Atlantis Astronauts Install Ball Aerospace's WFC3 and COS Aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope
May 24 2009 - 12:05PM
PR Newswire (US)
BOULDER, Colo., May 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Astronauts for
NASA's STS-125 servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope
(HST) installed two science instruments built by Ball Aerospace
& Technologies Corp. during their 13-day mission and completed
critical repairs to two previously installed Ball science
instruments. Space Shuttle Atlantis and its crew of seven landed at
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on Sunday, May 24. The Wide Field
Camera 3 was installed during the first spacewalk on May 14, and
the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph was installed on the third
spacewalk, on May 16. Wide Field is Hubble's most technologically
advanced instrument to take images in the ultraviolet, visible and
near infrared portions of the spectrum while COS will help
scientists better understand the universe's cosmic web by gathering
information from the ultraviolet light from distant objects. Since
1978 Ball has built seven instruments for HST. In addition to WFC3
and COS they include: -- Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS),
installed in 2002 -- Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS),
installed in 1997 -- Near-infrared Camera and Multi-object
Spectrometer (NICMOS), installed in 1997 -- Corrective Optics Space
Telescope (COSTAR), installed in 1993 and returned to Earth on May
24, 2009 -- Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS), one of the
original science instruments, removed in 1997 "The exceptional work
performed by NASA's STS-125 astronauts during the long awaited
servicing mission to Hubble is a reminder of what makes the U.S.
space program great," said David L. Taylor, president and CEO of
Ball Aerospace. "Ball is very proud of its role in extending the
life of the Hubble Telescope and making it possible for scientists
to add new chapters to our knowledge of the universe." During the
STS-125 mission astronauts made unprecedented on-orbit repairs to
the ACS and STIS instruments and also replaced batteries and
gyroscopes to extend the life of HST. NASA anticipates that the new
HST instruments and repairs will keep Hubble operational until the
James Webb Space Telescope joins it on orbit in 2014. As the
principal subcontractor for the Webb, Ball Aerospace has been
working since 2003 to build the Webb's advanced optical system.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions
of important national agencies such as the Department of Defense,
NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. The
company develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments
and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions
for strategic, tactical and scientific applications. Since 1956,
Ball Aerospace has been responsible for numerous technological and
scientific 'firsts' and is a technology innovator in aerospace.
Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) is a supplier of high-quality metal and
plastic packaging products for beverage, food and household
products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and
services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and
its subsidiaries employ more than 14,000 people worldwide and
reported 2008 sales of approximately $7.6 billion. Forward-Looking
Statements This release contains "forward-looking" statements
concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as
"expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such 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 filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our
Web site and at http://www.sec.gov/. Factors that might affect our
packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and
preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive
packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in
climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to
achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost
reductions, including our beverage can end project; mandatory
deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major
customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or
supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates, tax rates and
activities of foreign subsidiaries. Factors that might affect our
aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and
returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays,
extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts.
Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those
listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the
current global credit squeeze and its effects on liquidity, credit
risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful
acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of
recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including
tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including in
respect of chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the
manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological
developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust,
patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of
return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined
benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow;
interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results
due to statutory audits or other effects. DATASOURCE: Ball
Aerospace & Technologies Corp. CONTACT: Roz Brown of Ball
Aerospace & Technologies Corp., +1-303-533-6059, Web Site:
http://www.ballaerospace.com/
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