Advanced Launch System: Difference between revisions

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==The program==

The (ALS) was a joint USAF and NASA study from 1987-1990 that began during the post-Challenger period. Colonel John R. Wormington (Brig. Gen., USAF, Ret.) was assigned as programProgram directorDirector of the Joint Department of Defense and NASA Advanced Launch System Program Office, located at Los Angeles, CA AFB; Lt Col Michael C. Mushala (Maj. Gen., USAF, Ret.) was assigned his Deputy Program Director. Mushala was promoted to Colonel in October 1989 and became Program Director when Wormington was reassigned as commander of the Eastern Space and Missile Center, Patrick AFB, FL in February 1990. Col Mushala closed out the program and the System Program Office (SPO) were disbanded in July 1990 with remaining propulsion development efforts being managed by NASA alone. The total cost of this R&D effort was slightly under $3 Billion as it ended earlier than originally planned.

The program's office was unique in that it was the only SPO within Space Systems Division (AFSC) allowed to be completely furnished with Apple's Macintosh OS personal computers instead of the Command's mainline Microsoft Windows OS PCs. This was in part because NASA had already been using Apple computers and the joint program needed to be able to communicate between the SPO and the many NASA sites. The SPO also helped pioneer the use and development of what later became the Microsoft Project software application.