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3/6/89: Space Station Freedom Congressional Testimony--Mr. James Odom
NASA Associate Administrator for the Space Station


Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee,

I welcome this opportunity to discuss the Space Station Freedom Program
with you.  This morning I would like to review our recent accomplishments and
describe program efforts now in progress, then summarize NASA's fiscal
year 1990 Space Station Freedom budget request and identify the activities
planned for this time period.

Let me begin, however, by emphasizing that the reasons why our nation is
building Space Station Freedom are now more relevant than ever.  Last
year's successful return-to-flight of the Space Shuttle was an important
step toward reinvigorating American leadership in space.  With Space
Station Freedom, safe and effective operation of the space shuttle, and
programs such as the Great Observatories, we are ensuring that the United
States maintains this leadership through the late 1990s and well into the
next century.

A permanently manned base in orbit is vitally necessary for our nation to
sustain this leadership and to continue reaping its associated wealth of
benefits.  The importance of this program has been repeatedly recognized
in Presidential and Congressional decisions to proceed with Space Station
Freedom and keep the program on track.  President Bush reiterated this
recently when he said, "We must have a manned space station... the space
program should always go 'full throttle up.'  That is not just our
ambition; it is our destiny."

The benefits of our leadership in space and federal investments in space
research and development have been very tangible - they have enhanced our
national science and technology base and contributed to our economic well
being. As an investment in the future, Space Station Freedom is no
exception.  I am convinced that people will play a productive role in
space, just as they do on Earth.  The capability to live and work in
space laboratories and workshops on a continuous basis, 365 days a year,
will result in significant benefits.

Space Station Freedom is the next step in the development of our national
space infrastructure.  Just as railroads played a central role in opening
the American frontier for development after the initial exploration, this
infrastructure will be the foundation to open the frontier of space for
development.

As a cornerstone of this infrastructure, Space Station Freedom
complements capabilities and objectives across all parts of our space
program.  For our science program, Freedom offers platforms for
instruments to look out at the universe as well as back toward the Earth,
and a laboratory for research in many scientific disciplines.  Long term
operation on the manned base or its associated platforms will be a
natural growth path for scientific experiments developed on the ground
and flown on the Space Shuttle or privately developed facilities.  For
technology development, Freedom will be a unique national facility - a
testbed for evaluating technologies, procedures, and design approaches
for potential application in future space systems.  Technology benefits
may even begin to flow before Freedom is operational in such important
areas as control of large space structures, power generation, automation
and robotics, and environmental control.  For our exploration program,
Freedom's manned base represents the establishment of a permanently
manned outpost in space.

Freedom will initially be most valuable as a space workshop, laboratory,
and viewing platform.  As our leadership and vision continue and as
national requirements are defined, it can evolve to accommodate other
potential roles: a "construction facility" for assembling large space
structures, a "service station" for satellite refueling and repair, and a
"production facility" for unique materials and substances.

The long term goal of expanding human presence and activity beyond low
earth orbit requires the space station for potential missions to the
moon, Mars, or other parts of the solar system.  Initially, we will use
the manned base to study the long-term effects of the space environment
on people to prepare us for the potential missions of the future.  Before
we take this step, we must understand the effects of weightlessness in
humans, and develop countermeasures to prevent any detrimental effects.
Freedom may one day be our waystation in orbit, a staging area for manned
expeditions venturing out from our home planet to explore other parts of
the solar system.  No matter what major objectives we choose for the
early 21st Century, Freedom is a necessary stepping stone.  NASA's Office
of Exploration succinctly captured the importance of this fact in a
single phrase in its 1988 Annual Report: "All roads begin with Space
Station Freedom..."

When our presence in space matures from short visits to prolonged stays,
the inherent nature of research in space will change, facilitating not
only the normal process of scientific investigation, but also the totally
unexpected - and sometimes serendipitous - discoveries that have
historically been so important to technological advancement.  Moreover,
the human  innovative spirit will be unleashed from the constraints of
limited time and experience in this new environment.  Advances in space
technology, materials science, life sciences, and biotechnology will
probably be the first visible dividends we earn, but there will be many,
many more.

