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NASA Selects Four Mission Proposals to Study Stellar Explosions, Galaxies Under Explorers Program
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NASA Selects Four Mission Proposals to Study Stellar Explosions, Galaxies Under Explorers Program

NASA has selected four mission proposals for the Explorers Program to conduct study on exploding stars, distant clusters of galaxies and nearby galaxies and stars.

The space agency said Friday two studies will each receive $3 million under the program’s Medium Explorer project and two proposals will each secure $750,000 as part of the Explorer Missions of Opportunity segment to carry out nine-month mission concept studies.

The agency will choose one from each mission type in 2024 for the implementation phase.

A team led by Fiona Harrison of the California Institute of Technology has submitted the UltraViolet EXplorer proposal to conduct a deep survey of the whole sky in two bands of ultraviolet light to gather insights on stars life cycle and galaxy evolution.

The research team of William Zhang at Goddard Space Flight Center has proposed the development of the Survey and Time-domain Astrophysical Research Explorer spacecraft. 

For the Mission of Opportunity project, principal investigator Chiumun Michelle Hui at Marshall Space Flight Center will study the development of the Moon Burst Energetics All-sky Monitor, known as MoonBEAM, that would see gamma rays earlier or later than telescopes on Earth or in low orbit.

Mark McConnell from the University of New Hampshire also serves as the principal investigator of a mission to deploy a polarimeter on the International Space Station.

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Pentagon Announces Applied Research Awards for Hypersonics Technology Development
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Pentagon Announces Applied Research Awards for Hypersonics Technology Development

The Department of Defense has selected four universities to perform research and development projects aimed at advancing the development of hypersonic weapons technology. 

Each university secured one-year, $500,000 applied research awards focused on several research areas including navigation systems, scramjets, velocity and altitude control mechanisms and hypersonic aeroshells monitoring, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Texas A&M University will work with Pennsylvania State University, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, Sandia National Laboratories and Boeing, to develop navigation systems designed to maintain the stability of the feedback control system for hypersonic vehicles.

The University of Virginia, University of South Wales, Ohio State University and the University of Arizona will collaborate with the Air Force Research Laboratory, FGC Plasma Solutions and Lockheed Martin to create a scramjet system improvement to make hypersonic vehicles operational across various flight conditions.

DOD also selected the University of Alabama in Huntsville and the CFD Research Corporation to design and develop novel concepts and technologies for enabling hypersonic vehicles to achieve precise velocities and altitudes.

Moreover, the Florida International University, the University of Rhode Island and Raytheon Technologies Research Center have been tapped to demonstrate a method for monitoring the health and status of hypersonic aeroshells.

The research awards will be managed by the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics and the Joint Hypersonics Transition Office.

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GSA Names Charles Hardy as New Chief Architect
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GSA Names Charles Hardy as New Chief Architect

Charles Hardy, a more than three-decade General Services Administration veteran, has been appointed chief architect responsible for advising the leadership team on matters related to federal architecture and capital construction programs.

Hardy, a licensed architect and certified construction manager, has been performing the responsibilities of the chief architect role on an acting basis prior to the permanent appointment, the GSA said Thursday.

He held several leadership positions during his more than 31-year career at GSA, most recently serving as the chief workplace officer and director of the Center for Workplace Strategy. Hardy is also a retired intelligence officer of the U.S. Air Force.

“He brings the leadership and vision necessary to deliver on GSA’s mission of providing high-quality buildings and effective, sustainable workplaces to Federal agencies at the best value for the American taxpayer,” Public Buildings Service Commissioner Nina Albert said.

In his new role, Hardy will be responsible for administering GSA’s Design Excellence, historic preservation and art-in-architecture initiatives.

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Navy Tests Maritime Expeditionary Use of Northrop-Built Autonomous Helicopter
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Navy Tests Maritime Expeditionary Use of Northrop-Built Autonomous Helicopter

The U.S. Navy tested the possibility of deploying a Northrop Grumman-built autonomous helicopter from a ship to land to support maritime expeditionary operations at a recent joint service training.

An MQ-8C Fire Scout took part in the demonstration of the Navy’s Expeditionary Advance Base Operations concept during the Resolute Hunter exercise, the company said Wednesday.

Navy personnel performed a ship-based departure simulation with the unmanned vehicle from a naval base in Point Mugu, California, and handed the system off to a portable ground control station located on San Clemente Island.

“We are supporting MQ-8C deployments on littoral combat ships while assisting the Navy with Fire Scout mission expansion efforts to include operations from other surface ships and shore-based sites,” said Lance Eischeid, director of Northrop’s Fire Scout program.

Naval Air Systems Command said the Fire Scout platform is currently operating with the Independence-variant USS Jackson littoral combat ship.

The service plans to deploy the helicopter aboard other LCS units and Constellation-class guided-missile frigates as well as to operate the autonomous vehicle from shore sites as part of the EABO strategy.

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US, Mexico to Further Advance Cybersecurity Collaboration
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US, Mexico to Further Advance Cybersecurity Collaboration

The governments of the U.S. and Mexico have issued a joint statement declaring their commitment to strengthening cooperation in addressing cyberthreats.

The U.S.-Mexico Working Group on Cyber Issues held its first meeting on Aug. 10th to drive bilateral cooperation on cybersecurity-related matters and the two governments vowed to reinforce coordination on initiatives focused on digital economy and cyber issues, the State Department said Thursday.

