SSC No. 2 in best places to work

A survey of best places to work in the federal government shows NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center as second among organizations within large agencies. SSC scored 84.3, up from 84.2 last year. The Commerce Department's Patent and Trademark Office was the only subcomponent of a large agency to do better. The Partnership for Public Service's 2013 rankings is based on a survey of 2 million federal employees. Among large agencies NASA is No. 1. It scored 74, up from last year's 72.8 and bucking a general trend. In fact, the survey shows federal employees throughout the government are increasingly dissatisfied with the jobs and workplaces. This year's survey set an all-time low since the Best Places to Work rankings began in 2003. (Source: GCAC, 12/19/13) Survey; Previous related

NASA picks SpaceX for launchpad

LC-39A at Kennedy in 2010. NASA photo

NASA selected Space Exploration Technologies Corp., SpaceX, of Hawthorne, Calif., to begin negotiations on a lease to use and operate historic Launch Complex 39A at the agency's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Permitting use of the pad by a private-sector, commercial space partner will ensure its continued viability and allow for its continued use in support of U.S. space activities. NASA will keep 39B for its own use. NASA is transforming KSC to make it capable for use by both government and commercial users. Since the late 1960s, Kennedy's launch pads 39 A and B have served as the starting point for America's most significant human spaceflight endeavors -- Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz and all 135 space shuttle missions. LC-39A is the pad where Apollo 11 lifted off from on the first manned moon landing in 1969, as well as launching the first space shuttle mission in 1981 and the last in 2011. (Source: NASA, 12/13/13) SpaceX will be testing its Raptor engine at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

SSC hitting on all cylinders

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- It was a big win for John C. Stennis Space Center when SpaceX, one of the hottest commercial spaceflight companies, said in October that it would use SSC to test its Raptor engine. That added another commercial company to SSC's already impressive roster of companies using SSC facilities. Fifty years after South Mississippi was transformed by the U.S.-Soviet space race, a new race between entrepreneurial companies promises another boost. In fact, it appears SSC is hitting on all cylinders as several operations are seeing growth. (Source: Gulf Coast Reporters' League aerospace quarterly, 12/10/13)

J-2X undergoes test

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – A Rocketdyne J-2X engine was tested Friday for 325 seconds on the A-2 test stand at Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi. The engine is planned for use on the upper stage of NASA's Space Launch System, which will take astronauts further into space then every before. The J-2X was also tested in early November. (Source: GCAC, 12/09/13) Previous

UAV launched from sub

The Naval Research Laboratory demonstrated the launch of an all-electric, fuel cell-powered, unmanned aerial system from a submerged submarine. The eXperimental Fuel Cell Unmanned Aerial System (XFC UAS) was fired from USS Providence’s torpedo tube using a Sea Robin launch vehicle system, which fits within a Tomahawk launch canister used for launching cruise missiles. Once deployed, the Sea Robin and XFC rose to the surface where it appeared as a spar buoy, then XFC vertically launched from Sea Robin and flew a successful several hour mission demonstrating live video capabilities streamed back to Providence (SSN 719). The XFC later landed at the Naval Sea Systems Command Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center, Andros, Bahamas. (Source: Business Wire, 12/05/13) NRL has a detachment at Stennis Space Center, Miss.; the Gulf Coast region is heavily involved in unmanned systems.

SpaceX launches satellite

A Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla., on Tuesday, marking the first successful SpaceX launch of a commercial satellite. The mission is SpaceX's first to a high geostationary transfer orbit needed for commercial satellites. The mission was delayed two previous times because of technical issues. The $100 million satellite is owned by a Luxembourg company, SES. The company had previously used European Ariane rockets or the Russian Proton for its satellite launches. "The entry of SpaceX into the commercial market is a game-changer," SES chief technology officer Martin Halliwell said before the earlier launch attempts. SpaceX, which has successfully resupplied the International Space Station, also wants to enter the $190 billion a year commercial satellite launch industry. (Sources: AFP via Space Daily Express, 12/04/13, Space.com via Fox News, 12/03/13) Note: SpaceX will test its Raptor methane rocket engine at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

Navy accepts MUOS-2

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Lockheed Martin has completed on-orbit testing of the second Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite and handed over spacecraft operations to the U.S. Navy. The handover also includes acceptance of three MUOS ground stations that will relay voice and high-speed data signals for mobile users worldwide. MUOS-2 was launched July 19, 2013 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The system improves secure communications, delivering simultaneous and prioritized voice, video and data for the first time to users on the move. (Source: PRNewswire, 12/02/13) Note: Work on the core propulsion system for the MUOS, an A2100 satellite-based spacecraft, is done by Lockheed Martin at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

MRC gets $10M SSC contract

The Mississippi Research Consortium has been awarded a $10 million contract to provide engineering and scientific research to NASA, other government agencies and various tenants at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Areas of work include rocket propulsion testing research and development, project formulation, new business development, remote sensing applications, ecosystem integration and analysis, coastal community resiliency and sustainable development, water quality, climate change and variability effects on regional ecosystems, acoustics, image analysis, geographic information systems, computational fluid dynamics, polymers/ceramics, electron microscopy, micro-electromechanical systems, magneto hydrodynamics, diagnostics instrumentation, and other associated scientific, computational and engineering areas. The consortium is a collaboration of Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, University of Southern Mississippi and University of Mississippi. The period of performance shall be a one-year base period with four one-year options through Nov. 30, 2018. (Source: FBO, 11/27/13)

AJ26 tested on E1

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- An Aerojet AJ26 engine had a successful hot fire test at Stennis Space Center Nov. 21. The test on the E1 test stand lasted the full duration 54 seconds, officials said. The AJ26 provides the power for the first stage of 133-foot tall Antares launch vehicle, built by Orbital Sciences Corp. In October, the Antares launched Orbital's Cygnus spacecraft on a successful mission to the International Space Station. In another test earlier this month, J-2X engine E10003 had a successful 50-second test on the A-2 test stand at SSC. (Source: GCAC, 11/26/13)

Navy AUV sets record

The Naval Research Laboratory's Acoustics Division, with Bluefin Robotics, set a record 315-mile long-endurance autonomous research mission using Reliant, a heavyweight-class mine countermeasures underwater vehicle (AUV). Reliant, when equipped with a low frequency broadband sonar system, is the prototype for the new U.S. Navy Knifefish mine-hunter. The 20 foot long, 1,350 pound AUV left Boston Harbor and traveled south past Cape Cod, then west through Nantucket Sound between Martha’s Vineyard and the mainland, then south of Long Island to the approaches to New York City. It traveled at a depth of 10 meters and an average speed of 2.5 knots. The vehicle surfaced at 20-kilometer intervals to report position via Iridium satellite and made Upper New York Bay with a 10 percent energy reserve. The system is designed to help the Navy detect and identify undersea volume and bottom mines in high-clutter environments. The Knifefish system is a part of the Littoral Combat Ship mine countermeasure mission package. (Source: Business Wire, 11/20/13) Note: Stennis Space Center, Miss., is home of an NRL detachment, the Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center and the Naval Oceanographic Office, which operates a fleet of unmanned underwater vehicles; A variant of the Littoral Combat Ship is built by Austal, USA in Mobile, Ala.; The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City (Fla.) Division conducts RDT&E in technologies for warfare in littoral regions, including mine warfare systems and mines.