The program will have a positive motivational influence on education.
Freedom's high public visibility and our educational programs will
revitalize interest by our young people in science and engineering
careers.  Furthermore, the capability to conduct rapid response
experiments in reaction to new ideas and research opportunities will have
a positive impact on university students and researchers, particularly
those pursuing advanced degrees.  All of these factors will act to
strengthen our national technological competitiveness and long-term
economic well-being.

At a higher level, Space Station Freedom will offer benefits that
transcend the objectives of any single nation.  Freedom will not only
become a global focal point for space research, it will also help us
better understand the world in which we live.

This role becomes increasingly important as world interest in global
environmental changes grows more urgent.  Space Station Freedom's
capabilities will support the U.S. Global Change Research Program to
examine closely the impact of environmental changes on our planet.
Global problems such as deforestation, desertification, ozone depletion,
and climatic shifts will be studied by instruments on both the manned
base and its associated polar platforms.

When President Reagan called for the development of the space station, he
invited international participation to strengthen peace, build
prosperity, and expand freedom for all who share our goals.  After three
years of intensive negotiations, our partners (Belgium, Canada, Denmark,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the
United Kingdom) are providing major program elements estimated to cost
nearly $8 billion, making Freedom an unparalleled effort in international
science and technology cooperation.  At the Intergovernmental Agreement
signing ceremony last year, former Secretary of State George Schultz
noted that "this project also will be a shining symbol of the commitment
of those who place a high value on political and economic freedom to
cooperate for mutual benefit."

President Bush, like President Reagan, recognizes that space holds
enormous potential for commerce.  He supports private sector investments
in space with specific policy guidance and instructions.  We are actively
seeking private sector involvement in the program through two distinct
avenues: commercial utilization of Space Station Freedom and commercial
provision of program-related infrastructure.  The innovative strengths of
American industry can make a substantial contribution to our space
activities.  This will be covered in more detail later in the testimony.

We have already made significant progress toward achieving the objectives
I have described thus far.  A strong management structure, tailored to
handle the complexity of the Freedom program, has been established.  We
have confirmed that our configuration is the correct one to meet our
national objectives.  Freedom's team of contractors, most of whom have
worked on the program for four to six years, is now engaged in design
activities.  Last, the program is on schedule and projected costs remain
unchanged.

It is essential that Space Station Freedom program activities continue to
be fully funded if our early efforts to build a proper program framework
are to result in substantial savings in the years ahead.  Total life
cycle cost factors are at least as important as development costs in
design decisions. Similarly, we will continue to place a strong emphasis
on ensuring that user needs are addressed during the design process.
These early efforts, which will later enable us to achieve the maximum
benefit from Space Station Freedom for the lowest reasonable cost, must
continue unimpeded.

*  *  *  *  *

Program Status: Recent Accomplishments and 1989 Activities

I would now like to move on to our recent progress and ongoing
activities.

An effective development structure for the Freedom program is now in
place.  Last September, NASA signed contracts with the four work package
prime contractors. Boeing is working with the Marshall Space Flight
Center to develop the U.S. pressurized modules and logistics elements.
McDonnell Douglas is working with the Johnson Space Center to develop the
central truss structure, resource nodes, and various flight systems.
General Electric is working with the Goddard Space Flight Center to
develop the Polar Platform and attached payload accommodations on the
manned base.  Rocketdyne is working with the Lewis Research Center to
develop elements for power generation, storage, and distribution.

To enable the long-term intersite delivery process and to reduce program
risk, Associate Contractor Agreements have been instituted among these
companies.  These agreements facilitate direct interaction in resolving
detailed interface and scheduling problems before products are delivered.
The resulting increase in efficiency will minimize costs, reduce program
risks, and allow better use of resources.

We also have in place three contracts that are important components of
the development structure required to successfully address the complex
management and technical issues of the program.  These efforts, managed
by the Space Station Freedom Program Office in Reston, are just as
essential to the success of the program as the development contracts.

