STP News Release

NASA, DoD Team Reviews Nuclear Plant Processes To Improve International Space Station Operations

March 31, 1999 -- Wadsworth, Texas -- A task force of civilian, military and commercial officials has reviewed South Texas Project nuclear power plant hoisting and handling techniques to help fine tune processes in NASA's International Space Station Program.

A team from the Johnson Space Center, Department of Defense, and Space Station contractor Hernandez Engineering visited STP to learn how it safely handles and lifts bulky equipment weighing tens of tons. The information will be used to refine procedures for transporting and assembling large components of the orbital facility.

"We are honored that the task force asked to visit us and see how we maintain safety in our operations," said Florence Mangan, STP Vice President of Business Services. "It truly is a privilege to share our experience with them and contribute to the success of the Space Station Program."

STP is the only nuclear power plant among several sites nationwide that the task force is visiting. The team also is reviewing processes at Boeing, Lockheed and NASA facilities where Space Station components are manufactured, shipped and prepared for launch. Johnson Space Center Director George Abbey created the Independent Assessment Task Force to ensure continuity as the components move among government and contractor operations at various locations.

STP Industrial Safety Manager Barry Wedgeworth, along with seven engineers and managers responsible for lifting and rigging work at the plant, met with the Space Station team. The daylong session dealt with policies as well as specifics for lifting loads as heavy as a half-million-pound reactor head, using cranes several stories tall.

"We were extremely impressed with everything we saw and heard at STP," said Independent Assessment team leader Lewis Casey, Johnson Space Center Assistant to the Director of Engineering for Institutional Operations. "We will take what we learned there, and at the other sites we are visiting, and develop a "best practices" benchmark for lifting, handling and shipping flight-critical hardware. The benchmark will be used to fine tune Johnson Space Center's current procedures."

The South Texas Project, located between Bay City and Palacios, generates electricity for more than one million homes in Texas. STP is jointly owned by Austin Energy, Central Power and Light Company, the City of San Antonio and Reliant Energy HL&P.

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