Kirsten Larson
Headquarters, Washington, DC                  October 30, 2000
(Phone: 202/358-0243)

June Malone
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
(Phone: 256/544-0034)

RELEASE: C00-p

NASA AWARDS $1.15 BILLION CONTRACT FOR SHUTTLE EXTERNAL TANKS

     NASA and Lockheed Martin Space Systems, of New Orleans, LA, 
have completed negotiations for production of 35 additional Super 
Lightweight External Tanks for the Space Shuttle Program. 

The six-year contract, worth approximately $1.15 billion, includes 
the manufacture, assembly, test and delivery of the Super 
Lightweight Tanks and the operations and maintenance of NASA's 
Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The contract also 
includes activities at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in 
Huntsville, AL, and Kennedy Space Center, FL.

"I am pleased with the profit structure of this contract which is 
designed to assure the delivery of a quality product and to reward 
the contractor and the employees on the basis of performance," 
said Jerry Smelser, manager of the External Tank Project Office at 
Marshall. "In my opinion, the negotiation process has resulted in 
a win-win contract. This is a major milestone for Lockheed Martin, 
the External Tank Project Office, for the Center and for the Space 
Shuttle Program."

This sixth production of tanks will be the first comprised totally 
of Super Lightweight Tanks. 
This latest version of the tank ­ which flew for the first time in 
June 1998 ­ is the same size as the tank it replaces, but is about 
7,500 pounds (3,401.9 kilograms) lighter. The weight reduction 
allows the shuttle to carry more payload.

The Super Lightweight Tank features major changes in materials and 
design. Its liquid hydrogen tank and the liquid oxygen tank are 
constructed of a new aluminum lithium, which is lighter, stronger 
material than the metal alloy used to manufacture previous 
external tanks.

The External Tank, which holds the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid 
oxygen for the shuttlešs three main engines, is the largest single 
component of the space shuttle and the only part of the shuttle 
that is not reused. Standing 154 feet (46.9 meters) tall, the 
gigantic rust-colored tank is taller than a 15-story building and 
is as wide as a silo, with a diameter of about 27 1/2 feet (8 
meters). During launch, the tank also acts as the structural 
backbone for the shuttle orbiter and the attached Solid Rocket 
Boosters.

The first tank of the sixth production is scheduled for delivery 
to the Kennedy Space Center in 2002. 

Marshall is NASA's lead Center for development of space 
transportation and propulsion systems. 

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