CloudSat Concludes Environmental Testing
March 03 2005 - 3:29PM
PR Newswire (US)
CloudSat Concludes Environmental Testing BOULDER, Colo., March 3
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CloudSat, part of the multi-satellite,
multi-sensor NASA experiment designed to measure the properties of
clouds, has successfully concluded its final environmental test and
was mated to the flight adapter interface in preparation for
launch. The spacecraft underwent thermal vacuum, electromagnetic
conductance, electromagnetic interference, vibration, shock and
acoustic testing. Together, these tests mimic the harsh conditions
of space. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. is building the
CloudSat spacecraft, including testing and integrating the payload,
as part of NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) program,
which fosters innovative, low-cost Earth observation missions
designed to study the Earth as a global environmental system. Ball
Aerospace will also perform CloudSat launch operations and initial
on-orbit commissioning. CloudSat is scheduled to be launched
jointly with its Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder
Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) sister satellite later this year.
Ball Aerospace built the lidar and wide field camera for CALIPSO.
The combination of data from the CloudSat radar, with coincident
measurements from CALIPSO will provide a rich source of information
that can be used to assess the role of clouds in both weather and
climate. Both CloudSat and CALIPSO will be part of a constellation
of satellites, known as the "A-Train," flying in orbital formation
to provide detailed observations of the Earth's environment.
CloudSat is designed around the proven Ball Commercial Platform
(BCP) 2000 spacecraft bus, which can accept any type of
Earth-sensing instrumentation requiring precise pointing control,
yet maintain the flexibility for rapid target selection. The BCP
2000 has successfully flown on high-profile programs including
QuickBird, QuikSCAT and ICESat. Ball Aerospace & Technologies
Corp., in cooperation with NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) and
Colorado State University, developed the spacecraft bus which
houses the instruments and sensors to be used to measure the
properties of clouds that are critical for a better understanding
of both weather and climate. Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) is a
supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging products to
the beverage and food industries. The company also owns Ball
Aerospace & Technologies Corp., which develops sensors,
spacecraft, systems and components for government and commercial
markets. Ball employs more than 13,200 people worldwide and
reported 2004 sales of $5.4 billion. The company is celebrating its
125th year in 2005. Forward-Looking Statements The information in
this news release contains "forward-looking" statements and other
statements concerning future events and financial performance.
Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," and variations
of same and similar expressions are intended to identify
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject
to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to
differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company
undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-
looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in
the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
especially in Exhibit 99.2 in the most recent Form 10-K. These
filings are available at our Web site and at http://www.sec.gov/.
Factors that might affect our packaging segments include
fluctuation in consumer and customer demand; availability and cost
of raw materials, particularly resin, steel, aluminum and energy,
and the ability to pass on to customers changes in these costs;
competitive packaging material availability, pricing and
substitution; changes in climate and weather; fruit, vegetable and
fishing yields; industry productive capacity and competitive
activity; lack of productivity improvement or production cost
reductions; the German mandatory deposit or other restrictive
packaging laws; changes in major customer contracts or loss of a
major customer; international business risks, including foreign
exchange rates, tax rates and activities of foreign subsidiaries;
and the effect of LIFO accounting on earnings. Factors that might
affect aerospace segment include: funding, authorization and
availability of government contracts and the nature and
continuation of those contracts; and technical uncertainty
associated with segment contracts. Factors that could affect the
company as a whole include those listed plus: acquisitions, joint
ventures or divestitures and associated integration activities;
regulatory action or laws including environmental and workplace
safety; governmental investigations; goodwill impairment; antitrust
and other litigation; strikes; boycotts; increases in employee
benefits and labor costs; rates of return projected and earned on
assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; reduced
cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to
unaudited results due to statutory audits of our financial
statements or internal controls over financial reporting.
DATASOURCE: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. CONTACT: David
Beachley of Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.,
+1-303-533-5089, Web site: http://www.ballaerospace.com/
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