Conference 7.286::space

Path: muscat!decwrl!labrea!aurora!ames!rutgers!clyde!watmath!utgpu!utzoo!henry
From: [email protected] (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Space news from July 13 AW&ST
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 25 Aug 87 00:03:03 GMT
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 214
Posted: Mon Aug 24 20:03:03 1987
  
    Widespread discontent in NASA and aerospace industry with lack of
leadership in civilian space program - Fletcher and Presidential
Science Advisor Graham are particularly unpopular.  "Numerous veteran
NASA managers told AW&ST that Fletcher is regarded as inarticulate and
uninformed..." 

    NASA is facing a choice for the FY89 new science start:  Comet
Rendevous and Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) or the Advanced X-Ray Astronomy
Facility.  There is thought to be no hope of getting both.  Fletcher
is generally *pessimistic* about major new funding for anything in the
near future. 
 
    Harvard Business School report on commercial space, not published
yet, says the single biggest obstacle to space commerce is repeated
changes in US government policy, with high costs and lack of access to
space tied for second. 
 
"There's a lot more to do in space   |  Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
than sending people to Mars." --Bova | {allegra,ihnp4,decvax,utai}!utzoo!henry

    	If you're curious in learning the Democrats' viewpoint on our
    future in space, see SPACE Topic 306.
    
    	Larry
    

Path: muscat!decwrl!labrea!rutgers!sri-unix!husc6!linus!utzoo!henry
From: [email protected] (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: space news from July 20 AW&ST
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 2 Sep 87 00:40:21 GMT
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 92
Posted: Tue Sep  1 20:40:21 1987
 
    After NASA spent weeks trying to get a Soviet-space-program
briefing on Reagan's calendar, the President's science advisor
cancelled it.  Fletcher is not pleased. 
 
    For the second year in a row, Senate approves NASA authorization
bill calling for a National Aeronautics and Space Council to get space
decision-making done properly.  Sen. Donald Riegle:  "It has become
painfully clear that there is no one in charge of space policy within
the Administration." 
 
"There's a lot more to do in space   |  Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
than sending people to Mars." --Bova | {allegra,ihnp4,decvax,utai}!utzoo!henry

From: [email protected] (John Plocher)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: Commercial plea for space station - effective!
Date: 14 Nov 87 07:29:39 GMT
Organization: UW-Madison Spanish Dept
 
    NIGHTLINE aired the McDonnel-Douglas space commercial about three
months ago, on a segment entitled "Lost in Space".  As you can tell
from the following, I taped the show and used it to prepare this note:
You can get a copy of the transcript from the people who do those
sort of things for $2.00 by calling: 

		800/USA-TEXT -or- 202/USA-TEXT

    And asking for the "Lost In Space" NIGHTLINE segment transcript.
 
    The cast:
 
( "stuff" is paraphrased from what was said. ``stuff'' is an actual quote)

	Ted Koppel
		"NASA seems to be using 'The Russians are ahead' to get more $."

	Reginald Turnill - Janes Spaceflight Directory
		"USSR is 10 years ahead of US in space."

	General Daniel Graham (Ret) - Director of High Frontier
		"We are being left behind; we are losing our strategic lead."

	John Pike - Federation of Amer. Sci.
		"They launch 5x more than we do, but ours last 5x longer."

	Marcia Smith - Aerospace specialist
		"ENERGIA had one test, which it failed."

	Background segment by James Walker.
		"US space effort is 'fits and starts', USSR's is constant.  We
		*can* do it, the question is 'do we have the political will'?"
		[ He did a *good* job in presenting the stuff -John ]
 
Some stats:		Successful launches	Typical	   manhours in space
			    1986 - 1987		 yearly    total since Yuri...
			-------------------	--------   --------------
		USA		11		  17	       42,453
		USSR	       150		  97	      104,374
 
 
	Guests:  Dr. James Fletcher - Director of NASA
		 Eugene Cernan - Former Astronaut, now ABC Space advisor
		 Sen. John Glenn - Ohio, First American to orbit Earth
	
#define OPINION
    Gawd, Fletcher is a jerk!  He came off as someone who is trying to
    ignore any problems that NASA and the US are having.  And if there
    *are* any problems, they aren't anything to worry about!
#undef OPINION
 
    Some quotes: (This conversation is interspersed among segments from
    Walker's background presentation)
 
Koppel:   "What about USSR's lead in space activity?"
Fletcher: ``[it is] only in the humans in space program that they are 10
	    years ahead"

Koppel:   "How significant is this 10 year lead?"
Fletcher:  ``Very significant *if* you want to go to Mars, but neither of us
	     will get there before the year 2000 [mumble] or 2010, so we have
	     a chance to close that gap if we choose to.''

