[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book I)] [May 10, 1994] [Pages 896-897] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]Message to the Congress Transmitting the Report on Aeronautics and Space May 10, 1994 To the Congress of the United States: I am pleased to transmit this report on the Nation's achievements in aeronautics and space during fiscal year 1993, as required under section 206 of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2476). Aeronautics and space activities involve 14 contributing departments and agencies of the Federal Government, as this report reflects, and the results of their ongoing research and development affect the Nation as a whole in a variety of ways. Fiscal year 1993 brought numerous important changes and developments in U.S. aeronautics and space efforts. It included 7 Space Shuttle missions, 14 Government launches of Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELVs), and 4 commercial launches from Government facilities. Highlights of the Shuttle missions included the first in a series of flights of the U.S. Microgravity Payload that contained scientific and materials-processing experiments to be carried out in an environment of reduced gravity; the deployment of the Laser Geodynamic Satellite (a joint venture between the United States and Italy); the deployment of a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite; and, the second Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science mission to study the composition of the Earth's atmosphere, ozone layer, and elements thought to be the cause of ozone depletion. The ELV missions carried a variety of payloads ranging from Global Positioning System satellites to those with classified missions. I also requested that a redesign of the Space Station be undertaken to reduce costs while retaining science-user capability and maintaining the program's international commitments. To this end, the new Space Station is based on a modular concept and will be built in stages. However, the new design draws heavily on the previous Space Station Freedom investment by incorporating most of its hardware and systems. Also, ways are being studied to increase the Russian participation in the Space Station. The United States and Russia signed a Space Cooperation Agreement that called for a Russian cosmonaut to participate in a U.S. Space Shuttle mission and for the Space Shuttle to make at least one rendezvous with the Mir. On September 2, 1993, Vice President Albert Gore, Jr., and Russian Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin signed a series of joint statements [[Page 897]] on cooperation in space, environmental observations/space science, commercial space launches, missile export controls, and aeronautical science. In aeronautics, efforts included the development of new technologies to improve performance, reduce costs, increase safety, and reduce engine noise. For example, engineers have been working to produce a new generation of environmentally compatible, economic aircraft that will lay the technological foundation for a next generation of aircraft that are superior to the products of other nations. Progress also continued on programs to increase airport capacity while at the same time improving flight safety. In the Earth sciences, a variety of programs across several agencies sought better understanding of global change and enhancement of the environment. While scientists discovered in late 1992 and early 1993, for instance, that global levels of protective ozone reached the lowest concentrations ever observed, they also could foresee an end to the decline in the ozone layer. Reduced use of ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons would allow ozone quantities to increase again about the year 2000 and gradually return to ``normal.'' Thus, fiscal year 1993 was a successful one for the U.S. aeronautics and space programs. Efforts in both areas have contributed to advancing the Nation's scientific and technical knowledge and furthering an improved quality of life on Earth through greater knowledge, a more competitive economy, and a healthier environment. William J. Clinton The White House, May 10, 1994.