Wednesday, June 1, 2011

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated May 31, 2011

Asian Defense News:
DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated May 31, 2011
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - June 1, 2011: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued May 31, 2011 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

NAVY

CH2M Hill, Inc., Virginia Beach, Va., is being awarded a maximum amount $170,000,000 cost-plus-award-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineering contract for comprehensive long-term environmental action services on Navy and Marine Corps installations at various Department of Defense sites in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic area of responsibility. The work to be performed provides for architectural and engineering services to provide program management and technical environmental services in support of the Department of the Navy's Environmental Restoration Program, Munition's Response Program, and other similar programs at any Navy and Marine Corps activity in the area of responsibility covered by NAVFAC Atlantic. Task order 0001 is being awarded at $780,194 for architect engineering services at the Program Management Office in Virginia Beach, Va. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by March 2012. Work will be performed in the mid-Atlantic region including, but not limited to, Virginia (30 percent); North Carolina (25 percent); Maryland (10 percent); West Virginia (5 percent); and Washington, D.C. (5 percent). Also included are Vieques, Puerto Rico (24 percent), and to a lesser extent, some overseas locations in Europe (1 percent). Work is expected to be completed by May 2016. Contract funds in the amount of $780,194 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with two proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N62470-11-D-8012).

Insitu, Inc., Bingen, Wash., is being awarded a $45,967,010 firm-fixed-price-contract to provide deployment services and flight hours in support of the ScanEagle Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). These services will provide electro-optical/infra red and mid-wave infrared imagery in support of Marine Corps operations in Operation Enduring Freedom, and will encompass both the operations and maintenance of the ScanEagle UAS to provide real-time imagery and data to USMC personnel. Work will be performed in Bingen, Wash., and is expected to be completed in May 2012. Contract funds in the amount of $45,967,010 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-2. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-11-C-0061).

Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $44,007,792 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-11-C-0026) for the development, integration, and flight test support for the AIM-9X System Improvement Program, for the Navy, Air Force, and the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates; Singapore; Korea, and Turkey. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be completed in December 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $832,400 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Navy ($15,402,727; 35 percent); Air Force ($15,402,727; 35 percent); and Saudi Arabia ($4,620,818; 10.5 percent), the United Arab Emirates ($4,620,818; 10.5 percent), Singapore ($1,320,234; 3 percent), Korea ($1,320,234; 3 percent), and Turkey ($1,320,234; 3 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

BAE Systems Land and Armaments, Inc., Santa Clara, Calif., is being awarded $18,483,666 for firm-fixed-price delivery order #0012 under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (M67854-09-D-5026) for the procurement of Marine Corps transparent armored gun shields, and battery-operated motorized traversing units, in support of the program manager, Motor Transportation. Work will be performed in Santa Clara, Calif., and is expected to be completed by December 2011. Contract funds will not expire by the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

EDO (ITT), Arlington, Va., is being awarded $10,161,832 for task order #0013 under previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (M67854-05-A-5180). The scope of this effort is to obtain the services of qualified instructors to provide instructor-led training support to the Global Combat Support System - Marine Corps/Logistics Chain Management Increment 1 Program. This effort will include the capability to travel to locations inside and outside the United States; load software updates and configure the provided mobile training suite training devices; conduct a series of comprehensive classroom and virtual classroom training classes; schedule training events; track and report training results and effectiveness; and measure trainee comprehension. It will also require experience in revising curriculum in response to issues discovered during the conduct of training. Work will be performed in Quantico, Va., and is expected to be completed in May 2012. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, VA, is the contracting activity.

JDS Uniphase Corp., Germantown, Md., is being awarded a $9,100,000 firm-fixed-price requirements contract for manufacture of bit error rate testers to support the general purpose electronic test equipment weapons system. Work will be performed in Guadalajara, Mexico, and is expected to be completed by May 2016. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with five companies solicited and one offer received. The Naval Inventory Control Point, Mechanicsburg, Pa., is the contracting activity (N00104-11-D-D005).