The Program Support Contractor, Grumman, performs critical systems
engineering and integration tasks for the program office.  This
contractor also plays key roles in supporting program management
processes, in laying groundwork for operation planning, and in
interactions with the user community.

Lockheed is developing the Software Support Environment, an integrated
set of standardized software "rules and tools" that will simplify the
development, operation, and maintenance of computer programs used in both
flight and ground systems over the life of the Freedom program.

Finally, Boeing is developing the Technical and Management Information
System.  This system and associated services will provide a conduit and
storage resource for the virtual flood of information that will flow
among hundreds of organizations during Freedom's development and 30-year
life.

An intensive review by the National Research Council in 1987 confirmed
that our baseline configuration is the best design suited to meet the
overall requirements.  The report stated that the configuration "reflects
the thoughtful compromises among the priorities and sometimes conflicting
requirements of its early scientific and engineering users."  Last year
we formally defined space station system and element requirements so that
preliminary design activities could begin.  A program-wide requirements
review, held in the early summer, was followed by more detailed
requirements reviews at the NASA Centers responsible for the four work
packages.  The objective of these efforts was to ensure that critical
design requirements throughout the program were identified, quantified,
and reflected consistently in documentation at all program levels.

With these important milestones behind us, our development efforts are
now underway.  The four NASA work package centers and their prime
contractors are now heavily involved in design activities for their
assigned Space Station Freedom elements and systems.

Our advanced development program for some critical hardware is beginning
to show some return, and we are seeing tangible results.  Prototypes of
the rotary joints that will point the solar arrays and thermal radiators
have been fabricated by Honeywell and delivered to Johnson Space Center
for testing.  A prototype of the control moment gyroscope needed for
attitude control was built by Allied-Signal and will shortly undergo life
testing at Johnson Space Center to verify the design and evaluate new
features.  Substantial work has been performed by Marshall Space Flight
Center and its contractors on the environmental control and life support
system.  Selected elements of this system have been built, several new
technologies for waste management have been developed, and tests are now
in progress to measure their effectiveness in an environment similar to
that planned on Freedom.  In the area of automation technology, Goddard
Space Flight Center is continuing its work on advanced robotic
manipulators.  At the Lewis Research Center, nickel-hydrogen batteries
are undergoing life cycle tests to provide data needed for their use on
Freedom.  Testbeds to demonstrate the operation of a 20KHz power
management and distribution system have been built.  Hydrogen/oxygen
thrusters and resistojet thrusters are also being tested.

Utilization and operations planning is an extremely important ongoing
process in the design of the station because it ensures that user
requirements are properly incorporated and that the manned base and polar
platforms can be effectively operated over the long term.  Working
together with the user community and our partners, we are defining the
detailed requirements for a wide variety of user activities.  Workshops
were held last year to exchange information on science operations, user
accommodations, ground processing and related topics.  On-orbit
operations and maintenance concepts are being defined to influence system
design.  Additionally, long term logistics support has been incorporated
as a major driver in system design and acquisition decisions.

Two important facilities for Space Station Freedom were recently
completed to support ongoing hardware development efforts.  The Space
Station Mockup and Integration Facility at Johnson Space Center was
dedicated in November.  The Power Systems Facility at Lewis Research
Center was dedicated this January.

In September, the U.S. Secretary of State and representatives of Belgium,
Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway,
Spain, and the United Kingdom signed the Intergovernmental Agreement
covering cooperation in the Space Station Freedom Program.  This
monumental agreement will be the foundation for three decades of
international space station activities.  Robert de Cotret, who signed the
agreement on behalf of Canada, aptly stated, "today is the fusion of two
modern trends as one, when several nations agree to work together in the
peaceful exploration of the universe that surrounds our globe.  In doing
so, we make for a better world here on Earth."


NASA also signed separate bilateral Memoranda of Understanding with the
European Space Agency and the Canadian Ministry of State for Science and
Technology that focus on programmatic and technical aspects.  We will
sign a similar agreement with Japan this spring.  These agreements,
coupled with the strong budget commitments of our international partners,
represent long term commitments to the success of this program.

