NASA official meets 4-H students

Melvin speaks to 4-H student at SSC Monday
NASA photo

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Local 4-H students had a chance to grow their imagination and potential at NASA's Stennis Space Center when NASA Associate Administrator for Education Leland Melvin visited them today. About 80 students in grades 4 through 9 from several south Mississippi counties participated in the event. Their visit to SSC capped their clubs' involvement in NASA's Summer of Innovation project, which provides hands-on learning opportunities through NASA-unique science, technology, engineering and mathematics educational activities during the summer school break. (Source: NASA, 07/30/12)

Saturn V engines eyed for rocket

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Could the engines that powered Saturn V be used again for new NASA heavy-lift rocket? Dynetics Inc. of Huntsville thinks modified F-1 engines may be just right. It's negotiating a contract with NASA that could lead to construction of the biggest piece of rocket hardware in Huntsville since the Apollo program. NASA will use solid rocket boosters for the first flights of the 70-metric-ton Space Launch System. But it's letting industry compete over which boosters will be used on the 130-metric-ton version. Dynetics is teaming with Rocketdyne, which has three modified F-1 turbopumps in storage. Should the project go all the way through to engine manufacturing and testing, they will be tested at the Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Source: Huntsville Times, 07/29/12) Rocketdyne has an operation at SSC. Related: Historic engines to be recovered?

SSC tests lander engine

Morpheus lander engine tested at SSC
NASA/JSC photo

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- NASA engineers recently conducted tests on a liquid methane, liquid oxygen engine used to power the Project Morpheus lander, which could one day carry cargo to the moon, asteroids or Mars. The tests on SSC's E-3 Test Stand over several days marked the first time the Morpheus engine has been tested on its own. Previous tests were done with the engine installed on the lander. Morpheus could carry a variety of payloads, including robots, small rovers and labs, to the moon or other celestial bodies. Morpheus, a NASA-designed vehicle, is one of 20 small projects comprising NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems Program. Morpheus is a full spacecraft with all the associated subsystems. The lander has been undergoing tether tests at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where it was built. Free flight testing is scheduled this year at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. (Source: NASA, 07/26/12)

Contract: SAIC, $45.8M

Science Applications International Corp., Virginia Beach, Va., is being awarded a $45,760,304 firm-fixed-price contract for integrated training support and execution by U.S. Fleet Forces Command, associated fleet commands and activities conducting fleet training. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Va. (53 percent); Norfolk, Va. (25 percent); San Diego, Calif. (9 percent); Fallon, Nev. (5 percent); Mayport, Fla. (3 percent); Suffolk, Va. (1 percent); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (1 percent); Stennis Space Center, Miss. (1 percent); Everett, Wash. (1 percent); and Yokosuka, Japan (1 percent). Work will be completed by July 2013. The Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pa., is the contracting activity (Source: DoD, 07/26/12)

SLS passes major review

NASA illustration

WASHINGTON -- NASA's Space Launch System, which will launch humans farther into space than ever before, passed a major NASA review Wednesday with completion of a combined System Requirements Review and System Definition Review. SLS now moves ahead to its preliminary design phase. The SLS will launch NASA's Orion spacecraft and other payloads, and provide a new capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the SLS program. The RS-25 core stage and J-2X upper-stage rocket engine in development by Rocketdyne for the two-stage SLS will be tested at NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss. Testing has already begun on the J-2X. The Boeing Co. in Huntsville is designing the SLS core stage, to be built at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and tested at Stennis Space Center before being shipped to Kennedy Space Center, Fla. (Sources: NASA, PRNewswire, 07/25/12) Previous

J-2X powerpack sets new mark

J-2X powerpack test at SSC
NASA/SSC photo

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- A J-2X powerpack was test fired Tuesday for 1,350 seconds on the A-1 test stand, surpassing the 1,150-second firing of June 8. The powerpack sits atop the J-2X engine and feeds the thrust chamber, which produces the engine fire and thrust. The advantage of testing the powerpack without the thrust chamber is to operate over a wide range of conditions to understand safe limits. The test Tuesday gathered data on performance of the liquid oxygen and fuel pumps during extreme conditions. The Rocketdyne J-2X engine will power the upper-stage of a planned two-stage Space Launch System, which will launch NASA's Orion spacecraft and other payloads for missions beyond low Earth orbit. (Source: NASA, 07/24/12) Previous: J-2X goes the distance; Powerpack test sets record

ONR issues call to innovators

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Office of Naval Research opened online registration for its biennial Naval Science and Technology Partnership Conference Oct. 22-24 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington. Some 1,500 members of ONR's science and technology provider network, as well as Navy and Marine Corps customers, are expected. The conference is to raise awareness of the naval S&T strategy and program initiatives and to broaden ONR's partnership base to explore new ideas. ONR will reintroduce "Pitch a Principal," which allows members of industry and academia to request one-on-one meetings with ONR decision makers to pitch proposals. Those interested in participating can submit a request through the conference website. To register for the event, click here. (Source: NNS, 07/24/12) The Office of Naval Research's Naval Research Laboratory has an operation at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Rocketdyne being sold to GenCorp.