CEIA USA, Ltd., Twinsburg, Ohio, was awarded on May 26 a $7,028,964 firm-fixed-price contract for the purchase of 1124 carbon rod detectors with associated repair parts and training. The detector is a hand-held metal detector system with an additional sensor capable of detecting the zinc-carbon rod battery core from standard low-cost D-cells. It is a compact, collapsible battery-powered system designed to detect metal in conductive and non-conductive soils. Work will be performed in Twinsburg, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by May 2012. Contract funds will not expire by the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-11-C-5080).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

CFM International, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded a firm-fixed-price contract with a maximum $10,608,048 providing aircraft fan blade sets. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Air Force. The date of performance completion is December 2011. The Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (SPRTA1-11-G-0001-0004).

CORRECTION: Defense Logistics Agency contract SPRTA1-11-G-0001-0004, announced in news release 259-11, was not awarded on March 31, 2011.



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DTN News - INDIA NEWS: Another Hawk Anti-Corruption Crusader Baba Ramdev Taking Government By Storm

Asian Defense News: DTN News - INDIA NEWS: Another Hawk Anti-Corruption Crusader Baba Ramdev Taking Government By Storm
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 1, 2011:
The government's efforts to get Baba Ramdev to call off his fast against corruption seem to have fallen through. Having turned down Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's appeal, yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who landed in New Delhi on Wednesday, said his fast-unto-death in the capital from June 4 over the issues of black money and corruption would go as planned, saying "until there is an agreement on all issues with the government", he would not relent.

"Over one crore people from across the nation will take part in our satyagraha in Delhi," Baba Ramdev said after having the first round of meeting with government emissaries in the capital.
Expressing satisfaction over the 'extensive discussion', Baba Ramdev said, "There were agreements on some issues. But until an agreement is reached on all issues, our fast will continue. Our demands include bringing back black money stashed away in tax havens, effective mechanism to stop wide-spread corruption, a public service delivery guarantee system and fast-track courts to deliver justice in time."

"Our motto is not to terrify the government. Neither are we against any individual or party," said the yoga guru, adding the government should announce the black money deposited abroad as the 'national property'.

Three cabinet ministers, Kapil Sibal, Pawan Kumar Bansal and Subodh Kant Sahay went to receive him at the Delhi airport as he arrived from Ujjain.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee too reached the airport soon after to hold a meeting with the yoga guru to convince him that the government was doing enough to tackle corruption so that he did not launch his June 4 fast.

But emerging after the meeting, Union HRD and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said the meeting with the Baba has not gone as the government expected. Sibal said another meeting would take place in two days' time.

On Tuesday, Manmohan had appealed to the yoga guru to call off his proposed fast-unto-death. "This is not a personal issue. We all agree with Ramdev that corruption is a big problem and that we are committed to tackle it with all the resources at our disposal," Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan, promising to find with him "pragmatic" solution to tackle the scourge of corruption. On Wednesday, the yoga guru turned down the prime minister's plea.

Meanwhile, the BJP has come out in support of the Baba. On Tuesday, party president Nitin Gadkari wrote to the prime minister asking him to open a meaningful dialogue with him.
Gadkari said the United Progressive Alliance government had promised effective steps to tackle the black money issue within 100 days of assuming office. But nothing much has been done. There is popular resentment on this issue and the government should accept Baba Ramdev's just and reasonable demand.