Crew program inches forward

WASHINGTON – NASA requested proposals from U.S. companies to complete development of crew transportation systems that meet NASA certification requirements. This phase of the Commercial Crew Program is the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap), designed to ensure a company's crew transportation system is safe, reliable and cost-effective. "NASA is committed to launching American astronauts from U.S. soil in the very near future, and we're taking a significant step toward achieving that goal today," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. The certification process will assess progress throughout the production and testing of one or more integrated space transportation systems, which include rockets, spacecraft and ground operations. Requirements under CCtCap also will include at least one crewed flight test to the space station before certification can be granted. NASA has not been able to launch astronauts in space from U.S. soil since the end of the Space Shuttle program. The crew program is part of the Space Launch System program. (Source: PRNewswire, 11/19/13) Note: Stennis Space Center, Miss., is involved in NASA's SLS program, designed to take astronauts deeper in space than ever before.

NASA tests SLS autopilot

NASA completed the first tests with an F/A-18 research jet to evaluate the autonomous flight control system for the Space Launch System rocket. Called the Adaptive Augmenting Controller, the system will allow SLS to respond to vehicle and environmental variations such as winds or vehicle flexibility after it leaves the launch pad. It’s the first time a flight control system for a NASA rocket is being designed to adjust autonomously to unexpected conditions during actual flight rather than pre-flight predictions. Tests were Nov. 14-15 out of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. More than 40 tests were conducted using SLS-like trajectories. (Source: PRNewswire, 11/19/13) Note: Stennis Space Center, Miss., is involved in NASA's SLS program, designed to take astronauts deeper in space than ever before.

RR wins $5B engine order

Rolls-Royce, which tests engines at its outdoor test facility at Stennis Space Center, Miss., won a $5 billion order from Etihad Airways for Trent XWB engines to power 50 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft. The national airline of the United Arab Emirates ordered 24 A350-900 Regional, 16 A350-900 and 10 A350-1000 aircraft. The order takes the total number of Etihad A350 aircraft on order to 62, all powered by the Trent XWB. The Trent XWB, specifically designed for the Airbus A350 XWB, powered the first test flight of the A350 XWB at Toulouse on 14 June this year. Etihad has also ordered Trent 700 engines to power one Airbus A330 freighter aircraft (Source: Rolls-Royce, 11/17/13) Previous: RR XWB takes to the skies; New RR test stand opens

Survey ship clears way

PHILIPPINE SEA -- The USNS Bowditch oceanographic survey ship was first on scene off the coast of Tacloban, Republic of the Philippines, ensuring safe sea lanes in order for the George Washington Strike Group to assist the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in support of Operation Damayan. Bowditch (T-AGS 62) is an oceanographic sampling platform for surface, mid-water and ocean floor data collection. Surveys of this nature are required to confirm bottom features and identify navigational hazards in the wake of a major storm. The ship has been performing acoustical, biological, physical and geophysical surveys in the off-shore waters of the Philippines since Typhoon Haiyan struck. Bowditch is operated by the Military Sealift Command for the Naval Oceanographic Office, a component of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command headquartered at the Stennis Space Center, Miss. The ship is one of six Pathfinder-class vessels with an all-civilian crew of professional mariners and scientific support personnel. (Source: Task Force 70 Public Affairs, 11/17/13)

Science center to host launch event

NASA's Infinity Science Center just outside Stennis Space Center, Miss., is among five NASA centers that will host events and activities Nov. 18 for the public to view the launch of the agency's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft and learn about its mission. MAVEN is set to launch at 1:28 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. It will take measurements of the Martian upper atmosphere to help scientists understand climate change over the Red Planet's history. For more information on the Infinity activities, call 228-533-9025, ext. 311. (Source: PRNewswire, 11/15/13)

Lockheed consolidating sites

Lockheed Martin said Thursday that it will close and consolidate several of its U.S. facilities and reduce its workforce by 4,000 to cut costs in response to declines in U.S. government spending. Operations will be closed in Newtown, Pa.; Akron, Ohio; Goodyear, Ariz.; and Horizon City, Texas; and four buildings on the Sunnyvale, Calif., campus, also will be closed by mid-2015. Closures will eliminate 2,000 positions, and other initiatives will eliminate another 2,000 positions in the Information Systems and Global Solutions, Mission System and Training and Space Systems business areas by the end of 2014. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 11/14/13) Note: Lockheed Martin has operations across the Gulf Coast, including the Space and Technology Center at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

NASA has most satisfied workers

If you're a federal government worker, you're most satisfied if you work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. That's according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's 2013 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. In this year's survey, 376,577 federal employees provided their opinions on all aspects of their employment. There were twenty-nine items identified as strengths, and from 2012 to 2013, the highest increasing trend involved the commitment and respect of supervisors to their employees. But the 2013 responses demonstrate a significant drop in employee satisfaction and continue last year's declines across the majority of questions. In this region, NASA has a rocket test facility at Stennis Space Center, Miss., and also operates the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. (Source: GCAC, 11/14/13) Survey. Previous: NASA among best places to work; NASA best place to work

Commercial space success hailed

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Wednesday hailed the success of the agency's public-private partnership with American companies to resupply the International Space Station, and announced the next phase of contracting with U.S. companies to transport astronauts is set to begin next week. The United States now has two space transportation systems capable of delivering science experiments and supplies from U.S. soil to the International Space Station. Commercial companies could begin ferrying NASA astronauts to ISS as soon as 2017. The Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program is now over. SpaceX and Orbital Sciences have successfully flown missions to ISS. Now the push is on for carrying astronauts. On Nov. 19, the agency will issue a final Request for Proposals for the new Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract. (Source: NASA via PRNewswire, 11/13/13) Note: Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, are both involved in NASA and commercial space programs. Previous: SpaceX picks SSC for engine R&D; Crew abort test reviewed; Dream Chaser has landing snafu

SBC meeting set

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. The next general meeting of the Stennis Business Consortium is Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. in the auditorium of the StenniSphere, Building 1200. There is no cost, but registration is required. This meeting will focus on resource business providers, nonprofit organizations that can help your business take the next step. SBC's mission is to provide a mechanism for federal and state agencies, local institutions, and businesses to exchange information on small business goals, needed and emerging technologies, upcoming procurement requirements and opportunities, and issues dealing with existing procurement regulations. (Source: MSET, 11/13/13) To register

Orion fired up

Avionics placed in Orion at Kennedy.
Lockheed Martin photo

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- NASA's deep space craft, Orion, has been powered on for the first time in a major milestone in the final year of preparations for flight. Orion's avionics system was installed on the crew module and powered up for a series of systems tests last week. Preliminary data indicate Orion's vehicle management computer, as well as its innovative power and data distribution system -- which use state-of-the-art networking capabilities -- performed as expected. All of Orion's avionics systems will be put to the test during its first mission, Exploration Flight Test-1(EFT-1), targeted to launch in the fall of 2014. (Source: NASA, Lockheed Martin, 10/28/13) Note: Orion is built in part at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans. Engines for the rocket that will eventually be used to lift Orion will be tested at tennis Space Center, Miss.

