1 September 2002
Satcoms
Telenor Satellite Services Signs Major Comms Agreement with
Petroleos de Venezuela
Navigation
Trimble Introduces Bluetooth Enabled GPS Surveying
System
Military
Space
Stratos Selected
by AOS to Provide Global Satellite Communication Services to US DoD
TRW Wins US$ 119
Million US Air Force Weather Systems Contract
USAF's Electronic Systems Center
Awards Titan US$ 29.9 Million Milsatcom Terminals Technical Management
Contract
Science
NASA
Appoints Contour Mission Investigation Team
Spectrum Astro to Build GLAST
Spacecraft
Technology
NASA Selects Teams for Development of Future Space
Propulsion Applications
Launch
Services
NASA Awards
Payload Processing Contract to Boeing Space Operations
Launches
Atlantic Bird 1,
MSG-1
Business
Aerojet to Acquire General Dynamics Space Propulsion
Loral Commences
Exchange Offer for Preferred Stock
SES Americom Invests in ISAT Platform
Products and Services
Aloha Networks Introduces New Members of the SkyDSL Network
Family
Remote
Scheduling from Kingston inmedia Gives Channel Owners Unprecedented Control
Skycasters and
Hughes Global Announce New Self-Contained Satellite Internet And Data
Service
People
Fantastic Announces Management Addition
New Director Named for JSC
Space and Life Sciences Directorate
Telenor Satellite Services Signs Major Comms Agreement with
Petroleos de Venezuela
(28 August 2002) The state-owned Petroleos de
Venezuela Corporation (PDVSA) has signed a three-year communications agreement
with Telenor Satellite Services to provide mobile satellite technology to track
its fleet of vehicles and vessels via satellite.
The
value of the agreement is expected to be in excess of one million US
dollars.
The system delivered by Telenor and its Venezuelan partner,
Geofisica y Posicionamiento Satelital CA, and Danish equipment manufacturer
Thrane & Thrane, includes a mobile satellite solution, via Inmarsat, for
tracking, managing, and additional security for PDVSA's fleet of more than 250
vessels operating on Lake Maracaibo in the western region of the country.
The agreement also calls for the technology and equipment to be used for
tracking and managing PDVSA's vehicles operating on land in the region. The
Maracaibo Basin accounts for approximately 70% of the petroleum produced by
Venezuela and exported world-wide.
Telenor is providing Inmarsat-C and
Inmarsat Mini-C services for PDVSA's vehicle and fleet tracking. These are
low-cost, data messaging services that use small, inexpensive satellite
terminals that permit customers to send and receive a variety of data files and
tracking reports.
Telenor is also creating new uses for its Mobile
Packet Data service over Inmarsat's Global Area Network (GAN). PDVSA will
employ Telenor's packet data service at its Communications Control Centre,
providing a contingency communications system for the corporation.
Telenor's Mobile Packet Data service provides remote users with Internet
protocol (IP) capability over satellite for portable and extremely reliable
communications for Internet applications such as Web access, file transfer, and
e-mail.
Trimble Introduces Bluetooth Enabled GPS Surveying System
(27 August 2002)
Trimble has introduced the 5800 GPS RTK Rover system with the TSCe controller
and Bluecap module, the world's first survey-grade Global Positioning System
(GPS) receiver with Bluetooth technology.
Featuring
cable-free operation and graphical capabilities, these additions to the Trimble
Toolbox of Integrated Surveying solutions are designed to allow surveyors to
work smarter and faster - enhancing productivity, improving workflow, and
allowing them to take on more projects.
Trimble's new 5800 RTK Rover
is a small, cable-free system that integrates a GPS receiver, GPS antenna, UHF
radio, Bluetooth technology and battery with the TSCe controller and Bluecap
module. The Bluecap module delivers cable-free GPS capability using Bluetooth
technology with remote control of the receiver for RTK surveying.
