May 15 1986
From The Space Library
NASA and Boeing Aerospace Company entered into an agreement concerning materials processing experiments. Crystals of a size and quality impossible to create on Earth would be attempted aboard three Space Shuttle flights. Working with the University of Alabama, Boeing agreed to fund the experiments, including a chemical vapor transport crystal growth furnace installed in the galley area. These crystals were expected to be of the type valuable in the commercial production of semiconductor and electro-optic devices. The experiments would underscore NASA's commitment to the development of commercial endeavors in space, and would continue with the Space Station. (NASA Release 86-62)
Space agency officials announced that it would cost $625 million to get the remaining Shuttle fleet off the ground. The money would go to salvage and investigation costs ($43 million), spare parts ($46 million), and corrective actions ($537 million). The corrective actions included redesign of the solid-fuel rocket booster, changes in the main engine, and changes in steering, braking and other systems, but not escape options for the crew. The Senate Appropriations Committee trimmed the request to $526 million because, it was reasoned, the agency could not spend all of its money before the fiscal year ended on September 30.
Other officials from NASA met with President Ronald Reagan to discuss the Nation's launch capability and requested $2.8 billion to replace the Challenger. The request, which was part of a $5 billion to $8 billion total that included expendable launch vehicles, violated the deficit reduction Gramm-Rudman law. Chief of Staff Donald Reagan questioned the need for a new Shuttle that might be outdated within 10 years. President Reagan queried, "Should we be buying the technology of the `70s for use in the `90s?" In grappling with the NASA budget, the President considered a recommendation to bar all commercial and foreign launches from the Shuttle. (W Times, May 16/86; W Post, May 16/86; WSJ, May 16/86)
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