Apr 12 1996
From The Space Library
NASA and the scientific community celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Space Shuttle program. NASA had adopted the Shuttle as a means of controlling the costs of exploring space. However, NASA conceded that, since its deployment, the Shuttle had flown only nine times per year, compared with the 24 to 60 Shuttle flights per year anticipated. Furthermore, the cost of flying the Shuttle had reached almost US$500,000 more per mission than expected. During its first 15 years, the Shuttles had flown 76 missions, including 51 following the Challenger accident. The Shuttles had transported 545 tons (490,000 kilograms or 490 tonnes) of payloads to space, bringing back to Earth 18.5 tons (17,000 kilograms or 17 tonnes) of payloads. During the same period, 440 astronauts from 12 countries flew aboard the Shuttles. NASA experts predicted that the Shuttle would remain the primary vehicle of space exploration well into the 21St century.
NASA completed the first step in its transition to using a single contractor to conduct all Shuttle operations, signing two novation agreements with the newly formed United Space Alliance (USA). NASA had announced in 1995 that it would consolidate its Shuttle operations under a single contract with USA, on a noncompetitive basis. When Rockwell International Corporation and Lockheed Martin Corporation developed USA as a joint venture, the two companies already held nearly 70 percent of the dollar value of all Shuttle-related contracts. NASA officials expected that the move to a single contract would reduce costs by eliminating duplicative work and streamlining management.
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