LOS ANGELES The U.S. and Russia could mount a series of joint space science missions to Mars, Pluto and the Sun under a frame-work developed by a U.S/Russian technical team. The four-day session at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) focused on options for basic spacecraft components required to meet science requirements, as well as which country would provide those major elements.

DULLES, VA. The U.S. competition to develop a modern, medium-lift launcher has intensified with Orbital Sciences Corp.'s proposal for a new family of vehicles derived from its Taurus booster. OSC's Taurus 2 would be able to carry payloads in the class of America's Delta 2 and Titan 2 launchers and is to incorporate a German bipropellant upper stage originally designed for Europe's new Ariane 5.

WASHINGTON Increasing use of contract overhaul and maintenance services is escalating competition among the airline industry, original equipment manufacturers and third-party service providers to capture a larger share of that emerging global market.