The
5800 receiver, specifically designed as a rover, is field-tested and rugged
enough to survive a drop of up to two meters to a hard surface. It is
lightweight, weighing just over 1.2 kgs, and able to be rod-mounted.
Offering maximum flexibility, the 5800 is compatible with a variety of
infrastructure solutions including field base stations, CORS reference
stations, and Virtual Reference Station (VRS(TM)) networks. With low power
consumption, Bluetooth capabilities, a patented four-point antenna feed, the
5800 is a truly exceptional receiver incorporating the best of 21st century
technology.
The TSCe controller and Bluecap module make it easy to
perform surveying work faster and smarter. Using the touch-screen stylus, users
can simply tap the graphic of the option they wish to select for maximum speed
and ease of use. The TSCe controller is ideal for data visualisation,
navigation, data selection, positioning, stakeout, and control work.
The dynamic interactivity of the TSCe controller means users receive more field
guidance and have greater control over the data they are working with since
they can see all data that has been collected or staked. As a result, omissions
and other mistakes are eliminated and a more complete and accurate survey is
produced. With the convenience and power of the TSCe controller, surveyors no
longer need a full PC in the field.
The 5800 RTK Rover with the TSCe
controller and Bluecap module can be ordered now through Trimble's Engineering
and Construction Division dealer network. Shipments are expected to begin in
early September 2002.
Stratos Selected by AOS to Provide Global Satellite Communication
Services to US DoD
(28 August 2002) Stratos has been selected by AOS Inc,
a provider of communication and security products, as its primary teaming
partner to fulfil the recently awarded Defense Information System Agency's
(DISA) contract No. DCA200-02-D-5024 for Inmarsat communication services.
Stratos has been engaged by AOS to provide immediate,
reliable, and direct world-wide connections for ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship
Inmarsat-A, M4, Aeronautical H+ and I telephone, voice and data communications,
as well as equipment, to the US Department of Defense and other government
agencies. The duration of the service contract is a three-year base period,
with seven one-year options.
This arrangement adds to Stratos' growing
portfolio of US agency clients. In December 2001, Stratos announced it won a
competitive bid to provide communication services to the United States Navy's
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR). In March 2002, Stratos
announced its selection as the prime subcontractor to provide Inmarsat-A
communication services to all US government agencies.
TRW
Wins US$ 119 Million US
Air Force Weather Systems Contract
(29 August 2002) TRW has been awarded a systems
engineering, management and sustainment services contract, potentially worth
US$ 119 million, from the Air Force Weather Agency, Offutt Air Force Base,
Nebraska. The new contract will help the agency provide a more complete weather
picture - from earth to space. AFWA supplies weather services and products
world-wide.
For the next five years, TRW will serve as
prime contractor providing systems engineering, management and sustainment
(SEMS) services to consolidate Air Force Weather system contracts to reduce the
costs of maintaining individual weather systems. The contract also calls for
TRW to modernise and enhance existing systems to enable AFWA to improve mission
support.
Work on the program is expected to begin in September in
Omaha, Nebraska.
The modernisation effort also benefits DoD civilians
and National Intelligence Community civilian agencies, by providing improved
tropical cyclone direction and intensity tracking, analyses of high-level
winds, and severe storm aircraft alerts.
Under related contracts in
its growing weather business, TRW integrates high-resolution weather analyses,
forecast models, and space weather applications into AFWA production systems
and deploys regional weather forecast systems for world-wide support to
battlefield theatres.
With headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, AFWA runs
the strategic centre for weather for the US Air Force and supplies all
weather-related information to the Air Force, Army and many civilian agencies.
AFWA derives information from satellites and other sources and analyses it to
provide predictions used by DoD, government agencies, and military units in the
field.
USAF's Electronic Systems Center Awards Titan US$ 29.9 Million
Milsatcom Terminals Technical Management Contract
(27 August 2002) Titan Systems Corporation
has been awarded a competitive contract by the US Air Force having a potential
value, with options if exercised, of US$ 29.9 million through December
2006.
