NASA, USA sign $62 million space flight operations contract modification

NASA and the United Space Alliance have signed a $62
million modification to the Space Flight Operations Contract
to provide refurbishment of hydraulic actuators on the space
shuttle fleet during the next five years.

The work, which is planned during regularly scheduled future
shuttle maintenance periods, will involve the complete
refurbishment of the 11 hydraulic actuators on each space
shuttle orbiter. The actuators move the vehicle’s rudder,
speed brake, elevons and main engines during flight. In
addition to being fully rebuilt, the actuators will be
modified with a new one-piece spool stop to correct a problem
with the potential unseating of spool stops that was
identified during previous shuttle maintenance work.
Endeavour will be the first shuttle to have the refurbished
actuators installed during its next maintenance period,
planned to begin in 2003.

The work will be performed at locations including East
Aurora, N.Y.; Palmdale and Huntington Beach, Calif.; and the
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.