AF, NASA add National Reconnaissance Office to partnership agreement

AF, NASA add National Reconnaissance Office to partnership agreement

Released: 15 Dec 1998

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFPN) -- Air Force Space Command and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration recently included the National Reconnaissance Office as a full partner on the partnership council they established in February 1997.

The purpose of the council is to find ways to save money, reduce risk and integrate planning efforts in areas of mutual interest.

The council members -- Daniel Goldin, NASA administrator; Keith Hall, NRO director; and Gen. Richard B. Myers, commander of AFSPC -- met in Washington to sign the agreement in Washington. At the meeting they reviewed the status of their collaborative efforts and explored opportunities to implement the nation's space program effectively and efficiently.

Partnership council initiatives are already beginning to bear fruit. One example, reviewed at this meeting, is the Joint Base Operations and Support Contract, which integrates support services at Cape Canaveral Air Station, Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., under one contract. The J-BOSC contract, which began operations Oct. 1, consolidates 18 contracts into one, significantly streamlining support operations at the installations.

The council also reviewed joint efforts during the recent Leonid meteor shower. The cooperation demonstrated during the shower will be used as a model in preparation for next year's peak solar geomagnetic activity known as Solar Max.

The partners also reviewed and undertook efforts for future collaboration including the search for Earth-crossing asteroids, space transportation, launch range modernization and technology cooperation. Space technology cooperation is largely coordinated through a subgroup, the Space Technology Alliance, which works to integrate technology investment throughout four government agencies.

Goldin, Hall and Myers were unanimous in their support of the council's efforts and the promise it holds for achieving the nation's goals in space. "The partnership council offers a unique and superb forum for addressing common space-related issues and concerns while stimulating initiatives that will reap great benefits and great savings for our respective organizations and our nation," said Myers. (Courtesy of AFSPC News Service)