Baba Ramdev Related;

  1. Ramdev rejects govt's plea, says fast over graft to go as planned


    India Today - 1 hour ago
    Baba Ramdev says over one crore people from across the nation will take part in the satyagraha. Thegovernment's efforts to get Baba Ramdev to call off his ...
    No headway in govt's attempts to placate Ramdev- IBNLive.com
    Yoga guru Baba Ramdev dismisses PM's call to halt fast- Economic Times
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    The Hindu
  2. Ramdev says fast on schedule, rejects ministers' plea


    Deccan Herald - 5 minutes ago
    "I am sure that as we are a responsive government, we will take (up) all those issues ... Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sent a letter to Baba Ramdev Tuesday ...
  3. The formidable challenges Anna Hazare's team faces


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    There is something cooking between yoga guru Baba Ramdev [ Images ] and the government. There is no way, a person who wants to fight corruption seriously, ...
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  4. Govt bid to put figure to black money


    Times of India - 2 days ago
    The two moves have been announced days before an anti-corruption protest is to be launched by yoga guru Baba Ramdev. The UPA government has faced strong ...
    Govt links up top think-tanks for new study on black money- Hindustan Times
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    Daily Bhaskar
  5. Baba Ramdev's fast against graft from June 4


    Times of India - 21 May 2011
    NEW DELHI: Taking the fight against corruption to the next level, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev will go on a fast-unto-death against graft from June 4. ...
    UPA warms up to Ramdev: tax chief briefs him, Kamal Nath vows support- Expressindia.com
    PM serious about recovering black money shashed abroad: Baba Ramdev- India Today
    Kamal Nath joins Ramdev's fight against corruption- Mangalorean.com
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    SamayLive
  6. BJP backs keeping prime minister under Lokpal's purview


    Mangalorean.com - 1 day ago
    But when the government talks to us in a well thought manner, we will talk to them ... The party also supported yoga guru Baba Ramdev's planned 'satyagraha' ...
  7. Centre fails to mollify Ramdev, fast plan on


    Times of India - Abantika Ghosh - 5 days ago
    NEW DELHI: Baba Ramdev has snubbed the government's peace overtures, and would go ahead with his indefinite hunger strike from June 4 against bringing back ...
  8. Phone tapping powers still with CBDT: Chandra


    Business Standard - 18 hours ago
    Asked about yoga guru Baba Ramdev's statement to go on hunger strike over the ... and constructive ideas should be considered by the government,” he said. ...

    Business Standard
  9. Ramdev VS Anna Hazare - Unmatched questions


    Times of Assam - 6 days ago
    Anna Hazare replaced Baba Ramdev, just like Gandhi had replaced Maharishi Aravinda. The people applauded the Government for agreeing to the Jan Lokpal in ...
    Hazare issues fresh warning to Centre- Express Buzz
    Bangalore: Anna takes on politicos- Mangalorean.com
    all 163 news articles »

    The Hindu
  10. Baba Ramdev meets Pranab, Sibal; refuses to call off fast against ...


    NDTV.com - 1 hour ago
    New Delhi: Baba Ramdev has refused to call off his fast against corruption. He says the fast would begin on June 4 if the government does not meet his

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DTN News - NASA NEWS: Why NASA Chose Potentially Threatening Asteroid For New Mission

Asian Defense News: DTN News - NASA NEWS: Why NASA Chose Potentially Threatening Asteroid For New Mission
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 31, 2011:
When it comes to visiting asteroids, NASA doesn't pick run-of-the-mill space rocks. The target of NASA's latest asteroid mission is not only thought to be rich in the building blocks of life, it also has a chance — although a remote one — of threatening Earth in the year 2182.

The asteroid 1999 RQ36 is the target of a new unmanned spacecraft, which NASA plans to launch in 2016 to collect a sample from the space rock and return it to Earth by 2023.

The mission's leaders spent a long time surveying possible destinations for the mission, and finally settled on 1999 RQ36. NASA calls the mission OSIRIS-Rex, which is short for Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer.

"We went through a whole series of selection criteria," OSIRIS-Rex's deputy principal investigator Dante Lauretta, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona, told SPACE.com. "There are over 500,000 asteroids known. [1999 RQ36] looks really optimum." [Video: The OSIRIS-Rex Mission to 1999 RQ36]

A potentially dangerous asteroid

In addition to digging up clues about our solar system's history, the OSIRIS-Rex mission may be able to help Earth fend off potentially deadly space rocks. That's because asteroid 1999 RQ36 — which is about 1,900 feet (580 meters) wide — is public enemy No. 1 for space rock scientists.