Awarded by the Air Force's Electronic Systems
Center (ESC), headquartered at Hanscom AFB near Boston, Massachusetts, the
contract supports ESC's Information Technology Services Program needs for the
Air Force Milsatcom Terminals Program Office (ESC/MC).
ESC/MC is an
acquisition and integration organisation that provides effective tactical and
strategic satellite communications (Satcom) for airborne and ground
applications by developing, procuring, deploying and sustaining all US Air
Force satellite terminals. In addition, the ESC/MC supports satellite testing
with existing terminals, and is involved with planning for the development of
advanced narrowband, wideband and protected terminals.
Under this
award, Titan will provide technical and acquisition management support to
ESC/MC product areas and programs including the Airborne Integrated Terminal
Group (AITG), Multi-Band Multi-Mission Radio (MBMMR), Global Broadcast Service
(GBS), Ground Multi-Band Terminals (GMT), Defense Satellite Communications
System (DSCS), the Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals (FAB-T),
Secure Mobile Anti-Jam Reliable Tactical Terminals (SMART-T), as well as
Advanced Milsatcom planning to include Advanced Narrowband Systems/Mobile User
Objective System (ANS/MUOS) and Lasercom Terminal (LCT)/Advanced Wideband
Tactical Terminals. In addition, Titan will provide management and
administrative support to ESC/MC in the areas of business management, financial
management, training, logistics, configuration control and data
management.
NASA
Appoints Contour
Mission Investigation Team
NASA has announced that Chief Engineer Theron M
Bradley Jr will lead a team to investigate the apparent loss of the Contour
mission space probe. The investigation team will independently examine all
aspects of the Contour mission, which has been out of contact with controllers
at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) since a
scheduled engine firing on August 15.
In May, Bradley
joined the agency as Chief Engineer to provide independent technical review of
NASA's programs and projects.
The team will include a team of internal
NASA investigators from space science, as well as other aerospace disciplines,
and external experts with extensive experience in accident examinations. The
group is expected to report its initial findings to NASA Headquarters in six to
eight weeks.
Among the team members selected to work with Bradley are
retired Navy Admirals J. Paul Reason and Joseph Lopez.
On Aug. 15,
Contour's STAR 30 solid-propellant rocket motor was programmed to ignite at
4:49 a.m. EDT, giving Contour enough boost to escape Earth's orbit. At that
time, Contour was about 225 km above the Indian Ocean and out of radio contact
with controllers. The Contour mission operations team at APL expected to regain
contact at approximately 5:35 a.m. EDT to confirm the burn, but NASA's Deep
Space Network (DSN) antennas did not acquire a signal.
Since then,
there has been no contact with Contour. Commands pre-programmed into the
spacecraft's flight computer system, designed to instruct the spacecraft to try
various alternate methods of contacting Earth when contact is lost, also have
not worked to date.
Images from a Spacewatch ground-based telescope at
Kitt Peak, Arizona, show three objects at the location where Contour was
predicted to be, images which may indicate the spacecraft has broken apart.
Mission controllers at APL will continue listening for signals from the
spacecraft periodically until early December, when Contour will come into a
more favourable angle for receiving a signal from Earth.
Spectrum Astro to Build GLAST Spacecraft
(26 August 2002) Spectrum Astro has been
chosen by NASA to build the spacecraft for the Gamma-ray Large Area Space
Telescope (GLAST) Observatory. Spectrum Astro is responsible for the design and
manufacture of the 4,000 kg space vehicle, plus integration of the scientific
instruments and integration of the Observatory with the launch vehicle.
The contract, competitively awarded by the NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, is valued at US$ 107 million inclusive of
all contractual options.
GLAST, scheduled for a 2006 launch into
low-earth orbit, is a premier space-science experiment that will bridge the
fields of astronomy and particle physics in the study of black hole particle
jets and other high-energy phenomena using its two main instruments, the Large
Area Telescope (LAT) and the GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM).
