NASA Daily News Summary

For Release: Feb. 3, 1999

Media Advisory m99-022

TODAY'S SUMMARY:

X-33 METALLIC HEAT SHIELD DECLARED READY FOR FLIGHT

VIDEO FILE FOR FEB. 3, 1999

^^^^^

X-33 METALLIC HEAT SHIELD DECLARED READY FOR FLIGHT

NOTE‹Local media angle in:

- Huntsville, AL (X-33 program management)
- Chula Vista, CA
- Palmdale, CA

NASA has declared "ready for flight" a new technology

designed to make future spacecraft lighter and less expensive
to launch into space. A metallic thermal heat shield,
developed and built by BF Goodrich Aerospace/Aerostructures
Group in Chula Vista, CA, will fly on the X-33, the half-
scale reusable launch vehicle (RLV) demonstrator. The X-33,
named "VentureStar" (TM) by its developer, Lockheed Martin,
is the testbed for spacecraft technologies that are airplane-
like in operation while using a single-stage-to-orbit design.
This RLV concept could reduce the cost of putting a payload
into space from the current $10,000 per pound to $1,000 per
pound. The metallic panels would replace the maintenance-
intensive, fragile thermal tile type of system currently used
on the Space Shuttle.

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Jim Cast

202/358-1779.
Contact at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL:
Dom Amatore 256/544-0031.
Contact at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Palmdale, CA: Ron
Lindeke 805/572-4153.

For full text, see:

ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-009.txt
^^^^^

If NASA issues any additional news releases later today, we

will e-mail summaries and Internet URLs to this list.

Index of 1998 NASA News Releases:

http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1998/index.html

Index of 1999 NASA News Releases:

http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1999/index.html

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VIDEO FILE FOR FEB. 3, 1999

FEBRUARY 3, 1999

ITEM 1. X-33 METALLIC HEAT SHIELD DECLARED READY FOR FLIGHT

ITEM 2. RETREAT OF THE WESTERN ANTARCTIC ICE SHEET
ITEM 3. STARDUST MISSION (replay plus new B-roll)
ITEM 4. BUDGET VIDEO (replay)

^^^^^

ITEM 1. X-33 METALLIC HEAT SHIELD DECLARED READY FOR FLIGHT

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Jim Cast

202/358-1779.
Contact at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL:
Dom Amatore 256/544-0031.
Contact at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Palmdale, CA: Ron
Lindeke 805/572-4153.

ITEM 2. RETREAT OF THE WESTERN ANTARCTIC ICE SHEET

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: David Steitz

202/358-1730.
Contact at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD:
Wade Sisler 301/286-6256.

ITEM 3. STARDUST MISSION (replay plus new B-roll)

Contact at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA:
Mary Beth Murrill 818/354-5011.
Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Doug Isbell
202/358-1753.

ITEM 4. BUDGET VIDEO (replay)

Contact at NASA HQ, Washington, DC: Ray Castillo 202/358-

4555.

^^^^^

NASA normally airs the Video File at noon, 3:00, 6:00, 9:00
p.m. and midnight Eastern Time. NASA Television is available
on GE-2, transponder 9C at 85 degrees West longitude, with
vertical polarization. Frequency is on 3880.0 megahertz,
with audio on 6.8 megahertz.

Ray Castillo
NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: 202/358-4555.

For the most recent NASA Video File Advisory, see:

ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/tv-advisory/nasa-tv.txt

For general information on NASA Television, see:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

**********

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END OF DAILY NEWS SUMMARY