Tim Furniss/LONDON
BRYAN O'CONNOR, NASA's director of the Space Shuttle programme in Washington DC, has resigned in protest at management changes, which he argues could jeopardise safety.
The changes come in the wake of controversial plans to privatise Shuttle operations. Safety concerns have already been raised among politicians, space-industry workers and Shuttle astronauts, who warn that the privatisation plan could result in the type of fragmented programme management which contributed to the Challenger accident ten years ago.
O'Connor, a former Shuttle commander, was heavily involved in improving the safety of the programme after the Challenger accident. His main concern over the changes are proposals to shift programme management from the Washington DC headquarters to the Johnson Space Center (JSC) at Houston, Texas.
He says that one of the safety improvements made after the Challenger accident was that management of the programme was established at NASA's headquarters. George Abbey, a former chief of the Shuttle programme, has been appointed director of the JSC.
Plans to streamline the programme will result in Rockwell and Lockheed Martin taking over Shuttle operations under the United Space Alliance banner. The aim is to cut costs, improve efficiency and eliminate unnecessary duplication of work between NASA and contractor employees. The Alliance will be headed by former Shuttle mission-specialist astronaut, James Adamson.
By 2001, NASA must cut its annual $14 billion budget by one-third and shed 27,000 contractor and agency personnel, including more than 3,000 Shuttle-related civil servants. The $3.2 billion annual Shuttle operations budget has to be shaved to $2.5 billion.
Negotiations with the Alliance will be completed in September, and will include appropriate incentives to maintain flight safety. "With Lockheed Martin and Rockwell, we have two experienced companies that clearly understand how to operate the Shuttle safely," says Daniel Goldin, NASA's Administrator.
nThe Space Shuttle STS75/ Columbia has been scheduled for a 22 February launch, carrying the Italian Tethered Satellite System. Russia's Soyuz TM23 mission will be launched - with two cosmonauts - to the Mir 1 space station on 21 February.
Source: Flight International