Lawmaker wants shuttles to land at Plant 42
Incentives seen as key to possible aerospace revival

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press March 13, 2001.

By DON JERGLER
Valley Press Aerospace Writer

SACRAMENTO - Picture a space shuttle landing at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, arriving for modification and leaving from a one-stop shop.

Now, add to that the prospect of a robust revival for the aerospace industry in California, still the state's biggest industry, although it is not nearly as big as it once was.

Those were key building blocks of a legislative agenda that Assemblyman George Runner, R-Lancaster, hopes to push during the coming legislative year.

Among other things, Runner is forming an Antelope Valley task force to study the potential for landing space shuttles at Plant 42. Runner made known his intentions Monday as part of his reappointment to the Select Committee on Aerospace Industry.

The select committee was formed three years ago to enhance the state's diminishing presence in the industry. Runner said he would take an aggressive approach in pushing for state benefits to promote aerospace work in California.

Runner said a year of dealing with the governor's office on aerospace issues has given him more credibility.

"We have a working relationship," Runner said, adding, "and that then helps us move together to accomplish the coordinated goals of business attraction and retention. I think that's their goal; sometimes we just have to know how to help each other get there."

As one of his priorities, Runner said he plans to form a task force with the assistance of the Antelope Valley Board of Trade to look for ways to create incentives for shuttle landings at Plant 42.

The shuttle regularly lands at Kennedy Space Center in Florida after missions. Occasionally, the shuttle lands at Edwards Air Force Base when bad weather closes the skies over Florida.

Landing the shuttle at Plant 42 would require upgrades to the facility, but they could be done at a moderate cost, according to a 1996 study conducted by NASA and USA (the shuttle partnership of The Boeing Co. and Lockheed-Martin Aeronautics Co.).

The study concluded that landing the shuttle at Plant 42 and ferrying it back to Florida for launch is technically feasible.

Landing at Plant 42 after a mission directly prior to scheduled orbiter modification or maintenance would eliminate costs of postflight and pre-ferry flight processing at Kennedy, the study showed.

The study also concluded that landing shuttles at Plant 42 would drive down costs of orbiter preparation and ferrying, while also alleviating demand on Kennedy Space Center facilities and resources.

According to the study, all necessary Plant 42 modifications could be completed for $21 million.

Two shuttles have landed at Edwards in the last year.

The space shuttle Columbia was ferried back to Kennedy after a massive 17-month upgrade.

Creating state economic incentives for NASA and Boeing to land the space shuttle at Plant 42 would generate more work in the area and create tourism benefits similar to those currently enjoyed by Florida.

"To me, that's kind of the natural next step here," said Runner, R-Lancaster. "We've got to create a regional interest to express that issue further. It's clear to me that neither Boeing or NASA will take the initiative on that."

Interest in landing the shuttle at Plant 42 has already been expressed on behalf of the state from Gov. Gray Davis and the California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency.

Runner outlined his priority issues to deal with on the committee this year:

Extend the Joint Strike Fighter Tax Credit to maximize the opportunities. Runner introduced Assembly Bill 485 to extend the tax credit's eligibility two years to conform the tax credit to the current JSF program contract schedule slippage.

Seek $1.7 million in state funding for the Multi-Axis Thrust Stand to be relocated to the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Directorate at Edwards Air Force Base from its current location at NASA Ames. The funding would go to complement $2.4 in federal funding and is a necessity for testing on the JSF program.

Continue efforts to increase the Manufacturers Investment Credit. Runner's AB 240 would increase the MIC from 6% to 7%.

Support state conformity to federal tax law in the area of the Alternate Research and Development Tax Credit.

Continue to support efforts to provide research, development, testing and evaluation of the next generation of space shuttles in California.

Push for legislation to unify the California Space Program organizations. The California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency is sponsoring legislation to unify the California space program. The idea is to strengthen existing state programs to promote California's role as the premier location for space-related industries, as is the case in other states like Florida.

Seek more infrastructure funds for rocket test stands at Edwards to attract propulsion work to the high desert. Runner is asking for $8 million to match federal funds for completion of refurbishment of rocket test stands so they can be used for the next generation of rocket testing in California.

Work with the Antelope Valley Aerospace Alliance to establish the Aerospace Training Center in Palmdale to meet demands of training in the current high-technology environment. Runner's AB 1509 has been introduced as the vehicle to achieve this goal.