donch@teklabs.UUCP (Don Chitwood) (01/29/86)
In the wake of this tragedy, I already see a marshalling of forces to discredit or derail the shuttle program. The interminable news broadcasts and commentary and speculation are turning more and more toward trying to dig up spectacular and controversial tidbits, rumors and conjecture. I support the shuttle (specifically the non-military uses) and want to see the program advance. I want to show my support by sending some $$ to NASA and say, "Here. Put this toward Challenger's replacement. I believe in you." How can I get private funds into NASA? Memory tells me of vague problems with some private group (was it to support continued telemetry from one of the Mariners on Mars?) trying to get funds into NASA for a similar purpose. Anyone have any knowledge/thoughts about how to do this, who to contact? I have this daydream of a groundswell of support for the program that blows Washington away. I invite anyone else who feels strongly about this to find a way to express it in an effective way. With stars in my eyes, and space between my ears, Don Chitwood Tektronix, Inc. --all the usual disclaimers apply, except that I fully claim the above comments.
munck@faron.UUCP (Robert Munck) (01/31/86)
.
They say that building a new Orbiter will cost $2 billion, or about
$8 from each of us. I gave some thought to what I'd be willing to
pay and what I could afford, and sent a check for that amount to
NASA in Washington. I enclosed a note asking that it be used
to build Challenger II or for an equivalent manned spaceflight
project, and that it be in memory of all who have died in pursuit
of the dream.
I recommend a similar action to others who feel strongly about the
continuation of the manned program.
-- Bob Munckmlh@houxl.UUCP (M.HARRISON) (02/01/86)
> I support the shuttle (specifically the non-military uses) and want to see > the program advance. I want to show my support by sending some $$ to > NASA and say, "Here. Put this toward Challenger's replacement. I believe > in you." > How can I get private funds into NASA? Memory tells me of vague problems > with some private group (was it to support continued telemetry from > one of the Mariners on Mars?) trying to get funds into NASA for a similar > purpose. > Anyone have any knowledge/thoughts about how to do this, who to contact? > I have this daydream of a groundswell of support for the program that > blows Washington away. I invite anyone else who feels strongly about this > to find a way to express it in an effective way. It seems that the politicians figured out how to get our tax $$ into their pockets via the $1 Presidential campaign check-off on the IRS 1040. How about a check-off for a new "Peoples' Shuttle" !!! In these times of Graham-Rudman, I don't see much hope of funding unless we take such an unconventional step. Wouldn't it be nice if President Reagan made such a proposal this Tuesday night? How about it Washington, is anyone listening? Marc Harrison AT&T - Holmdel
klr@hadron.UUCP (Kurt L. Reisler) (02/01/86)
In article <3276@teklabs.UUCP> donch@teklabs.UUCP (Don Chitwood) writes: >In the wake of this tragedy, I already see a marshalling of forces to >discredit or derail the shuttle program. ... >I have this daydream of a groundswell of support for the program that >blows Washington away. I invite anyone else who feels strongly about this >to find a way to express it in an effective way. I have been collecting both expressions of grief and of support ( and a few against) the manned space program from both USENET, UUCP mail (in response to an earlier message) and from FIDONET. I have been in touch with Senator Garn's office, and they are VERY interested in receiving these. I will be printing the whole thing out, and taking it to his office in a week or so. This is a way to make your thoughts known. PLEASE, this is not a joke. We need to do something to show how we stand on this issue. We need to express our support for those who survive and for those who MUST go on. The future of our children is in space. We can not, we must not, allow a few to deny them their future. Send your messages, either directly to me, or in either net.space or net.columbia. I have plenty of disk space. The Dream is, and must remain, alive! Kurt Reisler ..!seismo!hadron!klr
henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) (02/03/86)
> ...I want to show my support by sending some $$ to > NASA and say, "Here. Put this toward Challenger's replacement..." > > How can I get private funds into NASA? Memory tells me of vague problems > with some private group (was it to support continued telemetry from > one of the Mariners on Mars?) trying to get funds into NASA for a similar > purpose. The Viking Fund, organized to support continued operation of Viking Lander 1, did indeed run into this. There is no mechanism, and I believe no legal possibility, for NASA to accept donations towards a specific cause -- the only way to give money to the government is to put it into the general pot. The Viking Fund got around this, I believe, by contracting to have NASA do specific work for a fee, some of which was going to be done anyway, and thus indirectly easing financial pressure on Lander operations. -- Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry
bl@hplabsb.UUCP (Bruce T. Lowerre) (02/04/86)
> I support the shuttle (specifically the non-military uses) and want to see > the program advance. I want to show my support by sending some $$ to > NASA and say, "Here. Put this toward Challenger's replacement. I believe > in you." > > How can I get private funds into NASA? Memory tells me of vague problems > with some private group (was it to support continued telemetry from > one of the Mariners on Mars?) trying to get funds into NASA for a similar > purpose. > > Anyone have any knowledge/thoughts about how to do this, who to contact? There are two funds set up in the wake of the tragedy. One is to help the families of the deceased, the other, beleive it or not, is to go towards the replacement of the shuttle. I say this on the news but did not copy down the address. Contact NASA; I'm sure they can give you the details.
