Aug 25 2009
From The Space Library
NASA announced that it had awarded a follow-on contract to Computer Sciences Corporation of Fort Worth, Texas, to support NASA’s aircraft used for astronaut training and flight research. The follow-on, potentially valued at approximately US$163 million, continued services provided under a previous contract, which had been in effect from 1 March 2004 through 31 August 2009. The new contract would be in effect 1 September 2009 through 28 February 2010. Under the Aircraft Maintenance and Modification Program, Computer Sciences Corporation would continue to provide flight-line, intermediate, and depot-level maintenance, repairs, modifications, and engineering support for NASA aircraft.
NASA, “NASA Awards Contract for Aircraft Maintenance,” news release C09-040, 25 August 2009.
South Korea launched its first rocket, the Korea Space Launch Vehicle 1 (KSLV 1), or Naro 1, from Oenaro Island at 4:00 a.m. (EDT), becoming the tenth nation to launch a locally developed scientific satellite in its own territory. South Korean space officials had delayed the launch twice since 30 July because of technical problems. The rocket carried into orbit a 219-pound (99- kilogram) payload, the STSAT 2, which carried a microwave radiometer to measure radiation energy in Earth’s atmosphere and a laser-reflector system to allow ground stations to track its orbit. Naro 1 was the result of a partnership dating to 2002 between the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and the Moscow-based Khrunichev, the Russian aerospace firm responsible for the Proton booster rocket. Khrunichev had provided the hardware for Naro 1’s first stage. North Korea criticized the international response to South Korea’s launch plans; an international outcry had met the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (North Korea’s) failed launch in April 2009, and the United States had claimed that North Korea’s launch was a disguised missile test. U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ian C. Kelly had responded to North Korea’s complaints, explaining that South Korea had developed its program in an open and transparent manner, in keeping with the international agreements that South Korea had signed, unlike North Korea, which had not abided by its international agreements.
Jin-man Lee for Associated Press, “South Korea Launches First Rocket into Space,” 25 August 2009; Stephen Clark, “South Korea Makes History with Satellite Launch,” Spaceflight Now, 25 August 2009.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
