The General Accounting Office's (GAO) findings on the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) are described. It was to be a multipurpose space tug used to transport satellites from the space shuttle to other orbits, reboost them when their orbits decayed, retrieve and return them to the shuttle when they malfunctioned, and control their reentry into the atmosphere when their useful lives expired. Subsequent OMV enhancements would enable it to refuel satellites in orbit, perform in-orbit satellite repairs, and rescue out-of-control satellites. The OMV was to operate initially from the shuttle's cargo bay but would ultimately operate from the Space Station Freedom. OMV was designed to be a free-flying, remotely controlled propulsion stage about 15 feet in diameter and 6 feet thick, that would be carried into orbit inside the shuttle's cargo bay. Once separated from the shuttle, the OMV would be remotely controlled by astronauts working at consoles on earth. GAO found that a firm requirement for the OMV to accomplish the scheduled missions does not exist. Also the estimated cost has greatly increased while the OMV's capabilities have significantly decreased. GAO recommended that the OMV program be terminated, which NASA did following the receipt of GAO's draft report.
Space Transportation: Nasa Has No Firm Need for Increasingly Costly Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle
1990
32 pages
Report
Keine Angabe
Englisch
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