Crew abort test reviewed

Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, recently laid out its plan to NASA to demonstrate the Dragon spacecraft's ability to carry astronauts to safety in the event of an in-flight emergency. In the test, which will take place along Florida's space coast next summer, a Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket and an abort command will be issued about 73 seconds into the flight, when it's flying through the area of maximum dynamic pressure. The test spacecraft will be retrieved from splashdown and returned to Port Canaveral by barge so data can be incorporated into the system's design. SpaceX is one of three companies working under NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability initiative to develop spaceflight capabilities that eventually could provide launch services to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil. SpaceX has already flown cargo missions to the ISS. (Source: Space Travel, 10/28/13) Note: SpaceX will test its developing Raptor engine at Stennis Space Center, Miss., beginning in 2014. Previous

Dream Chaser has landing snafu

Sierra Nevada's prototype Dream Chaser spacecraft had its first free-flight test Saturday, but sustained damage when its landing gear failed to deploy properly while landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The spacecraft, which looks like NASA's space shuttle, was unmanned during the test. It was released from an air-crane helicopter at 12,000 feet and adhered to the design flight trajectory throughout the flight profile. The landing gear in the test flight was adapted from an F-5E fighter, but future versions will use a different design. Sierra Nevada is one of the commercial companies contracted by NASA to develop spacecraft to bring supplies and personnel to the International Space Station. (Sources: NBC News, 10/27/13, Space Travel, 10/28/13) Sierra Nevada contracted with Lockheed Martin to assemble the composite structure for the first space-bound Dream Chaser at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

Bolden visits SSC

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden was at Stennis Space Center Wednesday to welcome employees back to work after the U.S. government shutdown. Bolden held separate meetings with SSC and NASA Shared Services Center workers. He also toured the B-2 Test Stand, which is being prepared to test the core stage of NASA’s new Space Launch System, which will carry humans deeper into space than ever before. Stennis employees returned to work Oct. 17 following a 16-day furlough. (Source: NASA/SSC, 10/24/13)

SpaceX picks SSC for engine R&D

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – SpaceX, the first commercial company to successfully fly a cargo mission to the International Space Station, has chosen Stennis Space Center for its rocket engine testing program. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant made the announcement today. SpaceX will use SSC to test its Raptor methane rocket engines, capable of generating nearly 300 tons of thrust. SpaceX will upgrade the E-2 test stand at SSC with methane capability. Another commercial company involved in flying cargo to the ISS, Orbital Sciences, tests AJ-26 engines that power its Antares launch vehicle at SSC. Commercial company Blue Origin also tests engine at SSC. (Source: GCAC, governor's press release, 10/23/13) Previous: Cygnus leaves ISS; Blue Origin tests thrust chamber. For background on SSC, see Chapter III, Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor 2013-2014.

Cygnus leaves ISS

A private cargo ship built by Orbital Sciences left the International Space Station and will re-enter the atmosphere Wednesday and self-destruct. Unlike the Dragon spacecraft of SpaceX, Cygnus is designed to burn up upon re-entry. It has been loaded with items no longer needed at the ISS. The unmanned spaceship attached itself to the ISS on September 29, the first successful resupply flight by Orbital Sciences. Dragon was the first private company to successfully dock with ISS. Both companies have billion-dollar NASA contracts to deliver cargo to the ISS on multiple missions over the coming years. Cygnus launched Sept. 18 atop an Antares rocket, powered by AJ-26 engines tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Sources: Space Travel, 10/21/13, NBC, 10/22/13) Previous: Cygnus docks with ISS

New RR test stand opens

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – Rolls-Royce North America today officially opened its second test stand at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center, an investment of $50 million that will mean 35 new jobs when fully operational. SSC is where NASA and commercial companies test rocket engines, but Rolls-Royce opened its first jetliner engine test stand here in 2007. "Our decision to first build, and now expand, the Rolls-Royce Outdoor Jet Engine Test Stand here at Stennis embraces the spirit of partnership with the state of Mississippi," said James M. Guyette, President and CEO of Rolls-Royce North America. "Rolls-Royce is investing in America because our collective innovation, competitiveness and cooperative spirit – and we find the state of Mississippi is the perfect location to expand our operations." The site conducts jet engine testing, including noise, crosswind, endurance and other tests, on the latest and most sophisticated Rolls-Royce civil aircraft engines. That includes the Trent 1000 that powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Trent XWB that powers the Airbus A350 XWB. (Source: Business Wire, 10/16/13)

RR to mark stand opening

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Rolls-Royce North America will officially open its second jet engine test stand at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi Oct. 16. The test stand represents a $50 million investment and high technology jobs. The same day, Rolls-Royce will donate a Trent 1000 jetliner engine to Infinity Science Center, just outside SSC. The engine, which was tested at SSC, will serve as a centerpiece for aviation engineering and STEM career education. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Rolls-Royce North America opened its Outdoor Jet Engine Testing Facility at SSC in 2007, the first outside the United Kingdom. Testing at SSC includes noise, crosswind, thrust reverse, cyclic and endurance testing on all current Rolls-Royce engine types. (Source: Rolls-Royce, 10/07/13) RR to open second SSC test stand; RR breaks ground on test facility

RR welcomes Japan order

Rolls-Royce welcomed a decision by Japan Airlines to order 31 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, which are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. The Trent XWB will power 18 A350-900 and 13 A350-1000 aircraft. The engine powered the A350 XWB to its first test flight in June this year at the Airbus base in Toulouse, France. (Source: Rolls-Royce, 10/07/13) Note: Trent XWB engines are tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

The body heat charger

Smart phones could one day be charged in a pocket using only body heat. Even sooner than that, rocket sensors needed to monitor an engine's health while launching it into space could feature sensors powered solely by the heat generated from the rocket. Those opportunities are within the realm of possibility thanks to a new patent-pending Loyola University New Orleans invention by physics professor Patrick Garrity. A $74,523 NASA grant from Stennis Space Center, Miss., will allow the invention to enter prototype or beta testing at SSC. Thermoelectric technology, turning heat into electricity, has been around for years but it's inefficient. But Garrity aims to change that with a system that redirects the heat and raises the efficiency. (Source: Loyola University, 09/30/13)

Cygnus docks with ISS

DULLES, Va. – Orbital Science's Cygnus cargo spacecraft successfully completed its rendezvous and approach maneuvers with the International Space Station and was grappled and berthed with the station by the Expedition 37 astronaut crew earlier this morning. Cygnus was launched by Orbital's Antares rocket Sept. 18 from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. Final approach to the station began at about 3:00 a.m. EDT, culminating with the station’s robotic arm grappling the spacecraft at 7:00 a.m. when it was about 10 meters away. Cygnus was then guided to its berthing port on the nadir side of the ISS’ Harmony module where its installation was completed just before 8:45 a.m. (Source: Orbital Sciences via Business Wire, 09/29/13) Cygnus is the second commercial spacecraft to dock with ISS. The SpaceX Dragon capsule was the first. The Antares engines were tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

Contract: Lockheed Martin, $96.3M

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., was awarded a $96,287,882 modification on a previously existing contract (FA8810-13-C-0002) for Space Based Infrared Systems contractor logistics support. The contract provides for operations crew support and organizational and depot maintenance. Work will be performed at Boulder, Colo. and Buckley Air Force Base Colo., and is expected to be completed on Sept. 30, 2014. Infrared Space Systems Contracts Division, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/27/13) Note: Portions of the work on the A2100-based SBIRS satellites is done at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Lufthansa picks XWB engines

Lufthansa selected Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines worth $1.5 billion, including service support, to power 25 Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The airline also has options for a further 30 of the aircraft. The Trent XWB is the fastest-selling member of the Rolls-Royce Trent engine family, with more than1,400 ordered prior to its entry into service next year. Lufthansa has 60 Trent-powered Airbus A380s, A330s and A340s either in service or on order. (Source: Rolls-Royce, 09/19/13) Note: Trent engines, including the XWB, are tested at an outdoor test stand at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Third AEHF takes off

