Feb 6 1990
From The Space Library
NASA Administrator Richard Truly addressed the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and defended the projected 24 percent budget increase that President George Bush had proposed for the agency. Truly warned that any attempt to slash the budget would render the Space Station defunct, a project whose expected cost had risen from the original 1984 estimate of $8 billion to $20 billion, despite reduction in design. Also discussed was the status of the planned Shuttle-C, an crew-assisted heavy-lift cargo rocket that representatives claimed could be built by private industry. It was doubtful that the rocket could be ready in time to aid construction of the Space Station. William Lenoir, NASA Associate Administrator, said the new rocket was not necessary for building the Space Station, but would have other uses.
In a related matter, Truly released to the White House and Congress his plan to increase NASA's budget by 60 percent over the next three years: $15 billion in 1991, $17.6 billion in 1992, $19.3 billion in 1993. The increases, he said, were needed for the Space Station Freedom, the Earth Observing System, and crew-assisted Moon and Mars explorations. (Hearings before the Subcommittee on Space Science and Applications, Feb 6, 8, 21, 27/90; Sp News, Feb 15-11/90; H Chron, Feb 7/90; UPI, Feb 6/90)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
