Mar 19 2003
From The Space Library
NASA opened its inaugural annual Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) Summit at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans. SLEP was part of the new Integrated Space Transportation Plan (ISTP) established to “ensure the viability of the Space Shuttle Program.” NASA intended the annual summit to provide a forum to aid the U.S. spaceflight community in shaping long-range strategy, setting priorities, and determining the selection and recommendation process to sustain the Shuttle system. In the wake of the Columbia tragedy, the summit also addressed return-to-flight issues in its first meeting. The summit brought together approximately 200 government and aerospace industry professionals who heard from seven SLEP panels: Safety, Sustainability, Infrastructure, Aerospace Industry, Performance, Operations, and Resources. Panels consolidated and submitted their recommendations to NASA's Space Flight Leadership Council (SFLC), which then identified 60 candidate projects for further consideration and chartered a team to prepare an internal submission, which SLEP would vet over the summer, during NASA's upcoming FY 2005 budget process. SLEP intended to refine its long-term strategy further at the following year's summit. (NASA, “Space Shuttle Program Holds First Summit,” news release n03-030, 14 March 2003, http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2003/mar/HP_news_n03030.html (accessed 25 August 2008); NASA, “NASA Develops Long-Term Planning Process for Space Shuttle,” news release 03-119, 24 March 2003, http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2003/mar/HP_news_03119.html (accessed 25 August 2008).
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