And another relevant item, just in:
>James Cast >Headquarters, Washington Dec. 17, 2001 >(Phone: 202/358-1979) > >June Malone >Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. >(Phone: 256/544-7061) > >RELEASE: c01-aa > >NASA AWARDS MORE THAN $94 MILLION >TO ADVANCE NEXT GENERATION SPACE TRANSPORTATION EFFORT > > NASA today announced an additional $94.6 million in >contract awards to advance the agency's Space Launch >Initiative (SLI) -- a research and development effort to >develop the technologies needed to build a second-generation >reusable launch vehicle, as well as to design vehicle >architectures for 21st century missions. > >These awards represent the final round of competitive >selections under cycle one of the NASA Research Announcement >(NRA) for NASA's Space Launch Initiative issued in October >2000. > >NASA's Space Launch Initiative made its first round of >contract awards -- valued at $791 million -- in May to 22 >prime contractors. A new round of competitive proposals >should be received in March 2002 under cycle two of the NASA >Research Announcement. > >Today, NASA selected Northrop Grumman in El Segundo, Calif., >and Orbital Sciences Corp. in Dulles, Va., to receive a >combined increase of $20.7 million. The two companies will >team to provide systems engineering and architecture >definition for NASA's Second Generation Reusable Launch >Vehicle program, which manages the SLI, laying groundwork for >greater access to space for civil exploration, as well as >potential defense and commercial applications. > >Of the new award, Northrop Grumman will receive $15.7 million >and Orbital Sciences Corp. will receive $4.9 million. The two >contracts hold a renewal option upon successful completion of >a review in March 2002. > >An additional award of $5.4 million is being made to the >Boeing Company in Seal Beach, Calif., to initiate studies in >crew-survivability and crew-escape systems technologies, a >project unique to NASA. A primary goal of SLI is to reduce >the risk of space travel -- making flight much safer than >today's reusable launch system. > >Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power, a division of the Boeing >Company, located in Canoga Park, Calif., and TRW in Redondo >Beach, Calif., have also been awarded options for existing >contracts for potential continued work on advanced propulsion >systems. Rocketdyne could receive an additional $63.0 >million; TRW could receive $5.4 million. > >The activities initiated by these awards are not intended to >provide a specific vehicle design, but are the first step in >developing a set of alternative technologies for a new >generation of launch systems and associated space >transportation operations. These evolutionary technologies >include crew survival systems, advanced tanks and airframe >structures, long-life rocket engines and robust thermal >protection systems. > >The SLI investment is expected to pay off with full-scale >spacecraft development options around mid-decade. > >NASA is investing money and other resources in technical and >business studies, hardware development, and laboratory and >flight tests that will lower the risk of developing a second- >generation reusable launch vehicle. > > "Right now we are bringing together teams of experts who can >help us expand from our baseline. We need to make sure we >identify areas that merit additional research and development >and pursue those," said Dennis Smith, manager of NASA's >Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle program. "Improving >access to space is an ambitious goal and we take it >seriously. Sharply reducing the cost of getting payloads into >orbit is the key to our future in space and to U.S. economic >competitiveness." > >The planned budget for the Space Launch Initiative totals >$4.8 billion through fiscal year 2006. > >All NASA's field centers and the Air Force Research >Laboratory are actively participating in the Space Launch >Initiative. The Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, >Ala., is NASA's lead center for SLI. > >Additional information on NASA's Space Launch Initiative, >including a list of the selected contractors, is available on >the Internet at: > >http://www.slinews.com > >http://www.spacetransportation.com > > -end- > > * * * > >NASA press releases and other information are available automatically >by sending an Internet electronic mail message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type >the words "subscribe press-release" (no quotes). The system will >reply with a confirmation via E-mail of each subscription. A second >automatic message will include additional information on the service. >NASA releases also are available via CompuServe using the command >GO NASA. To unsubscribe from this mailing list, address an E-mail >message to [EMAIL PROTECTED], leave the subject blank, and type only >"unsubscribe press-release" (no quotes) in the body of the message.
