PHASE II CONTRACT TO STUDY FLEXIBLE TRANSPIRATION COOLED TPS CONCEPTS FOR BALLUTE RE-ENTRY CAPABILITIES AWARDED TO ANDREWS SPACE, INC.

Seattle, WA,  October 9, 2006  Andrews Space, Inc. (Andrews) announced today that it has been awarded a $600,000 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase II contract from NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) to perform a study entitled "Flexible Transpiration Cooled Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) for Inflatable Atmospheric Capture & Entry Systems".  These concepts are directly applicable to ballute technologies, which Andrews is in the process of developing.  The contract is an extension of the Phase I study Andrews completed in July 2006.

A ballute is a pressure-stabilized, inflatable membrane that provides a large, blunt, high-drag surface for aero-braking systems.  Ballutes offer significant advantages over rigid shells for aerocapture and re-entry of spacecraft by providing simplified packaging and lower total weight.

During the Phase II SBIR, Andrews will develop and perform tests for a prototype TPS that is cooled by gas flow through an inflatable membrane during re-entry.  Material tests will be conducted in an arcjet chamber to simulate the high heating conditions experienced during reentry into Earth's atmosphere.  The transpiration cooled membrane will allow ballutes to use thinner material stacks and existing material technologies by lowering the effective heat flux to the fabric.    Experimental data will be used to refine the ballute design and develop a concept to enable larger operational systems.

"Ballutes offer substantial performance advantages for planetary capture and entry systems.  We are excited to help advance the state of the art to enable future spacecraft to include a ballute as a design solution," said Eric Wetzel, Andrews Director of Engineering.

The SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs provide an opportunity for small, high technology companies and research institutions to participate in government- sponsored research and development efforts in key technology areas.

About the Company

Andrews Space, Inc. was founded in 1999 to be a catalyst in the commercialization and development of space.  The company is an affordable integrator of aerospace systems and developer of advanced space technologies.  To learn more, please visit: www.andrews-space.com.