[ NEWS OF THE WEEK NASA BUDGET HEARING Space station assailed, Russian role queried
T
he proposed space station came under vehement attack last week during a hearing on the National Aeronautics & Space Administration's (NASA) budget for fiscal 1995 held by the Subcommittee on Space of the House Committee on Science, Space & Technology. The hearing opened with a blistering statement from Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R.-Wis.), the ranking subcommittee Republican, assailing NASA's plans for joint space efforts with Russia that are to lead to an international space station (C&EN, Nov. 22, 1993, page 29). Citing the arrest last week of a Central Intelligence Agency official and his wife as alleged Russian spies, Sensenbrenner called the hearing's examination of space station plans involving Russia "somewhat surreal, like measuring the size of the tea cups at the Mad Hatter's tea party." Sensenbrenner, who has long supported the space station, questions "whether Russia is a trustworthy and reliable partner" and "whether the space station deal with Russia can be justified on its scientific and technology merits, rather than amounting to little more than foreign aid or the export of U.S. jobs" to Russia. "At a minimum," he
adds, the spying affair "should demonstrate ... why it is utterly foolish to propose having Russian space hardware in the critical path to building the international space station." He calls the current space station plan involving Russia "a disaster" for both U.S. science and technology policy and foreign policy. As plans now stand, he says, he cannot vote for the space station. Sensenbrenner was joined in his attack on the space station by subcommittee members Rep. Dick Zimmer (R.N.J.) and Rep. Tim Roemer (D.-Ind.), both leaders in the attempt to kill the space station last year, which failed in the House by one vote (C&EN, June 28,1993, page 7). Zimmer charged that the space station is "looking more and more like a jobs program for Russia. Perhaps we should rename it space station Svinina. That's the Russian word for pork." Zimmer complained that "important science and exploration programs are being sacrificed to the relentless pursuit of this orbiting white elephant." By misallocating NASA's limited budget, "We are starving our planetary exploration and observation programs," which are "far more cost-effective than the space
Spacecraft Clementine starts mapping Moon's surface U.S. spacecraft Clementine went into orbit around the Moon last week and began observations that are expected to yield a wealth of data about lunar surface chemical composition and other features (C&EN, Feb. 14, page 31). All systems are working as designed in the unusual military-scientific mission, jointly sponsored by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) and the National Aeronautics & Space Administration. Clementine's mission will make the first test in a deep-space environment of BMDO's advanced lightweight miniature sensors and other compo4
FEBRUARY 28, 1994 C&EN
nents—developed to track and intercept hostile missiles—using the sensors to collect data about the Moon and later about a near-Earth asteroid, 1620 Geographos. Clementine will circle the Moon every five hours for 10 weeks in a polar orbit and map the entire lunar surface using ultraviolet, visible, and infrared cameras. It will send back the first high-resolution Moon images since the final Apollo landing in 1972. In early May, Clementine is expected to leave Moon orbit, traveling nearly 5.3 million miles for its flyby of Geographos around Aug. 31.
Goldin: tremendous payoff for U.S. station ever has been or ever will be." And he pledged to continue his efforts to kill the space station: "The only question is how much more money this program will waste." NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin responds to the critics by emphasizing that "our cooperation with the Russians in space is based in hard headed realities. We believe Russian capabilities will have a tremendous payoff for the U.S." There is a step-bystep approach in the joint efforts. One big and early payoff will be U.S. astronaut visits for extended periods to the Russian space station Mir. To prepare, two astronauts have just gone to Russia to undergo cosmonaut training. A Russian cosmonaut has just flown on a space shuttle mission, and shuttle dockings with Mir will start next year. "Russian participation [in the space station] is going to save us money" and mean earlier deployment of the station in space, Goldin notes. "We are not subsidizing Russia. We are not taking
jobs away ffrom the U.S." Moreover, there are safeguards to protect U.S. interests. There is an alternative plan if the Russians withdraw, and there are measures to bar transfer of sensitive technology or information. In short, Goldin views U.S.-Russian cooperation as "an opportunity and a challenge." He believes that "we have to learn to trust the Russians, and they have to learn to earn our trust." Goldin also responds to the critics by emphasizing that NASA's proposed budget for fiscal 1995 restores balance to the agency's programs— balancing human space flight, space science, aeronautics research, and other areas. "We have cut human space flight and increased the science budget and technology budget," he stresses, raising science programs from $3.3 billion (22.4% of the budget) in fiscal 1994 to $3.5 billion (24.3% of the budget) in fiscal 1995. This is the biggest
