SSTO Political Situation --- A Problem We Currently Face.
SSTO Political Situation --- A Problem We Currently Face.
On 30 September 1994, the President signed into law H.R. 4650, the FY
'95 DoD Appropriations Bill (P.L. 103-335). This "conferenced" bill
has two funding provisions for SSTO ---
- (1) It provides $30 million FY '95 "new money" for "reusable launch
vehicle technology {{{SSTO}}}...in program element 0603401F" (a
program element run by the Good Guys); and
- (2) It moves $35 million of unobligated FY '94 money -- money that had
originally been appropriated to ARPA to start an SSTO program -- to
NASA to be spent at Phillips Laboratory "to be used in activities to
support NASA-led construction of an Advanced Technology Demonstrator
X-vehicle and to finish the original flight test program of the DC-X1
test vehicle." (This money has, finally, been sent by DoD to NASA.)
DoD's Comptroller is not forthcoming in releasing the appropriated $30
million noted in (1) above to Phillips Lab/program element 0603401F.
In this he is aided and abetted by Deputy Defense Secretary John
Deutch. Comptroller John Hamre's reason? "We don't have any such
program to release these monies to." Such an action is a de facto
impoundment and tends to help to dissipate any momentum toward
building an SSTO X-vehicle.
What We Want:
We want the money Congress appropriated in DoD for SSTO
released NOW.
Monday 4 April 1995 v. 3
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