Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington, DC                        May 1, 1998
(Phone:  202/358-1761)

RELEASE:  98-74

NASA AWARDS FIVE FIRMS THE GEORGE M. LOW AWARD

     Five aerospace companies were awarded the space agencyÕs 
highest honor today for excellence and quality.  NASA 
Administrator Daniel S. Goldin presented the 1998 George M. Low 
Award to the companies at the thirteenth annual NASA Continual 
Improvement and Reinvention Conference on Quality Management in 
Alexandria, VA.  The award, established in 1985, is NASA's highest 
quality and excellence award for contractors and subcontractors 
and the oldest award for organizational quality.

     ILC Dover, Inc., Frederica, DE, received the award in the 
large business, product category; and Allied Signal Technical 
Services Corporation, Lanham, MD, and DynCorp, Johnson Support 
Division, Houston, TX, both received the award in the large 
business, service category.  In the small business, product 
category BST Systems, Inc., Plainfield, CT, received the award; 
and Advanced Technology Company, Pasadena, CA, received the award 
in the small business, service category.

     "These companies exemplify excellence and outstanding 
achievements that prove beneficial to NASA and the Nation's 
industry," said Goldin.

     ILC Dover, Inc., specializes in developing high technology 
engineered softgoods.  The company has a long record of 
outstanding performance in the development of EVA spacesuits.  Its 
recent success came from the development and delivery of the Mars 
Pathfinder airbag landing system.

     Allied Signal Technical Services Corporation demonstrated 
exemplary operational proficiency of over 99.996 percent from 1995 
through 1997 with 99.94 percent systems reliability covering the 
same time frame.

     "Each of these companies has definitely made a positive 
impact on NASA's performance goals," said Frederick D. Gregory, 
Associate Administrator for Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA 
Headquarters.

     DynCorp, Johnson Support Division, provided and supported a 
variety of specialties and supports a wide array of aircraft 
equipment and systems.  The success of NASA's astronaut training 
program and Shuttle mission support programs is directly related 
to the performance of this contractor.

     BST achieves consistently outstanding performance in a field 
often characterized as "black magic" -- aerospace batteries.  BST 
developed the battery for the Mars Pathfinder.  The battery lasted 
more than three times the planned Mars surface-mission duration, 
98 Martian days versus the required 30 days.

     Advanced Technology Company is considered a world-class metal 
joining company, tackling jobs that most organizations consider 
impossible.  The company has produced 20 imaging detectors that 
are operating error-free in space.

     The conference featured NASA Administrator Goldin as well as 
keynote presentations by Peter B. Teets, President and Chief 
Operating Officer, Lockheed Martin Corporation; Allan R. Mulally, 
President, Information Space and Defense Systems, The Boeing 
Company; and David Crocker, President, Crocker Associates.

     In addition to celebrating Low award winners, the conference 
is a forum to share best practices and lessons learned from 
quality management initiatives.


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