1.   Current pay levels are already below those offered by other space agencies.

2.   The space agency and its contractor switched supplies to comply with environmental regulations.

3.   The space agency impounded documents and even embargoed findings from the research gathered during the brief test flight.

4.   The space agency is using a phased approach.

5.   The space agency linked the problem to repairs made earlier that required the nozzles to be removed and replaced.

6.   The space agency would have preferred to talk instead about its plans to explore Mars.

7.   The growing pressure to reduce state expenditure on space projects continued to stimulate Soviet space agencies and scientists in their search for alternative sources of financing.

8.   The American space agency, NASA, already allows access to data from climate research satellites and makes only a minimal charge.

9.   Researchers from NASA and the Brazilian space agency, INPE, are attempting to measure the density and drift of the clouds.

10.   Also, the space agency said it has re-staffed a shuttle emergency runway in Ben Guerir, Morocco.