Officials at Lockheed Martin Space
Operations announced that its Consolidated Space Operations Contract (CSOC) is
scheduled to open the first in a series of CSOC-sponsored storefronts at
Prairie View A & M University (PVAMU), Prairie View, Texas, on Sept. 6, 2001.

CSOC’s storefront program involves setting up a mentoring environment near
or on selected university campuses, where students are then trained and hired
to perform software engineering work under the supervision of CSOC and one of
its subcontractor companies.

“The work will not only provide students with real world, corporate
experience, but it will generate substantial savings to NASA in software
sustainment costs as a result of lower labor costs,” said Dr. Doug Tighe,
program manager for CSOC. “In addition, we hope that as a result of their
exposure to this type of work, students will seriously explore the career
opportunities available in the space industry upon graduation.”

The universities being targeted by the CSOC program are Historically Black
College/Universities (HBCU’s) and Minority Educational Institutions (MEI’s).
These specific universities are targeted to support NASA’s goal of having 1%
of all prime and subcontractor monies directed to support HBCU’s and MEI’s.

Each CSOC-sponsored storefront will be managed by one of the contract’s
Small or Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs) as part of NASA’s Mentor-Protege
program. The Mentor-Protege program fosters the development of Small
Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB) qualified to participate as a subcontractor or
supplier on our country’s major space contracts. The program provides a
congressionally recognized framework through which major prime contractors and
subcontractors can enhance the capabilities and involvement of SDBs.
Currently, 16 of the 40 subcontractors on the CSOC contract are SDBs.

The SDB involved in PVAMU’s storefront is Cimarron, a woman-owned business
located in Houston.

“The storefront program will enable CSOC to foster strategic alliances
with the colleges and universities, specifically the HBCUs and MEIs, in the
geographic districts near our CSOC NASA centers,” said Nancy Patterson, (JSC
Engineering Director for CSOC).
“It’s a win-win situation for CSOC, our SDBs,
NASA, the universities and its students.”

A second CSOC storefront is currently being initiated in Huntsville, AL
and other future locations are being considered.

CSOC is a $3-billion-plus contract awarded by NASA to Lockheed Martin, who
serves as the prime contractor to provide end-to-end space operations Mission
and Data Services to both NASA and non-NASA customers. CSOC manages NASA’s
data collection, telemetry and communications operations that support
Earth-orbiting satellites, planetary exploration, and human space flight
activities. Services include data acquisition from spacecraft, data
transmission to end-users, data processing and storage, ground and space
communications, and mission control center operations.

Lockheed Martin Space Operations, a business unit of Lockheed Martin
Technology Services headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, is a
high-technology company with about 4,000 engineers, scientists and support
personnel.
Services include data collection, telemetry, and communication
operations support for NASA; software and hardware engineering for the Space
Shuttle and International Space Station; mission operations and planning
systems design, development, and integration; and human life sciences
research.