SSC exercises award term period 1

NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center has exercised award term period 1 of the Facility Operating Services Contract with Jacobs Technology Inc. of Tullahoma, Tenn. It provides a broad range of services to support NASA missions and more than 30 resident agencies sharing and using Stennis facilities and services. The cost-plus-incentive fee award term 1 is valued at $55.5 million. This is the first of seven award term periods in addition to the 3-year base period. (Source: PRNewswire, 08/26/10)

NAVOCEANO bids farewell to ship

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The Naval Oceanographic Office has bid farewell to the hydrographic survey ship, the USNS John McDonnell. T-AGS 51, deactivated Wednesday, was named for a former NAVOCEANO commanding officer who later became the first commander of what is now the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, NAVOCEANO's parent command. The 208-foot vessel has traveled the world since late 1991. Each mission was supported by a complement of about 14 NAVOCEANO surveyors and 23 civilian mariners from Naval Oceanographic Detachment 124. It has surveyed the territorial waters of 10 countries, as well as the shallow areas of the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and Caribbean Sea, among other large bodies of water. In 20 years the ship collected about 392,500 nautical miles of swath bathymetry and 35,000 nautical miles of side scan sonar imagery, in addition to having charted and verified thousands of navigation hazards. (Source: NNS, 08/26/10)

Braun impressed with SSC

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - NASA's chief technologist says there are a lot of options for getting humans to distant places in space, but with all of them the "pathway to do that will go through Mississippi." Robert Braun was at NASA's Stennis Space Center today as part of a national tour to bring attention to the $5 billion Space Technology Program slated to start next fiscal year. The program will focus on developing transformative new space technologies, from propulsion systems to space habitats and more. This was Braun's first visit to SSC, and he admits he strongly associated it with propulsion testing but found "it's really much more than that." He noted the large number of additional federal agencies, and said he sees a number of partnership opportunities. Braun said that one of the first things that impressed him about Stennis was "how quickly people can do things here," such as taking an innovative idea and doing the testing. While SSC is most noted for test and evaluation, Braun sees it playing a role in the Space Technology Program and working on transformative technologies through the innovative partnership program, which will become a part of his office in 2011. So what will he tell his bosses about Stennis Space Center? "First thing I'm going to say is how cool it is," he said. (Source: Tcp, 08/26/10)

StenniSphere opens Kidz Zone exhibit

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The StenniSphere visitor center at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center opened a new exhibit today, a Kidz Zone attraction that offers young visitors an interactive look at space. The new area includes a feature that allows visitors a chance to perform simple tasks while wearing gloves similar to those used by astronauts; a puzzle that offers a chance for children to "build" the International Space Station; a standup cutout that gives children a chance to take a photo of themselves "wearing" a spacesuit; and a video screen presentation providing answers to commonly asked questions about space. (Source: NASA, 08/25/10)

NASA chief technologist visiting

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - NASA Chief Technologist Bobby Braun will visit Stennis Space Center Thursday and hold a media briefing at 1:30 p.m. CDT. Braun will discuss innovation and technology in NASA's future and the important role that Stennis Space Center will play in future space exploration programs. Braun is one of the youngest senior leaders at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Source: NASA, 08/25/10)

Stennis opens new storage facility

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center cut the ribbon today on a new, storm-resistant Records Retention Facility that consolidates and protects records storage at the nation’s premier rocket engine test facility. This facility will also house history office operations. The new facility will house and protect the history and the historical documents related to Stennis and its rocket engine test work. It was designed to meet all specifications and storage criteria set forth by the National Archives and Records Administration. Stennis is the first NASA center to open a NARA-compliant storage facility. (Source: NASA, 08/24/10)

DEVELOP students focus on spill

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - DEVELOP students at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center put their knowledge of remote sensing and access to NASA technology to use this summer to study the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. DEVELOP is a NASA Science Mission Directorate Applied Sciences training and development program where students, mentored by science advisors from NASA and partner agencies, work on Earth science projects. The Stennis students partnered with DEVELOP students at NASA’s Langley Research Center, Va., to form a Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Response team. The DEVELOP team used NASA technology to track the extent of the oil spill and to study how sea surface temperatures are being affected by the changing conditions. Students are sharing this information with local communities addressing coastal management issues from the oil spill. (Source: NASA, 08/19/10)

NIUST gets $4.87M

The University of Mississippi-led National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology is getting $4.87 million in funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The funding will be used for infrastructure costs associated with operating and managing the institute, as well as for individual research projects. NIUST was established in 2002 through a cooperative agreement involving the University of Mississippi, the University of Southern Mississippi and NOAA's Undersea Research Program. (Source: WLOX-TV, Mississippi Business Journal, 08/18/10) Note: NIUST has three divisions, including the Undersea Vehicles Technology Center at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

