH SIGN FOR THE X-33.Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer Giving the thumbs up Friday to workers at Paragon Precision Products, Richard Hilscher said things look good, but there's still lots to be done before the scheduled 1999 launch of the X-33 reusable spacecraft. Paragon workers have a part of the project - the company, which manufactures jet engine parts, is a subcontractor. Hilscher, Rocketdyne's X-33 program manager, said the new craft will be comparable to the 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. and will not require a crew but will be computer controlled. ``It has a larger engine, and it should be able to lift 83 times its weight,'' Hilscher said. Unlike the shuttle, the X-33 will not shed any parts, such as booster rockets, during flight. The craft is scheduled to make 15 flights in 1999, launching from Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. to landing fields in California, Utah and Montana. The X-33 will be fueled and serviced in a horizontal position horizontal position, n a posture in which the body lies flat and the feet and head remain on the same level. Also called supine. , then pointed skyward sky·ward adv. & adj. At or toward the sky. sky  wards adv. for launch. It will fly at 11,000 mph across the western part of the country, reaching Montana in a stunning 26 minutes. The launch will be vertical, and landing will be similar to conventional aircraft. The project is being developed under a $941 million contract between 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. and the federal government. Lockheed has subcontracted with Paragon Precision, the Valencia company founded in 1946 to manufacture rotating parts for jet engines, to help with the development of the craft. Paragon is now recognized as a top supplier for most of America's major aerospace and defense projects. The X-33 will go only to the edge of space and not into orbit. However, Hilscher said the unique production of the spacecraft will eventually lower the cost of putting satellites into space from $10,000 a pound to less than $1,000 a pound. ``It is a privilege to be a part of this. A tremendous amount of work has been done and a lot still needs to be done,'' Hilscher said. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--color) X-33 project manager Richard Hilscher thanks Paragon Precision Products employees. (2) Paragon President Larry Smith, left, Ken Pitt, X-33 project manager Richard Hilscher, Tad Shiner shiner: see minnow. shiner Any of several small freshwater fishes (genera Notemigonus and Notropis, family Cyprinidae). The common shiner (Notropis cornutus) is a blue and silver minnow up to 8 in. (20 cm) long. and Dick Bassett stand in front of a mock-up mock·up also mock-up n. 1. A usually full-sized scale model of a structure, used for demonstration, study, or testing. 2. A layout of printed matter. of the XRS-2000 Aerospike engine. Shaun Dyer/Special to Daily News |
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