European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 4, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 a a a the stars and stripes thursday october 4,1990 Nasa space projects lure few investors study finds Washington apr bowing to persistent White House requests Nasa tried last year to turn some projects Over to private Industry but found few takers a government study shows. It Learned too that Uncle Sam can build things cheaper. A private financing would have significantly increased the governments Cost for some projects a said the general accounting office the investigative Arm of Congress. Out of seven activities totalling nearly $800 million Only one was eventually commercialized. A Cornerstone of . Space policy under presidents Bush and Reagan has been to increase private sector investment. To that end Bush a budget for the 1990 fiscal year which just ended proposed private financing for seven projects involving the space shuttle and space station. The ventures were an advanced solid fuel rocket motor production facility in yellow Creek miss. A weightlessness Laboratory at the Johnson space Center in Houston a space station payload processing facility at the Kennedy space Center m Florida a processing Laboratory for observational instruments at the Jet propulsion Laboratory in California a robotic Arm and a Docking system for the space station and equipment that would allow the shuttle to Fly 16-Day missions. A because this was the first Effort of this Type Gao reviewed nasal a actions to determine the feasibility and appropriateness of obtaining private financing for these projects a the study said. A private concerns were not willing to invest in most of the projects because they perceived few or no commercial markets for them a it continued. There were financing proposals for the four construction jobs but the National aeronautics and space administration rejected three because they would have been significantly More costly than if the Money was provided by the government. Even the remaining construction proposal was More expensive Gao said a but Nasa concluded that the Cost difference of about 4 percent or $16 million was  it turned out that Only the project involving private financing for a pallet to carry extra oxygen and Hydro Gen for Long duration flights was commercialized. Because it expected private financing Nasa removed the seven projects from its budget requests then had to reinstate them because of the Lack of response. Gao said Nasa jumped the gun and failed to evaluate the proposals properly. The report was forwarded to Nasa administrator Richard truly along with recommendations that the space Agency work on screening projects for commercialization and that it keep such projects in the budget until financing is found. The decision to seek private financing was made jointly by Nasa and the presidents office of management and budget. In his response to the Gao findings Nasa assistant Deputy administrator John e. Of Brien took Issue with a number of recommendations and protested that Nasa is a not entirely a free agent in the budget decision process. The space Agency said the criticisms should have applied to the office of management and budget As Well. Gao did not take Issue with private financing As an objective but said the projects selected a were not a fair test of that potential primarily because they were not properly  Robert e. Grady Ombis associate director said the study overstated the conclusion that private Industry saw no Money to be made in the projects. A Unasa received Many expressions of interest in the two space station facilities and received specific proposals on five of the seven projects a he said. A unfortunately in most cases the proposals were not economically viable because of the unwillingness of the private sector to accept an appropriate level of  stateside gasoline prices increase average 3.64 a gallon new York apr gasoline prices at the pump Rose 3.6 cents last week to an average of $1,346 per gallon of self serve regular unleaded according to a nationwide Survey. A that puts gasoline 27.1 cents a gallon a incr than on aug. 1, the Day before Iraq invaded Kuwait and threw world Oil markets into chaos. The Survey was released tuesday by the american automobile association. The average pump Price remains below the highest Ever recorded by the aaa which was $1,388 per gallon in 1981 after the iranian revolution. Gasoline country Wil lakes Region the aaa Survey said. Ohne prices were up in All regions of they with the biggest increase in the great Region the aaa Survey said. Noted jazz drummer Dies in new Orleans new Orleans apr Louis Freddie Kohl Man a jazz drummer who backed such greats As Billie Holiday and Diana Ross with a powerful beat has died of cancer at the age of 75. Kohlman died saturday at his Home in new Orleans. Kohlman who was known Only by his last name began playing professionally in his teens when he appeared