April 18, 2006<br /><br />Dolores Beasley<br />Headquarters, Washington<br />(202) 358-1753<br /><br />Kim Newton<br />Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.<br />(256) 544-0034<br /><br />RELEASE: C06-027<br /><br />NASA ANNOUNCES CREW LAUNCH VEHICLE CONTRACT MODIFICATION<br /><br />NASA has authorized a contract action having a maximum value of $28.6 <br />million with ATK Thiokol of Brigham City, Utah, to continue design <br />and development of the first stage for the crew launch vehicle.<br /><br />The contract action maintains the design, development, tests and <br />evaluation schedule; initiates procurement of long-lead items; adds <br />the necessary design and engineering analysis leading to a Systems <br />Requirements Review in September 2006; and provides the necessary <br />support for first stage and vehicle-level design reviews identified <br />in the work statement.<br /><br />The cost-plus-award-fee contract provides additional support through <br />Sept. 30, 2006. The crew launch vehicle is an in-line, two-stage <br />rocket being developed primarily to carry the crew exploration <br />vehicle - the capsule that will take astronauts to the moon.<br /><br />Development of the crew launch vehicle is led by NASA's Marshall Space <br />Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., in partnership with the agency's <br />Johnson Space Center, Houston; Kennedy Space Center, Fla; and Stennis <br />Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss.<br /><br />For information about NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate <br />and development of the crew launch vehicle, visit:<br /><br />http://exploration.nasa.gov