April 12, 1993

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COVER STORY

Mars Exploration Invites Global Space Cooperation

PARIS The top managers, scientists and engineers of the world's major space agencies will gather in Germany May 10-11, for an unprecedented "Mars summit" to begin coordination of the international exploration of Mars in the late 1990s and 21st century.

By CRAIG COVAULT7 min

HEADLINE NEWS

U. S. Aircraft Review Shifts Into High Gear

WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Les Aspin wants to be able to provide lawmakers with the preliminary results of the tactical aviation portion of the Pentagon's "bottom-up" review as early as this June in order to influence congressional action on the Fiscal 1994 budget.

By JOHN D. MORROCCO7 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Discovery Begins Atlas-2 Mission

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER Discovery's five-member crew is busy this week maneuvering their orbiter to position its payloads for critical solar and atmospheric measurements that should allow scientists to improve the depth and quality of their analyses of Earth and its reactions to the Sun.

By JAMES T. MCKENNA6 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Management Miscues, Delays Snarl C-17 Program

LOS ANGELES The C-17 transport is a good example of what happens when the challenges of a major military aircraft program are underestimated and the development phase of the program drags on for too many years. The advanced transport program dates back to 1980, when the Air Force issued a request for proposals (RFP) for what then was called the C-X.

By BRUCE A. SMITH5 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Army Orders One-third Cut of Comanche Program Cost

WASHINGTON U.S. Army officials have ordered cost cuts of one-third in the RAH-66 Comanche scout/light attack helicopter program as they try to deal with disappearing acquisition funding. This reduction will come in addition to a $76-million cut in the program's 1994 budget, the difference between the Bush and Clinton Administration recommendations.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM5 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Russian Proton Booster Offered in Indonesian Launch Competition

WASHINGTON Lockheed and Khrunichev Enterprise have offered the Proton booster to orbit Indonesian communications satellites, marking the international competition debut for the U. S./Russian joint venture. Indonesia requested the Proton proposal as an alternative to bids previously submitted by Europe's Arianespace for the Ariane and General Dynamics for the Atlas launchers, industry officials said.

By JEFFREY M. LENOROVITZ4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Clinton Offers $15 Billion for NASA With R&D Boost

WASHINGTON Over the next five years, the Clinton Administration is proposing to cut $23.8 billion from NASA's space station and other programs to increase aeronautic and space technology research under an overall flat budget for the agency.

By JAMES R. ASKER3 min

April 51993

April 191993

April 12, 1993

April 12, 1993