Schauble@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA (01/05/84)
'LEASECRAFT' opens industrialization of space
>From the December 1983 issue of Industrial Research & Development
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Pushing hard for industrialization of space, NASA has signed an
agreement with Fairchild Industries under which Fairchild will design
and build its own privately owned, unmanned space station.
As its part of the bargain, NASA will provide technical support for the
$200 million platform, dubbed 'Leasecraft', and offer it two free
journeys on the space shuttle.
The first trip, in 1987, will put the platform in Earth orbit. On the
second trip, six months later, shuttle astronauts will service the
platform.
After the second trip, Leasecraft will be a full-fledged business
proposition. Fairchild will rent out space aboard the platform to
industrial and government customers, and will insure that customer's
packages reach the station. To make its deliveries, Fairchild will pay
NASA at the going commercial rate for payload space aboard the shuttle.
"This is a good example of President Reagan's program to encourage
private enterprise in space," declared NASA administrator James Beggs at
the signing ceremony in Washington. Leasecraft, said Fairchild chairman
Edward Uhl, "should put the U.S. in the lead in facilities available for
space manufacturing and offers the promise of profitable business for
potential customers, for NASA, and for Fairchild."
One strong possibility as an early customer for Leasecraft is the
combination of the McDonnell Douglas Corp and Johnson & Johnson, which
has tested a process for manufacturing pharmaceuticals in
reduced-gravity conditions of high-Earth orbit during recent space
shuttle flights. Other possibilities include companies seeking to
produce rare alloys and extremely pure electronic components in space.
According to preliminary designs, Leasecraft will be a 15 X 15 X 14.5 ft
structure that will weigh 12,000 lb. Two solar panels will power the
craft, communications, and data processing. The platform will be
designed to operate continuously for at least 10 years.