GLAST is an
international collaboration of government agencies and academic institutions
from the United States, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Sweden. The LAT is a
joint project with NASA and the US Department of Energy. The LAT will be
constructed by Stanford University, the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, the
University of California, Santa Cruz, the Naval Research Laboratory, NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center, and the international partners.
NASA
Marshall Space Flight Center, along with the University of Alabama Huntsville
and Germany will build the GBM. The overall mission management resides at NASA
Goddard.
NASA
Selects Teams for
Development of Future Space Propulsion Applications
(30 August 2002) NASA's Office of Space
Science has announced that several advanced propulsion ideas have been selected
for development as part of a suite of in-space propulsion technologies.
Development of these technologies will provide giant steps in capability for
NASA to conduct future planetary missions, especially to the outer planets of
Jupiter and beyond.
The awards, part of the ISP Program,
cover four propulsion technology areas: Aerocapture, High-Power Electric
Propulsion for Nuclear Systems, Power Conversion Technologies for Nuclear
Electric Propulsion, and Solar Sails.
Aerocapture uses a planet's
atmosphere rather than an onboard propulsion system to slow a spacecraft to
capture into orbit about a planet. The reduction in fuel load for this braking
manoeuvre enables long-term orbital missions, rather than traditional planetary
fly-bys.
Nuclear electric propulsion - or the use of nuclear reactors
to generate heat, which is converted into electrical power for high-performance
electric thrusters - has the potential to greatly improve the capability,
sophistication and reach of future science missions. The development of high
power thrusters and power conversion systems are critical components to enable
future nuclear-electric propulsion systems.
Solar sails, consisting of
thin, lightweight membranes, could be propelled through space by sunlight, much
as wind pushes sailboats here on Earth. This lightweight, propellantless
alternative to heavy, onboard propulsion systems allows spacecraft to travel to
distant locations at reduced costs.
Beginning in fiscal year 2003, the
propulsion technologies unique to nuclear power systems will be managed under
NASA's Nuclear Systems Initiative (NSI), including the High-Power Electric
Propulsion (EP) and Power Conversion (PC) technologies.
The total
anticipated budget for High-Power EP and PC in fiscal 2002 is US$ 1 million,
US$ 16 million in fiscal 2003, and US$ 16 million in fiscal 2004, contingent on
budget approval. Total anticipated budget for proposed work in the Aerocapture
and Solar Sail areas under the ISP program in fiscal 2002 is US$ 2 million, US$
17 million in fiscal 2003, and US$ 18 million in fiscal 2004, contingent on
budget approval.
The ISP Program is managed by the Office of Space
Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington, and is implemented by the Marshall
Space Flight Center, Huntsville. The NSI is managed by the Office of Space
Science at NASA Headquarters, and the power conversion and electric propulsion
awards of NSI will be implemented by NASA's GRC. The ISP Program is supported
by NASA's ARC; GRC; JPL; Johnson Space Center, Houston; and LaRC.
NASA
Awards Payload
Processing Contract to Boeing Space Operations
(29 August 2002) NASA's John F Kennedy Space
Center in Florida has chosen Boeing Space Operations for the Checkout, Assembly
and Payload Processing Services (CAPPS) contract. CAPPS is the follow-on
contract to the Payload Ground Operations Contract that has been performed by
the Boeing Company since 1987.
CAPPS has a four-year
basic period of performance with a potential total contract period of 10 years
if NASA exercises all options for extensions. The value of the contract for the
initial four-year period is US$ 332 million. There are two three-year priced
options for a potential ten-year contract value of US$ 810 million.
The contract provides for management and technical support of payload
processing for the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, expendable
launch vehicles and other payload programs. Boeing will perform all aspects of
payload support, including the planning and receiving of payloads, payload
processing, maintenance of associated payload ground systems, integration of
payloads with the space shuttle, launch support and space shuttle post-landing
payload activities.
