>From the Oct. 1 Aviation Week:
"NASA believes it has whittled its $4.8 billion shortfall on the Space Station to about $500 million, but that only buys a three-man crew -- barely enough to keep the station operating, and woefully inadequate for 'world-class science'. Estimates of how much more it would take to build a station capable of supporting a crew of 6 or 7 are starting to push into the $8 billion range -- about what the Reagan Administration originally estimated the total project would cost. "No one is happy about that, particularly members of Congress who were sold a functioning laboratory. And the ESA, which has spent about $4 bilion on ISS and may add another $460 million to help the US pay for a Crew Return Vehicle, calculates that a 3-man crew would give ESA a scanty 1.5 hours of crew time a week. "Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), who chairs a NASA oversight panel, says it's time for some 'creative thinking.' For example, oil-rich states in the Persian Gulf region could buy in, using cash-strapped Russian companies to build their hardware. [Right. Saudi Arabia, maybe? -- Bruce] "Meanwhile, members of the independent panel set up to find out how to finish the US station 'core' with the funds available are 'depressed and astonished' after a week at the ISS program office in Houston, according to one insider who says NASA hasn't offered 'hard numbers' to back up its estimate of the original shortfall." I do wonder how much longer Congress will tolerate this farce just to conceal from the voters the fact that NASA royally scammed them. Meanwhile, "NASA Watch" reports that the Bush Administration has now given up on finding any willing replacement for Dan Goldin, and doesn't think NASA is important enough anyway to put any more thought in on it at this point -- so they're just going to leave Goldin in as head, to do whatever damn thing he wants with the limited amount of money they intend to give him from now on. == You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/