United Technologies has agreed to sell Rocketdyne, currently part of Pratt and Whitney, to aerospace manufacturer GenCorp Inc. for $550 million. Rocketdyne, based in Canoga Park, Calif., and the world's largest maker of liquid-fueled rocket propulsion systems, will nearly double GenCorp's size. GenCorp also ownes Aerojet, which produces solid-fuel rocket motors. Rocketdyne is one of three units UT put on the block in an effort to fund the manufacturer's $16.5 billion takeover of Goodrich Corp. of Charlotte, N.C. (Sources: PRNewswire, Reuters, 07/23/12) Rocketdyne has an operation at Stennis Space Center, Miss., that assembles and tests rocket engines. Aerojet engines are tested at SSC.

RR flying test bed in Tucson

TUCSON, Ariz. -- A Rolls-Royce Boeing 747 "flying test bed" is at Tucson International Airport as part of a project with Raytheon Technical Services to test the Trent 1000. Raytheon won a contract with Rolls-Royce to provide site test and maintenance operations services for the flying test bed. The Rolls-Royce engine is designed for the Boeing 787. (Source: Arizona Daily Star, 07/17/12) Rolls-Royce tests jetliner engines at its outdoor test stand at Stennis Space Center, Miss.; Raytheon Technical Services has an operation at SSC.

On-orbit test of MUOS completed

Feb. 24, 2012 launch of MUOS
United Launch Alliance photo

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Lockheed Martin completed on-orbit testing of the first Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite, paving the way for the U.S. Navy's multi-service operational test and evaluation phase in preparation for the start of operations in August 2012. MUOS-1 was launched Feb. 24, 2012 atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. A narrowband tactical satellite communications system, MUOS will provide communications, including simultaneous voice, video and data. (Source: PRNewswire, 07/17/12) Note: Work on the propulsion system for the MUOS, an A2100 satellite-based spacecraft, is done at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

Contract inked for underwater device

NORTH FALMOUTH, Mass. -- Teledyne Benthos recently signed a five-year contract with the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office for deep-sea equipment to collect underwater data. The value is $6 million. The company had a similar contract with the Navy that expired last year. The products covered by the contract include technology that allows devices anchored to the ocean floor to be released remotely via acoustics for retrieval. The devices, often used to monitor data such as ocean currents, can often be deep under water for a year at a time. This remote system eliminates the need to use a vessel or submersible to retrieve the device. (Source: Cape Cod Times, 06/14/12)

Cochran: Rehabilitate test stand

Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., said he supports NASA's proposal to rehabilitate and reuse the B-2 rocket test stand at Stennis Space Center, Miss. NASA proposes spending $12 million to initiate the project that would support NASA's Space Launch System program, designed to send astronauts into deep space. NASA is expected to make significant investments in the B-2 test stand, an estimated $168 million through 2014, to prepare it for core stage testing. Cochran said the decision to reuse the B-2 test stand followed an SLS program evaluation of the costs and benefits of options for required testing of SLS engines. (Source: Sen. Thad Cochran, 07/13/12)

J-2X goes the distance

J-2X has 550-second test. NASA/SSC photo

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- NASA engineers conducted a 550-second test of the J-2X rocket engine at the A-2 Test Stand, the latest in a series of firings to gather data for engine development. This was the first flight-duration test of the engine's nozzle extension, a bell shaped device to increase engine performance. Operators collected data about the extension's performance in conditions that simulated heights up to 50,000 feet. Additionally, operators introduced different propellant pressures at startup. The Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne J-2X engine will power the upper-stage of a planned two-stage Space Launch System, which will launch NASA's Orion spacecraft and other payloads. (Source: NASA/SSC, 07/13/12)

Crew capsule design review done

SpaceX has completed a design review of the crewed version of the Dragon spacecraft that in May successfully docked with the International Space Station. The concept baseline review presented NASA with the primary and secondary design elements of the Dragon capsule that will carry astronauts into low Earth orbit, including the ISS. SpaceX is one of several companies working to develop crew transportation capabilities under the Commercial Crew Development Round 2 agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. While NASA works with private companies, the agency is developing the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System for deep space missions. (Source: NASA, 07/12/12) Stennis Space Center, Miss., tests rocket engines for NASA's SLS program, as well as engines for commercial companies; Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans builds the Orion crew vehicle and will build the core of the SLS.

More orders for Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce won a $630 million contract with Brazil-based Synergy Aerospace to provide Trent 700 engines and long-term engine service support for nine Airbus A330s. Of the nine aircraft, six will be passenger jets and three freighters. More than 1,400 Trent 700 engines are now in service or on firm order. (Source: Rolls-Royce, 07/12/12) Rolls-Royce tests airliner engines at its outdoor facility at NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss. It's currently constructing a second facility at SSC. Previous

SELEX Galileo gets AGS contract

SELEX Galileo, a Finmeccanica company, has been awarded a contract worth $171 million by Northrop Grumman for NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance program, which uses a Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Thirteen NATO countries are participating in the program: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States. SELEX Galileo will be responsible for the fixed mission operational support and transportable general ground station components of the AGS system's ground-based element, and contribute to the telecommunications suite. (Source: defpro, 07/11/12) SELEX Galileo has an operation in Kiln, Miss., near NASA's Stennis Space Center; Northrop Grumman builds the Global Hawk center fuselage in Moss Point, Miss.