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The third in a series of secure U.S. military communications satellites successfully launched today aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The Advanced Extremely High Frequency-3 satellite faces 110 days of orbit-raising operations and 60 days of testing, according to a U.S. Air Force press release. Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Sunnyvale, Calif., is building six AEHF satellites under a contract worth some $9 billion. When fully deployed, the AEHF constellation will consist of four satellites in geostationary orbit and secure communications payloads hosted aboard classified satellites in polar orbit. (Source: Spacenews, 09/18/13) Note: Core propulsion system work on the AEHF satellite is done at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

Cygnus heads toward ISS

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. – After a one-day delay, Orbital Science's Cygnus spacecraft took off today atop an Antares rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The commercial spacecraft is heading for the International Space Station with about 1,500 pounds of clothes, food, water and other items. The spacecraft is due to arrive early Sunday, when it will be captured by astronauts using the outpost's robotic arm. If everything goes as planned, Cygnus will be the second commercial spacecraft to dock with ISS. SpaceX's Dragon capsule was the first. (Sources: multiple, including Space.com, Washington Post, 09/18/13) Note: The Antares engines were tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

Contract: 3PSC, $34.1M

3PSC LLC, Norfolk, Va., is being awarded a $34,171,340 modification under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract to exercise a one-year option for the operation and maintenance of six oceanographic/survey U.S. Naval ships. The ships are operated for the Naval Oceanographic Office to conduct military surveys. Work will be performed worldwide, and is expected to be completed by October 2014. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/13/13) The Naval Oceanographic Office is located at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

AEHF encapsulated for launch

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. -- The third Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite built by Lockheed Martin has been encapsulated into its payload fairing in preparation for a Sept. 18 liftoff aboard an Atlas V from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The system is the nation's only protected strategic and tactical satellite communications program. It works in concert with its predecessor, Milstar, for global coverage. Lockheed Martin is under contract to deliver six AEHF satellites and the Mission Control Segment. AEHF-1 and AEHF-2 are both in orbit and AEHF-4 is progressing on schedule. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 09/11/13) Note: Work on the AEHF core propulsion system is done at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

NASA to televise Orbital launch

NASA will provide live coverage of the Sept. 17 launch of Orbital Science Corp.'s cargo resupply demonstration mission to the International Space Station. Orbital is the second commercial company to send a mission to the ISS. SpaceX was the first. The company's Cygnus cargo carrier will be launched aboard Orbital's Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. Cygnus will deliver about 1,300 pounds of cargo to the Expedition 37 crew aboard the space station. Rendezvous with the space station is scheduled for Sept. 22. (Source: NASA, 09/10/13) Note: The Antares first-stage is powered by twin AJ26 engines tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

SSC does what's needed for stand

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Need a massive rocket engine tested without disturbing the neighbors? Yeah, they can do that at NASA's Stennis Space Center. Need to fabricate a 7,000-pound part, or how about miles of piping? Well, sure, they can do that, too. Call it a can-do attitude at SSC, NASA’s premier rocket engine test facility since the 1960s. Work is well under way to prepare for the next big project, testing the RS-25 engines that will power the core stage of NASA's next generation Space Launch System. (Source: Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Quarterly, 09/10/13) Full quarterly

Workshop scheduled

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- Companies that want to learn how to do business at Stennis Space Center can attend a workshop Thursday from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the Hancock Chamber of Commerce office. The free program will be presented by Laurie Jugan, program coordinator for the Mississippi Enterprise for Technology, and Michelle Stracener, NASA's Small Business specialist. (Source: Sun Herald, 09/06/13)

J-2X tests on A-1 end

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – A series of hotfire tests on the next generation J-2X rocket engine came to an end Thursday. The gimbal test of the Rocketdyne J-2X No. 10002 was a 330-second test fire on the A-1 test stand. Now NASA has its sights on testing the Rocketdyne RS-25. Both engines will be used with NASA's Space Launch System. The J-2X will be used on the upper stage and the RS-25 on the core stage. (Source: NASA/SSC, 09/05/13) Previous

A2100 satellite reaches milestone

The Lockheed Martin A2100 communications satellite series has reached a milestone by chalking up over 400 cumulative years of successful, in-orbit operations. The orbiting fleet consists of 45 commercial and U.S. government communication satellites equipped with over 1,500 transponders transmitting data, video and audio for operators worldwide. In addition to commercial applications, the A2100 satellite is the platform for communications programs for the U.S. government, including the Advanced Extremely High Frequency and Mobile User Objective System. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 09/03/13) Core propulsion system work on the A2100 is done at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

Delta IV Heavy launched

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office lifted off from Space Launch Complex-6 at 11:03 a.m. PDT today. The Delta IV Heavy configuration Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle features a center common booster core along with two strap-on common booster cores. The common booster cores are powered by RS-68 engines, and RL10 engines power the second stage. Both engines are built by Aerojet Rocketdyne. ULA constructed the Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle in Decatur, Ala. (Source: United Launch Alliance via PRNewswire, 08/28/13) Gulf Coast note: RS-68 engines are assembled and tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

NASA holding Mobile forum

MOBILE, Ala. -- Doing business with NASA will be the topic of a Sept. 4 business-to-business forum at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center. NASA and an entourage of its agencies and prime contractors will give presentation and participate in a trade show to meet with small- and medium-sized companies interested in doing business with NASA. In addition to Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., NASA also operates Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Participants in the Mobile event include representatives from 25 prime contractors looking to partner with local small businesses on federal contracts. These include: Northrop Grumman, ATK Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Teledyne Brown Engineering, Boeing and others. The agenda includes Fairhope native Todd May, manager of NASA's Space Launch System program. The event, hosted by the Mobile Area Chamber, is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and open to area and regional businesses. The cost is $75. For more information, call 251-431-8607. (Source: Mobile Area Chamber, 08/26/13)

Exec gives SLS update

NEW ORLEANS -- By the summer of 2016 the Michoud Assembly Facility will complete construction on the massive tank that will help power NASA's new rocket, a Boeing executive said Wednesday. Gordon Bergstue, production director for Boeing, said the company is well underway, on schedule and in budget to build the core stage at the eastern New Orleans plant. The core stage is more than 200 feet tall and will store liquid hydrogen and oxygen to power four engines of the Space Launch System. Bergstue provided the update on the opening day of the New Orleans TechNOLAgy TechFest 2013, a three-day science and technology conference at the University of New Orleans. (Source: The Advocate, 08/21/13) The RS-25 engines that will power the SLS will be tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss., some 35 miles from Michoud. Previous: SSC building RS-25 test component, NASA to show off weld center, B-2 being prepped for SLS

NOAA seeks long-endurance UUV

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers are asking industry to provide a long-endurance unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) to conduct ocean temperature and salinity tests. The NOAA National Data Buoy Center at Stennis Space Center last Friday issued a solicitation (NWWG9502-13-03082) for a glider able to operate over vast ocean areas for months at a time while using a minimum of electric power. (Source: Military and Aerospace Electronics, 08/21/13)

SSC to put thrusters in spacecraft

Aerojet Rocketdyne has shipped to NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss., the first set of four Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) thrusters for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R Series (GOES-R). At SSC, Lockheed Martin will integrate the thrusters and associated power conditioning units and electrical cabling with the GOES-R spacecraft. It will then be shipped to Lockheed Martin's facility near Denver, Colo. where it will undergo final integration and testing. The completed satellite will ultimately be shipped to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., for a planned late 2015 or early 2016 launch on an Atlas V 541 expendable launch vehicle. (Source: Aerojet Rocketdyne, 08/13/13) Aerojet Rocketdyne, a GenCorp company, also has an operation at SSC.

