LIVE: NASA Announces Contractor for Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle

• LIVE: NASA Announces Contractor for Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle by jacqmans on 24 Aug, 2006 21:52
• Aug. 24, 2006
  
  Michael Braukus/Beth Dickey
  Headquarters, Washington
  202-358-1979/2087
  
  Kelly Humphries
  Johnson Space Center, Houston
  281-483-5111
  
  MEDIA ADVISORY: M06-137
  
  NASA ANNOUNCES CONTRACTOR FOR ORION CREW EXPLORATION VEHICLE
  
  NASA Exploration Systems' managers will host a press conference at 4
  p.m. EDT Thursday, Aug. 31, to announce the prime contractor to
  design, develop, and build Orion, America's next human spacecraft.
  
  The press conference will be in the NASA headquarters auditorium, 300
  E Street S.W., Washington. It will air live on the Web and on NASA
  TV. Reporters may ask questions from participating NASA locations.
  Reporters should coordinate with local agency centers by 4 p.m. EDT
  Wednesday, Aug. 30 for access information.
  
  Associate Administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission
  Directorate Scott Horowitz, Exploration Deputy Associate
  Administrator Doug Cooke, Constellation Program Manager Jeff Hanley,
  and CEV Project Manager Caris A. (Skip) Hatfield will announce the
  selection and discuss the program.
  
  Orion is the vehicle NASA is developing to carry a new generation of
  explorers back to the moon and later to Mars. Orion will succeed the
  space shuttle as NASA's primary vehicle for human space exploration.
  Orion's first flight with astronauts aboard is planned for no later
  than 2014 to the International Space Station. Its first flight to the
  moon is planned for no later than 2020.
  
  For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information,
  visit:
  
  http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
  
  For information about NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate
  visit:
  
  http://www.nasa.gov/exploration
  
  
  -end-
  
  
• #1 by space1999 on 26 Aug, 2006 12:57
• Would anybody like to speculate who the winner might be and what their solution is ?   (I gather Its only a two horse race, Lockhead Martin and Boeing ).
  
• #2 by DaveS on 26 Aug, 2006 13:35
• Quote

  space1999 - 26/8/2006  2:44 PM
  
  Would anybody like to speculate who the winner might be and what there solution is ?   (I gather Its only a two horse race, Lockhead Martin and Boeing ).
  

  Actually the two lead competitors ofr the Orion contract is Lockheed-Martin and Northrup-Grumman.
• #3 by astrobrian on 26 Aug, 2006 16:03
• Hopefully they dont have another slip up with the air to ground channel if they choose to pre record a statement from the ISS
• #4 by punkboi on 26 Aug, 2006 16:21

• Quote

  astrobrian - 26/8/2006 8:50 AM Hopefully they dont have another slip up with the air to ground channel if they choose to pre record a statement from the ISS

  Haha... I don't think they're gonna try that again.  Or maybe they will...but with an STS-115 crewmember assuming Atlantis gets off sometime before Wednesday.

• #5 by NASA_Twix_JSC on 30 Aug, 2006 23:05
• Quote

  astrobrian - 26/8/2006  10:50 AM
  
  Hopefully they dont have another slip up with the air to ground channel if they choose to pre record a statement from the ISS

  
  Although those on L2 already know
• #6 by vt_hokie on 30 Aug, 2006 23:22
• Quote

  space1999 - 26/8/2006  8:44 AM
  
  Would anybody like to speculate who the winner might be and what their solution is ?  

  
  I'm guessing that regardless of the winner, the solution will look something like a glorified Apollo capsule!  
• #7 by Mark Max Q on 31 Aug, 2006 00:29
• Quote

  vt_hokie - 30/8/2006  6:09 PM
  
  

  Quote

  space1999 - 26/8/2006  8:44 AM
  
  Would anybody like to speculate who the winner might be and what their solution is ?  

  
  I'm guessing that regardless of the winner, the solution will look something like a glorified Apollo capsule!  

  
  As it should be, unless someone wishes to change physics.
• #8 by vt_hokie on 31 Aug, 2006 02:00
• I don't think that physics precludes other approaches, but economics probably does given NASA's budgetary restraints.  NASA simply cannot afford to venture into the unknown.  (As I recall, the original Apollo CM was one of several proposed shapes, including more complex lifting bodies, and was chosen essentially because it was the easiest, quickest route.)
• #9 by astrobrian on 31 Aug, 2006 02:37

• Quote

  NASA_Twix_JSC - 30/8/2006  5:52 PM  

  Quote

   Although those on L2 already know

  Yup, L2 members have known for a week now who the winner is  
• #10 by Spacely on 31 Aug, 2006 07:04
• Despite all the flim-flam regarding CLVs, EELVs, ESAS, and politics, politics, politics, it's nevertheless pretty amazing that in less than 16 hours the U.S. government will have picked a primary contractor for a new spaceship. This thing is actually going to be built. I remember January 2004 and thinking, "Man, VSE's great, but it's going to take forever for this thing to come together." Well, here we are. I wonder where we'll be in another 31 months.
• #11 by Space Lizard on 31 Aug, 2006 09:57
• The Northrop-Grumman team includes Boeing.
  
  This means they already did:
  
  - X15 (as North American)
  - Mercury (as McDonnell)
  - Gemini (as McDonnell)
  - Apollo CSM (as North American)
  - Apollo LM (as Grumman)
  - Skylab (as McDD)
  - Shuttle Orbiter (as Rockwell)
  - Spacehab (as McDD)
  - ISS Modules (as Boeing)
  
  Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin's backlog is far less impressive:
  - X-23 "PRIME" (as Martin)
  - X-33??? (ahem!)
• #12 by Jim on 31 Aug, 2006 11:18
• Quote

  astrobrian - 30/8/2006  10:24 PM
  
  

  Quote

  NASA_Twix_JSC - 30/8/2006  5:52 PM  Although those on L2 already know

  Yup, L2 members have known for a week now who the winner is

  
  Don't count on it
  
  EDIT:
  Let me rephrase this.   No one really knows, outside a very few.
• #13 by Chris Bergin on 31 Aug, 2006 16:02
• We'll carry the announcement here live.
  
  Smart money is on Boeing/NG.
• #14 by SimonShuttle on 31 Aug, 2006 16:06
• Will we get to see the full presentations of the bids from each party, or will all that be classified past this?
• #15 by Jim on 31 Aug, 2006 16:13
• Won't see them, unless the contractors release them themselves.
• #16 by hyper_snyper on 31 Aug, 2006 16:16
• Quote

  Jim - 31/8/2006  12:00 PM
  
  Won't see them, unless the contractors release them themselves.

  
  I know satisfying a curious public isn't high on the agenda but is there any reason why they won't release them?
• #17 by gladiator1332 on 31 Aug, 2006 16:30
• I have my money on NG/Boeing, but hey you never know, there could be an upset and LM walks away with it.
• #18 by Jim on 31 Aug, 2006 16:35
• Propriety information and cost data  is in the proposals, therefore NASA can't release them.  It is up to the contractors.  We will never see the actual proposals but NASA and the contractor will provide PR documents.  
  
  In programs I have worked, the proposals get destroyed and the relievant data is in the contract, since that is the binding document
• #19 by Chris Bergin on 31 Aug, 2006 17:06
• Quote

  gladiator1332 - 31/8/2006  5:17 PM
  
  I have my money on NG/Boeing, but hey you never know, there could be an upset and LM walks away with it.

  
  I think they'll be some group hugging of LM, maybe with some system technologies (at a guess)...but that won't negate from the fact that everyone seems to think this is going to NG/Boeing.