Is there a NASA contracting story in your orbit?

Business Journalim.org: Is there a NASA contracting story in your orbit?

The big news Friday that astronaut Mark Kelly will command space shuttle Endeavor in April got me to thinking about the plight of contractors to the waning NASA program.


Photo credit: Aerospace Blog
The April flight may be the last for the shuttle, following the planned February 24 launch of the shuttle Discovery, which was just moved to its launch pad in anticipation of its final chance to soar. (A possible final flight in June for shuttle Atlantis hasn’t received its funding appropriation yet.)

Discovery’s launch a few weeks from now might be a good peg for checking on any jobs or revenue toll in your area related to the winding down of the NASA shuttle program. While shuttle activities are clustered in Florida, at the Kennedy Space Center, and in Houston’s mission control operations, contractors and suppliers to NASA exist nationwide and may well be in your market.

While Wikipedia isn’t my source of choice, the site does publish a handy list of Top 100 NASA contractors; clicking on the hyperlinks finds company operations ranging from California to Connecticut; check the list for local ties. If your state has a defense contracting trade group, check with them, and ask your state’s commerce department about any space-contracting ties they’re aware of.

Also, branching beyond the shuttle program, check out this NASA procurement site; among a lot of interesting information you’ll find annual reports which list prime contracting awards by state; here’s a link to the 2009 report. And who knew that the space agency operated a small business outreach program? According the annual report, above, billions of dollars in contracts are awarded to small companies; the vendor database on the small business channel is restricted from public view but try contacting NASA PR for help in finding suppliers near you.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Labor has awarded retraining grants in Florida and Texas, where shuttle-related layoffs have been under way for some time. A quick Google search finds more layoffs and notices since the first of the year, as last week’s Florida Today story about 548 more job cuts illustrates. Check with your state’s labor department about any effects locally, and whether your region may be getting any retraining funds or other grants related to the space program.

It’s not a bad peg for a careers story, if that’s your beat — especially with all of the attention paid lately to Capt. Kelly following the wounding of his wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, in the Tuscon shooting . Space exploration still inspires a lot of awe and still carries quite a bit of glamour and mystique; how does one become an astronaut these days, or a mission control specialist, or a rocket scientist? I bet a lot of readers would love an occupational outlook piece related to space.

Other ideas: Any ties to commercial space use in your region? The U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA operate the Office of Space Commercialization (another who knew?) – maybe they can hook you up with bidders or groups proposing projects. And the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation regulates rockets and launch sites; see their permits page for more leads.

And this sounds interesting: Environmental Tectonics Corporation just announced the new space program line-up at its NASTAR training center outside Philadelphia, including space pilot workshops and more. It says it’s the only approved provider of space programs to the general public.

One last thought: The value of space shuttle memorabilia ought to go – forgive me – sky high this year as the program comes to an end. I still remember the excitement of the first flights 30 years ago, and the popularity of space shuttle knickknacks, ‘operations manuals’ and other related kitsch. Check with collectibles dealers, local eBayers, space enthusiast groups, science museums and any other retailer that might be seeing a bump in sales of space goods.