Space: July 5, 2001

Archives

NASA has found itself facing a budget shortfall on the shuttle program during 2003-2007, ending hopes it could steal money there to pay for the $4 billion budget shortfall on the International Space Station. NASA has been forced to abandon plans to replace the dangerous hydrazine-fueled auxiliary power units with the new Electrical Auxiliary Power Unit due to the high cost of the EAPU, which was also seriously overweight. The space station program is running behind schedule and over budget. NASA has dropped or delayed plans to build a US habitation module and a US propulsion module and is asking the Europeans to help pay for the "lifeboat" known as the crew return vehicle.--Stephen V Cole