DIGITALGLOBE has announced that the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR) will include its QuickBird satellite imagery in its geographic information system data to help manage and protect the state's coastal marine resources. DMR's Comprehensive Resource Management Plan covers six Mississippi counties and was created to handle increased demands on marine resources in the wake of the Mississippi Gulf Coast's growing casino industry.
NO REPORT: The lack of reliable data on the impact of offsets on the U.S. economy has been a concern for many years, prompting Congress to enact legislation requiring federal agencies to collect data on their impact. However, a final report and recommendations from the National Commission on the Use of Offsets in Defense Trade still are pending, says Katherine Schinasi, the managing director of acquisition and sourcing management for the General Accounting Office.
NASA has awarded three $20 million contracts to BAE Systems, Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp. and ITT Industries for the formulation phase work on the Hyperspectral Environmental Suite of instruments for the next generation of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). GOES is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A single contract eventually will be awarded that will provide infrared and visible environmental data observation capabilities for the GOES-R Series of geosynchronous satellites.
FCS SENSORS: Raytheon, the Ground Sensor Integrator (GSI) for the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, is in negotiations to finalize the terms of $375 million in subcontracts recently awarded to Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control of Orlando, Fla., and Raytheon Network Centric Systems of McKinney, Texas, for work on FCS ground sensors. Lockheed Martin will develop automatic target recognition, medium-range electro-optical/infrared and Reconnaissance and Surveillance Vehicle Mast sensors.
JTRS SPECS: The Object Management Group (OMG), an international consortium that produces and maintains computer industry specifications, is choosing the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) software communication architecture (SCA) to finalize its international standards for military and commercial communication software, says a spokeswoman for the Army's new Weapons, Environment and Technology office.
COMPLETED: General Dynamics completed its acquisition of satellite and space systems builder Spectrum Astro, the company said July 9. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Gilbert, Ariz.-based Spectrum Astro now is part of General Dynamics C4 Systems and brings "valuable experience in missile defense and key NASA space business segments," C4 President Mark A. Fried said.
MAXWELL TECHNOLOGIES INC. has had its test results and methodologies independently verified by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for its SCS750 supercomputer for space. The testing simulated the effects of solar flares and the harsh radiation environments that electronic components encounter in space, Larry Longden, Maxwell's director of technology and marketing, said in a statement.
NASA has completed testing on an advanced high-speed inlet for propulsion systems to power air transport vehicles at supersonic speeds. Through adjustments to the Parametric Inlet's geometry, tests at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland over the last two weeks helped refine the inlet's performance. The Parametric Inlet accomplishes all of the supersonic cruise compression externally, unlike typical inlets that rely on internal and external compression. The tests showed performance was comparable to typical inlets, the aerospace agency said.
Although the House and Senate fiscal 2005 defense appropriations bills contain most of the money the Pentagon sought for ballistic missile defense, proposed cuts to a few specific programs would hurt efforts to overcome countermeasures that enemies might use to stymie U.S. anti-missile systems, according to the Defense Department. DOD's comments are contained in recent "appeals" intended to influence the House-Senate conference committee that is writing the final version of the appropriations bill.
