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