NASA Administrator and Media to See DSS Solar Array Progress in Goleta, Calif.

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Jun 25, 2014, 11:17 ET

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will get a firsthand look at work being done on high power Roll Out Solar Arrays (ROSA) during a visit to Deployable Space Systems' (DSS) facility in Goleta, California on Tuesday, July 1.

Bolden and senior agency officials will join DSS President Brian Spence for a tour of the facility where the advanced large solar array system is being developed. The testing of the DSS array is a major milestone toward development of a new solar electric power system that will generate the high power needed for extending human presence throughout the solar system. The ROSA system features a "roll out" design which uses composite booms to serve as both the primary structural element and the deployment actuator – eliminating the need for motors.

Following the tour, Bolden will make brief remarks to reporters about NASA's investment in space technology that will enable the agency's future missions to asteroids, Mars and beyond, and take questions.

Reporters are invited to participate in the 9:30 a.m. PDT tour. Journalists interested in attending should contact Tiffany Allmandinger of DSS at 805-845-0039 or [email protected] no later than 4 p.m. on Monday, June 30. Reporters will need to arrive at DSS, 30 S. La Patera Lane #8, Goleta, 93117, by no later than 9 a.m. for badging and escort into the building. Only U.S. citizens with valid photo identification will be allowed access to the facility

NASA selected Deployable Space Systems (DSS) and ATK, both of Goleta, in 2012 to develop advanced solar systems to support advanced solar electric propulsion. After testing, both companies may compete for NASA funding to test their arrays in the harsh environment of space.

DSS is a small business founded in 2008 and is the recipient of multiple NASA and Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research awards. DSS specializes in deployable structural and mechanical systems, including solar arrays, blankets, tight panel assemblies, launch restraining release systems, mechanisms and actuators.

For more information about DSS, visit:

http://www.deployablespacesystems.com/

For more information on the agency's investments in space technology, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech

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SOURCE NASA