Dreaming of Space As NASA downsizes and privatizes its operations, a 21st century commercial space industry is struggling to be born. Here are some of the dreams that companies--large and small--are trying to make real: AEROASTRO Building cheaper rockets and satellites for telecom and Herndon, Va. science missions BOEING Majority owner of Sea Launch, a venture to launch Seattle rockets from a movable ocean platform KELLY SPACE Its reusable rocket would be towed off the ground San Bernardino, Ca. by a Boeing 747 KISTLER AEROSPACE Its two-stage rocket achieves soft landing on Kirkland, Wash. Earth, thanks to parachutes and air bags LOCKHEED MARTIN Its X-33 rocket will take off vertically and glide to a Bethesda, Md. landing. Projected costs: Below $1,000 a pound LUNACORP Wants to put a rover on the moon that theme-park Arlington, Va. visitors would ''drive'' from afar PIONEER ROCKETPLANE Designing craft (at left) that takes off like a plane Lakewood, Colo. and gets rocket propellant from a tanker SPACEDEV Planning privately funded mission to asteroid to Steamboat Springs, study mining potential Colo. Return to main story

Updated July 17, 1997 by bwwebmaster
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