Rolls-Royce wins orders

Trent 700. Rolls-Royce photo

Rolls-Royce was selected by Cathay Pacific Airways to provide Trent XWB engines for 10 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, subject to the approval of the Cathay board. The airline also will convert 16 orders for Airbus A350-900 aircraft to A350-1000s. All 26 aircraft will be powered by the higher-thrust version of the Trent XWB engine. (Source: Rolls-Royce, 07/10/12) Rolls-Royce also won an order worth $280 million at list prices from Avianca for Trent 700 engines to power four Airbus A330 freighter aircraft, (Source: Rolls-Royce, 07/11/12), and an order from Garuda Indonesia Airlines for Trent 700 engines to power 11 Airbus A330 aircraft. (Source: Rolls-Royce, 07/12/12) Rolls-Royce tests airliner engines at its outdoor facility at NASA's Stennis Space Center. It's currently constructing a second facility at SSC.

Goldman leaving NASA for Aerojet

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Acting Marshall Space Flight Center Director Gene Goldman said Monday that he is retiring from the space agency in August to lead Aerojet's southeast regional operations. Taking over at MSFC will be current Marshall Associate Director Robin Henderson. Aerojet and Teledyne Brown Engineering will build a new rocket engine in Huntsville that will be marketed to NASA and the Air Force. Goldman is the former director of Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Sources: Huntsville Times, SpaceRef, Globe Newswire, 07/09/12) Note: Aerojet tests its AJ-26 engine at SSC.

Research gets NASA funding

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- A University of Southern Mississippi marine science professor is launching a year-long project to determine if life is possible on Mars. Scott Milroy will attempt to grow blue-green algae, cyanobacteria, in incubation chambers at Stennis Space Center, Miss., that mimic Mars' surface conditions. The experiment is one of five university projects nationwide that NASA is funding to provide science and engineering opportunities to university students. Experiments in two of the projects will eventually be flown on the International Space Station. (Source: Hattiesburg American, 07/07/12)

SSC highlighted in book

NASA's Stennis Space Center and the space activities in this region is highlighted in a chapter of the second annual "Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor 2012-2013." The chapter includes information on SSC and Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, as well as space activities at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The book, published early last month, focuses on the considerable aerospace activities in the region between New Orleans and Northwest Florida. The book was updated this week to include details on the major announcement that Airbus will built an A320 assembly line in Mobile, Ala., which promises to be a watershed event for the Gulf Coast aerospace region. The book is available as a free PDF or in print at cost. (Source: Gulf Coast Reporters' League, 07/05/12)

PW welcomes Airbus plant

Among those congratulating Airbus for its decision to build an assembly line for A320s in Mobile, Ala., was Pratt & Whitney. The company, part of United Technologies, provides engines for the A320 family of aircraft: the PW1100G-JM and the V2500 engine made by the International Aero Engines collaboration. "Airbus' decision to open a new production facility and create high-tech jobs here in the United States is a very positive sign for the entire aerospace industry," said UTC Chairman and Chief Executive, Louis Chênevert. Pratt & Whitney President David Hess said his company "looks forward to building on our longstanding partnership with Airbus and powering many of the aircraft being assembled in Mobile." (Source: Pratt and Whitney, 07/02/12) In a related matter, Rolls-Royce late last month completed the restructuring of its participation in International Aero Engines Collaboration. The company sold its equity to Pratt & Whitney, though Rolls-Royce continues to manufacture high-pressure compressors, fan blades and discs as well as the provision of engineering support and final assembly of 50 per cent of V2500 engines. Other IAE shareholders are Pratt & Whitney Aero Engines International GmbH, Japanese Aero Engines Corp., and MTU Aero Engines GmbH. (Source: Rolls-Royce, 06/29/12) UT's Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne assembles and tests rocket engines at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

MAF-built Orion at KSC

Lockheed Martin photo

The first space-bound Orion spacecraft crew module has been delivered to the Operations and Checkout Building on NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The crew module structure recently underwent its final friction stir weld at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, and was transported to KSC to be readied for its Exploration Flight Test in 2014. Over the next year and a half the crew module will undergo final assembly, integration and testing at KSC in preparation for the Exploration Flight Test. Additional subsystems will be installed, including propulsion, thermal protection, environmental control, avionics, power, mechanisms, and landing and recovery systems. The EFT-1 flight will be NASA’s first orbital flight test beyond low Earth orbit since the 1960s. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 07/02/12) Stennis Space Center, Miss., tests the rocket engines that will be used in the Space Launch System that will launch future Orion flights.