1.   Almost a dozen park-and-ride lots and an extensive shuttle bus operation should help ease transportation hassles.

2.   American Airlines pioneered it more than a decade ago, and United Airlines uses it for its shuttle operation in California.

3.   And last week, an independent advisory report suggested that NASA consider turning over shuttle operations to a private contractor and cut back its safety checks.

4.   Handing shuttle operations over to a contractor is seen as an initial step toward privatizing the shuttle system.

5.   In the past, it has cautioned the space agency against moving too quickly from government-run to privately operated shuttle operations.

6.   None of the problems, he said, appears related to age of the wiring, normal wear or vibrations from shuttle operations.

7.   Previous shuttle rendezvous operations have always had use of the radar.

8.   Several observers believe their partnership is the only logical choice for what could be a multi-billion dollar annual contract to manage shuttle operations.

9.   Shuttle operations will also be moved to join existing US Airways facilities in Boston and Washington, although they will retain separate check-in procedures and gates.

10.   The contract will cover shuttle operations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.