Dec 21, 2007

John Yembrick Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0602 john yembrick-1@nasa gov

Steve Roy Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala 256-544-0034 steven e roy@nasa gov

CONTRACT RELEASE: C07-065

NASA EXTENDS SPACE SHUTTLE EXTERNAL TANK CONTRACT

WASHINGTON - NASA has signed a $465 7 million contract modification with Lockheed Martin, New Orleans, for space shuttle external tanks The modification aligns and extends all activities associated with the production contract for the tanks to the launch schedule for the space shuttle's retirement date of 2010

The modification supports the agency's priorities of safely flying the space shuttle, completing construction of the International Space Station and NASA's long-term plan to return astronauts to the moon and beyond

The cost plus award fee/incentive fee contract will conclude Sept 30, 2010, and brings the total value of the contract, awarded October 2000, to $2 94 billion The contract calls for the delivery of 17 external tanks to NASA

Work under the contract will be performed at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla

Lockheed Martin builds, assembles and tests the space shuttle external tanks for NASA at the Michoud facility The external tank holds the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen for the shuttle's three main engines It is the largest single component of the space shuttle and the only part of the shuttle that is not reused At 154 feet tall, the gigantic rust-colored tank is taller than a 15-story building and as wide as a silo, with a diameter of about 27 5 feet During launch, the tank acts as the structural backbone for the shuttle orbiter and the solid rocket boosters attached to it

For more information about NASA's Space Shuttle Program, visit:

http://www nasa gov/shuttle

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to: hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices nasa gov To remove your address from the list, send a message to: hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices nasa gov

The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription:

You are subscribed to the following list: [list_name]

using the following email: example@example.com

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:

http://www aus-city com/cgi-bin/dada/mail cgi/u/[list]/

If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism

You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:

http://www aus-city com/cgi-bin/dada/mail cgi/list/[list]

If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:

<mailto:list
admin@aus-city
com>

The following physical address is associated with this mailing list:

http://www aus-city com