Jan 20 2010
From The Space Library
CONTRACT RELEASE: C10-058
NASA AWARDS CONTRACT FOR JPSS-1 SPACECRAFT
WASHINGTON -- NASA on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded a sole source contract for the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) spacecraft to Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. This is a fixed price contract of $248 million with a performance period through Feb. 1, 2015. Under this contract Ball will design, build and test the spacecraft; integrate government-furnished instruments; integrate the satellite with the launch vehicle; and support launch operations and on-orbit checkout. The spacecraft is a clone of the NPOESS Preparatory Project. JPSS-1 is expected to be ready for launch in 2014. JPSS is the restructured civilian portion of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) that will make afternoon observations as it orbits Earth. The system includes the satellites and sensors supporting civil weather and climate measurements and a shared ground infrastructure with the Department of Defense weather satellite system. NOAA is responsible for the JPSS program. NASA is the program's procurement agent, and the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., is the lead for acquisition. Data and imagery obtained from JPSS will increase the timeliness, accuracy and cost-effectiveness of public warnings and forecasts of climate and weather events, reducing the potential loss of human life and property.
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MEDIA ADVISORY: M10-038
KANSAS STUDENTS CONNECT WITH INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CREW FOR OUT OF THIS WORLD CONVERSATION
WASHINGTON -- Astronauts orbiting 220 miles above Earth will discuss science and living in space with students from Mueller Aerospace and Engineering Discovery Magnet School in Wichita, Kan., on Tuesday, March 2. The call between the students and International Space Station Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineers T.J. Creamer and Soichi Noguchi will take place from 10:35 to 10:55 a.m. CST. The event will be held at Exploration Place in Wichita. Reporters interested in attending the event should contact Susan Arensman of Wichita Public Schools at 316-973-4582. NASA has a number of employees who work in the station's mission operations who are from Wichita or attended Wichita State University. Journalists interested in speaking with these employees should contact Kelly Humphries at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston at 281-483-5111. Mueller students prepared for the downlink by hosting an Aviation Day during which students had the opportunity to fly in a plane. An Engineering Extravaganza showcased student projects that use the engineering design process. Students also participated in an Ask an Astronaut contest where the community voted on the top student questions. Wichita State University College of Education students have been presenting lessons to the students and will continue that partnership after the downlink. The event is part of a series with educational organizations in the U.S. and abroad to improve teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is an integral component of Teaching From Space, a NASA project that uses the unique environment of human spaceflight to promote learning opportunities and build partnerships with the kindergarten through 12th grade education community. NASA Television will air video from the space station during the event. For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
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