With the negotiations behind us, we have moved to the implementation
phase of the cooperation.  We are working with our partners to establish
the management mechanisms created in the Intergovernmental Agreement and
the Memoranda of Understanding.  We are also developing the second-tier
documentation called for in our agreements.  Our partners have
established liaison offices here in the United States, and we are
completing the establishment of similar offices in our partners'
countries.  These liaison offices are critical to working with our
partners effectively and efficiently.

Earlier this month, NASA announced the selection of scientific
investigations for definition in the Earth Observing System program.
This effort to study global environmental changes will utilize
instruments on polar orbiting platforms, beginning with the Space Station
Freedom Polar Platform.  The selected teams' activities will involve 551
investigators from 168 institutions, universities, and laboratories in 32
states and 13 nations.

To encourage and promote commercial participation in Space Station
Freedom infrastructure, we released draft policy guidelines, procedures,
and criteria for industry review last October.  This document will be
revised and formally issued after industry comments are received this
year. Additionally, in 1989 we plan to establish a process for
identifying future space station requirements that could be commercially
provided, along with implementation mechanisms consistent with
Administration policy and procurement regulations .

In November, we co-sponsored with the Office of Commercial Programs our
second successful workshop on commercial opportunities in the Space
Station Freedom Program.  Potential opportunities in materials sciences,
remote sensing, life sciences, and infrastructure were discussed with 150
industry representatives.  This workshop will be held annually.

We are still on schedule for all major program milestones, including the
first element launch in the first quarter of 1995, man-tended capability
in the fourth quarter of 1995, permanently manned capability in the
fourth quarter of 1996, and assembly complete in the first quarter of
1998.  These dates are the same as those presented to you last year.

Finally, I want to note that our estimate of total runout costs for the
Freedom development effort remains at $13 billion in 1984 dollars.  In
summary, the program has stabilized.  The configuration has been set
since 1987, and our cost estimates and schedules remain the same.

We have been able to maintain our schedule and cost plans only because
Congress and the Administration have strongly supported the build-up in
funding levels that is essential to a program of this scope.  You
demonstrated this support last year when you approved a three year
authorization for the Freedom program.  Your continued support is
absolutely imperative if Space Station Freedom is to be built cost-
effectively and on time.

*  *  *  *  *

Budget Request For Fiscal Year 1990

The funding required for Space Station Freedom in FY 1990 represents a
substantial increase over this year's funding.  This increase is
necessary if we are to design and build the right station, on schedule
and at the overall funding level we have set. To support the design
process that is now underway for most Freedom elements and components,
our contractors' engineering work force must be expanded considerably,
and subcontractors must be brought on board as planned.  In addition,
ground facilities required for testing, training and integration must be
completed in order to support the schedule.  Total aerospace-related jobs
associated with the Space Station Freedom Program are estimated to
increase from 15,000 to 32,000 across the country.

$2.050 billion is required to keep the Space Station Freedom Program
moving forward in FY 1990.

Of this total, $1.556 billion will go to the four work package centers in
order to pay for the required buildup of development activities at the
four prime hardware contractors and their subcontractors.  The NASA
centers will continue to use their expertise and facilities for
supporting development activities such as test bed construction and
operation, in-line hardware development and supporting analyses, safety
reviews, and quality assurance.

$184 million will go toward operations and utilization capability
development.  This effort includes the design and development of
equipment, facilities, and capabilities required to operate and use Space
Station Freedom efficiently and effectively.

$230 million will be spent to integrate the program's management and
technical systems, to perform systems engineering, to coordinate
activities with our international partners, to implement a software
environment directed at controlling software costs, and to enable other
program control and support activities.

$15 million will be spent on the Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS).
Consistent with Administration policy, NASA is exploring private
investment in development of the actual flight hardware, so the funds we
request at this time are only for activities at the Goddard Space Flight
Center that support development.

