USA Today
April 12, 1985
SKYLAB CREW RETURNS IN EMERGENCY VEHICLE
Yesterday, the crew of the NASA Skylab space station returned to earth using their Crew Escape Vehicle (CEV). The CEV, based on the old Apollo lunar
spacecraft, was designed to return the crew in the even they needed to return before a Space Shuttle could reach them. With the crash of Shuttle
Atlantis last week, NASA Administrator Beggs made the decision to end the current Skylab mission and have the crew of three return. NASA astronauts
James Buchli and Guion Bluford and European Space Agency astronaut Wubbo Ockels then prepped the CEV for a landing off the coast of California. On
landing, Buchli said, "It's shame that we were unable to complete the mission, but with the Shuttles grounded, there was no choice. We hope to return
soon and continue our work." A NASA spokesman said that the Shuttle and Skylab programs are on both indefinite hold pending the results of the Blue
Ribbon Commission.
New York Times
June 23, 1985
RESNIK TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS; NEW VEHICLE MULLED
Judy Resnik, one of the surviving crew members of the Shuttle Atlantis crash testified before the Senate Science and Transportation Subcommittee. She
endorsed the Blue Ribbon Report's findings and recommendations on improving the culture of safety at NASA. Resnik, who was paralyzed by the crash,
also made an impassioned plea for a safer means of sending crew to space. This comes as several proposals have been floated recently for a new "crew
taxi" dedicated to transporting crew and supplies to Skylab. NASA's Langley Research Center has proposed a lifting-body vehicle, while Rockwell
International has proposed a new capsule based on the Apollo-derived Crew Escape Vehicle. A spokesman for NASA Administrator Beggs said that any new
vehicle would be policy decision up to Congress and the White House.
USA Today
August 1, 1985
REAGAN ANNOUNCES "ORBITAL CLIPPER"
In a press conference at the White House today, President Reagan announced a new spacecraft called the "Orbital Clipper". After paying tribute to the
two crewmen that died in the crash of Atlantis, said that the new vehicle would be able to carry seven crew to Skylab, or three crew and four months
of supplies, and could stay at the station for up to half a year. The Clipper be ready for an unmanned flight test in 1988 and begin rotating crew to
Skylab a year later. Clipper would not replace Shuttle completely, but rather allow Shuttle to focus on Skylab assembly and non-Skylab missions, like
the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope. The remaining three Shuttle orbiters would also be retrofitted with additional safety measures to allow the
crew to bail out in the event of an emergency, and return to flight next year.
Aviation Week & Space Technology
August 5, 1985
ORBITAL CLIPPER DESIGNS PROPOSED
Several companies have responded to NASA's RPF for building the new Orbital Clipper spacecraft and launcher. Lockheed has paired with NASA Langley to
propose a lifting body based on Soviet designs. Rockwell is proposing a new Apollo-shaped capsule based on its Crew Escape Vehicle. And, in a
surprise move, Martin Marietta and General Dynamics have jointly proposed another lifting body based on Martin's X-24A. On the launcher front, Boeing
has proposed a vehicle using two 3-segment Shuttle SRBs and a single Space Shuttle Main Engine. Martin and GD, meanwhile, proposed a version of the
Titan III with a Centaur upper stage. Lockheed and Boeing are considered the frontrunners, though Rockwell is putting a concerted lobbying effort for
its capsule and the construction of a fifth Shuttle orbiter to replace Atlantis.