Space Station; The Next Logical Step

8 pages, plus covers. Oversized book, measuring 8-1/2 inches by 11 inches. Profusely illustrated in color. Includes summary of the Space Station Program Plan. Significant progress in the Space Station program has been made in the two and one-half years since President Reagan directed NASA to develop the Space Station. Functional performance requirements have been defined to guide the definition and design of Space Station capabilities. Andrew J. Stofan was the Director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Lewis Research Center in Ohio. Mr. Stofan was responsible for all activities associated with the design and development of the launch vehicle. He directed the launch of the Titan/Centaur Proof Flight (T/C-1) in February 1974. Mr. Stofan assumed the role of Director, Launch Vehicles, in 1974, and he directed the launch of ten Atlas/Centaurs and six Titan/Centaurs. The success of the Titan/Centaur, was due to the combined efforts of a NASA/Air Force/Aerospace team coordinated by Mr. Stofan. On January 15, 1978, Mr. Stofan was appointed Deputy Associate Administrator for the NASA Headquarters Office of Space Science. In this position, he served as the general manager of the Office of Space Science and was responsible for the evaluation and direction of all space science programs. He was appointed Acting Associate Administrator for Space Science on October 14, 1980. In 1982, Mr. Stefan was awarded the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive. In 1985, Mr. Stefan received the Presidential Rank Award To Distinguished Executives. During his Jan. 25, 1984, State of the Union address to Congress, President Ronald W. Reagan directed NASA to develop a "permanently manned space station and to do it within a decade." His comments reflected his view of American pre-eminence in space but explicitly stated that the United States would invite other nations to join in the project and spelled out the benefits to be derived from such an orbiting platform: Our progress in space—taking giant steps for all mankind—is a tribute to American teamwork and excellence. Our finest minds in government, industry, and academia have all pulled together. And we can be proud to say: We are first; we are the best; and we are so because we're free. America has always been greatest when we dared to be great. We can reach for greatness again. We can follow our dreams to distant stars, living and working in space for peaceful, economic, and scientific gain. . A space station will permit quantum leaps in our research in science, communications, in metals, and in lifesaving medicines which could be manufactured only in space. We want our friends to help us meet these challenges and share in their benefits. NASA will invite other countries to participate so we can strengthen peace, build prosperity, and expand freedom for all who share our goals. In the optimism following President Reagan's announcement, NASA laid out an ambitious plan for a Space Station composed of three separate orbital platforms to conduct microgravity research, Earth and celestial observations, and to serve as a transportation and servicing node for space vehicles and satellites and as a staging base for deep-space exploration. NASA signed agreements with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA) to provide their own research modules. In April 1985, NASA established a Space Station Program Office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Assessments of the original "Dual Keel" design determined that it was overly complex to build and cost estimates for the ambitious space station continued to rise. Over the next several years, engineers and managers redesigned the facility and simplified it to a single-truss configuration with the pressurized modules clustered near the core and the solar arrays for power generation at the ends of the truss. In July 1988, President Reagan announced that the orbital facility would be called Space Stat.…