Xref: utzoo sci.space:12585 sci.space.shuttle:3402 Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!dptcdc!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!ginosko!uunet!mcvax!kth!sunic!sics.se!news From: bruno@inmic.se (Bruno Poterie) Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle Subject: Re: space news from June 26 AW&ST Message-ID: Date: 25 Jul 89 11:39:08 GMT References: <1989Jul24.033656.20927@utzoo.uucp> Sender: news@sics.se Organization: Swedish Institute of Microelectronics, Kista Lines: 39 In-reply-to: henry@utzoo.uucp's message of 24 Jul 89 03:36:56 GMT In article <1989Jul24.033656.20927@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: > Ariane 5 development program will probably slip several months and perhaps > longer, because a US-built solid-fuel-mixing machine destined for Kourou > is being diverted to US solid-rocket manufacturer Hercules to replace a > mixer damaged in an accident early this year. The mixer was to reach > Kourou in early fall to be incorporated into the Ariane 5 SRB manufacturing > plant, along with another mixer to arrive late in the year. Worse, the > second mixer may be delayed because the first one needs to be reworked to > fit Hercules's needs, and manpower is short. The Europeans are Not Pleased, > and are urging the US to deliver the mixers as originally scheduled, saying > that Hercules has others. "This could go down as another black day in > European-US space relations, and it comes at a time when Europe already > is questioning the reliability of the US as a partner..." Same kind of attitude already pushed the French, long ago, to launch a rocket study which eventually evolved into current Ariane. Surprise! I suppose that now we will have to build a mixer factory, thereby depriving the Americans of this market share (and of others as well). Keep on doing the good job ;-! ;-) ;-) Which firm was building those mixers? I bet that it is a private company. If confirmed, this is one more reason to doubt about the validity of the "private" approach. If Arianespace had had a contract with the NASA or with another government or official agency, it would have been respected. But what can you expect from a private compagny who does not respect commercial contracts? Go to a conccurent next time? Attack it in a US tribunal? Ah! There was this insert in Newsweek recently (or was it another weekly?) where former NASA head said that the leaders of space commercial activities are already and will increasingly be the Europeans, because "they have the will and the organisation". The will, you Americans certainly do have it as well, but not the organisation - rather, not the will of an organisation as i see it on this forum. Well, i much prefer expensive public NASA to this cheap private company. A question of trust, i suppose. Disclaimer: those are my opinions and mine only. Bruno Poterie, Martian. Vive l'Europe! email: bruno@inmic.se