[Walker's presentation touches on materials handling - an area where the
 Soviet program has been doing lots of work]

Koppel:   "What about this?"
Fletcher: ``I don't expect them to have any more success in industrializing
	    space than they do on Earth.''
	  "The Soviet space effort is being exaggerated; they are just
	   getting more publicity now, and *that* is why it looks like
	   they are doing more.  The US has done everything in full view
	   of the media, now the Soviets are doing a bit of the same."
 
Koppel:	  "Dry Rot, bad moral...in NASA?"
Fletcher: ``... false perception.  The moral is low simply because we are
	    not flying''

Koppel:   "What about questions about motivation problems?"
Fletcher: ``Nonsense.''
 
Koppel:   "You have heard these comments (background piece), seen the Newsweek
	   article, Time... "
Fletcher: "There are some areas where we are behind, but all will be OK"
Cernan:   "Disagree.  NASA is loosing good people, engineers...because of 
	   frustration at not having leadership."
	   (about Dr. Graham, the national Science Advisor:)
	   ``The science advisor in the White House neither gets along with
	     Dr. Fletcher, nor do I believe knows a lot about space.''
 
    There is more, but you get the drift.  If anyone in the Madison,
WI area would like to borrow the tape, give me a call at the University. 
 
  -John
 -- 
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David W. Garrett
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                     March 21, 1989
  
RELEASE:  89-36
 
    NASA ADMINISTRATOR FLETCHER RESIGNS
  
     NASA Administrator Dr. James C. Fletcher submitted his
resignation today to President Bush, effective April 8, 1989. 
 
     Fletcher, who was brought back for a second term as administrator
after the Challenger accident, says that with the successful conclusion 
of the third post-Challenger Space Shuttle mission, he feels that he can 
safely place the leadership of NASA in another's hands. 
 
     The letter to the president pledges to continue to work with his
successor when appropriate.  Fletcher said, "It has been a pleasure to
serve you, both in your capacity as vice-president and in recent weeks
as president.  I look forward to an eminently successful Bush presidency." 
 
     Fletcher first served as NASA administrator from April 1971 to
May 1977.  He was called back by President Reagan in May 1986 with a
mandate to get the Space Shuttle flying again safely.  By virtue of the 
two terms, Fletcher has served as NASA administrator longer than anyone. 
 
     Effective April 8, Deputy Administrator Dale Myers will become
acting administrator pending a new presidential appointment. 
  
    This is the National Space Society's Space Hotline for the week ending
March 24, 1989.
 
    Last Wednesday Dr. James Fletcher resigned as NASA Administrator. 
His resignation will become effective April 8th, and will end the
longest amount of time that one person has been the NASA
Administrator.  Serving as NASA Administrator from 1971 to 1977, he
was primarily responsible for selling the Space Shuttle Program to
then President Nixon.  In 1986 he took over the NASA Administrator
position once again to supervise NASA's recovery from the Challenger
accident, and to push the program into a system that put more emphasis
on quality control and safety.  On April 8, Deputy Administrator Dale
Myers will become acting Administrator until President Bush appoints a
new Administrator. 
 
    NASA and the space industry are growing concerned over President
Bush's lack of action on key issues despite his strong vocalization of
support for the civil space program.  An indication of Bush's support
will be revealed in how strongly the Administration fights for the
NASA budget.  OMB Director Richard Darman has come out in favor of the
budget and that's a good start.  A second concern is about the time it
has been taking to fill key appointments.  And the fact that the
National Space Council, despite having a director, still has no office
and staff, and awaits an executive order from Bush to set up shop. 

    I heard that one person under consideration for Fletcher's replacement
    is Frank Borman (of Eastern Airlines and Apollo 8 fame).
    
    Burns
    

Worse...

I heard that Fletcher was off to direct the cold fusion research at Utah...