CAPPS is a cost-plus-performance and award-fee
contract with 75% of the available fee consisting of a performance award, tied
to contractor achievement of performance goals. The remaining 25% of available
fee is a basic award fee. The contract contains the flexibility to obtain
additional labour skills on a task order "indefinite delivery, indefinite
quantity" basis to meet short-term needs for government-led studies, analyses
and new technology development projects to support future programs and
initiatives not on the manifest.
The work is to be performed at
Kennedy; Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida; Vandenberg Air Force Base,
California; space shuttle landing sites; and at various payload-associated work
locations within and outside the United States.
Atlantic Bird 1, MSG-1
Launched: 28 August 2002
Site: CSG Kourou, French Guiana
Launcher:
Ariane 5
International Number: 2002-040A
Orbit: GEO, 12.5°
W
Name: Atlantic Bird 1
Owner: Eutelsat
Contractor: Alenia
Spazio
International Number: 2002-040B
Orbit: GEO, 0° E
Name: MSG-1
Owner: Eumetsat
Contractor: Alcatel Space Industries
Atlantic Bird 1 is a commercial communications satellite owned and
operated by Eutelsat. Weighing about 2,700 kg at liftoff, it carries 24 Ku band
transponders, and will provide coverage of Europe and the east coast of the
United States. Its design life is 15 years.
MSG-1 (Meteosat Second
Generation) is a meteorological satellite owned and operated by Eumetsat. MSG-1
carries two radiometers, a search and rescue payload and a communications
payload for the distribution of processed weather information. It has an
operational lifetime of 7 years.
The Spinning Enhanced Visible and
Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) will be able to measure the Earth's radiation in 12
different channels. Eight of the channels will be in the thermal infrared,
providing information about the temperatures of clouds, land and sea surfaces.
Using channels that absorb ozone, water vapour and carbon dioxide, MSG will
also allow meteorologists to analyse the characteristics of different air
masses, making it possible to construct a three-dimensional model of the
atmosphere. SEVIRI will be able to show details just 1 km across at visible
wavelengths and will send back one image every 15 minutes.
The second
radiometer, the Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget (GERB) experiment, will
measure solar radiation reflected by the atmosphere and thermal radiation
emitted by the Earth. By measuring the short wave and long wave radiation from
the planet every 15 minutes, GERB will enable scientists to calculate with high
accuracy the Earth's radiation budget- the balance between the incoming
radiation from the Sun and the radiation returned to space.
Aerojet to Acquire General Dynamics Space Propulsion
(26 August 2002)
Aerojet-General Corporation (Aerojet) has signed an agreement to acquire the
assets of General Dynamics' Ordnance and Tactical Systems Space Propulsion and
Fire Suppression business.
The cost of the acquisition,
approximately US$ 90 million in cash, will be financed using debt and is
expected to be slightly accretive to GenCorp's 2003 earnings. The acquired
business' net sales for 2002 are expected to be approximately US$ 60 million.
The transaction is projected to close in the fourth quarter of this year,
subject to receipt of standard regulatory approvals.
Located in
Redmond, Washington, the acquired business employs about 300 people. It will
continue to operate in Redmond as an integrated component of Aerojet's
operations.
Loral Commences Exchange Offer for Preferred Stock
(27 August 2002) Loral
Space and Communications has commenced an exchange offer for all of its
outstanding preferred stock as part of its ongoing strategy to reduce debt and
increase its financial flexibility.
Loral is offering to
exchange US$ 1.92 in cash and four shares of Loral common stock for each share
of its Series C and Series D preferred stock. The offer represents a total of
US$ 3.96 for each share of Series C and D preferred stock, based on today's
closing price of US$ 0.51 for Loral common stock.
As of June 30, 2002,
there were 8,084,174 outstanding shares of the Series C preferred stock and
3,391,688 outstanding shares of the Series D preferred stock. If all of the
preferred shares participate, Loral will exchange US$ 22 million in cash and
45.9 million common shares for preferred stock that has a liquidation
preference of US$ 574 million.
The offer is contingent on
participation of a minimum of 50%, in the aggregate, of all outstanding shares
of the two series of preferred stock.
