NASA Awards Space Technology Research and Development Contract

WASHINGTON -- NASA has contracted with ERC Inc., of Huntsville, Ala.,
for space technology research and development activities at the
agency's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. The contract
has a maximum value of $45 million.

This is a cost-plus, fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery,
indefinite-quantity contract. The base contract lasts one year and
has three one-year options.

ERC Inc. will support the Space Technology Division in the Office of
the Director of Exploration Technology at Ames. The division develops
technologies used to design and fabricate prototype hypervelocity
vehicles that could travel in the atmospheres of Earth and other
planetary bodies in the solar system. The office also is responsible
for conducting research and development in nanotechnology, materials
science, sensors and devices.

The company will support work at NASA Ames in the following areas:
- Understanding the chemistry and physics of hypersonic, reacting and
radiating flows;
- Analyzing the aerothermodynamics of entry systems, aeronautics and
space vehicle trajectories;
- Developing, modifying and applying computational fluid dynamics
tools and quantum computing capabilities;
- Engineering ablative, reusable and multi-functional thermal
protection materials and conducting materials science research;
- Planning, executing and analyzing experiments and testing the
thermodynamics of materials;
- Studying the mechanisms of pre-biotic geochemistry;
- Providing educational outreach and internship employment
opportunities to acquaint students with public service, and enhance
their educational experience in support of NASA technology research
and development program requirements.

The contract with ERC Inc. includes a subcontract with Stinger
Ghaffarian Technologies Inc. of Greenbelt, Md.

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

Source: NASA