$25 million will be required for the Transition Definition Program to
ensure that Space Station Freedom is designed to easily incorporate new
capabilities to enhance utility, improve efficiency of on-board
operations, support commercialization efforts, and meet future national
objectives.

$25 million will be needed for Operations.  Although some planning for
operations is ongoing within the development program to ensure that user
requirements are adequately addressed in the space station design, FY
1990 is the first year that funding is required to plan for integrated
logistics operations and space systems operations in the program's actual
operations budget.

Finally, $15 million is required for a new item in the program, a radar
system to detect and monitor orbital debris. This effort, funded by
NASA's Office of Space Flight prior to FY 1990, will provide data needed
to ensure that the Freedom manned base will be adequately protected from
debris impact.

In addition to the funding I have just discussed, the Administration
proposes legislation for a three year advance authorization and
appropriation of $8.5 billion covering FY 1990, 1991, and 1992.  A
program development cost ceiling of $13 billion in 1984 dollars is also
proposed.  This legislation would, by increasing programmatic stability
and continuity of funding, facilitate resource planning and improve the
cost-effectiveness of the development process.

*  *  *  *  *


Activities Supported By FY 1990 Funding

Let me now move into the specifics of what we must accomplish in FY 1990
to maintain our goal of launching the first elements of Freedom in the
first quarter of 1995.  I will first describe development and supporting
development activities for the four work packages, then move on to other
work planned for FY 1990.

Work Package 1

Marshall Space Flight Center and its prime contractor, Boeing, will
complete preliminary design of Work Package 1 elements and systems.
These include the U.S. laboratory module, the habitat module, logistics
elements, the environmental control and life support system (ECLSS), the
resource node structure, and internal components of the audio/video and
thermal control systems.  Preliminary design reviews on these items will
be conducted to allow final design activities to get underway.

Boeing will also complete comparative testing of ECLSS technology
demonstration hardware and will begin testing in the Core Module
Integration Facility, a full-scale mockup of the U.S. laboratory module.
Work on resource nodes and airlock systems will focus on component
testing of support equipment, preliminary design of the cupola, tool and
production planning, and material procurement for structural test
articles.  Boeing will complete the U.S. laboratory engineering
development article, and fabrication and test of development hardware and
software will begin.  Preliminary design of functions unique to the
habitation modules will continue, as will the review of cargo
requirements for the logistics modules.  Concepts will be developed for
the accommodation of specimens, carriers, and subsystems.  Development
testing for logistics-unique hardware and definition of logistics module
interfaces with the cargo, Orbiter, and space station will continue.
Neutral buoyancy facility tests will be performed to evaluate and verify
man-systems interfaces.  The critical design review on the node
structural test article will be conducted, leading to the start of
fabrication.

Marshall Space Flight Center will continue its supporting development
efforts.  Breadboards (hardware assemblies of preliminary parts used to
prove hardware feasibility) will be used for development testing for the
process-material management system, the audio-video system, and the
electrical system.  By the end of FY 1990, most of the supporting
development testing will be completed and the prime contractor can begin
building flight-design hardware for qualification testing.

Work Package 2

Johnson Space Center and its prime contractor, McDonnell Douglas, will
complete preliminary design of Work Package 2 elements and systems.
These include the central truss structure, mobile transporter, propulsion
system, outfitting of resource nodes, airlocks, guidance, navigation and
control system, external components of the thermal control system,
communication and tracking system, data management system, and systems
for extravehicular activity.  Preliminary design reviews on these items
will be conducted to allow final design activities to get underway.

McDonnell Douglas will also continue development testing and begin
procurement, fabrication, and assembly of data management system hardware
and software, the thermal control system, the mobile transporter, and the
airlocks.  Development of the propulsion system electrolysis unit,
propellant tanks, and thrusters will be initiated.

Johnson Space Center will continue its supporting development efforts.
Integrated loads/dynamics analysis of the Freedom truss structure will
begin, a thermal vacuum chamber will be outfitted for solar simulation,
and verification testing of the TDRSS on-board antenna will be conducted.
Fabrication and test of the propulsion system water electrolysis
prototype will continue, and refinement and testing of an advanced space
suit will be completed.  Tests requiring a zero-gravity environment will
be carried out on the KC135 aircraft, which can provide short periods of
low gravity test time.

