Deal Provides For Services Through Shuttle "Flyout"

It's just one more sign of the inevitable end of the shuttle program. NASA has signed a $36.9 million contract modification with space shuttle main engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, CA, to provide continued shuttle main engine prelaunch and launch support from April 1 through July 31. The contract modification also provides two additional options that if exercised, would bring the potential contract amount for all six months to $56 million.

This modification supports the flyout of the Space Shuttle Program and brings the total potential value of the contract to $2.29 billion. The original contract began on Jan. 1, 2002. The majority of the work will take place at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's headquarters in Canoga Park.

Three main engines and two solid rocket boosters provide the thrust to launch the space shuttle. At 14-feet long and seven-and-a-half feet in diameter at the nozzle exit, the liquid propellant main engines have a combined thrust of more than 1.2 million pounds.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/shuttle