Sep. 15, 2006

Michael Braukus/Beth Dickey
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1979/2087

Kelly Humphries
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

Michael Mewhinney
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
650-604-3937
CONTRACT RELEASE: C06-046

NASA AWARDS THERMAL PROTECTION CONTRACT FOR ORION SPACECRAFT

NASA has selected The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif., to
support the design and development of a lunar direct return-capable
heat shield for the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The hybrid firm
fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract has a 16-month period of
performance, with a maximum value of approximately $14 million,
including all priced options.

The heat shield will protect the spacecraft and crew during
atmospheric reentry following missions to the moon or the
International Space Station. The heat shield attached at the base of
the spacecraft will reject the majority of the heat generated during
re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Returning from missions to the
station, Orion will re-enter at speeds similar to those experienced
by the space shuttle - 16,700 miles an hour. Returning from the moon,
Orion will reenter the atmosphere at speeds of about 25,000 miles an
hour and experience heating about five times as extreme as missions
returning from the station.

NASA's Constellation Program is developing Orion as NASA's primary
vehicle for future human space exploration. Orion will carry
astronauts to the station by 2014, with a goal of landing astronauts
on the moon no later than 2020.

The present Phase II contract with Boeing is a continuation of an
earlier Phase I NASA effort that evaluated phenolic impregnated
carbon ablator (PICA), as well as four other candidate materials
using extensive testing and analysis. Boeing has been selected to
provide PICA, a proprietary material manufactured by its
subcontractor, Fiber Materials Inc. of Biddeford, Maine, for
continued testing and evaluation.

Boeing's deliverables for this contract include:

- Samples of thermal protection system materials for thermal,
structural and environmental testing and analysis
- A preliminary heat shield design and detailed heat shield
implementation plan using PICA
- A full-scale 16.5-foot (5-meter) heat shield manufacturing
demonstration unit
- Comprehensive trade studies targeted toward increasing the
technology readiness of a PICA-based heat shield.
- A material properties database and thermal response model for PICA

NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., is the agency's
lead center for thermal protection systems and will use its thermal,
structural and environmental facilities to conduct extensive testing
and evaluation of the PICA deliverables. Ames will assess the
material performance and its risks and suitability for use as the
Orion heat shield. NASA will work with Boeing to provide key
validation and verification functions, as well as contributing toward
the development and delivery of the overall preliminary heat shield
design.

For more information about the heat shield, visit the Orion section of
the NASA portal:

http://www.nasa.gov/orion