TECHNOLOGY - July 7, 1992

Space Station Crash: Could a collision leave Space Station Freedom lost in space?

Larry Morata, the new head of the Space Station Division of McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Co. in Huntington Beach, said he isn’t concerned about space junk or meteors colliding with the station. The company has analyzed the problem that space junk presents, Morata said, and has modified the design of the orbiting station to include aluminum shielding to protect vital parts.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration plans to spend about $30 billion on the station. Space Systems Co. is one of the main contractors. Launch is scheduled for early 1996.

Space Systems holds more than $3.5 billion in contracts to develop six major systems for the project and employs 1,400 on it in Huntington Beach.

“We have anticipated the problem of debris,” Morata said.