Jul 13 1988
From The Space Library
In a setback for the Space Station program, the Senate approved a $10.1 billion appropriation for fiscal year 1989-$1.4 billion less than was requested by NASA and the Reagan administration. The legislation provided only $200 million of the estimated $767.4 million NASA said it needed to continue basic work on the Space Station program. An earlier House appropriations bill approved $902 million of the $967 mullion requested for the Station. Senior Reagan administration officials warned that the final version of the bill would provoke a Presidential veto if it lacked sufficient funding to continue the Space Station program. (UPI, Jul 13/88; WSJ, Jul 14/88; W Times, Jul 14/88; USA Today, Jul 14/88; LA Times, Jul 14/88)
An Indian-built rocket carrying a weather satellite malfunctioned and plunged into the Indian Ocean shortly after it was launched from India's Sriharikota Island launch facility. The five-stage, 80-foot rocket Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) apparently suffered a malfunction in the solid fueled first stage boosters. This was the second failure of the new rocket, which suffered a catastrophic malfunction during its first launch attempt in March 1987. The launch failure was interpreted by space experts as a major setback for India's civilian space and ballistic missile development programs. (NY Times, Jul 14/88; C Trib, Jul 14/88; P Inq, Jul 14/88; LA Times, Jul 14/88)
The Administrator appointed Edward A. Frankle to be NASA general counsel Frankle had been Deputy General Counsel since October 27, 1985. He began his career at NASA in September 1982, as Chief Counsel of the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. (NASA Release 88.98)
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