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Boeing Forms Mission Assurance Review Team
; HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. --- To address recent launch vehicle failures, Boeing announced today that an independent panel of experts will examine the company's mission assurance processes and procedures to strengthen its expendable launch vehicle reliability. The panel will review Delta, Sea Launch and Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) programs.
; Dr. Sheila E. Widnall, former U.S. Secretary of the Air Force and current professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will chair the Boeing Mission Assurance Review Team.
; The team is tasked with examining organizational roles and responsibilities within Boeing, recent launch failure investigation findings, processes used for government, civil and commercial launches as well as the acceptance processes for major subsystems and complex assemblies from suppliers. In addition, the team will look at the manufacturing, assembly, transportation and storage activities of the Boeing launch programs.
; This panel also will participate, as requested, with on-going government reviews, such as the Space Launch Broad Area Review ordered last month by President Clinton.
; James F. Albaugh, president of the Boeing Space and Communications Group, commissioned the Team. The Team is committed to completing a report containing findings and recommendations by this Fall.
; "We expressly selected team members with a broad range of senior-level systems experience in aerospace -- from satellites to academia to launch vehicles,'' said Albaugh. "The technical knowledge and breadth of this independent panel, as well as its extensive background in mission assurance, will be invaluable in strengthening our reliability. This is important to us and to our customers.''
; During Dr. Widnall's tenure as Secretary, the Air Force formulated its long-range vision which defined the path from the "Air and Space Force'' of today to the "Space and Air Force'' of the next century. In addition to her current role as an institute professor at MIT, Dr. Widnall is vice president of the National Academy of Engineering and president-elect of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
; Members of the team include:
; - General Donald J. Kutyna (U.S. Air Force retired), vice president, Space Technology, Loral Space and Communications.
; - Steven D. Dorfman, recently retired as vice chairman, Hughes Electronics Corporation.
; - Dr. Eberhardt Rechtin, former president of the Aerospace Corporation.
; - George W. Jeffs, former president, North American Space Operations, Rockwell International.
; - Frederick H. Hauck is president and chief executive officer of AXA Space, a leading underwriter of space insurance, providing coverage for both commercial and government space projects worldwide.
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; The Mission Assurance Review Team is separate from the current investigations into the April 9 IUS and May 4 Delta III launch failures. Information from the investigations will be shared with the Review Team.
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Boeing Forms Mission Assurance Review Team