 This government property in northeast Mississippi, known as Yellow Creek, was under construction in the late 70s and early 80s to provide nuclear power for the Tennessee Valley Authority. But in the years ahead, it will produce an advanced solid rocket motor which will provide power for future space shuttle flights. The new rocket will look very much from the outside like the shuttle's current solid rocket motor. But the really important changes will be internal and have become possible as a result of great technological progress made since the current solid rocket motor was designed in the mid 70s and modified in the mid 80s. Now the replacement program will give NASA and its contractor the opportunity to take advantage not only of that progress but also of a fresh approach to designing and manufacturing this critical element of the shuttle. The most valuable benefit will be the highest possible safety and reliability in manned space flight. Add to that enough extra thrust to boost up to 12,000 more pounds of payload per flight, about a 20 to 30% increase depending upon the type of mission being flown. That's one way NASA hopes to lower costs. The increased power and cargo capability will allow the space agency to get more done in fewer flights. Which is an important point considering the shuttle's busy flight schedule. Lowell Zoller is in charge of this effort at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Improvements that can be made in process control and production will enhance the overall reliability of the system and provide us with additional governmental capabilities for the future that will be very valuable to the civilian space program. Now that a contractor has been named, groundbreaking at the Yellow Creek site will soon follow. The first of the new rocket motors are slated to fly in 1994 and will continue to boost the shuttle into space well into the next century. In Huntsville, this is Mike Errington reporting.