Issue 82 April 2010

When construction of the International Space Station (ISS) is completed later this year, the orbiting laboratory will provide more than 33,000 cubic feet of habitable space, weigh 925,000 pounds and measure 361 feet – equivalent to a football field. This remarkable feat of engineering and human ingenuity is complex and requires the support of thousands of highly skilled people back on Earth to keep it operating smoothly.

Issue 81 December 2009

Leading United Space Alliance and its subsidiaries down the road to the future, the Facilities Development and Operations Contract (FDOC) and Integrated Mission Operations Contract (IMOC) teams are celebrating their first year of successfully performing work that spans the end of the Space Shuttle Program, the continuation of the International Space Station (ISS) Program and the development of the Constellation Program.

Issue 80 October 2009

After two years of design and construction work, Launch Pad 39B (Pad B) at Kennedy Space Center stands ready and waiting to host the launch of the Ares I-X test flight, currently scheduled for late October.

Issue 79 July 2009

As the nation commemorates a milestone anniversary of one of humankind’s greatest accomplishments, NASA is actively preparing to return humans to the surface of the moon and beyond.

Issue 78 June 2009

As the date for the Ares I-X test flight draws closer, signs of the steady progress being made toward returning humans to the moon are evident across Kennedy Space Center, and United Space Alliance is playing a key role in preparing for
the launch.

Issue 77 April 2009

With a rocketry tradition that began with legendary space industry pioneer Wernher Von Braun and his team of German designers, the Huntsville, Alabama aerospace community has made significant contributions to the history of space exploration. With new launch vehicles now being developed, Huntsville again is getting set to play a key role in writing the next chapter of space history, and United Space Alliance’s Huntsville Capability Center team plans to contribute to that story.

Issue 76 Special Awards Edition 2009

Texas’ Jan Green and Florida’s Ray Zink were named United Space Alliance’s Employees of the Year at the 2008 Superior Achievement and Recognition Award (SARA) ceremonies held February 23 in Texas and February 25 in Florida.

Issue 75 February 2009

With a new presidential administration in place, new NASA leadership, possibly five Space Shuttle missions on the manifest and critical contract competitions ahead, United Space Alliance is looking ahead to a year of challenge, change and transformation.

Issue 74 December 2008

While United Space Alliance employees at Kennedy Space Center continue to focus primarily on the safe and successful launch of Space Shuttles, more and more of these employees are applying their skills to Constellation as the components for NASA’s next exploration program continue to move off the drawing board and into the facilities.

Issue 73 October 2008

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

The words spoken by Neil Armstrong 39 years ago continue to signify the challenges and successes of NASA and the human space flight program.

Issue 72 August 2008

The processes, procedures and tools for future space operations are being developed today in labs, workshops and offices across United Space Alliance as engineers, technicians and developers leverage their experience and expertise to help set the stage for exploration beyond Shuttle.

Issue 71 June 2008

More than 18 years after transforming the way humans peer into the cosmos, the Hubble Space Telescope will receive a fifth and final visit from Space Shuttle astronauts on a challenging mission geared at enhancing the telescope’s capabilities and extending the life of the orbiting observatory.

Issue 70 March 2008

Florida’s Mark Monaghan and Texas’ Floyd Hamilton were named United Space Alliance Employees of the Year at the 11th Annual Superior Achievement and Recognition Award (SARA) ceremonies held March 24 in Florida and March 26 in Texas.

Issue 69 March 2008

Innovation. Whether a new idea, an enhanced process or a modified tool, developing creative new solutions to work more efficiently and effectively will be a key factor in United Space Alliance’s future success.

Issue 68 January 2008

Following three successful missions in 2007, United Space Alliance is poised in the new year to accomplish the goal of launching potentially six Space Shuttle missions that will significantly expand the scientific capabilities of the International Space Station, help to advance our understanding of the universe, and further set the stage for the next era of exploration.

Issue 67 November 2007

With a robust Shuttle flight schedule, continuing Space Station operations, numerous contract competitions and essential transformation initiatives, USA President and Chief Executive Officer Dick Covey says the next three years at United Space Alliance will be full of challenge and opportunity as the team completes its mission with the Shuttle and moves ahead to claim a role in the next era of human space flight.

Issue 66 September 2007

Assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) is nearing completion. In the next several months, the key components manufactured by the International Partners are set for delivery, and the Space Shuttles are scheduled to visit the ISS at least 11 more times before they are retired from service in 2010.

