Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne gets $60.3 million NASA contract for support to Space Shuttle engine

2010-10-14 00:31:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

CANOGA PARK, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) -- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne on Wednesday were awarded a $60.3 million contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the continued support of the Space Shuttle main engine.

"Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a close partner with NASA and a strong contributor to the nation's human spaceflight program. We look forward to continuing to work together to help advance human space exploration now and in the future," said Jim Paulsen, SSME program manager, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.

The contract includes pre-launch, launch and post-launch support until March 31, 2011. It is an extension to the current space shuttle program flight manifest launch schedule which shifted the last two scheduled launch dates for missions STS-133 and STS 134 to 2011.

"The extension means NASA will be able to complete the next two space shuttle missions that are critical to completing the International Space Station, allowing it to achieve its full potential and ensuring it remains viable until at least 2020."

The SSME is the world's most sophisticated, high-performance reusable rocket engine which is capable of lifting heavy launch vehicles. SSME has achieved 100 percent mission success with over a million seconds of hot-fire experience since its first flight back in 1981. It is the foundation of future space exploration.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyneis a provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic engines.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-10-14

Even if the choice for the Space shuttle was an incorrect choice (at hindsight), it saddens to see NASA loosing track with this type of space access. The Europeans are at it in their slow, bureaucratic way. Looking forward to Chinese and Indian exploration assuming they will allow outsiders to look over their shoulders.

Seeing the first moon-landing on TV as a child I always dreamed about going onwards. What happened with 'to boldly go where no men has gone before' ?

Live long and prosper.