CAPE CANAVERAl NASA and industry are about to narrow preliminary options for possible development of a new U.S. manned spacecraft—the Crew/Cargo Transfer Vehicle, or CCTV. The spacecraft, which could be developed starting as early as 2004-05, could supplement the space shuttle until a shuttle replacement comes on line sometime after 2010.

WASHINGTON NASA has decided to overhaul its X-34 reusable launch vehicle program, adding a third flight vehicle in an effort to recover months of schedule lost when the U.S. Air Force threw the agency’s test plans into disarray. Under a plan announced last week, NASA will upgrade a mockup airframe into an unpowered flight vehicle.

Washington U.S. Army efforts to develop the next generation of infrared self-protection equipment for its helicopters have encountered major hurdles and have caused the program cost to increase more than 30%. The two programs that exceeded their budget are the ALQ-212 Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures program designed to defeat infrared missiles using a laser, and the adjunct AAR-57 Common Missile Warning System (CMWS) that is supposed to alert pilots to a missile attack.