The offer extends to all
outstanding shares of the Series C and D Preferred issues, and remains open
until 12:00 a.m. midnight, New York City time, September 25, 2002, unless
extended.
In connection with this financial strategy, Loral's Board of
Directors has approved a plan to suspend indefinitely the future payment of
dividends on its two series of preferred stock. Accordingly, Loral will defer
the payment of quarterly dividends due on its Series C preferred stock on
November 1, 2002, and its Series D preferred stock on November 15, 2002.
Dividends on the two series will continue to accrue.
SES
Americom Invests in
ISAT Platform
(27
August 2002) SES Americom is acquiring approximately 20% of Florida-based
Internet Satellite Platform Inc, ISAT, a leading provider of satellite-based
Internet connection solutions to ISPs, Data CLECs and rural cable operators.
Terms of the investment were not disclosed.
ISAT's
ISP-based services in North and South America are designed as a wholesale
offering and will be supported by Americom's hybrid AMC-6 satellite located at
72° W with high-powered Ku band coverage of North America. Launched in
2000, AMC-6 is the fifth hybrid in Americom's fleet and is optimised to serve
the enterprise, Internet/ISP, VSAT, and media markets.
ISAT's platform
is designed to optimise the structural economics of satellite and Internet
access to offer a highly cost-effective, private label, one-stop solution to
service providers interested in offering broadband Internet access in
geographies that are not covered by terrestrial access infrastructure. In
addition to providing the service delivery functionality, ISAT offers a full
service billing and fulfilment platform, accessible by the service providers
through the Internet.
Aloha Networks Introduces New Members of the SkyDSL Network
Family
(26 August
2002) Aloha Networks Inc has begun shipments of the newest members of its
SkyDSL family: the SkyDSL SAMA Receiver - AL300, and the SkyDSL Router - AL 50.
Aloha also announces product evaluation kits are immediately available with
volume product shipments beginning in September 2002.
As
part of Aloha's SkyDSL Network family, these products support over 60,000 users
per satellite transponder at full return channel bandwidth of 129 kb/s per user
over existing Ku band satellites. The SkyDSL Network provides cost-effective,
high-performance, two-way Internet Over Satellite access to businesses and
underserved global markets.
The SkyDSL Network uses the patented SAMA
(Spread ALOHA Multiple Access) technology to alleviate the return channel
bottleneck. Aloha's connectionless technology significantly improves on
connected protocols such as TDMA and CDMA to reduce latency and enable an 8x
improvement in throughput and number of accesses.
SAMA, which is the
application of spread spectrum coding to traditional narrowband Aloha protocol,
creates connectionless sessions with fewer delays resulting in high performance
with minimal latency. All told, this results in a significant improvement in
return channel efficiency that allows for more users at a lower cost.
Designed to connect thousands of remote sites, the SkyDSL SAMA Receiver (AL300)
resides at the teleport site and connects directly to the Internet through its
Ethernet ports. The product is Network Management System ready and is fully
accessible through a variety of input devices. Located at the remote sites,
each SkyDSL Router (AL50), which also doubles as a network router, supports up
to one hundred users either through a wired or wireless LAN.
Remote Scheduling from Kingston inmedia Gives Channel Owners
Unprecedented Control
(29 August 2002) Kingston inmedia is launching a new
remote scheduling capability for playout customers at IBC 2002.
Kingston inmedia's in-house designed remote scheduling
system allows a channel owner to adjust a schedule from the production office
with just a PC and an ISDN 128k connection. The remote scheduling enhancement
to Kingston inmedia's digital playout system includes the following
features:
Ideal for shopping channels facing either stock sell-outs or slow moving stock. A shopping channel can even make changes to the schedule to reflect changing weather conditions, topical events or the surprise success of a sports team or personality.
Skycasters and Hughes Global Announce New Self-Contained Satellite
Internet And Data Service
(26 August 2002) Skycasters and Hughes Global Services
(HGS) have announced the immediate availability of the 4020 Self-Contained
Satellite Internet Data Service.
