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From: al@vger.UUCP ( Informatix)
Newsgroups: net.space,net.columbia
Subject: Shuttle Privatization
Message-ID: <327@vger.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 2-Feb-86 14:34:54 EST
Article-I.D.: vger.327
Posted: Sun Feb  2 14:34:54 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Feb-86 03:14:46 EST
Organization: UC Santa Cruz, CIS Dept.
Lines: 16
Keywords: shuttle
Xref: watmath net.space:5515 net.columbia:1971

In the last few years several private organizations have tried to purchase one
or more shuttle orbiters to operate for profit. Prudential Insurance lead one of
these attempts and Astrotech International is still trying.  With federal
dollars being scarce and given the recent loss of Challenger, perhaps it is time
to privatize part of the shuttle fleet if industry is still interested.

One attractive approach is to sell Columbia or Discovery to a private
organization for the cost of building an additional orbiter.  This way investors
can get an immediate return and the funds to increase the shuttle fleet are made
available.  Should the private party miss payments to Rockwell for the new
orbiter, the government could re-possess the privatized shuttle; thus, the
government minimizes risk.

If several firms wanted to take advantage of this deal, then additional orbiters
could be built; although the government should probably keep control of at least
one orbiter (probably Atlantis).