space science budget ever, he points out. However, he notes, President Bill Clinton's request to Congress for $14.3 billion in funding for NASA in fiscal 1995 is down $250 million from the fiscal 1994 appropriation of $14.55 billion—or "almost $650 million below it in buying power." This is the first time that the White House has requested a decrease in NASA funding since cancellation of the Apollo Moon-flight program in 1974. The cutback reflects overall federal budget exigencies, and comes on top of cuts and program cancellations in the fiscal 1994 budget. Indeed, Goldin stresses, "This is it. We can't get any closer to the bone. Just from a sheer stability standpoint, this agency cannot afford any more cuts and deliver to the American people the benefits of a balanced [spacel program." Richard Seltzer
Ethyl senior vice president and president of its chemicals group, will be president and chief operating officer of Albemarle. The new Ethyl Corp.—whose part of 1993 sales totaled $1.03 billion, with assets of $920 million and 1,700 employees—has fuel and lubricant additives plants in Illinois, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Canada, Belgium, and Japan. Ethyl will also continue to own Whitby Inc., a Richmond-based pharmaceutical marketer. This has raised some questions even within Ethyl, since Albemarle will own the pharmaceutical intermediates business and ibuprofen, an over-the-counter analgesic. Bruce C. Gottwald, 60, brother of Floyd and president and CEO of Ethyl, will be chairman and CEO of the new Ethyl. Bruce's son, Thomas E. Gottwald, 33, now Ethyl vice president and president of its petroleum additives division, will be the new Ethyl president and chief operating officer. William Storck
Ethyl sets spin-off of Albemarle chemicals unit Ethyl Corp. has announced details of the spin-off of its wholly owned chemicals subsidiary, Albemarle Corp. On March 10, stock in the new company will be mailed to Ethyl stockholders. They will receive one share of Albemarle for every two shares of Ethyl they own. The spin-off—planned for months—had to wait for a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service making the transaction tax-free to Ethyl and its stockholders. The move will create two very different companies. The new Ethyl Corp., retaining about 53% of the current company in terms of sales, will be primarily a manufacturer of petroleum additives. Albemarle, with about 47% of current sales, will be a specialty chemicals maker. Albemarle's part of Ethyl's 1993 sales totaled $903 million, with assets of about $1.09 billion and some 3,800 employees. The specialty chemicals maker will be made up of three units—olefins and derivatives, bromine chemicals, and specialty chemicals. The olefins and derivatives unit will include oc-olefins, poly(oc-olefins), alcohols, amines, alkyl succinic anhydride, and zeolites. Bromine chemicals will consist of brominated flame retardants and other bromine chemicals. And the specialty chemicals unit will include
agricultural and pharmaceutical intermediates, ibuprofen, antioxidants, polyimide insulating foams, curatives, polyolefin catalysts, and polysilicon. Albemarle's plants are located in Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas, Belgium, and France. The company's administrative headquarters will be in Richmond, Va., and operational headquarters in Baton Rouge, La. Floyd D. Gottwald Jr., 71, currently chairman of Ethyl Corp., will serve as Albemarle's chairman and chief executive officer (CEO). E. Gary Cook, 49, currently an
Ethyl's sales will be split almost equally Remaining Ethyl Corp. 53%
Albemarle Corp. 47%
1993 Ethyl sales = $1.93 billion Source: Ethyl Corp.
Supreme Court rejects agent orange appeal The Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Vietnam veterans and their families who have been trying to reopen the agent orange liability case, but whose claims against seven chemical companies were dismissed by lower courts. Without comment, the high court refused last week to hear arguments that many veterans have been denied their right to sue the firms. The plaintiffs, a group of veterans from Texas, filed a suit in 1988 claiming that they are suffering health problems caused by exposure to the defoliant during the Vietnam War. Because they did not discover their health problems until after the 1984 settlement of a class action suit against the herbicide makers, the veterans believe they still have the right to sue the manufacturers. Companies listed in the petition are Dow Chemical, Diamond Shamrock, Monsanto, Uniroyal, Hercules, Thompson-Hayward Chemical, and T-H Agriculture & Nutrition Co. The high court tacitly agreed with lower court decisions that the 1984 settlement was designed to include all future claims by other veterans. Agent orange makers had hoped the court would FEBRUARY 28,1994 C&EN
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