The 4020 is a new,
inexpensive and simple to operate broadband satellite Internet service solution
for business customers. It provides a stand-alone Ethernet interface, which
supports any IP/Ethernet enabled device. The new Skycasters 4020 service
solution is important because it allows cost effective broadband solutions
similar to DSL or cable modem service, with multiple public IP addresses, to be
deployed in areas where there are no low cost terrestrial-based, high-speed
services available. The solution is based upon the Hughes Network Systems'
DirecWay satellite Internet service and runs exclusively over the Skycasters
private satellite network.
Available to small business customers only
through Skycasters, the 4020 service solution is completely non-intrusive to
the existing network and requires no user intervention and no software to be
loaded on customer owned equipment. The 4020 offers the latest in satellite
technology providing broadband internet and VPN connections to PC's, local area
networks (LAN) or other IP enabled devices including point-of-sale systems,
credit-card authorisation, time-clocks, etc. The 4020 service solution provides
performance and monthly service costs comparable to business DSL or Cable
solutions.
The 4020 service solution is available to Government
customers exclusively through HGS.
The 4020 ships with inexpensive
outdoor satellite equipment that includes a small (less than 1 meter) 2-way
send/receive dish transceiver, along with the 4020 small-footprint, indoor
satellite modem equipment. The 4020 indoor unit connects directly to a computer
network, individual computers, or other devices. The system provides connection
speeds of up to more than 384 kb/s and is bundled with multiple static-public
IP addresses, firewall, on-site support and many other features.
Fantastic Announces Management Addition
(30 August 2002) The Fantastic Corporation
has appointed Soeren Lindkvist as Vice President Marketing and Services
starting September 2, 2002.
The assignment of Soeren
Lindkvist includes recruitment, licensing, training and coaching of additional
application partners and system integrators for Fantastic products. In his job
he will be responsible for all professional and customer support services, the
media applications and services group, IT, FirmNET, as well as product
management and the whole marketing activities for Fantastic.
He
started his career as a Corporate Product Marketing Manager for the
Scandinavian Airline System. Later he held Sales Manager positions in Unisys
and Oracle Denmark and in 1994 he became CEO of Sybase Denmark. In November
1998, the Sybase consulting division was merged into Corebit A/S where Soeren
was co-founder and Vice President Sales and Marketing. After Corebit A/S he
changed at the end of 2000 to IconMedialab International in London as Senior
Vice President Sales and Marketing prior to joining Enterprise Software/ASP
Solutions where he worked until now.
New
Director Named for JSC
Space and Life Sciences Directorate
(27 August 2002) On September 9, Dr Jeffrey Davis will
assume the duties of director, Space and Life Sciences Directorate, at NASA's
Johnson Space Center, Houston.
The current director, Dr
Dafydd (Dave) Rhys Williams, is returning to his duties as an active Canadian
Space Agency astronaut to prepare for a future spaceflight assignment. He first
flew in space in 1998 on STS-90, the Neurolab science research mission.
Davis has held the position of deputy associate administrator for crew
health and safety at NASA Headquarters since July 2001. Since then, he has
divided his time between NASA and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)
in Galveston, Texas, under an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) that allows
him to be "on loan" from UTMB to contribute his expertise in the area of space
medicine development. He will continue to work under the IPA in his new
position, serving 80% of his time at JSC and NASA Headquarters, and 20% of his
time co-ordinating and administrating the UTMB Preventive Medicine Residency
Program and Corporate Health Consortium.
Davis served at JSC from 1984
to 1991 in a variety of positions, including flight surgeon, chief of the
Flight Medicine Clinic and chief of the Medical Operations Branch. He served as
corporate medical director for American Airlines from 1991 to 1994.
Davis earned his bachelor's degree at Stanford University, his medical degree
at the University of California at San Diego and his master's degree in
aerospace medicine at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