Work Package 3

Goddard Space Flight Center and its prime contractor, General Electric,
will complete preliminary design of Work Package 3 elements and systems.
These include the U.S. Polar Platform and attached payload
accommodations, including a payload pointing system.  Preliminary design
reviews will be conducted to allow final design activities to get
underway.

General Electric will also continue studies of servicing facility
architecture, and will develop servicing scenarios for selected payloads
located outside the pressurized modules.

Goddard Space Flight Center will continue its supporting development
activities.  The effects of space station motion on the payload pointing
system will be studied.  As part of the attached payload and polar
platform thermal control program, development of a data management system
test bed and an instrument test bed will continue, as will design of
several experiments planned for flight on the Space Shuttle.
Requirements definition and design of the planned Integration, Test and
Verification Facility will be initiated.  This facility will provide a
clean environment for the check-out of attached payloads and the polar
platform with the appropriate physical, electrical and thermal
interfaces.

Work Package 4

Lewis Research Center and its prime contractor, Rocketdyne, will complete
preliminary design of Work Package 4 elements and systems.  These include
power modules and other parts of the electrical power system.
Preliminary design reviews will be conducted to allow final design
activities to get underway.

Rocketdyne will also continue development and qualification of
photovoltaic cells and substrate blankets.  Qualification nickel-hydrogen
energy storage assembly cells will be fabricated and tested.  The
preliminary design effort for the solar dynamic power system will
continue.  Development and testing of the 25 kW, 20kHz primary
distribution breadboard and brassboard will continue.

Lewis Research Center will continue its supporting development efforts.
Prime contractor systems engineering and integration efforts will be
independently verified.  Work on the photovoltaic power generation and
storage and power management and distribution elements will continue,
using several existing testbeds, and an integrated testbed will be built.
Activities to support the solar dynamic power development effort will
include thermal-vacuum testing of an advanced development heat receiver
and optical testing of a solar concentrator.

In addition to the activities I have just described, each work package
will be involved in many other significant activities. Continuous update
of interface control documents will be crucial as system and system
component designs mature.  Each work package will also support
development of the distributed systems that interface across more than
one work package.  Procurement of long lead items will also begin.


Operations / Utilization Capability Development

This effort spans activities at several NASA centers.  The Program Office
will continue to develop the tactical planning capabilities required for
integrated operations and utilization activity planning during the
assembly and operations phases.

The Kennedy Space Center will continue to develop capabilities for pre-
launch and post-landing ground operations.  Equipment for computer-aided
design and computer-aided engineering will be procured, design of the
Test, Control, and Monitor System will continue, and equipment for the
Space Station Processing Facility will be procured.  Marshall Space
Flight Center will continue developing user integration capabilities.
Design of the Payload Operations Integration Center and the Payload
Operations Training Facility will continue, and analytical integration
software tools will be developed.  Johnson Space Center will continue to
develop capabilities for operational control of Space Station Freedom.
Design of the Space Station Control Center and the Space Station Training
Facility will continue.  Goddard Space Flight Center will continue user
accommodation studies.

Each of the NASA Space Station Freedom development centers will also
continue design of an Engineering Support Center to provide technical
expertise during the assembly and operational phases of the program.

Systems Engineering, Integration, and Management

A program-wide preliminary design review will be conducted in the summer
of 1990.  In preparation for this review, the Program Support Contractor,
Grumman, will conduct numerous integrated systems analyses to support the
establishment of detailed design requirements for the work package
contractors and the evaluation of end-to-end performance of their designs
when integrated together into the space station.

Specific analytical efforts will include combined loads analyses,
combined thermal system loading and performance studies, and assessments
of the natural and induced particulate and electromagnetic environments
around Space Station Freedom.  The performance and interaction of designs
for all distributed systems will be analyzed for each of the twenty on-
orbit assembly sequence configurations as well as for contingency
situations.

