NASA Administrator Charles Bolden along with Goddard Space Flight Center Director Christopher Scolese will visit the ATK Space Systems Division in Beltsville, Maryland, this afternoon to see first-hand the facilities and team responsible for the space tools used by astronauts during five service calls to the Hubble Space Telescope and on-going activities outside the orbiting International Space Station along with new efforts to develop robotic satellite servicing capabilities. The tour includes ATK’s Robotic Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) Lab with demonstrated simulations of innovative robotic technology that extend the life of satellites.
The ATK Space Systems Division, located at 5050 Powder Mill Road provides a broad portfolio of products and services that include integrated satellite bus systems; multidisciplinary engineering services; and integrated thermal-control systems. The 280,000-square-foot facility includes design, fabrication, manufacturing and test facilities. For more information, visit www.atk.com.
Interested members of the news media will be allowed to follow Bolden for part of the tour that will include a photo opportunity and Q-and-A session. To attend the event, media representatives need to contact Vicki Cox at ATK by phone at 301-902-4372 or via email at vicki.cox@atk.com by noon EDT on Wednesday. Those attending will need to be at ATK no later than 1:15 p.m. for badging and access to the facility. All members of the media must be U.S. citizens. The tour and Q-and-A is expected to run from approximately 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Lauren Worley
NASA Headquarters, Washington
lauren.b.worley@nasa.gov
202-358-1288
Ed Campion
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
edward.s.campion@nasa.gov
301-286-0697
Vicki Cox
ATK
vicki.cox@atk.com
301-902-4372