Shuttle hangar to be reused?

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Florida on Wednesday moved forward with plans to renovate two former shuttle hangars. The board approved spending up to $4 million to overhaul Orbiter Processing Facilities 1 and 2 at Kennedy Space Center, on top of $5 million committed last year from state Department of Transportation funds. The future tenant was not identified, but is believed to be the Air Force's X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, a reusable unmanned system that resembles a small space shuttle. Previously the Air Force confirmed studying consolidation of X-37B operations at Kennedy or the Cape. (Source: Florida Today, 08/08/13) NASA also has centers in Bay St. Louis, Miss., Stennis Space Center, and New Orleans, Michoud Assembly Facility.

Marine tech workshop set

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- The Marine Technology Society plans an Oceans In Action Workshop on Aug. 22 at NASA's Stennis Space Center. The session will focus on marine technology used by federal and state agencies, regional associations, universities and industry on the Gulf Coast to support a wide variety of issues. Updates will be presented by federal agencies, including the Naval Research Laboratory, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Applied Sciences Directorate, NOAA's National Data Buoy Center and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Registration is $75 for society members and $150 for non-members. For more details click here. In addition, the Mississippi Enterprise for Technology will be hosting business matchmaking sessions as part of the workshop. For more details, click here. (Sources: Marine Technology Society, MSET, 08/09/13)

Contract: SAIC, $7M

Science Applications International Corp., Virginia Beach, Va., is being awarded a $6,976,110 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); Everett, Wash. (1 percent); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (1 percent); Stennis Space Center, Miss. (1 percent); Suffolk, Va. (1 percent); Yokosuka, Japan (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2013. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(A), "Unusual and Compelling Urgency." The NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center, Norfolk, Mechanicsburg Detachment, Mechanicsburg, Pa., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 07/29/13)

NSSC employees win awards

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Four individual medals, nine group achievement awards and four certificates of achievement were presented this month to NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) employees. NASA Exceptional Service Medal went to Nicolina Tubbs and Leslie Anderson, while the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal went to Colleen West Fricke and the NASA Exceptional Administrative Achievement Medal went to Cindy Ward Mroueh. NSSC Certificates of Achievement were presented to Jason Byrd, Jennifer Greer, Rosa Hebert and Gloria Smith. The NSSC is a partnership between NASA, CSC and the states of Mississippi and Louisiana. The NSSC performs selected business activities for all 10 NASA centers in financial management, human resources, information technology, procurement and business support services. (Source: NSSC, 07/29/13)

MSET graduates two companies

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – Two companies have graduated from the Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MSET) incubator program. They are DQSI, is a woman-owned, small disadvantaged firm specializing in information technology and GIS, document management and seismic digitization, construction and environmental consulting, and Melhcorp, which builds electronics systems, particularly for unmanned aerial vehicles, including Hunter, Predator, Pioneer, Snowgoose and Raven. MSET's Mississippi Technology Transfer Center at SSC currently houses 23 incubator and corporate resident clients as well as 12 affiliate client companies and is a Center of Excellence in Geospatial Technologies. (Source: Mississippi Business Journal, 07/26/13)

NASA told to go slow on pad lease

Two congressmen are concerned NASA might award use of a Kennedy Space Center launch pad in Florida to a company that wants exclusive use. The two members of the House subcommittee that approves NASA budgets said Launch Complex 39A is a unique, tax-funded asset that should be available to multiple rocket launchers. NASA doesn't need the former shuttle pad, one of two at KSC, and is offering it to companies to operate and maintain by Oct. 1. SpaceX and Blue Origin are known to have submitted proposals. SpaceX, which has already brought cargo to the International Space Station, wants exclusive use of the pad to accommodate a steady pace of launches. Blue Origin won't be ready to launch before 2018, but proposes to operate and modify the pad and make it available to interested users by 2015. (Source: Florida Today, 07/25/13) NASA’s Stennis Space Center, Miss., is involved in both NASA and commercial space programs. Blue Origin has done testing at SSC. Previous

Employees win NASA awards

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Stennis Space Center Director Rick Gilbrech and NASA Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Robinson presented annual NASA Honor Awards to center employees during an onsite ceremony Tuesday. One SSC employee, Dorsie Jones of Slidell, La., received NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal, a high-level award for notable leadership accomplishments that significantly influence NASA’s mission. The award recognizes an individual’s leadership and effectiveness in advancing NASA’s goals and image. Four SSC employees, Gary L. Benton of Carriere, Miss., James D. Huk of Pass Christina, Miss., Nathan E. Laborde of Marksville, La., and Edward J. Toomey of Waveland, Miss., received NASA's Exceptional Service Medal. Ten other awards were also presented. (Source: Stennis Space Center, 07/24/13)

Navy's second MUOS launched

MUOS launches atop Atlas V.
Navy photo courtesy NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. -- The Navy's second Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite was launched Friday at 9 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 41. The launch of the satellite atop an Atlas V is a key step in providing enhanced satellite communications for the Navy and Department of Defense. MUOS is a next-generation narrowband tactical satellite communications system designed to improve beyond-line-of-sight communications for U.S. forces. MUOS will provide military users 10 times more communications capacity over the existing system by leveraging 3G mobile technology, including simultaneous voice and data capability. (Source: NNS, 07/19/13) Work on the core propulsion system for the MUOS, an A2100 satellite-based spacecraft, is done at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

Measure to close MSFC withdrawn

WASHINGTON -- A measure to create a commission to look at consolidating Alabama's Marshall Space Flight Center and Mississippi's Stennis Space Center was withdrawn at the last minute Thursday. Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Md., who represents an area where Goddard Space Flight Center is located, was reportedly upset over cuts in programs managed by Goddard. Her amendment would have directed the BRAC-like panel to study MSFC and SSC "to determine if their rocket-related activities should be combined in one location." The measure also directed the panel to look at moving Marshall's work to Stennis or Houston's Johnson Space Center. (Sources: SpaceNews, WAFF-TV, al.com, WHNT-TV, 07/18/13)

Cygnus to visit ISS this fall

Orbital Sciences' cargo spacecraft is set to make its first flight to the International Space Station in September. The Dulles, Va., company has a launch window between Sept. 14 and 19 for the Cygnus cargo ship. It will be launched atop an Orbital Science Antares rocket, which made its first test flight in April from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia. Orbital was awarded a NASA contract to provide at least eight resupply flights to the ISS. (Source: Space.com, 07/16/13) The first stage Antares is powered by twin Aerojet AJ26 engines tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

USS Germantown launches FST

FST personnel launch from LSD 42.
Navy photo

SHOALWATER BAY, Australia -- A Fleet Survey Team from Stennis Space Center, Miss., embarked on dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) and took to the waters of Shoalwater Bay to conduct hydrographic surveys prior to Germantown's amphibious operations. Hydrographic surveys provide mission critical information about water depth levels and help chart a map of the seafloor to better optimize shore landings during amphibious operations. While it's more common to fly a survey team ahead of the ship, Commander Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 11, Germantown's parent command, prefers to embark an FST on the ship, where they would have more flexibility to perform surveys from the sea. Germantown is on patrol with the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and is participating in exercise Talisman Saber 2013 in the U.S. 7th Fleet Area of Responsibility. (Source: NNS, 07/16/13)