"1999 RQ36 has the highest probability of impacting the Earth of any known Potentially Hazardous Asteroid," according to a mission proposal submitted to NASA by the OSIRIS-Rex in 2009. [Infographic: How NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Mission Works]

A recent calculation found that the asteroid has a 1-in-1,800 chance of hitting Earth in the year 2170, and a 1-in-1,000 chanceof slamming into us in 2182.

While those are slim odds, they put 1999 RQ36 at the top of the danger list.

"I wouldn't go buy asteroid insurance," Lauretta said. "We're OK for 150 years or so. We're not saving the Earth from immediate danger."

Still, he said studying the asteroid and its orbit up close could help us better predict the risk, and outline a strategy to protect ourselves if necessary. [Photos: Asteroids in Deep Space]

One reason the likelihood of Earth impact can't be better predicted is because scientists don't fully understand the Yarkovsky effect, which causes asteroids to accelerate slightly when they absorb sunlight and then re-emit it as heat.

"[1999 RQ36's] orbit is currently well known because of optical and radar data but the long-term motion is less well understood because of the poorly defined Yarkovsky effect," said Donald Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office, who is not directly involved with the OSIRIS-Rex mission. "This mission should allow a much better understanding of these effects once the asteroid's size, mass, rotation characteristics and thermal properties are studied."

Target: Asteroid 1999 RQ36

One of the most attractive features of asteroid 1999 RQ36 for scientists is its size: It is as large as five football fields, which means it won't be spinning too fast when OSIRIS-Rex approaches. The asteroid should also have a large supply of lose dirt, or regolith, on its surface for easy sampling.

1999 RQ36 is thought to be carbonaceous, or rich in carbon and organic material, and likely to contain some of the building blocks of life, such as the amino acids used to build the proteins vital to life on Earth.

"We cannot tell from telescopes exactly what kind of material, but we believe it's the sort of stuff that came in through the Earth's atmosphere after liquid oceans first formed, perhaps by 4.45 billion years ago, and provided those building blocks," said OSIRIS-Rex principal investigator Mike Drake of the University of Arizona, during a news conference yesterday (May 25).

In fact, the asteroid is a primitive B-class carbonaceous asteroid, a class that has never been studied up close by a spacecraft before, and should provide an unprecedented opportunity to learn about the history of the solar system and the origin of life on Earth.

The material inside 1999 RQ36 is thought to date to the very formation of our solar system around 4.56 billion years ago. While the space rock now orbits relatively near Earth — making it a convenient target for visiting — scientists think it is a fragment of an even larger asteroid that collided with another rock in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, a few million years ago.

Building on asteroid successes

The OSIRIS-Rex mission is not NASA's first mission to an asteroid, but it will be the first U.S. probe to retrieve samples and return them to Earth. Only Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft, which returned samples of the asteroid Itokawa to Earth in June 2010 after a seven-year journey, has performed a similar feat.

NASA has sent probes to visit asteroids before. The agency's NEAR spacecraft rendezvoused with the asteroid Eros and ultimately touched down on that space rock at the end of its mission in February 2001.

NASA's Dawn probe, meanwhile, is nearing the asteroid Vesta — the second-largest space rock in the asteroid belt. Dawn will orbit Vesta for many months, then head off to visit Ceres, the largest asteroid in the solar system.

But the NEAR and Dawn missions are only visiting asteroids. OSIRIS-Rex will bring pieces back home. And that has scientists brimming with anticipation.

"Asteroid 1999 RQ36 is a perfect target for sample return and I can't wait to see the exciting results from both the in situ science activities and the sample return analysis," Yeomans said.

You can follow SPACE.com Senior Writer Clara Moskowitz on Twitter @ClaraMoskowitz.Managing editor Tariq Malik contributed to this report. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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