Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/382447
ByMarciaDunn The Associated Press CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. NASAisagiantstepcloser to launching Americans again from U.S. soil. On Tuesday, the space agency picked Boeing and SpaceX to transport astro- nauts to the International Space Station in the next few years. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden named the winners of the competi- tion at Kennedy Space Cen- ter, next door to where the launches should occur in a few years. The wall behind him was emblazoned with the words "Launch Amer- ica" and "Commercial crew transportation/The mission is in sight." "I want you to look be- hind me," Bolden said, pointing both thumbs to the big, bright logos. "I'm giddy today, I will admit." The deal will end NA- SA's expensive reliance on Russia to ferry astronauts to and from the space sta- tion. NASA has set a goal of 2017 for the first launch from Cape Canaveral, but stressed it will not sacrifice safety to meet that date. NASA ended up going with a blend of old and new space: big traditional Boe- ing, which helped build the space station and prepped the space shuttles, and smaller, scrappier upstart SpaceX. Just 12 years old, the California-based SpaceX already is delivering sup- plies to the space station — its crew capsule is a version of its cargo carrier. NASA will pay Boeing $4.2 billion and SpaceX $2.6 billion to certify, test and fly their crew capsules. The two contracts call for at least two and as many as six missions for a crew of four as well as supplies and scientific experiments, said NASA's Kathy Lueders, commercial crew program manager. The spacecraft will double as emergency lifeboats at the orbiting out- post. SpaceX billionaire founder and chief execu- tive, Elon Musk, was elated by Tuesday's news, as were Boeing's top managers. "Deeply honored and ap- preciative of the trust that NASA has placed in SpaceX for the future of human spaceflight," Musk said in a tweet. Noted Boeing's John El- bon, vice president and gen- eral manager of space ex- ploration: "Boeing has been part of every American hu- man space flight program, and we're honored that NASA has chosen us to con- tinue that legacy." The third major con- tender, Sierra Nevada Corp., had the most novel entry, a mini-shuttle named Dream Chaser that it was develop- ing in Colorado. NASA officials declined to elaborate on the deci- sion and why Sierra Ne- vada lost out. In a state- ment, Sierra Nevada said it would wait to hear NASA's rationale before comment- ing further on the options for its spacecraft. While dis- appointed that it wasn't se- lected, the company said it "commends NASA for initi- ating the effort." COMMERCIAL SPACE FLIGHT NA SA c ho os es B oe in g, SpaceX to ferry astronauts JOHNRAOUX—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, le , and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, share a laugh during an announcement that NASA picked Boeing and SpaceX to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station during a news conference Tuesday at the Kennedy Space Center. By Joan Lowy The Associated Press WASHINGTON The agency responsible for safety on the nation's roads was years late in detecting a deadly problem with Gen- eral Motors cars and lacks the expertise to oversee in- creasingly complex vehicles, congressional Republicans charged Tuesday in a new report. The report by a House committee's GOP major- ity raised serious questions about the National High- way Traffic Safety Admin- istration's ability to keep the public safe, and came as the Senate was conven- ing a hearing on the safety agency's shortcomings. Safety regulators should have discovered GM's faulty ignition switches seven years before the company recalled 2.6 million cars to fix the deadly problem, the report concluded. It also said the agency didn't understand how air bags worked, lacked ac- countability and failed to share information inter- nally. "As vehicle functions and safety systems become in- creasingly complex and interconnected, NHTSA needs to keep pace with these rapid advancements in technology," the report said. "As evidenced by the GM recall, this may be a greater challenge than even NHTSA understands." At least 19 people died in crashes caused by the faulty switches in GM small cars like the Chevrolet Cobalt. The company acknowledged knowing about the problem for at least a decade, but it didn't recall the cars until February. The delays left the problem on the roads, caus- ing numerous crashes that resulted in deaths and inju- ries. Lawmakers have said they expect the death toll to rise to near 100. NHTSA already has fined GM the maximum $35 mil- lion for failing to report in- formation on the switches, but the committee found that many of the bureau- cratic snafus that plagued GM also are present at NHTSA. "While NHTSA now com- plains about GM's switch, it seems NHTSA was asleep at the switch too," Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., said in a statement. NHTSA blamed GM for the delays and said many problems cited by the com- mittee were fixed in a 2011 review. GM, the agency said, hid information by fixing switches without changing the part numbers, causing the number of complaints about the switches to de- cline and skewing data. "GM withheld information and hindered NHTSA's ef- forts every step of the way," NHTSA said. The agency said it has a strong record of pursuing defects, influencing almost 1,300 recalls covering 95 million vehicles and parts in the last decade. NHTSA received con- sumer complaints about the GM switches for years, but didn't order a recall investi- gation. The faulty switches can shut down engines un- expectedly while a car is moving, disabling the air bags and other key sys- tems such as power steer- ing and power brakes, caus- ing crashes. LATE DETECTION Sa fe ty a ge nc y mi sh an dl ed GM recall, House panel says By Michael Rubinkam The Associated Press BLOOMINGGROVE,PA. Hun- dreds of law enforcement officers fanned out across the dense northeastern Pennsylvania woods Tues- day in the hunt for a heav- ily armed survivalist sus- pected of ambushing two troopers as part of a deadly vendetta against police. Eric Matthew Frein, 31, of Canadensis, is "extremely dangerous" and residents in the area should be alert and cautious, State Police Com- missioner Frank Noonan said at a news conference in which he revealed the sus- pect's name. 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