goodloe@xenon.UUCP (Tony Goodloe) (11/21/88)
> Do you realize that as things stand NASA has only supplies for 20 more > launches? > A week or two ago a critical booster supplier went out of business. > A West Virginia chemical/plastic/whatever firm that bellied up is > the ONLY SUPPLIER OF RAYON!!! > I think that is the term. What I am referring to is a critical part of > the boosters nozzle, or something. Due to economic and environmental > problems this firmed sucked suds in early November. They are the sole > supplier of this needed component. I heard about the Rayon problem from a Morton Thiokol employee. It affects not only the Shuttle program but seems like most all of the motors, you know, our military solid rocket motors. This problem, and the Ammonium (?) Perchlorate shortage are really causing problems in a program that is going less than ideally already. We are really strict here about having second sources for parts, why isn't the government?