Jan 12 1999
From The Space Library
The National Research Council Committee on Space Shuttle Upgrades released a report cautioning NASA "not to wait too long to choose between keeping the Shuttle until 2020 or scrapping it after 2012 in favor of a new vehicle like Lockheed Martin's proposed VentureStar." The committee, led by former astronaut and former head of the Space Shuttle Program Bryan D. O'Connor, advised NASA to make a timely decision to either phase out the Shuttle upgrade program or make the major investments necessary for the Shuttle to carry out reliably its long-term mission. The panel specifically addressed the Liquid Fly Back Booster (LFBB), the most expensive Shuttle upgrade under consideration, with development costs estimated at between US$2 billion and US$7 billion. The panel's report revealed that NASA had not investigated enough alternatives to the LFBB to ensure that it was "the most appropriate way to meet the needs of the Shuttle and other programs."
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