The Program Support Contractor will also play a key role in the
development of program plans for launch package integration, on-orbit
assembly and checkout, mission planning and integration, system safety
plans, and quality assurance plans.

Operations

As the Space Station Freedom Program matures, elements of the development
program (including operations/utilization concept development) will
transition into components of the operations program.  This transition
will begin in FY 1990.  Initial planning for integrated logistics
operations will focus on logistics management, maintenance planning, and
early planning for initial spares.  Space system operations activities
will include the study and integration of assembly planning tasks.

Transition Definition

Because Space Station Freedom will have an operational lifetime of 30
years, which is unprecedented for a space system, it must be designed to
adapt to support evolving user needs.  Moreover, elements and systems
must easily accommodate future technology advances to enhance
productivity, reliability, and safety as well as to avoid obsolescence.
For this reason, evolution planning and advanced technology development
have already begun.

Evolution planning has already resulted in better definition of the
resource requirements and primary design features (software hooks and
hardware scars) required to accommodate evolution in the baseline design.
In FY 1989, we are focusing on probable evolution paths and their impact
on detailed hooks and scars in distributed systems.  In FY 1990, we will
begin feasibility studies on a reference configuration, and will identify
the technologies necessary for evolution.  We will also fund development
work on the application of knowledge-based system technology to
management of the distributed systems on the station.  Other tasks will
focus on automation technologies that could be applied to Space Station
Freedom early in its operational lifetime.  We will also continue to
expand the efforts in planning for commercial participation in the space
station.

Orbital Debris Radar

The development of the orbital debris radar will begin in FY 1990.  This
ground-based radar is required to gather new data on the orbital debris
environment in which Space Station Freedom will operate.  Since orbital
debris is a potential threat to all space systems, accurate
characterization of this environment is a necessary input to the design
of the pressurized modules.  The orbital debris radar, unlike existing
radars, will be able to track debris between one and ten centimeters in
diameter.  The Jet Propulsion Laboratory will manage the development of
the required hardware and software, which will be developed under a
competitive contract.

Flight Telerobotic Servicer

NASA is currently reviewing proposals from two companies, Martin Marietta
and Grumman, for development of the FTS.  Contract award is planned for
June 1989.  The FY1990 budget for FTS assumes that NASA will seek private
sector investment in system development.  However, NASA will continue its
supporting development and integration activities.

Contractor activities in FY 1990 will focus on two near-term test flights
planned for the Shuttle.  Detailed design of equipment for the early
telerobotics demonstration test flight will be conducted, and preliminary
design activities for the early development test flight and the Space
Station Freedom flight article will begin.

Goddard Space Flight Center and other NASA centers will continue their
supporting development activities.  Applicable new automation and
robotics technologies will be selected to improve FTS performance.


*  *  *  *  *

I would now like to address two other issues associated with the FY 1990
budget request.

Commercialization

The NASA commercialization initiatives proposed by the Administration
support national space policy and commercial space initiatives.
President Bush reinforced the U.S. policy objective of more commercial
development in space in his State of the Union message on February 9.

The specific commercialization initiatives for the Space Station Freedom
Program include the FTS, the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF),
the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), the docking module, the logistics
system, and potential enhancements like solar dynamic power.

The SSPF at Kennedy Space Center will be used for preflight processing of
manned base hardware and both preflight and postflight processing of
logistics elements.  The SSPF was selected because of its potential for
synergy with commercial proposals being considered by NASA in the area of
logistics services.  The private sector has already shown interest.

The NBL at Johnson Space Center will include a very large underwater
working area for developing and practicing manned assembly approaches for
Space Station Freedom.  Existing facilities are too small to support the
extensive activities planned.  The astronauts who will assemble and
maintain the manned base require intensive terrestrial training and
preparation to maximize the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of
operations in space.  The NBL was selected for commercialization because
of its potential for long-term use by space station users and for
terrestrial applications.  The private sector has already shown interest.
Potential commercial applications include preparation for undersea
construction and maintenance activities, including those involved with
offshore oil drilling.