NASA seeks lunar partners

NASA is offering its expertise and test facilities to potential lunar-lander partners who might be able to help mount scientific missions to the Moon as early as 2018. A request for information published July 2 seeks concepts for "an industry-developed robotic lander that can be integrated with a launch vehicle for the purposes of supporting commercial (and potentially future NASA) missions." The responses are due Aug. 2. NASA is proposing no-exchange-of-funds partnerships under Space Act agreements or other mechanisms, offering its technical expertise, test facilities, and some hardware and software to private companies willing to put up funding for lander development. NASA is piggybacking on the Google Lunar X Prize, $30 million in prizes to teams that can land a robotic spacecraft on the lunar surface. Right now 22 teams worldwide are in the running, working against a deadline of Dec. 31, 2015. (Source: Aviation Week, 07/05/13) NASA and commercial companies both test rocket engines at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Lockheed delivers 3rd HEO

Lockheed Martin has delivered the third of four highly elliptical earth orbit (HEO) satellite payloads contracted by the U.S. Air Force as part of the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS). Featuring a mix of satellites in geosynchronous orbit, the SBIRS program provides improved missile warning capabilities. The contracts include four HEO payloads, four GEO satellites, and ground assets to receive, process, and disseminate the infrared mission data. The first two HEO payloads were delivered in 2004 and 2005. Prior to its delivery, the HEO 3 payload successfully completed environmental and functional testing to demonstrate performance in family with HEOs 1 and 2. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 07/01/13) SBIRS is an A2100 satellite-based spacecraft, and work on the A2100 core's propulsion system, which positions the spacecraft in orbit, is done at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

Test stand work awarded

NASA selected Healtheon Inc. of New Orleans to provide a high pressure industrial water line at Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi. The firm-fixed price task order has a total value of $29.8 million and a performance period of 530 days. Work is scheduled to begin in July. The water line provides cooling water and acoustic suppression to Stennis' B Test Complex, which will be used to test the core stage of NASA's Space Launch System in 2016. The work under this task order includes the demolition of all piping systems, including its valves and valve vaults. The contractor also will build a 96-inch diameter high pressure industrial water line from Stennis' High Pressure Industrial Water Plant to the test complex, which spans over a mile. (Source: PRNewswire, 06/28/13)

NASA to show off weld center

NEW ORLEANS -- A new machine for manufacturing the core stage of NASA's Space Launch System will be shown to the media Friday at Michoud Assembly Facility. NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations William Gerstenmaier and other agency officials will be on hand for the ribbon-cutting for the vertical weld center, where friction-stir weld tooling will be used to assemble the core stage. Officials from Boeing of Huntsville, Ala., prime contractor for the SLS core stage and its avionics, will take part in the ribbon-cutting. The 200 foot-tall core stage will store cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to feed the rocket's RS-25 engines. The vertical weld center will stand about three stories tall and weigh 165 tons. The event also will include a tour of the SLS area where work is done on the Orion crew capsule. (Source: NASA, 06/17/13) Engines for the SLS are tested at NASA's Stennis Space Center, some 35 miles from Michoud in Mississippi.

Rocketdyne deal to save $1B

PARIS -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, the company formed with GenCorp's purchase of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, on Sunday said it has promised the U.S. government $1 billion in savings over the next decade as a result of the deal. Aerojet Rocketdyne President Warren Boley told Reuters that the new company, a wholly owned unit of GenCorp, expected to double its revenues over the next five years from a current combined estimate of $1.7 billion. (Source: Reuters, 06/16/13) Aerojet Rocketdyne has an operation at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

J-2X engine tested

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

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- J-2X engine No. 10002 was tested Thursday on the A-1 Test Stand at NASA's South Mississippi rocket engine test complex. The 60-second test signals the start of a series of firings to collect data on performance of the engine that will power a stage of the launch vehicle in NASA's Space Launch System. By the time the J-2X tests conclude later this summer, the engine will have been fired at full power and for the total time it would operate during an actual flight, while being gimbaled in the same way it must move during flight. (Source: NASA/SSC, 06/14/13)

FTC OKs Rocketdyne sale

 The Federal Trade Commission said Monday it's going to allow GenCorp, owner of rocket-engine maker Aerojet, to purchase Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne despite potential monopoly concerns. FTC voted to close its 10-month probe over national security concerns and allow the $550 million sale after the Defense Department requested approval. Both firms make rocket engines for spacecraft and components for military missile defense systems. They are also the only main suppliers of a high-performance liquid rocket propulsion system that the military uses for missile defense. (Source: The Hill, Reuters, 06/10/13) Rocketdyne has an operation at Stennis Space Center, Miss., where Aerojet tests its AJ-26 engines. Previous: Rocketdyne being sold to GenCorp; Antares has successful launch

Orion passes static load tests

NASA's Orion crew module has successfully passed its static loads tests. Orion will sit atop the launch vehicle in NASA's Space Launch System program, designed to take astronauts further in space than ever before. Engineers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., built a 20-foot-tall static loads test fixture for the crew module with hydraulic cylinders that slowly push or pull on the vehicle. The fixture produced 110 percent of the load caused by eight different types of stress Orion will experience during Exploration Flight Test-1 in September 2014. More than 1,600 strain gauges recorded how the vehicle responded. The loads ranged from as little as 14,000 pounds to as much as 240,000 pounds. Orion also was pressurized to simulate the effect of the vacuum in space, allowing engineers verify repairs made to superficial cracks in the vehicle's rear bulkhead caused by previous pressure testing in November. (Sources: SpaceTravel, 06/11/13, NASA, 06/06/13) Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, builds Orion and the core stage of the Space Launch System; Stennis Space Center, Miss., is testing engines for the SLS that will carry Orion into space.

SSC building RS-25 test component

Thrust frame adapter. NASA/SSC photo

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Fabrication recently began at Stennis Space Center on a new 7,755-pound thrust frame adapter for the A-1 Test Stand to enable testing of the RS-25 engines that will power the core stage of the Space Launch System. NASA will begin testing the engines, used to power the Space Shuttle, in the fall of 2014. Gary Benton, RS-25 test project manager at SSC, said the initial thought was that they would have to go offsite to have the stand component equipment built. But the design team came up with a way to build it at SSC. Each rocket engine type requires a thrust frame adapter unique to its

Location for adapter. NASA/SSC illustration

specifications. On the test stand, the adapter is attached to the thrust measurement system. A rocket engine then is attached to the adapter, which must hold the engine in place and absorb the thrust produced during a test, while allowing accurate measurement of the engine performance. NASA and the Lockheed Martin Test Operations Contract Group team worked together in designing the new adapter, and communicated closely with Jacobs Technology welding and machine shop teams to make sure what was being designed actually could be built. The adapter is slated to be finished and installed on the stand in November 2013.(Source: NASA, 06/06/13)

Printing office expands product line

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- The U.S. Government Printing Office has expanded operations at its production facility at Stennis Space Center to include smart card production. The facility was opened in 2008 as a second location to produce passports for the Department of State and since that time has produced 19 million. Smart card production will include Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) cards for the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection. GPO will produce about 20,000 TTP cards per month at the SSC facility. (Source: Mississippi Business Journal, 06/04/13)

3-D printing grabs headlines

3-D printing is beginning to grab a lot of headlines. In a story in Armed Forces Journal, Lt. Cmdr. Michael Llenza says rapidly evolving technology may soon make 3-D printer warfare a reality. In 3-D printing, a part is built layer by layer from powdered ingredients. For the Navy, it means ships would be able to make their own parts instead of pulling into port. (Source: Yahoo News, 05/28/13). Last week NASA said it's given a grant to a company working on a 3-D foot printer. It could transform the way astronauts eat in space. (Source: Space, 05/24/13). Next year, a 3-D printer is scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station. It will produce the first parts ever made off planet Earth. (Source: NBC News, 05/24/13). Earlier this year a J-2X with a 3-D part was tested at Stennis Space Station, Miss. Pratt & Whitney crafted the part with a 3-D print method called Selective Laser Melting to make the exhaust port cover.

