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11 March 2000

Boeing lent a new meaning to the term space junk last month when it threw
away two air tanks destined for the International Space Station. Boeing
employees in Huntsville, Alabama, searched the city dump, but failed to find the
metre-wide pressurised tanks, worth $375 000 each. A Boeing spokesperson
told The Huntsville Times that the tanks were accidentally
thrown away during a move. Boeing says if NASA wants the tanks, it will have to
pay to have two more built. NASA officials did not return calls seeking
comment.

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