[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 19 (Monday, May 16, 1994)]
[Pages 1052-1053]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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

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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 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.