July 1984
From The Space Library
NASA announced the appointment of C. Robert Nysmith as associate administrator of management, effective August 26, 1984. He would succeed John Boyd, who would return to ARC to become associate director. Nysmith had served as assistant associate administrator for management since January 1984. Before that, he was assistant associate administrator for management support in the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology. (NASA Release 84-107)
NASA announced the appointment of Jesse W. Moore to associate administrator for space flight, effective August 1, 1984. Moore had been serving as the acting associate administrator for space flight since April 15, 1984. He was appointed deputy associate administrator for space flight in February 1983. Moore came to NASA Headquarters in 1978 as deputy director of the Solar Terrestrial Division in the Office of Space Science. In June 1979 he was appointed director of the Space Flight Division. He assumed the position of director, Earth and Planetary Exploration Division, in December 1981. Prior to these assignments he was employed at JPL. (NASA Release 84-105)
Effective August 1, 1984, the Interim Space Station Program Office would become the permanent Office of Space Station (Code S), NASA announced. Philip E. Culbertson would be the associate administrator for space station and John D. Hodge would be the deputy associate administrator for space station. The Office of Space Station was responsible for developing the Space Station and conducting advanced development and technology activities, advanced planning, and other activities required to carry out President Reagan's direction to NASA to develop a permanently manned Space Station within a decade. (NASA anno July 27/84; NASA Release 84-104)
Intervia reported that Transpace Carriers Inc. (TCI) was challenging in the United States the pricing policies of the European multinational company Arianespace. TCI, a Washington-based firm, had earlier received the go-ahead to take over the Delta launcher following completion of existing NASA contracts and subject to the provision that TCI secured three new customers before October 1, 1984.
TCI lodged a complaint with the U.S. Trade Representative, alleging that Arianespace was practicing "predatory" pricing by offering users from non-ESA member countries (notably U.S. commercial satellite operators) rates that were up to 33 percent below launch fees quoted for European satellites. So far, both the Space Shuttle and Ariane were generally agreed to have been operating at unprofitable "introductory" prices; NASA had put Delta-class satellites into geostationary orbit for around $15 million, including the PAM-D upper stage. General Telephone & Electronics (GTE) reported paid Arianespace "under $25 million" for the Spacenet 1 launch.
The complaint raised by TCI applied only to contracts for launch after 1985, the earliest date it could begin operations. TCI President Tony L. Savoca said that his company would charge between $26 and $32 million, according to launch requirements. He claimed that he had heard of Arianespace bids as low as $22 million for the same time period and added that Arianespace "should be charging" around $64 million for a dual (SYLDA) launch on Ariane III. (Intervia, July 7/84, 643)
George M. Low, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a driving force in the Apollo moon landing program, died July 17 of cancer. The White House announced that he would be awarded the President's Medal of Freedom for his contributions to education and the nation's space program.
In his 27 years with NASA and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Low served as an. engineer and manager in the Mercury and Gemini programs and was put in charge of redesigning the Apollo spacecraft after a fire on the launching pad. killed three astronauts in 1967. Later he became deputy administrator of NASA and acting administrator in the early 1970s when he negotiated the initial agreements leading to the joint American-Soviet mission in August 1975. (NY Times, July 18/84, B-8)
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