nuclear space tug??

["Minnema, Douglas" <Douglas.Minnema@nnsa.doe.gov>]

RADSAFErs,



Excuse what may be a trivia question, but I thought one of you might have an

answer.  In a news note that I received from our internal Congressional

Affairs staff, there was the following tidbit about an amendment to the 2003

defense spending bill:



*******************************************



DSAPPS3	2003 Defense Appropriations/Space Tug		



Domenici, R-N.M. - Amendment that would:  *  Provide a loan guarantee

program to produce an in-orbit space tug that can repair, re-fuel, and

capture stray satellites already in space;  *  Require any recipient of a

loan guarantee under this initiative to pay fully for all subsidy costs of

the guarantee and all administrative and related costs;  *  Require

applicants for such a loan guarantee to go through an application process,

including review by the Interagency Nuclear Safety Review Panel; and  *

Require the Federal Credit Bank to approve the loan guarantee. 	



	Adopted by voice vote; July 16, 2002.		



******************************************



I have not been following this at all, so perhaps I missed something.  While

I can understand the intent of an in-orbit space tug, why would it need to

be reviewed by the Interagency Nuclear Safety Review Panel (actually, I

don't know what this panel is either).  Any thoughts?



Thanks,



Doug Minnema, PhD, CHP

NNSA, US DOE

<Douglas.Minnema@nnsa.doe.gov>



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