Sauer wins B-2 task order

Sauer Inc., of Jacksonville, Fla., won a $6.5 million NASA task order to renovate the B-2 rocket test stand at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Sauer expects to complete the project in 10 months, the company said in a news release. The B-2 Test Stand at Stennis was originally built to test Saturn rocket stages. It’s being completely renovated to test NASA’s new Space Launch System core stage in late 2016 and early 2017. (Source: Jacksonville Business Journal, 05/21/13)

NASA sites testing Dream Chaser

A Colorado company developing a spaceship to take astronauts to the International Space Station is testing landing-related elements at NASA facilities. Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser will carry seven people and land like a plane. Astronauts are using a flight simulator at the Langley, Va., facility to simulate what it would be like to land Dream Chaser. The company has also delivered a Dream Chaser engineering test craft to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., to test the craft's nose strut, brakes and tires. (Source: AP via Washington Post, 05/16/13) Note: Lockheed Martin will assemble the composite structure for the first space-bound Dream Chaser at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, west of Stennis Space Center, Miss.

A-1 has a first in a decade

J-2X installed on A-1 stand. NASA/SSC photo

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- For the first time in almost a decade, a full engine is in the A-1 test stand. The installation of J-2X engine E10002 is in preparation for a series of tests where the engine will be gimbaled, or pivoted, during test firings. When this upper stage engine is used in space, it will need to be able to move freely to steer NASA's Space Launch System, or SLS, a heavy-lift launch vehicle that will carry humans in deep space. It's the first time gimbal tests will be done since testing on the space shuttle main engines. A series of tests was completed on the E10002 engine in the A-2 test stand prior to its installation on the A-1 test stand. Once these tests are done, preparations will be made to begin testing the RS-25 engine on the A-1 stand in 2014. RS-25 engines from the shuttle inventory will power the core stage of SLS, while the J-2X engine will power the upper stage. (Source: NASA, 05/14/13)

Orion repair being checked

Engineers are putting NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule through tests to stress the capsule's structural shell and check repairs to cracks in the pressurized module's aluminum bulkhead. It's set to fly in orbit in 2014. The static loads testing began May 3 and will run through June inside the Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The pressure shell of the Orion spacecraft, comprised of welded olive-green aluminum-lithium metal panels, is being put through the tests to verify the capsule can withstand loads it will encounter during launch, re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The 16.5-foot-diameter spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin, was delivered to KSC in June 2012. Engineers put the capsule through its first test in November, when they pressurized the Orion crew module to check its integrity. The test was halted after technicians heard cracking sounds and inspections showed three small cracks in the aft bulkhead on the lower half of the Orion spacecraft's pressure shell. The cracks materialized in three adjacent radial ribs of the aluminum bulkhead, according to NASA. Engineers designed structural braces to resolve the problem, and those repairs are being tested now. (Source: Spaceflight Now, 05/12/13) Note: The olive-green aluminum alloy core of the Orion was built at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans. Stennis Space Center, Miss., is testing the engines for the Space Launch System that will one day launch Orion. Previous: MAF-built Orion at KSC, NASA evaluating Orion cracks

Baton Rouge has NASA day

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Patrick Scheuermann, director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., met with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and key members of the state Legislature Wednesday as part of "NASA Day in Baton Rouge." NASA's history in the state is tied to Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where workers have long assembled large space structures for NASA programs, from Apollo-era rockets to the 136 external fuel tanks that lifted the space shuttle to orbit during its 30-year history. Now MAF workers are making hardware for the Space Launch System heavy-lift launch vehicle and the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. The Michoud Assembly Facility alone employs an estimated 2,700 people. (Source: NASA, 05/08/13)

Orbital delays first cargo flight

Orbital Sciences said the first full-up test flight of its Cygnus cargo ship to the International Space Station will likely slip to September due to a variety of factors, including an engine replacement on the mission's Antares rocket and a scheduling conflict with a Japanese logistics spacecraft. The first flight of Orbital's Cygnus resupply freighter, an automated cargo carrier developed in partnership with NASA, was expected this summer. But Orbital officials decided to swap out one of the AJ26 first stage engines on the spacecraft's Antares rocket, adding up to four weeks of prep time. The first Cygnus mission is a demonstration flight under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program. Orbital's Antares rocket launched for the first time April 21. (Source: Spaceflight Now, 05/06/13) Note: Aerojet AJ26 engines are tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

Rolls-Royce aero chief resigns

The head of Rolls-Royce's prestigious aerospace division has resigned just four months after being promoted to lead the division that makes engines for commercial and military aircraft. Mark King, 48, will leave by the end of June. Rolls-Royce did not provide a reason for the departure. King will be replaced by Tony Wood, head of the company's ship engine business. Aerospace is the biggest Rolls-Royce division, accounted for more than 70 percent of 2012 revenues. (Source: The Guardian, New York Times, Financial Times, 05/02/13) Note: Rolls-Royce tests jetliner engines at its outdoor test facility at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

SBIR, STTR proposals picked

NASA selected four small business proposals involving technologies being developed for the Office of the Chief Technologist at Stennis Space Center, Miss., for contract negotiations and continued development. The programs were selected through NASA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. One selected proposal was from SSC-based Innovative Imaging and Research Corp., working with the University of Houston. Overall, NASA chose 58 proposals valued at about $40.5 million in the latest round of selections for the two small business programs. (Source: NASA, 05/02/13)

Garver to visit SSC, MAF

Deputy Administrator Lori Garver on Friday will visit NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans. Both facilities are critical to the construction and testing of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Commercial Crew Program. Michoud and Stennis also are important to partnerships with private industry, which is helping maximize the use of NASA facilities. At 9 a.m. CDT, Garver will visit MAF to see progress being made to support the SLS and Orion spacecraft programs. At 1:30 p.m. Garver will tour testing facilities and the B-2 test stand, which is being restored in preparation for testing of the SLS core stage. (Source: NASA, 05/01/13)

Lockheed Huntsville marks 50 years

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Lockheed Martin celebrated 50 years of space and defense work in Huntsville Wednesday. About 1,000 employees, retirees and dignitaries marked the event at the company's 57-acre, nine-building complex at Cummings Research Park. The company, one of the first tenants in the park, has about 800 employees in Huntsville. (Source: al.com, 05/01/13) Lockheed Martin operates the Mississippi Space and Technology Center at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

