NASA AWARDS CONTRACT FOR CONSTELLATION SPACESUIT FOR THE MOON

This will be a change of contractor for spacesuits and is going to be a very
important item to make lunar EVAs a success.

You may want to take a look at some earlier space suits.
success.http://www.astronautix.com/craftfam/spasuits.htm

Space Suit Evolution - From Custom Tailored To Off-The-Rack
http://history.nasa.gov/spacesuits.pdf

Now we have other nations working to put humans in space.
It will be interesting to see what they use for space suits and which ones stand
up the riggers of working on the Moon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_suit


STS-124 went to the ISS, installed the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency's Kibo laboratory and has returned.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

The activities were covered on NASA TV and I failed to remind you all.
I hope you had a chance to watch.
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

The next mission is STS-125 to go service the Hubble Telescope.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/hst_sm4/index.html

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

June 14, 2008

Michael Curie
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4715
michael.curie@nasa.gov

Candrea Thomas
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 08-150

NASA'S SHUTTLE DISCOVERY GLIDES HOME AFTER SUCCESSFUL MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery and its crew landed at
11:15 a.m. EDT Saturday, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla.,
completing a 14-day journey of more than 5.7 million miles in space.

The STS-124 mission was the second of three flights to launch
components to the International Space Station to complete the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Discovery delivered
Kibo's tour bus-sized Japanese Pressurized Module, or JPM, which is
the station's largest module. The mission included three spacewalks
to install and outfit the JPM and activate its robotic arm system.
The lab's logistics module, which was delivered and installed in a
temporary location in March, was attached to its permanent position
on top of the JPM.

Mark Kelly commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Ken Ham,
Mission Specialists Karen Nyberg, Ron Garan, Mike Fossum, Greg
Chamitoff, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko
Hoshide. Chamitoff remained aboard the space station, replacing
Expedition 17 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman, who returned to Earth
on Discovery after nearly three months on the station. Chamitoff will
return on shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 mission, targeted for launch
November 10.

STS-124 was the 123rd space shuttle flight, the 35th flight for
shuttle Discovery and the 26th flight of a shuttle to the station.

With Discovery and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the
launch of STS-125 on October 8. Atlantis' mission will return the
space shuttle to the Hubble Space Telescope for one last visit before
the shuttle fleet retires in 2010. Over 12 days and five spacewalks,
Atlantis' crew will make repairs and upgrades to the telescope,
preparing it for at least another five years of research.

For more about the STS-124 mission and the upcoming STS-125 mission,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

-end-

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http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/jun/HQ_C08037_Constellation_Spacesuit.html

June 12, 2008

Stephanie Schierholz/Grey Hautaluoma
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4997/0668
stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov, grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov

Lynnette Madison/Josh Byerly
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
lynnette.b.madison@nasa.gov, bill.j.byerly@nasa.gov

CONTRACT RELEASE: C08-037

NASA AWARDS CONTRACT FOR CONSTELLATION SPACESUIT FOR THE MOON

WASHINGTON -- NASA has awarded a contract to Oceaneering International
Inc. of Houston, for the design, development and production of a new
spacesuit system. The spacesuit will protect astronauts during
Constellation Program voyages to the International Space Station and,
by 2020, the surface of the moon.

The subcontractors to Oceaneering are Air-Lock Inc. of Milford, Conn.,
David Clark Co. of Worcester, Mass., Cimarron Software Services Inc.
of Houston, Harris Corporation of Palm Bay, Fla., Honeywell
International Inc. of Glendale, Ariz., Paragon Space Development
Corp. of Tucson, Ariz., and United Space Alliance of Houston.

"The award of the spacesuit contract completes the spaceflight
hardware requirements for the Constellation Program's first human
flight in 2015," said Jeff Hanley, Constellation program manager at
NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Contracts for the Orion crew
capsule and the Ares I rocket were awarded during the past two years.


The cost-plus-award-fee spacesuit contract includes a basic
performance period from June 2008 to September 2014 that has a value
of $183.8 million. During the performance period, Oceaneering and its
subcontractors will conduct design, development, test, and evaluation
work culminating in the manufacture, assembly, and first flight of
the suit components needed for astronauts aboard the Orion crew
exploration vehicle. The basic contract also includes initial work on
the suit design needed for the lunar surface.

"I am excited about the new partnership between NASA and Oceaneering,"
said Glenn Lutz, project manager for the spacesuit system at Johnson.
"Now it is time for our spacesuit team to begin the journey together
that ultimately will put new sets of boot prints on the moon."

Suits and support systems will be needed for as many as four
astronauts on moon voyages and as many as six space station
travelers. For short trips to the moon, the suit design will support
a week's worth of moon walks. The system also must be designed to
support a significant number of moon walks during potential six-month
lunar outpost expeditions. In addition, the spacesuit and support
systems will provide contingency spacewalk capability and protection
against the launch and landing environment, such as spacecraft cabin
leaks.

Two contract options may be awarded in the future as part of this
contract. Option 1 covers completion of design, development, test and
evaluation for the moon surface suit components. Option 1 would begin
in October 2010 and run through September 2018, under a
cost-plus-award fee structure with a total value of $302.1 million.

Option 2 provides for the Orion suit production, processing and
sustaining engineering under a cost-plus-award fee or a
firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract
structure with a maximum value of $260 million depending on hardware
requirements. Option 2 would begin at the end of the basic
performance period in October 2014, and would continue through
September 2018.

Images and animation of the new designs, as well as more information
about NASA's Constellation Program, are available online at:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

To view a feature on the evolution of spacesuits, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/spacesuit_gallery

-end-

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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