Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.tech From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: tech Fri, Jul 24 1992 Date: Fri, 24 Jul 92 04:47:16 EDT Message-ID: 07-24 0000 DECISIONLINE: Technology USA TODAY Update July 24-26, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network HOUSE TO VOTE ON NASA BUDGET: House budget writers finished work Thursday on a $14 billion NASA budget for 1993, readying the plan for a vote by the House next week. With such divisive projects at stake as NASA's planned space station, the National Aerospace Plane and the development of a new Advanced Solid Rocket Motor for the space shuttle, the fight promises to be fierce. (For more, see special NASA package below.) ANTI-MISSILE FUNDING DENIED: The Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday rejected President Bush's $5.4 billion anti-missile defense request and a $4.9 billion GOP compromise on party-line votes, news reports said. The committee also voted $750 million to continue development of the tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey despite the crash of one near Washington on Monday. COLLIDER FIGHT MOVES TO SENATE: The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday allocated $550 million for the superconducting super collider. The fight could hit the Senate floor next week. Last month, the House voted to ax federal funding for the particle accelerator. About $1 billion in federal funds has been spent on the project. Plans called for it to be completed in 1999. SOME SAY DEC WILL RECOVER: Even though Digital Equipment reported its worst-ever quarterly earnings Thursday, some analysts are seeing better times ahead for the USA's second-biggest computer maker. DEC reported that it lost $1.9 billion in the quarter and $2.8 billion for the year. DEC is cutting costs and will unveil its new Alpha computers in the second half of fiscal year 1993. LORAL MAY BUY DIVISION: The LTV Corp. said Thursday Loral Corp. is interested in buying the missiles division of the LTV Aerospace and Defense Company. The arrangement would be part of an overall $450 million package which includes the separate purchase of LTV's Aircraft Division by a combination of The Carlyle Group and Northrop Corporation. VITRONICS WINS COURT CASE: Vitronics Corp. said Thursday a court has ruled that one of its patents has been infringed upon by Conceptronics Inc. The Federal District Court in Concord, N.H., upheld Vitronics' patent for solder reflow of surface mounted devices to printed circuit boards. It said Conceptronics' reflow ovens infringed on the patent. FIRM ENTERS SPAIN, PORTUGAL: Computer Network Technology Corporation said Thursday it has signed distribution agreements with Internacional de Perifericos y Memorias S.A. of Spain and Cesce Equipamentos Informaticos, Lda. of Portugal. Computer Network Technology manufactures high-speed networking products for the interconnection of mainframe computers, database computers and peripheral devices over unlimited distances. ROCKETDYNE WINS NASA AWARD: Astronaut John Blaha, chairman of NASA's Space Flight Safety Panel, Thursday awarded Rocketdyne division employees with NASA's Manned Flight Awareness Flight Safety Award for their work on the main engines for space shuttles. "Rocketdyne's dedication to the safety of flight and mission success has provided the United States with remarkable access to space," said Blaha. IDB COMMUNICATIONS TO BUY FIRM: IDB Communications Group says it will acquire Landco Audio Network. Terms of the acquistion were not disclosed. IDB distributes the nation's major radio networks via satellite. Landco Audio Network provides interconnect services for 50 recording studios in the USA, Great Britian, Canada and Australia. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON NASA: $1 BILLION CUT FROM BUSH PLAN: In approving a final draft of NASA's 1993 spending plan, the budget-writing Appropriations Committee Thursday backed a subcommittee proposal to cut nearly $1 billion from President Bush's $14.9 billion request for the space agency. The committee's plan also cut funds for several of the Science, Space and Technology Committee's pet projects, including the space station. BATTLE IS NOT OVER: Cutting NASA's 1993 budget to $359 million below the agency's 1992 spending level of $14.3 billion "was one way of getting some money," said Rep. Bob Traxler, D-Mich., chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that writes the budget for NASA and the other agencies pitted against it. Despite the cuts, NASA likely will suffer further attacks when its budget goes to the full House. SPACE STATION TO FACE BATTLE: NASA projects likely to come under fire by the full House include the Space Station Freedom. The Appropriations Committee's budget plan offered $1.7 billion - $525 million less than the Bush administration requested - for the planned orbital lab. But station opponents will try to strike all funding for the project in what is likely to be the strongest challenge yet in the project's history. ROCKET MONEY IS CUT: The committee cut $115 million of the $125 million sought by the administration for developing a new breed of rockets capable of handling the nation's launch needs into the next century. While the Pentagon's share of funding for that project likely will remain intact, its advocates will seek to restore the NASA money to keep the program on schedule. (End of package.) Technology Editor: Ed Kelleher. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM