BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Aerospace
& Technologies Corp. is one of four companies that will study
the storage and transfer of cryogenic propellants in space under a
contract to NASA. Each company was awarded up to $600K to accomplish this half-year effort.
The contract calls for Ball Aerospace to work with NASA to
develop a mission concept to test and validate key capabilities and
technologies required for the storage and transfer of cryogenic
propellants to and from advanced propulsion stages and propellant
depots, important for the agency's future deep space human
exploration missions.
Under a directive from President Barack
Obama, NASA is pursuing human missions to an asteroid by
2025. Such a mission would require space-based fuel depots
and/or pre-positioned cryogenic propulsion stages. The concept
study will determine how to close current gaps in technology to
achieve that goal. A demonstration mission to confirm a
sustainable, affordable solution will eventually follow the mission
concept study.
"Embarking on a human presence in space beyond the space shuttle
program will require the kind of innovative technologies Ball is
known for," said Cary Ludtke, vice
president of Ball's Civil and Operational Space business unit.
"Ball's experience in analysis, design and fabrication of
spaceflight cryogenic systems and components dates back 40 years
with cryogenic spaceflight instruments and more than 100 cryogenic
space flights."
Ball Aerospace has a lengthy heritage on a broad variety of
cryogenic and thermal systems – from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope
to the Power Reactant Storage Assembly tanks for the space shuttle
program. Directly applicable to the current NASA contact was a
two-year long feasibility study conducted by Ball Aerospace in 1988
for the Cryogenic On-orbit Liquid Depot-Storage Acquisition and
Transfer (COLD-SAT) satellite.
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. For more information visit www.ballaerospace.com.
Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) is a supplier of high quality
packaging 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 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2010 sales of more than
$7.6 billion. For the latest Ball
news and for other company information, please visit
http://www.ball.com.
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 on our website and at
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; mandatory
deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major
customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or
supplier; political instability and sanctions; and changes in
foreign exchange rates or tax rates. 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
recent global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk,
asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful
acquisitions; regulatory action or laws including tax,
environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and
other actions affecting products filled in our containers, or
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; uncertainties
surrounding the U.S. government budget and debt limit; reduced cash
flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited
results due to statutory audits or other effects.
SOURCE Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.