NASA has announced progress toward reopening by taking the initial steps back to normal operations due to the recent recovery reports of the COVID-19 pandemic, the administration reported on Monday. 

“It will be a while before we have people stop telecommuting,” said Steve Jurczyk, NASA associate administrator. “I cannot predict how long we will be in that mode.” Allowing more work on-site will depend on the availability of antibody tests or a COVID-19 vaccine, he suggested.

A majority of NASA’s centers have gone into Stage 3, which permits some more mission-critical activities at the centers. Jurczyk noted that the vast majority of NASA personnel have been able to work remotely, and projected that after restrictions are lifted, many people will continue to do so, either because they are in high-risk health categories or because of efficiency.

Jurczyk noted that less of the workforce would have permanent offices and instead would work from home more frequently using the “hoteling” system. The system will utilize a desk for those times they need to be on-site to reduce the office space required at headquarters and centers.

“Some things we won’t change because we learned how to do it better,” Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator for science. "For example, NASA converted review panels of research proposals from in-person to online meetings. Many of them are working really, really well in the new format," he said. “We’re going to keep doing that.”

While the administration will continue to have the option to telework, Jurczyk noted that the change in the workplace environment has introduced new stressors. “One thing we worry about is burnout,” he said. “People are working way more than 40 hours a week.”

In addition to the phased reopening and revisions to the work environment, NASA has partnered with its European and Japanese counterparts to leverage their respective geospatial intelligence resources to collect data on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NASA said that the agency has teamed up with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to deploy Earth-observing satellites to document the pandemic’s potential long-term impacts as part of the initiative.

The three agencies also jointly developed the COVID-19 Earth Observation Dashboard to integrate data from multiple sources in an effort to provide a comprehensive picture of changes in air quality, shipping activity and agricultural production amid the health crisis.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the Department of the Treasury (DoT), has released detailed loan-level data in regards to the loans made under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the administration reported on Monday. This disclosure covers each of the 4.9 million PPP loans that have been made.

"The PPP is providing much-needed relief to millions of American small businesses, supporting more than 51 million jobs and over 80 percent of all small business employees, who are the drivers of economic growth in our country," said secretary Steven Mnuchin. 

SBA’s statement has included loan-level data such as business names, addresses, NAICS codes, zip codes, business type, demographic data, non-profit information, name of lender and jobs supported. For loans under $150 thousand, SBA will not disclose business names and addresses.

The data release has also noted overall statistics regarding dollars lent per state, loan amounts, top lenders and distribution by industry. The loans have been granted to businesses across diverse communities proportionally, income levels and demographics.

SBA administrator Jovita Carranza said, "In three months, this administration was able to act quickly to get funding into the hands of those who faced enormous obstacles as a result of the pandemic… The jobs numbers released last week reinforce that PPP is working by keeping employees on payroll and sustaining millions of small businesses through this time."

In addition, the data has supplied information regarding the sizes of participating lenders and participation by community development financial institutions, minority depository institutions, Farm Credit System institutions, fintechs and other nonbanks. 

It further contains data showing the reach of the program in underserved communities, rural communities, historically underutilized business zones, and participation by religious, grantmaking, civil, professional and other similar organizations.

"Today's release of loan data strikes the appropriate balance of providing the American people with transparency, while protecting sensitive payroll and personal income information of small businesses, sole proprietors, and independent contractors," Mnuchin added. 

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations.

The Grand Forks Air Force Base Innovation Council collaborated with the University of North Dakota and the 319th Contracting Flight to hold a virtual pitch event for startup businesses.

Carly Larson, contracting officer at 319th CONF, said in a statement published Wednesday the event sought to accelerate procurement methods for the U.S. Air Force.

The service branch awarded a $236K contract to a selected vendor, with $35.4K paid during the event. Larson said the awardee submitted a proposal for a small drone countermeasure technology that houses automated detection, tracking and defeat features.

"The ‘advance payment’ is another aspect of this contracting method that assists start-up companies with earnest money to promote business relations with new DoD tech companies," Larson noted.