Subj:	Pete Conrad
Date:	7/20/99 10:35:27 PM Pacific Daylight Time

I hate to do this to you though its been on my mind and every time I see an article that 
points out the competitive nature of Launch capability research, such as the fact that 
Clinton gave Kazahkstan a whole bunch of satellite launches just the other day, and the 
recent declaration by Robert Stephens that "WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT" is maintaining NASA's 
credibility in light Congressional funding problems, I think of an article that pointed 
out Conrad's new venture was concerned with privatizing launch capabilities. He was also 
expected to live, though died at the hospital. Though I can not find the article now 
here's an excerpt and an URL from another article.

During the mid-1990s, he was flight manager for McDonnell Douglas Corp.'s prototype 
rocket that took off and landed vertically. NASA passed over it in a competition for a 
replacement for the space shuttle, instead choosing Lockheed Martin Corp.'s horizontally 
landing spacecraft. 

In 1996, Conrad formed Universal Space Lines Inc. in Newport Beach, Calif., with the 
hope of making spaceflight available to everyone. 

Washington Post

And this quote from this article

NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin paid tribute to Conrad as ''a cutting-edge pioneer'' 
and ``a man who was deeply committed to his country.''

``Pete was developing new commercial ways to open the space frontier,'' Goldin told 
CNN (Cable News Network).

Goldin noted that Conrad had founded his own company to work on commercial space 
ventures.

``He had invented a new rocket that was going to cut the cost and improve the 
reliability of going to space,'' Goldin said. ``And there was Pete, always pushing 
the boundaries, always coming into my office with a new idea. And at 69, he had the 
spirit of a 13 year old.''


Well I can not find any articles on NASA and congressional funding though they did 
get the $173 million X 37 reusable rocket project. BTW aren't CIA appropriation 
committees meeting this week. Is Langley Research Center (involved with the X37) 
officially CIA connected?