Sarah Keegan
Headquarters, Washington, DC       September 4, 1998
(Phone:  202/358-1902)

RELEASE :  c98-n


NASA CONTRACTS FOR FUTURE SPACE TRANSPORTATION STUDIES

     NASA has selected five companies to perform space 
transportation architecture studies.  These studies will develop 
approaches to meet the agency's future human space flight 
requirements with significant reductions in cost.  

     The industry-led studies will provide information to support 
future policy decisions determining if the Space Shuttle system 
should be replaced:  if so, when; if not, what upgrade strategy is 
required to continue safe and affordable Space Shuttle flight.

     The companies selected for the one-year study contracts were:  
Boeing Information, Space, and Defense Systems, Seal Beach, CA; 
Kelly Space and Technology, San Bernardino, CA; Lockheed Martin 
Astronautics, Denver, CO;  Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, 
VA; and Space Access, LLC, Palmdale, CA.  The study contracts will 
involve different numbers of tasks and will range in value from 
$1-2 million each.

     The studies will assess architectures that offer potential 
cost savings, including future scenarios that keep the Space 
Shuttle operational until 2020 and replace the Space Shuttle when 
cost-effective, and will develop an architecture that assumes 
NASA's current funding level for space transportation.  These 
studies will identify the government marginal investment necessary 
for the commercial launch industry to meet NASA's  launch 
requirements.

     More information on the Space Transportation Architecture 
study activity can be found on the Internet at:       
   http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codea/codeae/sta_study.html

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