Voice of America 5/15/97
SPACE STATION SCHEDULE
BYLINE=DAVID MCALARY
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: THE DELAY IN CONSTRUCTION OF THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION WILL NOT
BE AS LONG AS ORIGINALLY ANNOUNCED BY
THE U-S SPACE AGENCY NASA LAST MONTH.
AS V-O-A SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT DAVID
MCALARY REPORTS, NASA SAYS THE
POSTPONEMENT -- CAUSED BY RUSSIAN
FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES -- WILL BE ONLY
EIGHT MONTHS INSTEAD OF ELEVEN AS
RUSSIAN SPACE CONTRACTORS RESUME
BUILDING A KEY STATION COMPONENT.
TEXT: NASA SAYS IT HAS FORMALLY
AGREED TO A SPACE STATION CONSTRUCTION
SCHEDULE WITH THE RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY.
THE REVISED CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE
MEANS THE FIRST SPACE STATION MODULE
WILL BE LAUNCHED IN JUNE, 1998, INSTEAD
OF THE FOLLOWING OCTOBER AS PREVIOUSLY
ANNOUNCED.
STATION ASSEMBLY WAS TO HAVE BEGUN
IN ORBIT THIS COMING NOVEMBER, BUT THE
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT'S FAILURE TO PAY
FOR COMPLETION OF A KEY RUSSIAN
COMPONENT SET BACK THE SCHEDULE.
THIS CAUSED THE EUROPEAN, CANADIAN,
AND JAPANESE PARTNERS IN THE PROJECT
AND MANY CRITICS IN THE U-S CONGRESS
TO WONDER IF RUSSIA COULD LIVE UP TO
ITS SPACE STATION COMMITMENTS.
NOW, NASA SAYS WORK ON THE
COMPONENT HAS RESUMED BECAUSE THE
YELTSIN GOVERNMENT IS PAYING ITS
CONTRACTORS AGAIN. THE RUSSIAN
SPACE AGENCY EXPECTS TO HAVE
280 MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE PROJECT
BY SEPTEMBER.
// BRINKLEY ACT //
I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT IT APPEARS
THAT THAT FUNDING PROBLEM IS BEHIND US.
// END ACT //
THIS IS THE NASA OFFICIAL OVERSEEING
U-S PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM --
RANDY BRINKLEY. HE SAYS RUSSIAN
SPACE AGENCY OFFICIALS OPENED THEIR
BOOKS TO HIM ON A RECENT VISIT TO PROVE
GOVERNMENT MONEY WAS FLOWING AGAIN
INTO THE SPACE STATION PROGRAM.
// BRINKLEY ACT //
WHEN WE WERE OVER THERE, WE HAD THE
OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE COMPONENTS,
TO LOOK AT THE DOCUMENTS FOR THE
FUNDING. WE KNOW THE NAMES OF THE
BANKS AND WE'RE SURE THAT THE MONEY
HAS IN FACT FLOWED -- NOT ONLY TO THE
PRIME CONTRACTORS, BUT WE'VE HAD
VALIDATION BY THE HEADS OF THE
SUBCONTRACTORS THAT THEY WERE UNDER
CONTRACT, THEY WERE FULLY FUNDED,
AND THEY COULD MEET THEIR COMMITMENT
OF THEIR SCHEDULE.
// END ACT //
THE DELAYED RUSSIAN UNIT -- CALLED A
SERVICE MODULE -- IS TO HOUSE SPACE
STATION CREWS AND PROVIDE STEERING
CAPABILITY. IT IS NOW SCHEDULED FOR
LAUNCH IN DECEMBER, 1998. BUT BECAUSE
ITS FUNCTIONS ARE CRITICAL TO STATION
CONSTRUCTION, THE UNITED STATES
IS NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES. IN CASE
THE RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY, OR R-S-A,
ENCOUNTERS FURTHER FUNDING PROBLEMS
AND CANNOT MEET THE NEW DEADLINE,
NASA IS SPENDING 200 MILLION DOLLARS
MORE THAN IT HAD PLANNED TO REFIT
TWO OTHER MODULES -- ONE RUSSIAN,
THE OTHER AMERICAN -- WITH SOME OF
THE SERVICE MODULE'S CAPABILITIES.
MR. BRINKLEY ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
THE RISK OF A RENEWED DELAY HAS NOT
BEEN ELIMINATED, BUT BELIEVES THE
DECEMBER, 1998 LAUNCH OF THE RUSSIAN
SERVICE MODULE CAN BE MET.
// BRINKLEY ACT //
THERE'S LITTLE MARGIN LEFT IN TERMS OF
THE SCHEDULE RESERVE. WE DO BELIEVE,
HOWEVER, IT'S VERY EXECUTABLE. THE
PEOPLE WE HEARD FROM -- BOTH R-S-A
AND THEIR MAJOR SUBCONTRACTORS --
WERE VERY COMMITTED TO MEET THAT
SCHEDULE.
// END ACT //
MR. BRINKLEY ALSO REFUTED A NEWS
REPORT IN RUSSIAN NEWSPAPER WEDNESDAY
SAYING U-S AND RUSSIAN OFFICIALS WERE
CONSIDERING USING THE SPACE STATION FOR
MILITARY PURPOSES. HE INSISTS THE
ORBITING RESEARCH LABORATORY IS TO
BE USED FOR PEACEFUL PURPOSES.
(SIGNED)
NEB/DEM/KL
15-May-97 3:36 PM EDT (1936 UTC)
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