Apr 16 2010
From The Space Library
RELEASE: 10-125
NASA JOINS WEB CONSORTIUM TO HELP IMPROVE UNIVERSAL ACCESS
WASHINGTON -- NASA announced Thursday it has joined the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The consortium is an international organization that develops protocols, standards and guidelines to ensure universal Web access. "Standards will play a key role in making NASA's content more accessible on the Internet and in the implementation of our Open Government plan, said Chris Kemp, chief technology officer for Information Technology at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Additionally, standards nurture technology innovation. We are especially interested in participating in those areas where NASA's ongoing technical requirements overlap with the W3C's standardization efforts. W3C's staff works with member organizations and the public to enhance long-term growth for the Web. The organization has more than 350 members. It is run by the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in Cambridge, Mass., the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics in France, and Keio University in Japan. "W3C is delighted to welcome NASA back as a member, said Jeff Jaffe, W3C chief executive officer. The agency's participation in W3C activities such as eGovernment, Linked Open Data and Semantic Web technologies will bring great depth and breadth of experience to these communities and opportunities for leadership in emerging technologies.
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RELEASE: 10-051
NASA ANNOUNCES NEW ROCKET ENGINE TESTING OPPORTUNITY AT STENNIS
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- NASA's Stennis Space Center in Stennis, Miss., unveiled an initiative today to chart the future of the nation's premier rocket engine testing facility. Stennis Director Gene Goldman announced plans for the center to test Aerojet AJ26 rocket engines for Orbital Sciences Corp. as part of a NASA partnership with the companies. "We're excited about this program and the opportunity to collaborate with two of the world's leading space technology companies, Goldman said. This also helps pave the way to the future for Stennis. Testing the AJ26 engine not only supplies a service for the Taurus II program, it also provides Stennis a unique opportunity will help sustain the skills and capabilities we need for future test projects. The AJ26 testing is part of NASA's new direction for space exploration. Under NASA's proposed fiscal year 2011 budget, NASA will work closer with commercial interests to develop space travel capabilities. The Aerojet AJ26 is a prime example of that new direction and of the immediate future of Stennis, which completed engine testing for remaining space shuttle flights last July. The AJ26 is the first new engine in years to be tested at Stennis and representative of the commercial work the facility now is pursuing. The center also provides RS-68 rocket engine testing for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. Stennis operators have been modifying their E-1 Test Stand since last April in order to test the AJ26 engines. Work has included construction of a 27-foot-deep flame deflector trench, which was toured by media during the Feb. 24 press conference. Orbital is working in partnership with NASA under the agency's Commercial Orbital Transportations Services (COTS) joint research and development project. Orbital is under contract with NASA through the Commercial Resupply Services program to provide eight cargo missions to the ISS through 2015. The AJ26 Aerojet engines will power Orbital's Taurus II space launch vehicle for the supply missions. "Our team is very excited to begin the ground testing of the AJ26 engine here at Stennis, one of the great rocket engine testing facilities in the world, Orbital President and Chief Operating Officer J.R. Thompson added. We have worked with the NASA's Stennis staff and our Aerojet counterparts to develop and install facility upgrades to accommodate our particular needs, and we are pleased with the results. As currently envisioned, each AJ26 engine that will be used aboard our Taurus II rocket will come through the Stennis facility for prelaunch testing, prior to being integrated with the rocket.
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