WASHINGTON -- NASA has awarded a contract with a maximum value of $273 million to Barrios Technology, Ltd., of Houston for International Space Station mission integration services support.

This is a fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract that includes a base period of more than five years and two one-year options. The base period, from Oct. 1, 2010, to Dec. 31, 2015, is valued at $185.5 million. Option 1, from Jan. 1, 2016, to Dec. 31, 2016, is valued at approximately $42.7 million. Option 2, from Jan. 1, 2017, to Dec. 31, 2017, is valued at $45 million.

Barrios Technology will provide support for engineering and technical services required to support the International Space Station Program. This includes products and services for space station mission planning; integration and operations; international partner integration; and Russian language and logistics services.

WASHINGTON -- NASA senior managers met with their counterparts representing other space agencies at the National Harbor, Md., on June 23, to discuss globally-coordinated human and robotic space exploration.

The meeting participants agreed that significant progress has been made since the joint release of The Global Exploration Strategy (GES) in May 2007. They agreed steps should be taken to coordinate a long-term space exploration vision that is sustainable and affordable.

The meeting included representatives from the Italian Space Agency, the French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, China National Space Administration, Canadian Space Agency, German Aerospace Center, European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, NASA, National Space Agency of Ukraine, Russian Federal Space Agency and the U.K. Space Agency.

Lou McFadin, W5DID reported that ARISSat-1 is currently undergoing assembly and testing procedures in Orlando, Florida. In preparation for delivery of the ARISSat-1 flight unit to Russia in July continuous operation testing of flight components was started and has gone well.

The next milestone includes completing thermal vacuum testing followed by vibration testing at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia prior to shipping the flight version of ARISSat-1 to Russia for the ride up to the ISS on a supply mission.

The ARRISat-1 Guided Tour video produced at Dayton Hamvention 2010 and the latest photos and information can be viewed on-line at: http://arissat1.org/

SpaceDaily.com reported this week that ESA's Columbus module maritime Automatic Identification System (AIS)aboard the International Space Station was switched on. The AIS antenna, mounted externally on the Columbus module, was fabricated by AMSAT and ARISS member Lou McFadin, W5DID and the US ARISS team. The team has also fabricated a nearly-identical twin amateur band antenna for ARISS. The ARISS antenna will be used when the Ericsson amateur radio gear is activated in early 2011.

ESA reported receiving more than 90,000 Class A AIS messages during a 14 hour test between 1900 GMT on 2 June and 0900 GMT on 3 June. This generated a global view of maritime traffic as the ISS orbit crosses all major shipping lanes.

It's an amazing scene: A NASA space shuttle rocketing into space while U.S. Air Force pilots watch from their airborne F-15E Strike Eagle jet fighter. The stunning snapshot was taken May 14 as NASA's shuttle Atlantis soared into orbit on its final scheduled mission.

Air Force Capt. John Peltier took the photograph from a separate aircraft. In the photo, Lt. Col. Gabriel Green and Capt. Zachary Bartoe patrol the airspace around NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., in the foreground while Atlantis streaks spaceward, leaving a white exhaust plume in its wake.

http://www.sp

Topics in this report:
1. Upcoming School Contacts
2. Japanese Club Talks to ISS via ARISS Contact
3. ARISS Web Page Links to DLN Module
4. ARISSat Safety Review to be Held
5. AMSAT Covers ARISS Antennas

1. Upcoming School Contacts
Summer camp "Astronauts in Forest," Perugia, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, July 2 at 19:50 UTC via telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium. The camp teaches youth why it is necessary to study and protect the environment. It explains that space research is very important for the future of our planet and younger generations and it also initiates the children in the use of scientific instruments.