Issue 65 July 2007

Not since the Space Shuttle was developed more than 30 years ago has NASA and the U.S. aerospace industry undertaken the challenge of developing a major space exploration system. With the Constellation Program poised to take the skies in less than two years, USA’s expertise and experience is already being put to work to bring the next-generation family of exploration vehicles and launch systems to life.

Issue 64 May 2007

For the first time in a generation, the human space flight community is undertaking the complex process of phasing out one launch vehicle while designing and deploying a new system. But the transition from Shuttle to Constellation is more than a change of flight vehicle. It will involve retooling facilities, re-scoping processes and even reorganizing the team that supports space flight.

Issue 63 Special Awards Edition 2007

Florida’s Jose Velez and Texas’ Michael Snyder were named United Space Alliance’s Employees of the Year at the 10th Annual Superior Achievement and Recognition Award (SARA) ceremonies held February 13 in Florida and February 16 in Texas. SARAs were also given at each location for outstanding accomplishments during the year in the categories of Safety, Quality, Leadership, Administrative Excellence, Technical Achievement, Teamwork and Community Service.

Issue 62 February/March 2007

As USA moves toward the future and competes for new business, the strength of the company will continue to be a wide array of capabilities built around the skills, experience and expertise of our work force, honed over years of ongoing support of the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs. Those capabilities, as well as the innate passion of its people, will be the foundation on which USA will provide support for the human space flight adventures to come.

Issue 61 December/January 2007

In a year that gave USA the opportunity to showcase its talents and capabilities, 2006 featured a broad range of activities that required creative minds, innovative ideas and resourceful solutions.

“2006 was a great year for USA; we were highly successful in all aspects of our business, particularly in support of the Human Space Flight Program, and in efforts to lay the groundwork for our role in Constellation,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Mike McCulley.

Issue 60 October/November 2006

NASA’s recent awarding of the contract to design and build the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle – the central element of the Constellation Program – marked a major step toward the implementation of the Nation’s Vision for Space Exploration and signaled the start of one of the most significant spacecraft development efforts in more than 30 years.

Issue 59 August/September 2006

Born from the idea to revolutionize government contracting, United Space Alliance has completed its first decade as the recognized industry leader in space operations.

In its first 10 years, USA completed 38 Space Shuttle missions and was instrumental in establishing a permanent human presence in orbit on the International Space Station (ISS). Launch scrubs for technical issues were reduced by 43 percent, and 85 percent of the time the Shuttle launched on schedule.

Issue 58 June/July 2006

Not since the development more than 25 years ago of the Space Shuttle has the U.S. space industry undertaken the development of a major space launch system for the purpose of human space exploration. With a launcher already in early development stages and on the verge of announcing the winner of a contract to build the new crew carrier for that launcher, NASA is reaching into history to deliver the next family of space vehicles.

Issue 57 April/May 2006

Twenty-five years ago, a new spacecraft, unlike anything that had departed the Earth before, roared off a Florida launch pad, and space flight, as we knew it, changed forever.

Named Columbia, after the first American sailing ship to circumnavigate the globe, this new vehicle represented the culmination of decades of concept development and research, and years of design, engineering, and construction. It was the first vehicle ever that could launch like a rocket, orbit like a satellite and glide home on a conventional runway, before being refurbished for its next voyage.

Issue 56 February/March 2006

The United Space Alliance of tomorrow is beginning to take shape today through an aggressive transformational initiative known as Vision USA - an initiative designed to enhance USA's ability to win and execute space operations business opportunities beyond Shuttle and to ensure the long-term viability of the company.

Issue 55 December/January 2006

Across the communities where USA employees reside, the quality of life of an untold number of people is better for one simple reason.

USA people care.

Whether building a new home for an underprivileged family, walking to raise money for medical research, serving as a scout leader, or collecting cans for a food bank, USA employees are working to make their communities stronger almost every weekend and are making real differences in real lives.

Issue 54 October/November 2005

A blueprint for the plan to take humans back to the moon then on to Mars and other destinations has taken shape, building on the best of Apollo and Shuttle technology and outlining a 21st century space flight system that will be safe, affordable, reliable and versatile.

In September, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin released the results of the agency’s new exploration architecture study, which made specific design recommendations for a vehicle to carry crews into space, a family of launch vehicles to take crews to the moon and beyond, and a “lunar mission architecture” for landing on the moon

Issue 53 August/September 2005

As Discovery’s wheels rolled to a stop on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base in the early morning hours of Aug. 9, the Orbiter completed not only its 31st mission, the most of any Orbiter, but also one of the most monumental and successful missions in Shuttle history.