NASA formally gave the go-ahead to four...

NASA formally gave the go-ahead to four aerospace companies to proceed with space station construction contracts potentially worth more than $5 billion following congressional action and White House approval of an overall funding bill for the federal government. NASA named the space station construction contract winners Dec. 1 but waited to formally close the deals because of budget uncertainty. The firms and contracts are: Boeing Aerospace Co. of Huntsville, Ala., which won a $750-million contract; McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co., a $1.9-billion contract; General Electric Co., an $800-million contract, and Rockwell International’s Rocketdyne division of Canoga Park, a $1.6-billion contract.