Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington, DC                     Aug. 17, 1999
(Phone:  202/358-1726)

James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone:  281/483-5111)

RELEASE:  99-94

NASA TO HOST HOUSTON CONFERENCE EXPLORING 
COMMERCIAL INTEREST IN SPACE STATION LIVING QUARTERS

     NASA has invited private industry to Houston from Aug. 24 - 
26 to participate in a conference that will explore potential 
commercial interest in a government and industry partnership to 
build the crew habitation module for the International Space 
Station.

     "NASA is dedicated to the commercial use of space and 
fostering private enterprise on the new frontier," said Dan Tam, 
Special Assistant to the NASA Administrator for Commercialization.  
"This invitation is one way for us to actively pursue the ideas 
that businesses may have for using a living area in space for 
profit-driven motives.  On Earth, it has been demonstrated time 
and time again that with market support, private industry can do a 
better job than the government.  We expect the same will be true 
in space."

NASA needs a crew-quarters module that will house at least four 
crew members.  The module should also include bedrooms, a kitchen, 
a pantry, a dining and meeting area, videoconferencing and 
entertainment equipment, windows, storage space, exercise 
equipment and a medical examination room.

     The Habitation Module Commercialization Conference will be 
held at the Nassau Bay Hilton and Marina Hotel, 3000 NASA Road 1, 
Houston.  The conference will explore the formation of a 
commercial consortium that would own, use and maintain all or part 
of the module.  NASA would be one of many module users and 
customers of the consortium.

     Current station plans specify that the module be a 
traditional metallic design similar to other International Space 
Station modules.  A more recent NASA concept has proposed an 
innovative, space fabric version of the living quarters module.  
At this conference, participants will consider existing designs 
and new ideas for the module.  Innovative concepts for enhanced 
habitation capabilities benefiting both NASA and commercial 
partners are especially sought.

     The habitation module will be launched from the Space Shuttle 
and attached to the station in November 2004.  In addition to 
aerospace industries, NASA is hoping to attract other businesses 
and investors to spur innovation in the commercial use of space.  
These non-aerospace companies may have ideas related to 
sponsorship, space tourism, entertainment, advertising, education 
or technology development.  This activity will serve as a 
pathfinder for other commercial uses of the International Space 
Station and commercial involvement in other NASA programs.

     "We really want this conference to be a brainstorming session 
with businesses and investors of all kinds and hope it leads to a 
business relationship between NASA and a commercial consortium.  
NASA is open to any and all ideas that are of benefit to both 
private enterprise and the government," Tam said.

     News media are invited to attend the full sessions of the 
conference.  More information and registration information is 
available on the Internet at: 

      http://technology.jsc.nasa.gov/habconference

                        -end-