Latest DIRECT Stories

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 2009 was another trailblazing year for NASA as America's space agency reached a number of important milestones on Earth and in space. During the year, NASA upgraded the Hubble Space Telescope, discovered water on the moon, increased the number of people living on the International Space Station, and mapped our planet's location in the Milky Way galaxy with new precision. Here on Earth, NASA welcomed a new leadership team, made crucial findings...

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) performed a ground test of a full-scale attitude control motor (ACM) for the launch abort system (LAS) of NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle. The test was conducted at ATK's facility in Elkton, Md. on Dec. 15. "The ACM test is a major accomplishment for the ATK, Lockheed Martin and the NASA LAS team. We demonstrated a critical technology capability that will enhance crew safety and mission success," said...

HAMPTON, Va., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA and its industry partners celebrated a test-firing of a critical safety component of the Orion crew exploration vehicle, the space agency's next generation of spacecraft designed to take astronauts to the moon, Mars and beyond. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO) The test, performed at the Alliant Techsystems (ATK) facility in Elkton, Md., on Dec. 15, was the sixth in a series of ground tests of the attitude...

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Techsystems' (NYSE: ATK) Reusable Solid Rocket Motors (RSRMs) once again performed flawlessly as they ignited at 2:28 p.m. EST, launching the Space Shuttle Atlantis on its mission to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) and conduct the final crew rotation for the shuttle program. Standing at 149 feet tall and 12 feet in diameter, the two solid rocket boosters each produced more than 15 million horsepower and 3.3 million...

NASA will hold a news conference on Friday, Oct. 23, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to discuss the status of the Ares I-X rocket launch. The briefing will begin at approximately 5 p.m. EDT, after the conclusion of the Flight Test Readiness Review, a meeting to assess preparations for the flight test. The review is expected to include the selection of an official launch date. Ares I-X currently is targeted to launch at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27.The briefing participants are:-...

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) and NASA made history today as the Ares I-X rocket rolled to the launch pad, marking the first time in more than 25 years a new vehicle has left the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. The Ares I-X flight test provides a unique opportunity to gather engineering data early in the design phase of the Ares program. Comprised of a four-segment solid rocket motor, simulated fifth segment, newly...

TROY, Mich., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Altair (www.altair.com), a global provider of technology and services empowering client innovation and decision making, announces a very successful first year of operating its HyperWorks Enabled Community (HWEC). To date, more than 200 companies worldwide have joined the HWEC (www.hyperworkscommunity.com), and gained access to partner applications at no incremental cost using their existing HyperWorks software licenses. "When Altair introduced HyperWorks...

PASADENA, Calif., Oct. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE: JEC) announced today that it was awarded a three-year extension on the Engineering and Science Contract (ESC) at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) with an estimated value of $978 million. This brings the total contract value to approximately $2.16 billion through January 31, 2013, with an eight-year total period of performance. For this contract, Jacobs provides services to Johnson's Engineering...

Dr. David Livingston of "The Space Show" Will Moderate Internet Radio Broadcast RESTON, Va., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will host a panel of experts to discuss the implications of the Augustine Commission report, "Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans." Scheduled for Monday, October 5 at 2:00 p.m. EDT* as a live, streaming, Internet radio broadcast, the discussion will be moderated by Dr. David Livingston, host of...

TROY, Mich., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Altair Engineering, Inc., a leading global provider of technology and services that empowers client innovation and decision-making, announced today that Altair ProductDesign has successfully collaborated with Daimler to achieve crashworthiness performance targets on the smart fortwo passenger vehicle through the joint development of the car's multiple safety systems. Following the successful release of the new generation of the smart fortwo in Europe...