Jeff Vincent

Headquarters, Washington, D.C. January 11, 1991

(Phone: 202/453-8369)

RELEASE: 91-5

TRULY ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL ACTIONS TO IMPLEMENT REPORT

NASA Administrator Richard H. Truly announced today several

more actions that reflect the agency's commitment to implement
the recent recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the
Future of the U.S. Space Program. Truly briefed the National
Space Council this morning on the status of NASA's thorough and
expeditious review of the advisory committee's report.

The actions reflect a pledge made by Truly last month "to

move out aggressively across the board" on the report, which was
made public December 10. The report included 15 formal recommen-
dations and numerous other suggestions for consideration by
NASA. Some of the items will require action by the White House
and/or Congress, and many depend on adequate funding being made
available.

Truly said NASA has made the following decisions:

o Space science will remain as NASA's priority and an

essential element of a balanced civil space program. The
existing strategic plan for space science and
applications, as endorsed by the scientific community,
will be implemented by NASA, as recommended by the
advisory committee.

o To respond to the advisory committee's recommendation, a

special Task Force will be formed with the Department of
Defense to assess development of an evolutionary heavy-
lift launch vehicle. Over the next 2 months, the task
force will assess launch technologies and options for
development.

o Space Station Freedom restructuring activities, being

conducted in concert with the international partners, will
be extended to incorporate the recommendations of the
 advisory committee. Space Station Freedom will be the
initial building block of the human exploration program,
with life sciences and microgravity research and
applications being the purposes of the facility.
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o NASA will move out with the Office of Personnel Management

to structure a personnel management system that recognizes
NASA's special requirements for attracting and retaining
top-flight scientists, engineers and other specialists.

Truly also announced that a number of studies related to the

report have been initiated within NASA. "These efforts will
provide us with the solid foundation of information needed to
make well-informed decisions in order to implement other advisory
committee recommendations, all of which we take very seriously,"
Truly said. They will consider the advisory committee's
recommendations to:

o Conduct Mission to Planet Earth as "a constantly

evolving program";

o Re-establish research and development in support of

operational government environmental satellites;

o Develop an agencywide space technology plan that enables

future NASA missions and spurs commercial space
activities; and

o Make certain organizational changes at NASA that are

consistent with the committee's advice to the NASA
Administrator. Earlier, on December 18, Truly announced
his intent to establish, at NASA Headquarters, an Office
of Exploration and an Office of Human Resources.

Truly has said that, overall, the advisory committee's

report is very constructive and supportive of NASA. Many of its
recommendations are consistent with initiatives already under way
at the agency.

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