wex@milano.UUCP (02/06/86)
In article <6345@utzoo.UUCP>, henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) writes: > There is no mechanism, and I believe no legal possibility, for NASA to accept > donations towards a specific cause -- the only way to give money to the > government is to put it into the general pot. The Viking Fund got around > this, I believe, by contracting to have NASA do specific work for a fee... Your memory agrees with mine on this. Last night, on CNN, I saw Mr. Rockwell (the guy who founded the firm of the same name, but who now has a new aerospace company) at a news conference. He offered to enter into a $1 billion "contract" with NASA to build a new shuttle. Apparently, there is a stock of spare parts that could be used, thus significantly reducing the $2.2 billion price tag for a new orbiter. The completed shuttle would then be "leased" to NASA by Mr. Rockwell's new company, on a lease-to-buy scheme. (IE Rockwell's company makes back its bucks, NASA gets to keep the orbiter in the end.) Note, these are my recollections of a 60-second blurb on CNN, and might not be completely correct. -- Alan Wexelblat ARPA: WEX@MCC.ARPA UUCP: {ihnp4, seismo, harvard, gatech, pyramid}!ut-sally!im4u!milano!wex "Once in a while, you get shown the light. In the strangest of places, if you look at it right."
jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos) (02/07/86)
> Last night I saw Mr. Rockwell (the guy who founded the firm of the same > name, but who now has a new aerospace company) at a news conference offer > to build a new shuttle [which would] then be "leased" to NASA, on a > lease-to-buy scheme. (IE Rockwell's company makes back its bucks, NASA > gets to keep the orbiter in the end.) > > Note, these are my recollections of a 60-second blurb on CNN, and might not > be completely correct. That was General Space Corp., a subsidiary of Astrotech International Corp; the price of the new shuttle was $1.2 billion, though they didn't specify what the fee for leasing it would be. Bill Nelson (a local congressman down here; he flew on the shuttle recently) is lobbying for a $1.5 billion emergency appropriation from Congress, and Astrotech in turn is lobbying Bill Nelson. According to the Orlando Sentinel, it's the second time they've made that offer (the first time was in 1984, but then they wanted to own it themselves and operate it privately, which NASA rejected). According to the Sentinel, Rockwell commented, "The private sector is going to take over the entire space transportation system some day. We want to get our ducks in a row and be at the head of the line." (Astrotech is the big white building with the purple and orange-red stripes and lots of microwave antennas on top that you pass on the way to the Space Center just off the Bee Line Highway a short way before you get to the McDonnell-Douglas plant.) -- UUCP: Ofc: jer@peora.UUCP Home: jer@jerpc.CCUR.UUCP CCUR DNS: peora, pesnta US Mail: MS 795; CONCURRENT Computer Corp. SDC; (A Perkin-Elmer Company) 2486 Sand Lake Road, Orlando, FL 32809-7642 xxxxx4xxx "There are other places that are also the world's end ... But this is the nearest ... here and in England." -TSE
raha@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Bob Hettinga) (02/08/86)
>> Last night I saw Mr. Rockwell (the guy who founded the firm of the same >> name, but who now has a new aerospace company) at a news conference offer >> to build a new shuttle [which would] then be "leased" to NASA, on a >> lease-to-buy scheme. (IE Rockwell's company makes back its bucks, NASA >> gets to keep the orbiter in the end.) >> >> Note, these are my recollections of a 60-second blurb on CNN, and might not >> be completely correct. >That was General Space Corp., a subsidiary of Astrotech International >Corp; the price of the new shuttle was $1.2 billion, though they didn't >specify what the fee for leasing it would be. Willard Rockwell has more lives than a cat. Astrotech has been flirting with bankruptcy so many times (I have have a stack of Wall Street Journal clippings about yea high...) it's nothing short of amazing. Rockwell seems to think can run a startup with the same unlimited funds mentality a conglomerate like North American Rockwell uses. Oh, well. He's still out there, anyway. -rah -- Bob Hettinga (Chairman, CEO, Virtual Vaccuum Ventures, Inc. ( V3I ) ) UUCP: ...!ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!raha Phone: 312-684-8340 Home Address: 5454 South Dorchester Chicago, Illinois 60615
rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson) (02/08/86)
In article <1961@peora.UUCP> jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos) writes: >> Last night I saw Mr. Rockwell (the guy who founded the firm of the same >> name, but who now has a new aerospace company) at a news conference offer >> to build a new shuttle [which would] then be "leased" to NASA, on a >> lease-to-buy scheme. (IE Rockwell's company makes back its bucks, NASA >> gets to keep the orbiter in the end.) >> >> Note, these are my recollections of a 60-second blurb on CNN, and might not >> be completely correct. > >That was General Space Corp., a subsidiary of Astrotech International >Corp; the price of the new shuttle was $1.2 billion, though they didn't >specify what the fee for leasing it would be. Bill Nelson (a local >congressman down here; he flew on the shuttle recently) is lobbying for a >$1.5 billion emergency appropriation from Congress, and Astrotech in turn >is lobbying Bill Nelson. According to the Orlando Sentinel, it's the >second time they've made that offer (the first time was in 1984, but then >they wanted to own it themselves and operate it privately, which NASA >rejected). > >According to the Sentinel, Rockwell commented, "The private sector is >going to take over the entire space transportation system some day. We >want to get our ducks in a row and be at the head of the line." > I read a _USA_Today_ article on this, and it said (from memory) that Rockwell Jr. was the chairman of Astrotech, that he planned to "loan" $1.5 billion to NASA by getting a $.5 billion loan from a major insurance firm and raising the other $1 billion through a public stock offering of the General Space Corp. (Astrotech subsidiary) stock. He is indeed shooting for owner/operatorship of the entire shuttle line eventually. The shuttle resulting from these funds would be leased to NASA indefinitely until the demise of the shuttle program or private sector ownership. An unidentified source within NASA said that they were "just flabbergasted" by the offer. -- The MAD Programmer -- 919-228-3313 (Cornet 291) alias: Curtis Jackson ...![ ihnp4 ulysses cbosgd mgnetp ]!burl!rcj ...![ ihnp4 cbosgd akgua masscomp ]!clyde!rcj