Drucella Andersen
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                                              
June 10, 1992
(Phone:  202/453-8613)

RELEASE:  92-86

X-30 NATIONAL AERO-SPACE PLANE MOCKUP ROLLS OUT 

   Decked out in striking red, white and blue colors, a 
50-foot-long X-30 National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) mockup 
rolled out of its hanger today in ceremonies at Mississippi 
State University, Starkville.

   University students won the chance to build the one-third 
scale mockup in a nationwide competition sponsored by the NASP 
Joint Program Office, composed of NASA and DOD officials.  NASP 
is a high-priority effort to create a flight research vehicle 
that will take off like an airplane, fly into Earth orbit and 
then return through the atmosphere for a runway landing.

   "NASA appreciates the hard work and dedication of the 
Mississippi State students," said Vincent L. Rausch, NASP 
Director at NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.  "The spirit 
and teamwork they showed in getting a quality X-30 mockup built 
on time reflects the same cooperation that we have among 
government, industry and universities in the program."

   Forty-five students in Mississippi State's engineering 
program worked for 5 months to construct the 5000-pound mockup 
at the university's Raspet Flight Research Laboratory.  
Throughout the project, they had access to NASP program 
officials who advised them on technical aspects of the X-30's 
design.  Mississippi State aerospace engineering professor Dr. 
George Bennett directed the students' efforts.

   The subscale X-30 is made entirely of composite materials so 
that it can tolerate rain, hail and the other weather 
conditions that it may experience in outside displays.  The 
spaceplane mockup will debut at the U.S. Air and Trade Show in 
Dayton, Ohio, June 16-21, 1992.  Other stops scheduled in 1992 
are the Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-In at Oshkosh, 
Wisc., July 31-Aug. 6 and the World Space Congress in 
Washington, D.C., Aug. 28-Sept. 5.  It also will tour in 1993 
and 1994. 
                             -end-
   Photos are available to the media by calling 202/453-8375.
Color:  92-HC-360, -361, -362
B&W:    92-H-408, -409, -410