Apr 5 2010

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RELEASE: 10-292

NASA SELECTS COMPANIES FOR HEAVY-LIFT LAUNCH VEHICLE STUDIES

WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected 13 companies for negotiations leading to potential contract awards to conduct systems analysis and trade studies for evaluating heavy-lift launch vehicle system concepts, propulsion technologies, and affordability. The selected companies are: Aerojet General Corp., Rancho Cordova, Calif. Analytical Mechanics Associates, Huntsville, Ala. Andrews Space, Tukwila, Wash. Alliant Techsystems, Huntsville, Ala. The Boeing Co., Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Corp., Huntsville, Ala. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Huntsville, Ala. Orbital Sciences Corp., Chandler, Ariz. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Canoga Park, Calif. Science Applications International Corp., Huntsville, Ala. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., Hawthorne, Calif. United Launch Alliance, Centennial, Colo. United Space Alliance, Huntsville, Ala. The awards total approximately $7.5 million with a maximum individual contract award of $625,000. Each company will provide a final report to help lay the groundwork for the transportation system that could launch humans to multiple destinations, including asteroids, Lagrange points, the moon and Mars. "These trade studies will provide a look at innovative launch vehicle concepts, propulsion technologies, and processes that should make human exploration missions more affordable, said Doug Cooke, associate administrator of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. If we are to travel beyond low-Earth orbit, industry's collaboration is essential to reduce the cost associated with our future exploration goals and approaches and make the heavy-lift vehicle affordable to build and fly. The studies will include heritage systems from shuttle and Ares, as well as alternative architectures and identify propulsion technology gaps including main propulsion elements, propellant tanks and rocket health management systems. The reports will include assessments of various heavy-lift launch vehicle and in-space vehicle that use different propulsion combinations. The companies will examine how these combinations can be employed to meet multiple mission objectives. NASA will use the recommendations to evaluate heavy-lift launch vehicle concepts and propulsion technologies for affordability that will be required to enable robust and sustainable future exploration missions.

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CONTRACT RELEASE: C10-059

NASA AWARDS CONTRACT FOR EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE SUPPORT

HAMPTON, Va. -- NASA has selected Earth Resources Technology Inc. Laurel, Md., to provide proposal evaluations, assessments and studies supporting NASA Earth and space science programs and missions. The five-year maximum value of the Evaluations, Assessments, Studies, Services and Support task order contract is $91 million. The contract will provide support to the NASA Science Office for Mission Assessments, located at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., on behalf of NASA Headquarters' Science Mission Directorate and other NASA offices. Earth Resources Technology will support evaluation of proposals submitted in response to announcements of opportunity, NASA research announcements, cooperative agreement notices, or other broad agency announcements in the areas of technical, management, cost, schedule and other areas defined in individual task orders. The company also will assess and study current and potential NASA programs and missions. The reviews will look at several aspects that are likely to impact mission performance, such as management and cost.

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CONTRACT RELEASE: C10-046

NASA LANGLEY SELECTS MARYLAND COMPANY FOR INFORMATION TECH SUPPORT

HAMPTON, Va. -- NASA has selected Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies of Greenbelt, Md., to provide the agency's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., with computing support services for complex information technology (IT) systems and applications. The five-year maximum value of the Langley Research Center Information Technology Enhanced Services (LITES) task order contract is $183 million. The systems supported include unique and high-end systems used by mission and mission-support staff at Langley. LITES provides a wide range of support functions including those for non-standard operating systems, for system interfaces, or for use within a dynamic environment such as a research laboratory or test facility. LITES provides integrated support that encompasses all activities necessary to develop, deploy, upgrade, operate and maintain a system that delivers an IT capability for research and development use and for business systems and applications. The contract provides support through Langley's Office of the Chief Information Officer in the areas of science and engineering applications; project management applications; business management applications; and center infrastructure applications and data center support not provided as part of NASA's Information Technology Infrastructure Improvement Program.

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MEDIA ADVISORY: M10-089

FIRST NASA IT SUMMIT TO GATHER INDUSTRY LEADERS AND EXPLORE TECH INNOVATIONS

WASHINGTON -- NASA's first Information Technology (IT) Summit will bring together government and industry leaders to explore the outer reaches of information technology. The summit, which takes place August 16-18 at the Gaylord National Harbor in Maryland, will gather 750 participants and more than 100 expert presenters with themes on collaboration, social networking, innovation, infrastructure, operations and IT security and privacy. Speakers include: - Walt Disney's Vice President and General Manager Walt Disney Imagineering-FL Jack Blitch - Google Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf - Dell Services Chief Innovation Officer Jim Stikeleather - Symantec Chief Technology Officer Mark Bregman - Inspirion CEO Misti Burmeister - Gartner Vice President and Fellow in Research David W. Cearley "This summit is an opportunity for the public and private IT sectors to cross-pollinate, said NASA Chief Information Officer Linda Y. Cureton. I strive to make NASA's IT the best in government. We can learn from the latest in the private sector while sharing our own innovations in cloud computing, green computing and other cutting-edge areas. The summit's theme is Together We Can Make NASA IT Stellar! For more details, visit: http://www.regonline.com/ocio To follow Twitter updates for new details about the summit's agenda and confirmed speakers, visit: http://twitter.com/nasacio

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