EDITORIAL INFORMATION

We hope that this report, which assesses the work of the Station Redesign Team, will contribute to credible, timely, clear, and long-lived decision-making about the future of the space station program.

(Extracted from the preface.)

GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

-Preface.

-Table of Contents.

-List of Figures.

-Executive Summary and Findings.

-Introduction.

-Mission and Requirements.

-General Mission Considerations.

-Management, Operations, and Acquisition.

-Description of Options.

-Assesment of Options.

-Technical Capability Comparison.
-Science, Technology, and Engineering Research.
-Comparison of Perfomance.
-Schedule.
-Cost.
-Risk Assessment.
-Overall Comparison of the Options.

-General Mission Risk Factors.

-International Partners' Assessment.

-Potential Cooperation with the Russians.

-Appendix A: Biographies of Advisory Committee Members.

-Appendix B: White House Budget Target Summary for Space Station Redesign.

-Appendix C: Office of Science and Technology Policy Statement on Goals for the Space Station.

-Appendix D: Space Station Capabilities Matrix.

-Appendix E: Glossary of Cost Terms.

OUR REVIEW

The space station Alpha is the cooperative space program which is being undertaken with the largest scope ever up to date. Its existence is not only scientifically sensible but also from a political as well as economical point of view. On March 9th.,1993, the President of the USA, Bill Clinton, commanded NASA that the project - still known as Freedom - was to be re-designed. The results were thoroughly examined by a committee of experts and their conclusions were written in this book. Its historical importance is considerable, since - as one re-reads it, one realises that many of its reccommendations have shaped the current international space station. One of them, for instance, the inclusion of the Russian participation, thoroughly changed the initial plans and has probably saved the program in its most difficult moments.

This work examines the options presented to Clinton one by one, with their pros and cons, with their advantages and risks, while giving to the general readership the arguments which guided such a relevant decision. Clearly structured and easy to read as it is, this report will remain as a document of a capital importance so as to understand the evolution of the Alpha space station. Some of the most famous members of this committe were Charles M. Vest, John Fabian, George D. Nelson, Robert C. Seamans Jr., etc.