NASA News: NASA To Host News Conference On Asteroid Search Findings

WASHINGTON -- NASA will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. EDT on
Thurs., Sept. 29, to reveal near-Earth asteroid findings and
implications for future research. The briefing will take place in the
NASA Headquarters James E. Webb Auditorium, located at 300 E St. SW
in Washington.

NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission, launched in
December 2009, captured millions of images of galaxies and objects in
space. During the news conference, panelists will discuss results
from an enhancement of WISE called Near-Earth Object WISE (NEOWISE)
that hunted for asteroids.

The panelists are:
-- Lindley Johnson, NEO program executive, NASA Headquarters,
Washington
-- Amy Mainzer, NEOWISE principal investigator, NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
-- Tim Spahr, director, Minor Planet Center, Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory, Cambridge, Mass.
-- Lucy McFadden, scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, Md.

Reporters unable to attend may ask questions from participating NASA
centers or by telephone. To participate by phone, reporters must
contact Dwayne Brown at 202-358-1726 or dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov by 10
a.m. EDT on Sept. 29.

The event will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.
For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

The briefing also will be streamed live, with a chat available, at:

http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2

For more information about the mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/wise

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NASA Awards Architectural Contract For Bridge Work At Kennedy

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has selected FIGG Bridge Engineers Inc.
of Tallahassee, Fla., to provide architect engineer studies, designs
and other professional services required for replacement bridges and
rehabilitation of existing bridges at NASA's Kennedy Space Center and
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The new indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract begins Sept.
27, with a five-year base ordering period and potentially four,
one-year options. The maximum potential value of this contract is $30 million.

FIGG Bridge Engineers will conduct a variety of field investigations
and surveys, and prepare a number of reports and studies to support
the project. The firm will develop complete design packages, detailed
cost estimates, environmental permit applications, and environmental
certificates of compliance. They also will provide planning studies,
bridge modeling/ renderings, permits, and contract documents for construction.

FIGG Bridge Engineers also will perform other professional and
incidental services such as project management, construction
management, and inspection services to support all phases of bridge
work from design through construction. The company will provide
designs with low environmental impact using sustainable materials.

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

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NASA Awards Architectural Contract For New Complex At Kennedy

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has selected Hunton Brady Architects,
P.A. of Orlando, Fla., to provide design, engineering, and other
professional services required to develop a Central Campus Complex at
NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Central Campus Complex
involves consolidating multiple facilities through new construction,
the progressive deconstruction of targeted facilities and the
potential renovation of existing facilities.

The new indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract begins Sept.
27, with a five-year base ordering period and potentially five,
one-year options. The maximum potential value of this contract is $25 million.

Hunton Brady Architects will provide project professional services,
including conducting field investigations, topographical surveys,
analysis of existing and planned work and support systems, preparing
design packages, engineering studies and/or reports of recommended
actions. The firm will develop complete design packages and provide
studies, surveys, reports, environmental permit applications and
environmental certificates of compliance.

Hunton Brady Architects also will perform other professional
architectural and engineering services which include project
management, construction management and inspection services,
preparation of historical documentation, review of shop drawings and
resolution of construction issues. The contract will create as-built
drawings to support all phases of the work throughout design and construction.

The Central Campus Complex project will be designed to earn the U.S.
Green Building Council's Leadership in Environmental and Energy
Design (LEED) Silver status and strive for the highest achievable
rating based on life cycle costs.

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

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NASA Scientists Receive Presidential Early Career Awards

WASHINGTON -- President Obama has named four NASA scientists as
recipients of the 2010 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists
and Engineers (PECASE). The NASA recipients and 90 other federal
researchers will receive their awards in a ceremony on October 14 in Washington.

The PECASE awards represent the highest honor bestowed by the U.S.
government on scientists and engineers beginning their independent
careers. They recognize recipients' exceptional potential for
leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge, and their
commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific
leadership, education or community outreach.

"We are thrilled to honor these outstanding early-career scientists,
and will look forward to their ongoing contributions to the
exploration of our planet, our solar system, and our place in the
universe," said NASA Chief Scientist Waleed Abdalati. "The work of
these talented individuals will help us turn the dreams of today into
the reality of tomorrow."

The 2010 NASA recipients were nominated by the agency's Science
Mission Directorate:

- Jonathan W. Cirtain, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Ala., recognized for outstanding research on basic
physical processes observed in solar and space plasmas through
innovative engineering instrument designs.

- Ian M. Howat, The Ohio State University in Columbus, recognized for
outstanding contributions to the field of glaciology -- in
particular, improvements to understanding glacier dynamics and their
contributions to sea level rise.

- Gregory G. Howes, University of Iowa in Iowa City, recognized for
outstanding contributions to improve understanding of the dissipation
of turbulence and the resulting heating of heliospheric plasmas, and
for leadership in education and outreach activities.

- Benjamin A. Mazin, University of California, Santa Barbara,
recognized for outstanding contributions to the development of
ultra-sensitive, low-temperature detector arrays that provide energy
resolution and arrival timing for photons from X-rays to the near infrared.

The PECASE awards were created to foster innovative developments in
science and technology; increase awareness of careers in science and
engineering; give recognition to the scientific missions of
participating agencies; enhance connections between fundamental
research and many of the grand challenges facing the nation; and to
highlight the importance of science and technology for America's
future. Sixteen federal departments and agencies nominated scientists
and engineers for the 2010 PECASE awards. For a complete list of 2010
award winners, visit:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

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