2 local firms Ares I finalists

Thursday, October 11, 2007

By SHELBY G. SPIRES

Times Aerospace Writer shelby.spires@htimes.com

Ball and Boeing are contenders for Instrument Unit

NASA has chosen two leading aerospace companies here as finalists for work on the Ares I Instrument Unit, a complex computer guidance and navigation system used to set the rocket on course after launch.

Teams led by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. and the Boeing Co. have been chosen by Marshall Space Flight Center managers as contenders for the Ares Instrument Unit contract expected to be awarded in early December.

The Instrument Unit is considered a separate stage of the Ares I rocket that NASA hopes will loft the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle to the International Space Station or to the moon.

The team awarded the contract will "be working off a NASA design and build to those specifications," said Kim Newton, a Marshall spokeswoman.

Aerospace industry managers for the Boeing- and Ball-led teams have told The Times the work will provide around 100-150 jobs in Huntsville and would mean more work for local avionics and other aerospace suppliers.

The next step is for contractors to work with NASA managers and "give clarification to any questions that might arise from the proposals," said Ed Meme, a spokesman with Boeing. "If the NASA (representatives) point to any areas in the proposal that they have concerns about, or see as weaknesses, then those should be resolved."

Ball managers feel that teams' proposal gives NASA "the proven capability and experience" to build and deliver the Instrument Unit, said Bill Townsend, Ball vice president for Exploration Systems.

The Instrument Unit is slated to be managed by NASA at Marshall, with some of the avionics work being done in Huntsville. The major instrument work will be completed at the Michoud Assembly Facility, near New Orleans, and then shipped to Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, to be stacked on the Ares rocket.

The Instrument Unit is the last major piece of the Ares I that would be awarded by NASA. In July, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne won a $1.2 billion contract to produce the engine that will power the Ares upper stage. In August, ATK won a $1.8 billion contract for the solid rocket-powered Ares first stage. Also in August, a team headed by Boeing Co. won a $514.7 million contract to build the Ares upper stage.



2 local firms Ares I finalists Thursday, October 11, 2007 By SHELBY G. SPIRES Times Aerospace Writer shelby.spires@htimes.com Ball and Boeing are contenders for Instrument Unit NASA has chosen two leading aerospace companies here as finalists for work on the Ares I Instrument Unit, a complex computer guidance and navigation system used to set the rocket on course after launch. Teams led by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. and the Boeing Co. have been chosen by Marshall Space Flight Center managers as contenders for the Ares Instrument Unit contract expected to be awarded in early December. The Instrument Unit is considered a separate stage of the Ares I rocket that NASA hopes will loft the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle to the International Space Station or to the moon. The team awarded the contract will "be working off a NASA design and build to those specifications," said Kim Newton, a Marshall spokeswoman. Aerospace industry managers for the Boeing- and Ball-led teams have told The Times the work will provide around 100-150 jobs in Huntsville and would mean more work for local avionics and other aerospace suppliers. The next step is for contractors to work with NASA managers and "give clarification to any questions that might arise from the proposals," said Ed Meme, a spokesman with Boeing. "If the NASA (representatives) point to any areas in the proposal that they have concerns about, or see as weaknesses, then those should be resolved." Ball managers feel that teams' proposal gives NASA "the proven capability and experience" to build and deliver the Instrument Unit, said Bill Townsend, Ball vice president for Exploration Systems. The Instrument Unit is slated to be managed by NASA at Marshall, with some of the avionics work being done in Huntsville. The major instrument work will be completed at the Michoud Assembly Facility, near New Orleans, and then shipped to Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, to be stacked on the Ares rocket. The Instrument Unit is the last major piece of the Ares I that would be awarded by NASA. In July, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne won a $1.2 billion contract to produce the engine that will power the Ares upper stage. In August, ATK won a $1.8 billion contract for the solid rocket-powered Ares first stage. Also in August, a team headed by Boeing Co. won a $514.7 million contract to build the Ares upper stage. © 2007 The Huntsville Times © 2007 al.com All Rights Reserved.