ITT Supports Successful Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Insertion
20 Mars 2006 - 10:24PM
PR Newswire (US)
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- ITT Industries, Inc.
(NYSE: ITT) Deep Space Network (DSN) Operations & Maintenance
team successfully supported the Mars Orbit Insertion for one of
NASA's newest exploration missions, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
(MRO). With approximately 100 employees at three NASA/Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) locations in California, the ITT team
and JPL planned and executed the DSN support strategy using the DSN
70-meter antenna at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex
near Barstow, CA, culminating in the spacecraft's successful entry
into Mars orbit earlier this month. The MRO carries instruments for
studying Mars to identify water-related deposits, radar to probe
for buried ice and water, a weather camera to monitor the planet
and an infrared sounder to monitor atmospheric temperatures and the
movement of water vapor. "This spacecraft will return more data
than all previous Mars missions combined," said Jim Graf, project
manager for Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. ITT's DSN team also supports ongoing deep
space missions such as the recent Stardust comet spacecraft's
return to earth and the Cassini probe's discovery of liquid water
on Saturn's moon Enceladus. "ITT is proud to support the varied
missions of NASA's Deep Space Program, which will help to unlock
some of the universe's deeply held secrets," said Pete McKinney,
president ITT's Systems Division. ITT provides, on a worldwide
basis, select Government, commercial and international customers
with value-added, total systems solutions for turn-key satellite
earth terminals, air and missile defense, communications, command
and control, range, spacelift and surveillance needs, and equipment
and facilities maintenance, which includes service life extension
and full logistics life cycle support. About ITT Industries, Inc.
ITT Industries, Inc. (http://www.itt.com/) supplies advanced
technology products and services in key markets including: fluid
and water management including water treatment; defense
communication, opto-electronics, information technology and
services; electronic interconnects and switches; and other
specialty products. Headquartered in White Plains, NY, the company
generated $7.4 billion in 2005 sales. In addition to the New York
Stock Exchange, ITT Industries stock is traded on the Pacific,
Paris, London and Frankfurt exchanges. DATASOURCE: ITT Industries,
Inc. CONTACT: Bob Hammerle, +1-719-637-4175, , or Tom Glover,
+1-914-641-2160, , both of ITT Industries, Inc. Web site:
http://www.itt.com/
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