October 1974
From The Space Library
“Its View of Earth”, “Outpost in Space” and “The Sun Unveiled” articles appear in National Geographic Magazine
The space shuttle Operational Management Assessment Team was formed to make "an appraisal of the technical aspects of the program and an assessment of the ability of management to complete the development of the shuttle within the cost and performance targets." Composed primarily of industry representatives and named for its chair-man, Willis M. Hawkins of Lockheed Aircraft Corp., the Hawkins Committee was to prepare a formal briefing no later than 1 Nov. Inflation levels of 8-9%, well over the 5% on which FY 1975 funding was based, had increased costs throughout the shuttle program and compromised the ability of NASA and the prime contractors to reach their program mile-stones. (Team charter; Covault, Av Wk, 23 Sept 74, 20-2)
The European Space Research Organization rejected a plan to install a launch pad for the McDonnell Douglas Thor-Delta launch vehicle at the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana. The ESRO decision, which followed a four-month feasibility study, cited the high cost of installing the pad-set at approximately $50 million-as the reason for the rejection. The press speculated that, although proponents of the proposal con-tended the Thor-Delta launch capability would complement the European Ariane launcher under development, the plan might have run into op-position from Ariane supporters who feared competition.
NASA, when queried by ESRO officials, had voiced no objections to the plan even though the equatorial launch site would have increased the vehicle's orbital weight capacity by about 20% over launches from the U.S., making the site an economical alternative for commercial custom-ers. (Av Wk, 4 Nov 74, 21; GSFC Delta Proj Off, interview, 5 Dec 75)
David Baker's annual review of the NASA budget in Spaceflight concluded that the FY 1975 NASA budget marked "a significant turning point," because the cuts were not as drastic as they had been in recent years, and, most important, there was a major increase for new programs-from $10.5 million in 1974 to $37.7 million. This led Baker to label "a trifle premature" his prediction of a year earlier that NASA might be relegated indefinitely to the role of serving "as a launch vehicle for satellites and space probes of other agencies, organizations, and nations." (SF, Oct 74, 362-5)
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