Conference 7.286::space

88.0. "U.S. Space Station" by REGINA::GILI () Tue Sep 24 1985 09:23

	There has been a lot of talk in this notes file about a US space
station in the last month.  The fact of the matter is that in April this
year congress appoved a $6 billion space station that has been on the
design board at NASA since 1979.  It started out as part of the dream 
NASA had when the shuttle program hadn't really taken off yet (a fleet
of 18 space shuttles by '86 and an space station by the of the decade).  
The dream was never entirely fulfilled due to budget cuts by Reagan, but
they did obtain what funds they required to build a very elaborate
permanent space station.  

	The space station itself will be partly constructed here on earth,
and partly in orbit.  The station will consist of initially six station
modules, each approximately the size of the shuttles cargo bay.  It will
be assembled in much the same way that children assemble objects with
Legos (if you've ever heard of them).  In addition, an infrastructure will
be constructed of "beams and girders" by a machine that has been designed
to sit in the back of a shuttle cargo bay; and, attached to this
infrastructure will be the neccessary solar facilities to meet the station's
electrical and thermal needs.  It has been designed to initially support
teams of 18 people, which will be divided into groups of 6 that will be
rotated through one to three month shifts.  Among all the scientific research
that will take place on the station, engineers will run a factory for owned
by 3M Corp.  This factory will be contracted out by 3M to produce medicine,
plastics, new alloys, super-pure silicon, and other assorted goodies that
are too numerous to mention.  The factory is not part of the $6 billion
cost, but is purely an addition 3M won the right to place onto the station
(at the cost of 3M, of course).  The station is to go under construction 
in the beginning of calender year 1986.  What is currently on the drawing
boards is supposed to be completed in in late 1989, early 1990.  However,
there are definitely plans to expand this station with time, accounting 
for its modularity.  There is also talk of turning both the station and
the shuttle Discovery over to the private sector in the year following
completion of the station.  The private sector has been defined as four
companies currently:  Rockwell International, Martin-Merietta, 3M, and
Boeing.

	The sources for all this information are numerous.  You have to
pick up bits and pieces, here and there.  Magazines such as Science Digest,
Discover, OMNI, and IEEE Spectrum contribute alot.  But it helps when you
have a source working in Hughes on the Gaileo Project.

	An Avid Trekkie
	Pat

The allocation for the space station is now up to 8 billion.  Dont ask me 
how they swung that, though!

Jim  }.)

I also have read that the planned launch date to get the station started
is 1992 -- 500 years after the "discovery of the new world".  Columbus and
the others of his kind would be proud.

	Mike

	I heard the station was supposed to be finished by 1992 (accounting
for the reason they are starting this next upcoming year).  

    Well, it's 1992 and no station.