Aucbvax.5105
fa.space
utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!space
Wed Nov 11 03:26:54 1981
SPACE Digest V2 #31
>From OTA@S1-A Wed Nov 11 02:49:29 1981

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 2 : Issue 31

Today's Topics:
                          Yet another scenario
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Date: 10 Nov 1981 12:26:22-PST
From: decvax!duke!unc!smb at Berkeley
In-real-life: Steven M. Bellovin
To: decvax!duke!unc!space@Berkeley
Subject: Yet another scenario

Consider the following scenario:

       NASA decides to turn shuttle operations over to a private firm,
       McDouglas Aircraft, even though the bids are unexpectedly
       high.  The program limps along for two years, getting a fair
       amount of foregin business, but with McDouglas constantly
       asking for even more money.  They claim to be developing an
       even better booster with engines made by another company.  The
       engines are delayed, and the resulting losses drives McDouglas
       to bankruptcy.  They appeal for government loan guarantees,
       citing the importance of the shuttle to the country.  During
       Congressional hearings, it turns out that they won the original
       contract by engaging in bid-rigging, and most of their foreign
       business came from paying off government officials.  In the
       meantime, a private firm is testing a new competitive fuel
       technology; unfortunately, there is a malfunction and an
       explosion.  The town they're located in is severely damaged,
       and several residents are killed by the fumes.  McDouglas's
       other competitor has developed a reasonable booster, but most
       of their funding has come from Libya.  The effect of all these
       problems is a tremendous public outcry, resulting in a halt to
       most space-related projects in the U.S.

Unlikely?  I submit it's no more unlikely than the previous scenarios,
and every incident I've mentioned is drawn directly from something
that has happened in the aerospace industry recently.  Let's move the
rest of this discussion to POLI-SCI where it belongs.

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End of SPACE Digest
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