sjb (06/16/82)
Final preparations for the countdown of STS-4 are right on schedule, and no problems have yet been encountered. Yesterday, space suits, to be used in emergencies only, were loaded aboard the orbiter, and heat protective shields were installed on the SRB nozzles. Later in the week, the Columbia's computers will be loaded with their flight software. In other news, NASA announced that the price of renting the shuttle will triple in 1985, from $30 million to $90 million, due to ridiculously low initial costs and soaring inflation. However, since the shuttle can carry four satellites at once, compared to one and two by America's Delta and ESA's Ariane, companies can split the cost evenly and come out spending less money than on the one-shot boosters.