Boeing to Discuss Space Station Testbed Options at AAS Conference

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 8, 2005 - Boeing [NYSE: BA] will be among aerospace industry
leaders, scientists and NASA officials gathering next week near the Johnson
Space Center to pick up where the Space Exploration Architecture Study
(ESAS) left off in explaining the future role of the International Space
Station (ISS).

"Building Bridges to Exploration: The Role of the International Space
Station" is the theme for the Nov. 15-16 National Conference and Annual
Meeting of American Astronautical Society (AAS) in League City, Texas. NASA
Administrator Michael Griffin will be the keynote speaker for the opening
session.

John Elbon, Boeing vice president and ISS program manager, says with ISS
celebrating its fifth anniversary of continuous human presence in November,
it's important to look at the possibilities.

"ISS affords a unique opportunity to serve as an engineering test bed for
hardware applicable for human missions to the moon, Mars and beyond, and the
ability to be flexible is crucial," says Elbon. "The hardware on orbit has
been performing well for the astronauts over the past five years, with
equipment working better than predicted."

Conference panelists and speakers will address such ISS topics as an
exploration test bed, a platform for advanced health management, the future
of international cooperation and the Chinese human space flight program.

Boeing will lead a panel discussion at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15,
focusing on challenges enabling exploration risk reduction. The discussion
follows an invitation-only media press briefing about the impact of ESAS on
ISS and programs associated with the space station.

NASA released the ESAS in September, outlining the agency's approach to
implementing the Vision for Space Exploration.

Boeing is the prime contractor for the ISS and is working closely with its
suppliers and NASA to enhance the station's capabilities. Work includes
studying options for augmented reality training devices focusing on
skill-based training instead of task based and robotic assembly in space of
cargo depots. Other options being explored are autonomous flying robots to
perform inspections, concepts to test low-thrust propulsion systems, and
partnering with companies to design an ergonomic all-purpose spacesuit.

The Regenerative Environmental Control Life System (ELCS) is another pursuit
with future testbed possibilities. The ISS has an oxygen generator that can
take water and decompose it into hydrogen and oxygen, to provide oxygen for
the crew. New U.S. regenerative ELCS equipment, including an oxygen
generator, is designed as backup to the current Russian Elektron system and
will be installed in Destiny, the U.S. laboratory.

Another new feature of the regenerative ELCS will be urine and water
processors. They can reclaim water from sources such as humidity from the
air conditioning system, waste water and urine, and purify it for use by the
oxygen generation system.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of
the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St.
Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $30.5 billion business. It
provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government
and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military
aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a
leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems
integrator for U.S. missile defense and Department of Homeland Security;
NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services.

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Contact:
Tanya Deason-Sharp
Boeing NASA Systems
(281) 226-6070




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Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info