with such musicians As Oscar a a papa Celestin Sam Morgan and Joe Robichaux. A native of new Orleans he moved to Chicago in 1956 to play at jazz Ltd. He stayed 11 years before returning to his Hometown where he performed at clubs and hotels and later at the new Orleans jazz and heritage  of United Jet s cargo door retrieved Honolulu apr a Navy submarine has recovered the top half of the cargo door that ripped away from a United airlines jetliner last year sweeping nine people to their deaths a Navy spokeswoman said tuesday. The discovery ends a Needle in a Hay stack search of the Pacific Ocean floor. The sea Cliff submarine recovered the Bottom half of the door last week. The sea Cliff located and recovered the top half monday evening from 14,100 feet of water 90 Miles South of Honolulu lifting the wreckage to the surface with its Hydraulic jaws said Pacific Fleet spokeswoman Sandy stairs. Stairs did not know How far the doors top half was found from the Bottom half. The three Man Navy min sub and its support ship were heading Back to Pearl Harbor. The door will be turned Over to the National transportation safety Board which wants to know Why the door Tore away from United flight 811 shortly after Takeoff from Honolulu International Airport on feb. 24. The Boeing 747 carried 355 passengers the top half of United airlines flight 811�?Ts cargo door which will be National transportation safety Board officials for examination. A turned Over to and was bound for new zealand. Shortly after Takeoff the cargo door opened at 22,000 feet sweeping nine passengers from the plane. The Crew managed to return the disabled Jet to Honolulu. After investigators examine the recovered debris parts of it will be sent to the Boeing co. In Seattle for a More detailed review under the safety boards direction Agency officials said. A preliminary examination of the doors lower half showed the door had fractured Lengthwise near the mid Span Latch. The eight sectors of the Latch lock were All in the locked position and were deformed. The Agency determined that faulty design of a Locking mechanism probably caused a cockpit Light to falsely indicate that the door was locked but wants to examine the door to confirm its findings. The Agency has blamed United Boeing and the Federal aviation administration for failing to Correct problems with the door. It asked the Navy to find the cargo door in Hopes that an examination could Lead to better aviation safety rules. Potato called Power food for global Village  / api _ i a. I. W Washington apr scientists Hope the Humble potato May offer the world a second Chance to support a population that is outpacing its capacity to feed itself. The first Chance was the a Green revolution a which started in the 1960s and kept millions alive by developing High yield strains of Rice Corn and wheat. But it never fully lived up to its Promise scientists said. At a Washington conference monday and tuesday on a feeding the global Village a the potato was held up As a potential Lifesaver for the worlds hungry. It was touted As a a Power food a packed with protein Vitamin a potassium Iron and magnesium. The conference was told the potato is becoming a vital source of nutrition around the world. It is grown in 126 countries from the Arctic to the tropics atop mountains and in the desert. Even in China the worlds Rice bowl it is not uncommon to see a youngster walking along eating a potato like an Apple. China in fact has replaced Poland As the worlds second largest grower of potatoes. The soviet Union is still first but this year there Are fears that a breakdown in the harvesting system will deprive millions of a crucial part of the soviet diet a bumper crop is rotting in the Fields. A India is in fourth place in potato production and the United states is fifth. Americans eat 5 billion pounds of French Fries a year said Robert Mercer an official of the potato Board which represents the Industry and the Orient a where they re known As a american Fries a is importing 800 million pounds of Frozen raw potatoes a year. The potatoes Foremost Champion at the conference was researcher Richard Sawyer who said his interest was sharpened when he subsisted on stolen seed Pota 1s toes while a prisoner of War in nazi Germany. He i founder and director general of the International potato Center in Lima Peru. Sawyer predicted the potato will launch a second agricultural revolution comparable to the a Green  he said this will buy time for the world to put population growth in Harmony with food production. Potatoes Are usually grown from a tuber chunk containing buds or  research at the potato Center posse to grow them from seeds from the pm ant s Flower. Sawyer reported reducing the High costs of seed material that made the potato a luxury vegetable m much of the world. I can hold in my hand enough True potato seed to p u -47 acres a Sawyer said a whereas it takes 4,000 pounds or More of tubers to Plant the same area