600 jobs to land at Michoud

NEW ORLEANS – NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility will get 600 new jobs when Blade Dynamics, a wind turbine blade and component manufacturer, sets up shop at the east New Orleans site. Blade Dynamics, a British company, partnered with American Superconductor Corp. and Dow Venture Capital on the project. To qualify for $30 million in state incentives, Blade Dynamics had to incorporate in the United States and place headquarters in New Orleans. It must create 600 direct jobs by 2015, and the company will invest $13 million. The state estimates there will be 970 indirect jobs, with $35.8 million in new state tax revenue and $23.9 million in new local tax revenue over the next 10 years. Michoud, which for years built the external tanks for the space shuttle, is one of the world's largest manufacturing centers and sits on 832 acres. (Sources: Times-Picayune, New Orleans City Business, 08/17/10)

August issue of Lagniappe available

The August issue of Lagniappe, a monthly newsletter about NASA activities at Stennis Space Center, is now available for download. This issue includes a story about AJ26 testing moving forward, and a photo package about the A-3 test cell installation. Other items in the newsletter: The education team's development of a curriculum to help educate students about mass and weight; an encore presentation of an interview with the late Roy Estess; an item on Women’s Equality Day and more. (Source: Lagniappe, August 2010)

StenniSphere closed Aug. 21

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - StenniSphere, the visitor center at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center, will be closed Aug. 21 to perform planned maintenance work. However, bus tours of the rocket engine test facility will continue from the Hancock County Welcome Center as usual. The visitor center will reopen Aug. 25 and resume normal operating hours. (Source: NASA, 08/16/10)

Satellite successfully launched

The first Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite built by Lockheed Martin for the Air Force was successfully launched Saturday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard an Atlas V rocket. The multi-satellite AEHF system will provide the U.S. military with global, protected, high capacity, secure communications. The system is the successor to the five-satellite Milstar constellation. The AEHF constellation will also serve Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 08/14/10) Lockheed Martin Mississippi Space & Technology Center at Stennis Space Center, Miss., provides the core propulsion modules for AEHF.

Two groups work together

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School and Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation conducted the fourth in a series of joint field training exercises here last month. The training supports U.N. peacekeeping, drug interdiction and disaster response operations. NAVSCIATTS students from three countries and WHINSEC students from eight took part in the week-long training July 17-23, said Cmdr. Bill Mahoney, commanding officer of Stennis-based NAVSCIATTS. The training took place in and around the Pearl River, part of the Naval Special Warfare Group 4’s Western Maneuver Area. (Source: NAVSCIATTS PAO, 08/10/10)

O'Keefe, son, survive plane crash

Five people, including former Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, were killed and four survived a private plane crash in Alaska Monday night, according to a variety of reports. Two of the survivors were EADS North America CEO Sean O’Keefe, the former NASA administrator, and his son. The plane crashed some 300 miles from Anchorage. (Source: Multiple, 08/10/10)

O'Keefe, former senator in plane crash

Five people were killed and four survived a private plane crash in Alaska Monday night, according to a variety of reports. One of those on board was EADS North America CEO Sean O’Keefe, the former NASA administrator, the company confirmed. Former Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska was also believed on the plane that crashed some 300 miles from Anchorage. (Source: Multiple, 08/10/10)

DigitalGlobe gets NGA contract

LONGMONT, Colo. - DigitalGlobe, provider of high-resolution earth imagery, has entered into a $3.55 billion agreement with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. The agreement provides for DigitalGlobe to supply satellite imagery from the WorldView satellite constellation in a total amount of $2.8 billion, with up to $750 million for value added product. The agreement is a 10-year term. DigitalGlobe will begin procurement and construction of its next satellite, WorldView-3, which will be ready for launch by the end of 2014. (Source: DigitalGlobe, 08/09/10) Note: DigitalGlobe's Stennis Space Center operation is a member of MsET. It was highlighted in the September 2009 MsET newsletter.

20 foreign officers graduate

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - A group of 20 foreign officers from four different countries became the first graduates of the Strategic Level Small Craft Combating Terrorism course offered by the U.S. Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School during a ceremony in New Orleans last month. It's a four-week course. (Source: NNS, 08/02/10)

August issue of Messenger available

The August issue of Michoud Messenger, a monthly newsletter about activities at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, is now available for download. This issue includes an item about the Michoud's final mission tank and New Orleans-style send-off. Other items in the newsletter: the "Go Green" program; hurricane hotline numbers; the topping out of the Vertical Assembly Building and more. (Source: Michoud Messenger, August 2010)

Well killed by heavy mud

The BP well that spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico has been killed by heavy drilling mud. BP made the announcement early Wednesday. Technicians will determine, perhaps as soon as today, whether to follow the mud with cement that would seal the well permanently. (Source: McClatchy via Sun Herald, 08/04/10) The Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. Oil flowed freely until a cap was put in place July 15.

StenniSphere hours adjusted

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - StenniSphere, the visitor center at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center, will open Aug. 4 at noon and Aug. 7 at 11 a.m., later than normal, to perform planned maintenance work. StenniSphere regularly is open to the public 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, and is closed on major holidays. (Source: NASA, 08/02/10)

Printing office gets ISO 9001

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The U.S. Government Printing Office's passport production facility at Stennis Space Center has earned special certification from the International Organization for Standardization. The facility achieved ISO 9001 certification, a designation of excellence in manufacturing and quality. The certification recognizes the facility as having world-class standards, said David Spiers, passport manager at the Stennis production plant. (Source: Sun Herald, 07/31/10)