    Heard on the news (NBC) that Richard Truly is now being considered
    for NASA Administrator.

Jeff Vincent
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                      2 p.m. EDT
                                                    April 5, 1989 
N89-29
 
    OUTGOING NASA HEAD FOCUSES ON BUDGET, SPACE STATION ISSUES
 
     In his final speech as NASA Administrator, Dr. James C. Fletcher
today called Space Station Freedom "a tempting target" for
budget-cutters and warned that significant reductions in the program
would have dire consequences for the nation's future in space. 
 
     "It's time this fact is understood," Dr. Fletcher said at the
Fifth National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo. "If cut
significantly, Space Station Freedom will be cancelled and we will
deliver a clear message to our children and the rest of the world: 
The United States intends to leave the business of space exploration
to others."  The symposium is sponsored by the U.S. Space Foundation. 
 
     Fletcher acknowledged he's been accused of "crying wolf" about
NASA budget cuts.  But "when the wolf is at the door, as it has been
for the last three years," he said, "it's prudent to sound an alarm." 
 
     Reflecting on his service as NASA administrator, Fletcher said he
would be "returning to private life with the deep satisfaction of
having participated in a truly extraordinary reversal of our national
fortunes."  He was named to the position -- his second appointment as
head of NASA -- 4 months after the Challenger accident. 
 
     "We have weathered severe setbacks.  Chastened by the hard
lessons of crisis, we have recovered and returned to the task ahead,"
he said.  "Today, NASA is a strong and flexible instrument of national
policy, an instrument I confidently hand over to my successor." 
 

VNS COMPUTER NEWS:                            [Tracy Talcott, VNS Computer Desk]
==================                            [Nashua, NH, USA                 ]

     Digital - Honors Dr. James Fletcher with "The Digital Discovery Award"

   Digital today presented Dr. James C. Fletcher, the former administrator of 
 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), with "The Digital
 Discovery Award" for continued excellence in science. The award was presented
 by Digital President Ken Olsen in ceremonies at the Air and Space Museum in
 Washington, D.C., and coincided with the Smithsonian's new "Beyond The Limits:
 Flight Enters the Computer Age" exhibit, which was made possible with support
 from Digital. Ken described Dr. Fletcher as "the man who put America's space
 program on track not once, but twice; a man who has distinguished himself as
 an educator, an engineer and scientist. His achievements make him eminently
 qualified to be the first recipient of 'The Digital Discovery Award,' the
 purpose of which is to foster education and promote excellence in the
 sciences." Ken said the award would be presented periodically in the fields 
 of science, engineering and education, to leaders whose work has helped
 advance science in our schools and culture. During the presentation, Ken told
 how Dr. Fletcher had first served at NASA from 1971 to 1977, and how he had
 presided over the Apollo program, including the Apollo 17 mission to the moon. 
 Among the achievements of his administration were the Apollo-Soyuz mission
 that demonstrated the possibilities of Soviet-American cooperation in space,
 and a planetary exploration program that resulted in the Viking landings on
 Mars. Dr. Fletcher's administration of the 1970s was also responsible for the 
 launch of the Voyager probes through the Solar System, and for the final
 design and construction of America's space shuttles, Ken said. "These
 achievements have prepared the foundation for America's current space
 adventure - the Shuttle-launched Magellan mission to map the surface of Venus,
 and the awarding of the contracts to design and build the Space Station."
 Following the Challenger disaster, added Ken, Dr. Fletcher returned to NASA at
 the request of President Reagan and renewed America's pride and enthusiasm in
 the space program by getting the Shuttle missions flying again.

	{Livewire, 16-May-89}

  <><><><><><><>   VNS Edition : 1824   Wednesday 24-May-1989   <><><><><><><>

Ken forgot to mention that Fletcher presided over the END of the lunar
exploration program, the dismantling of the Saturn V production lines,
the selling of the shuttle as the answer to all our prayers in space, etc.

Burns

From:	DECPA::"[email protected]" 23-DEC-1991 
        16:17:54.36
To:	[email protected]
Subj:	Fletcher death (Forwarded)

    Dr. James C. Fletcher, former NASA Administrator, passed away last night.
  Funeral services will be held tomorrow morning at Scotts Run Chapel,
  McLean, VA. at 10:00 am EST.
  
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