NASA Selects Firms For Advanced Entry System Technology Development

WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected Airborne Systems North America of
Santa Anna, Calif., ILC Dover LP of Frederica, Del., and Lockheed
Martin Space Systems Company of Littleton, Colo., to support agency
inflatable aerodynamic decelerator research and development,
including work on the Space Technology Program's Hypersonic
Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) project.

Inflatable aerodynamic decelerators are lightweight outer shells that
slow and protect spacecraft as they enter planetary atmospheres. This
technology allows increased payload mass, makes it possible to reach
higher surface elevations for robotic and human exploration of solar
system destinations, and improves cargo return capabilities from the
International Space Station.

Contractors will provide NASA with services for the design, analysis,
fabrication and testing of project systems, including the thermal
protection system and inflatable structures for aerocapture and
direct entry applications.

The cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity task
order contracts have a maximum cumulative agency value of $47 million
over a five-year performance period. NASA's Langley Research Center
in Hampton, Va., will administer the contracts for the agency.

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit

http://www.nasa.gov

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