The two governments also committed to advancing technical coordination mechanisms for response to cyber incidents involving national and shared critical information infrastructures; increasing bilateral cooperation to facilitate the exchange of cyber threat intelligence data; continuing bilateral training programs to promote cybersecurity for state and federal agencies. 

This also includes improving cooperation between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its Mexican counterparts on ransomware, incident response management and information sharing, among other issues.

Other commitments are sharing information on cybersecurity resources; continuing dialogue and collaboration with regard to multilateral cybersecurity processes; and coordinating with Canada to hold a Trilateral Cyber Experts Meeting in 2022.

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DARPA Seeks to Protect Military Assets in Extreme Cold Weather Via ICE Program
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DARPA Seeks to Protect Military Assets in Extreme Cold Weather Via ICE Program

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has launched a four-year program that seeks to discover and optimize biologically sourced or inspired molecules that limit ice crystal growth, formation and adhesion to help develop technologies that could address operational challenges facing the Department of Defense in extreme cold environments.

Researchers under the three-phase Ice Control for cold Environments program will work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory to test and assess candidate molecules, DARPA said Tuesday.

“Insects, fish, plants and freeze-tolerant organisms have evolved natural mechanisms to prevent ice formation and thrive in extreme cold,” said Anne Cheever, ICE program manager.

“These properties could be leveraged as part of the ICE program to develop persistent anti-icing coatings for surfaces and even produce specialized small molecules that work synergistically with biodegradable antifreeze proteins,” Cheever added.

DARPA will hold a Proposers’ Day on Aug. 22th and accept proposal abstracts through Sept. 22th, according to a presolicitation notice.

Full proposals for the ICE program are due Nov. 8th.

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NIST Solicits Comments on Draft AI Risk Management Framework, Playbook
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NIST Solicits Comments on Draft AI Risk Management Framework, Playbook

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is soliciting feedback from the public on the second draft of the Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework, which seeks to address risks in the design, development, assessment and use of AI systems and services.

NIST said Thursday feedback from the first AI RMF draft and discussions at the second workshop held in March were used to inform the development of the latest draft.

The agency is also asking the public to submit comments on the draft NIST AI RMF Playbook, an online resource that offers recommendations on the framework’s implementation.

NIST will accept comments on the draft framework and playbook through Sept. 29th. It will also hold a two-day virtual workshop on the framework that will kick off on Oct. 18th.

The agency intends to publish the first iteration of the AI Risk Management Framework in January 2023.

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KPMG, Red Hat Combine Forces to Evolve North Carolina Healthcare Applications; Mark Calem Quoted
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KPMG, Red Hat Combine Forces to Evolve North Carolina Healthcare Applications; Mark Calem Quoted

KPMG has been chosen by the State of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to lead the integration of various health care digital applications.

During the collaboration, the NC department will utilize KPMG’s Resource Integration Suite Connected Platform, which is founded in Red Hat’s OpenShift program, to unite disparate healthcare functions, evolve the current Medicaid software and give the state’s citizens a more accessible interface, KPMG said Thursday.

Mark Calem, advisory managing director of health and government solutions at KPMG, explained that the KRIS Connected Platform appeals to health and government organizations of all sizes for its customizable and modular features as well as its shared services capabilities.

“Most importantly, it supports the future of hybrid cloud integration, and we are glad to work with Red Hat to bring these transformational opportunities to our clients,” Calem added.

The new partnership will find KPMG and Red Hat working alongside NCDHHS to retool and modernize its legacy healthcare programs into a centralized, cloud-based service. They will align their modifications with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulations and NCDHHS hopes that the KRIS Connected Platform will strengthen application and data interoperability.

Additionally, the finished, fully integrated product is intended to allow patients and healthcare providers to access their records and personal information with both security and speed. RedHat OpenShift’s cloud-native, containerized workloads are expected to help the NCDHHS and state to cut down expenses and reduce their technology footprint.

Chris Gray, vice president of the North America Partner Ecosystem at Red Hat, elucidated how the combined forces of KPMG’s KRIS platform and Red Hat OpenShift will merge cloud, legacy and on-site systems to “streamline operations and provide better user experiences for care providers and patients.” Gray said the collaboration with KPMG will be a fruitful one and likely proliferate throughout the public sector and extend into other industries.

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Verizon Federal Lands Contract for Navy Office Voice and Data Services; Maggie Hallbach Quoted
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Verizon Federal Lands Contract for Navy Office Voice and Data Services; Maggie Hallbach Quoted

The federal arm of Verizon has won a five-year, $28.3 million contract award from Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Atlantic for voice and data assistance.

The network installation performed under the firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract award is aimed to enable defense strategies at various Pennsylvania-based Navy locations, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday.

In a statement, Verizon Public Sector Senior Vice President Maggie Hallbach emphasized the DOD’s intent to stay current and ahead of the curve with regard to technological advancements. Hallbach said that Verizon is proud to aid the DOD in this mission.

“Our team of professional and managed services experts are in lock step with DOD’s strategic priorities and we stand ready to help their leadership adapt to the increasingly sophisticated requirements and growing network infrastructure demands,” Hallbach continued.

Beginning in October, Verizon Federal will provide integrated voice and data services at Naval Support Activity and Naval Business Center in Philadelphia and Naval Support Activity in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. 60 percent of the work will be conducted in the former city and the remaining 40 percent in the latter.

If all options are exercised, the contract could extend for an additional six-month period (through March 2028). If this occurs, its value will reach approximately $31.7 million. Individual task orders will be initiated over the course of its lifetime.

The contracting office of the Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center — located in Norfolk, Virginia — is the source of the award.

In July, