July 5, 1996
Source: Daily Express newspaper.
By MATT MOFFETT All aboard a cut-price spaceship
From Philip Finn in New York
New rocket to open the final frontier
A new space ship was unveiled by America yesterday with a name from science fiction - the X-33.
It is the first major innovation in a quarter of a century of space exploration.
Scientists at NASA hope that it will eventually replace the workhorse shuttles.
And they say its aim is to put more people in space for less money. "We're opening the spcae frontier," said Gary Payton, director of NASA's reusable launch vehicle programme.
Instead of spending more than 6,000 pounds sterling for every 1lb of payload taken into orbit - the current rate - Payton says the X-33 may make it possible to do it for 600 pounds sterling or less. And instead of sending a few dozen people into space each year, it will be able to transport hundreds around the heavens.
Vice President Al Gore was due to name the winning design team, with America's top three aerospace companies vying for the multi-billion pound project.
Rockwell International came up with a shuttle lookalike, Lockheed Martin Corp favoured a futuristic wedgeshaped craft and McDonnell Douglas produced a vertical launcher and lander.
The winning company will receive more than 540 million pounds sterling from NASA to develop the experimental X-33.
Then it will be up to the company and investers to determine whether it is economically feasible to proceed with a twice-as-large reusable launch vehicle.
The companies estimate it will cost between 2.4 billion pounds and 4.8 billion pounds sterling to develop such a system. Unlike the shuttle, the new launche will be completely reusable, with no throw-away parts. It will have more efficient engines, lighter fuel tanks and more durable insulation to save money and time.
The shuttles were announced by President Richard Nixon in 1972 and first flew in 1981. After 78 missions, the cost is still sky-high - and the flight rate low.
NASA spends 1.8 billion pounds sterling a year on a programme that yields only seven or eight flights over a year. Meanwhile, the seven astronauts on the latest Columbia flight enjoyed Canadian smoked salmon in honour of Canada Day. The treat was courtesy of crewman Robert Thirsk, who also sent holiday greetings to fellow Canadians 170 miles below.
Other celebrations for Columbia crew this week include the 4th of July - for the five U.S. astronauts - and commander Terence Henricks 44th birthday on Friday.
Columbia is scheduled to land on Sunday at Cape Canaveral after a record 17-day medical research mission.
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