Two  Companies Discuss Potential NASA Partnerships

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver is traveling to Las Vegas and Boulder, CO, this week to meet with leaders of two commercial space companies, Bigelow Aerospace and Sierra Nevada Corp., and tour their facilities. NASA is partnering with the commercial sector to develop innovative technologies to ensure that the U.S. remains competitive in future space endeavors.

On Friday, Garver will tour Bigelow Aerospace facilities at 1899 W. Brooks Ave. in North Las Vegas. NASA has been discussing potential partnership opportunities with Bigelow for its inflatable habitat technologies. On Saturday, Garver will meet with Mark Sirangello, chairman of Sierra Nevada Space Systems. Afterward, she will tour the company's facility responsible for spacecraft mechanical subsystems, components and satellite manufacturing in Louisville, CO. Garver also will visit a test facility at the University of Colorado at Boulder to observe progress on Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft. It is under development with support from NASA's Commercial Crew Development Program to provide crew transportation to and from low Earth orbit.

FMI: www.nasa.gov