The space station docking module was selected because commercial entities
have indicated interest in developing it or are developing similar
systems.

We will  continue to explore ways to commercialize elements of the
logistics system.  Private sector proposals to participate resulted from
our inclusion of the commercialization concept in the space station
requests for proposals.  We will continue to review with the
Administration any significant issues that may arise.

The solar dynamic power enhancement for the space station could allow
domestic firms to receive payment for the provision of power in space and
to protect their technology for future applications.

NASA has been working on the development of specific criteria,
guidelines, policies, and procedures to facilitate and encourage
commercialization.  These have been recently released for industry
comment.  We certainly seek Congressional views as well.

It must be recognized, of course, that commercialization decisions should
consider the nature of the project involved, the stage of procurement,
the nature and scope of commercial proposals, and resulting benefits to
the government.  Consequently, we will need to maintain flexibility in
developing approaches to commercialization.

It should be noted that foreign competitors are moving ahead in space
commercialization.  Foreign companies, often in cooperation with their
governments, are making investments to obtain financial benefits in the
future.  In Japan, for example, it is widely predicted that its space
industry will be as important to its national economy in the future as
its electronics industry is today.  We in the government should be
encouraging American companies to invest in our economic future in space
as well.

The Space Station Manpower Problem

NASA's FY 1990 budget includes Research and Program Management (R&PM)
funds for salaries of additional civil servants for Space Station
Freedom.  As the efforts of the space station contractors expand, NASA
direction and oversight must also grow to ensure that Research and
Development (R&D) funds are spent wisely and efficiently.  The additional
personnel requested for FY 1990 are required if we are to continue the
strong management role necessary for effective systems engineering and
overall direction of this international program.

In FY 1989, the Administration approved an agency-wide, multi-year
staffing augmentation plan that included  725 additional civil servants
to support the program at Reston and the work package centers.  Our plan
is to accommodate an initial increment of this augmentation in NASA's FY
1989 operating plan.  NASA's FY 1990 R&PM request must be fully funded to
adequately meet space station staffing needs.

*  *  *  *  *

Conclusion

In closing, I want to leave you with four important thoughts.

First, Space Station Freedom will result in a broad spectrum of benefits
to the United States.  Freedom is not a mission in itself.  Instead, it
is a unique capability that will yield significant technological,
scientific, economic, social, educational and foreign policy benefits.
Freedom is a vital piece of the space infrastructure our nation needs to
support science, technology development and exploration efforts.  We will
depend on this valuable resource for decades to come. Our investment now
will pay tremendous dividends later.

Second, our leadership in space will not go unchallenged.  The future
will belong to those who prepare for it and are committed to it, and the
long term space plans of other nations are ambitious.  Our commitment to
Space Station Freedom is a commitment to U.S. space leadership,  As
President Bush so aptly stated, "our commitment to leadership in space is
symbolic of the role we seek in the world".

Third, our plans for Space Station Freedom are well-laid and our program
is stable.  The right management and development structure is in place.
We have the right configuration given our objectives and funding
constraints, and we have already made a significant national investment
in its implementation.  Our international partners are  fully committed
to their parts of the program.  We have made substantial progress and are
well on our way.

Last, cutting corners would be poor inefficient.  Our budget for FY 1990
is just barely adequate.  Underfunding Freedom at this critical phase of
the program would reduce its performance, and thus its usefulness.  At
the same time, it would increase program risk, and increase total long
term costs.

When we, as a nation, chose to proceed with Space Station Freedom, we
made the right decision for the right reasons.  We cannot back away from
our commitment to this endeavor, for it is too important to our future as
a space-faring nation.  The American space program has proven over the
past three decades to be among our wisest investments, inextricably
linked not only to the economic welfare and vitality of our country, but
also to the nurturing of our national spirit.  We have an  unavoidable
responsibility to look to the future and its challenges, and Space
Station Freedom is an essential part of the American future.

We must stay on track.