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CANOGA PARK, Calif., July 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In an awesome display of technology and immense power that capped a 30-year legacy of boosting orbiters into space, three Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) today successfully powered the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on the program's final flight to the International Space Station (ISS). The SSME is the only fully reusable high-performance rocket engine rated for human spaceflight, having delivered the majority of U.S. astronauts into...

NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is entering into an agreement with Sierra Nevada Space Systems (SNSS) of Sparks, Nev., to offer technical capabilities from the center's uniquely skilled work force. The umbrella space act agreement is Kennedy's latest step in its transition from a historically government-only launch complex to a multi-user spaceport. Sierra Nevada also has space act agreements with NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston; NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.;...

NASA's industry partners have met all their initial milestones in developing commercial crew transportation capabilities to reduce the gap in U.S. human spaceflight capability.NASA posted its first status report on the agency's Commercial Crew Development 2 (CCDev2) program to its website. The report highlights the progress and accomplishments for the agency's commercial spaceflight development efforts. Designed to be a bi-monthly report, it is targeted toward the interested layperson and...

The new main engine to power Europe's successor to its Ariane 5 space launcher was brought a step closer on June 22 when ESA signed a €60 million contract with a propulsion consortium at the Paris Air & Space Show.ESA is preparing the NGL Next-Generation Launcher to meet Europe's institutional needs and safeguard its guaranteed access to space into the long term, ensuring it will continue to have effective and economic launchers at its disposal.The work is being performed...

TROY, Mich., May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Altair Engineering, Inc., a leading global provider of simulation technology and engineering services, today announced that it will deliver a paper presentation at ASME Turbo Expo 2011, describing a new application for optimizing the weight of composite fan blades using Altair's HyperWorks suite of computer-aided design tools. Altair also will welcome attendees to its exposition booth (#341), where it will unveil two white papers, one on efficient...

NASA said on Tuesday that a new spacecraft to take humans into deep space will be based on designs of the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The Orion capsule is a surviving component of the Constellation manned space exploration program that President Barack Obama scrapped last year for being behind schedule and over budget. NASA administrator Charles Bolden said the designs for Orion would be used to push ahead with a new spacecraft known as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), which would...

NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) of Tennessee will host its signature Walk Like MADD® non-competitive 5K fundraising walk in Nashville on June 4th, 2011. The walk begins at 9:15am at Bicentennial Mall State Park and will raise funds and rally support for MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®. This year MADD Tennessee is thrilled to welcome Direct Auto Insurance as our Nashville Presenting Sponsor. One of the many exciting...

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA has reached an important milestone for the next U.S. transportation system that will carry humans into deep space. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced today that the system will be based on designs originally planned for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. Those plans now will be used to develop a new spacecraft known as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO ) "We...

CANOGA PARK, Calif., May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Three Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) today successfully powered the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on Mission STS-134 to deliver a permanent experiment module to the International Space Station that will allow scientists to study anti-matter in the universe. The SSME is the only fully reusable high-performance rocket engine rated for human spaceflight. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United...

Named for the Greek god of dreams, Project Morpheus is a project for people who dream big.Engineers at Johnson Space Center began work in July of 2010 on the Morpheus lander "“ a testbed for new technologies that a vehicle intended to land on the moon, an asteroid or even Mars would need. It's scheduled to take flight untethered for the first time in May, and will be the first prototype spacecraft to fly at Johnson since before man walked on the moon."Projects like Morpheus are invigorating...