B-2 being prepped for SLS

Duel position B-1/B-2 stand.
NASA/SSC photo

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Before NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS) flies to space on its inaugural mission in 2017, it will fly in place at Stennis Space Center, Miss. The B-2 Test Stand at Stennis, originally built to test the Saturn rocket stages that propelled humans to the Moon, is being renovated to test the SLS core stage in late 2016 and early 2017. When ready, the SLS stage, with four RS-25 rocket engines, will be installed on the stand for propellant fill and drain testing and two hot fire tests. The site's engineers spent 18 months assessing the cost of the work needed to upgrade the B-2 Test Stand from Apollo- and space shuttle-era testing specifications. After NASA made the decision to proceed, engineers began the first of three project phases. NASA is developing the SLS to send humans to asteroids and Mars. The SLS, once operational, will launch NASA's Orion spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first test flight of SLS will be in 2017, when the rocket will send an unmanned Orion spacecraft around the Moon. (Sources: Astronomy, Space Fellowship, 04/29/13)

Bolden: SLS on track

WASHINGTON – NASA Administrator Charles Bolden reassured lawmakers Thursday that the agency isn't foot-dragging on developing a rocket to take astronauts into deep space. "We need a 70 metric-ton vehicle and we are on schedule, on target and on cost," Bolden told members of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees NASA funding. NASA is asking for $17.7 billion for fiscal 2014, which begins Oct. 1. That includes $2.73 billion to develop the Space Launch System (SLS) consisting of an Orion multi-purpose crewed vehicle and the deep-space rocket that will carry it. (Source: Florida Today, 04/25/13) SLS rocket engines are tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss; Orion is built in part at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, which will also build the core stage of SLS.

A2Research wins NASA award

A2Research of Huntsville, Ala., is NASA's Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year. The award was one of three presented Tuesday to top contractors by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in Washington. A2Research is a joint venture of Alcyon Inc. of Huntsville and Alutiiq Inc. of Anchorage, Alaska. It performs test stand calibration and support at NASA's Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi, where NASA tests rocket engines. The Large Business Prime Contractor of the Year was Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne of East Hartford, Conn., which also has an operation at SSC. (Source: al.com, NASA, 04/23/13) Note: The Mississippi Enterprise for Technology's March-April newsletter mentions A2Research in a feature story.

J-2X: Steering to the future

J-2X record test. NASA/SSC photo

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Engineers developing NASA's next-generation rocket closed one chapter of testing with the completion of a J-2X engine test series on the A-2 test stand at the agency's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Now begins the new chapter of full motion testing on test stand A-1. The J-2X will drive the second stage of the 143-ton heavy-lift version of the Space Launch System. The rocket will provide an entirely new capability for human exploration and send humans in NASA's Orion spacecraft into deep space. J-2X engine 10002 was fired for the last time on the A-2 test stand April 17. This engine set a duration record for J-2X engine firings at Stennis' A-2 test stand on April 4 when it fired for 570 seconds, beating the previous mark set less than a month earlier on March 7, when the same engine ran for 560 seconds. This is the second J-2X engine Stennis has test fired. Last year, test conductors put the first developmental J-2X engine, called 10001, through its paces. According to J-2X managers, both performed extremely well. When the engine is eventually used in space, it will need to be able to move to help steer the rocket. (Source: NASA, 04/22/13, Pratt and Whitney via PRNewswire, 04/24/13)

Antares has successful launch

Antares takes off Sunday. NASA photo

The 133-foot tall Antares rocket built by Orbital Sciences launched from the Virginia coast Sunday, setting the stage for space station cargo delivery missions starting later this year. The rocket launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport adjacent to NASA's Wallops Island Flight Center. Three minutes and 50 seconds after liftoff, the two first-stage Aerojet AJ26 engines shut down as planned and the first stage fell away. A solid-fuel second stage ATK Castor-30B motor ignited to continue the push to space. Orbital hopes to have a demonstration flight in June or July using a Cygnus cargo capsule that will carry about a ton of equipment and supplies to the International Space Station. SpaceX was the first commercial company to successfully resupply the ISS. The addition of Antares bodes well for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services established in 2006 with the retirement of the space shuttle. (Source: CBSNews, NASA, 04/21/13) Note: AJ26 engines are tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

NASA eyes smaller workforce

NASA expects a slightly reduced  civil servant workforce, facility consolidations and less spending on consultants, according to the agency's proposed 2014 budget. The goal is a civil servant workforce of 17,700, a decline of about 275 and a target NASA plans to achieve with buyouts that will permit it to continue some hiring of young engineers, scientists and other specialists. Of NASA's centers, Johnson Space Center in Houston, which manages International Space Station operations and leads development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, would be the top recipient of 2014 funding with $4.5 billion. Stennis Space Center, Miss., which hosts much of the agency’s propulsion testing, would receive the least, $182 million. Personnel declines would be distributed evenly. SSC, the center with the fewest civil servants, would fall by five to 313. (Source: Aviation Week, 04/15/13)

Oceanographers win humanitarian award

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- A modeling capability developed by oceanographers at Stennis Space Center that predicts the likelihood of pirate attacks received an international humanitarian award from Computerworld magazine. IDG’s Computerworld Honors Program selected the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command as a 2013 Laureate in the field of Safety and Security for its development of the Pirate Attack Risk Surface (PARS). The PARS model produces a forecast of shipping vulnerability due to piracy at a certain latitude, longitude, and time. The Honors Program, founded in 1988, recognizes organizations and individuals who have used information technology to advance public welfare, benefit society and business, and change the world for the better. (Source: Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, 04/09/13)

Orbital rolls out Antares rocket

Orbital Sciences rolled out the first fully integrated Antares rocket from its assembly building at NASAs Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia Saturday in preparation for its inaugural flight slated for April 17 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. The Antares test flight, the A-ONE mission, is the first of two Orbital is scheduled to conduct in 2013 under its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Space Act Agreement with NASA. Following a successful A-ONE launch, Orbital will carry out a full flight demonstration of its new Antares/Cygnus cargo delivery system to the International Space Station around mid-year. (Source: Orbital Sciences Corp., 04/06/13) The Aerojet AJ26 rocket engines that power Antares are tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. The latest test was April 4. That engine will be shipped to Wallops for an upcoming Commercial Resupply Services mission.

Towers set to close get reprieve

The Federal Aviation Administration said it will delay until June 15 the closure of the air traffic control tower at Stennis International Airport in Hancock County and 148 others across the country. Last month the FAA directed the Stennis tower to be among the first to close on Sunday as part of the agency's cost-cutting effort. Now all facilities will close June 15 unless the airports decide to continue operations as a nonfederal contract tower, the FAA said. Officials from about 50 airports have indicated they may fund the tower operations themselves. The Stennis airport serves, among others, NASA's nearby Stennis Space Center. (Source: Sun Herald, 04/05/13) Previous

NASA pickes 295 proposals

NASA selected 295 research and technology proposals from 216 American small businesses for negotiations that may lead to contract awards worth a combined $38.7 million. The proposals are part of NASA's Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program. Nine proposals involve technology being developed for the Office of the Chief Technologist at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center, Miss., including nanocomposite protective coatings for nuclear thermal propulsion systems; advanced prognostic tools; power-generating coverings and casings and more. For a list of selected companies, click here. (Source: NASA, 04/04/13)

Tower funding ends April 7

Funding to operate the control tower at Stennis International Airport near Stennis Space Center, Miss., will end April 7. Stennis is one of 149 airports nationwide whose tower operation is ending due to sequestration. Elsewhere in Mississippi, Greenville's airport tower will lose funding April 21, and the towers in Olive Branch, Tupelo and Hawkins in Jackson will be cut off May 5. The Federal Aviation Administration also released guidance for airports affected by the closures. It said the operators can operate as non-towered airports or keep towers working without federal funding. (Source: Sun Herald, 03/27/13) Previous