Donald Savage
Headquarters, Washington, DC               December 19, 2000
(Phone:  202/358-1547)

NOTE TO EDITORS:  N00-063

NASA TO DISCUSS RESTRUCTURED OUTER PLANET PROGRAM

     Dr. Ed Weiler, NASA Associate Administrator for the Office of 
Space Science, will brief reporters on the Agency's decision for 
restructuring the Outer Planet Program, which includes the Pluto-
Kuiper Express and the Europa Orbiter missions, during a 
teleconference set for Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 11 a.m. EST.

This announcement comes three months after an order was issued to 
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, to stop work on 
the Pluto project due to unacceptably large cost overruns.

Participants will be:
*  Dr. Ed Weiler; Associate Administrator, Office of Space Science
*  Dr. Jay Bergstralh, acting Director, Solar System Exploration, 
NASA Headquarters 
*  Dr. Colleen Hartman, Deputy Director, Research Programs 
Division, NASA Headquarters

News media representatives should contact the NASA Headquarters 
Office of Space Science Public Affairs at 202/358-1547 for 
instructions on how to connect to the teleconference. 

Reporters within the Metro area of Washington, DC, who want to 
attend the briefing at NASA Headquarters should call the above 
number to sign up for limited seating. 

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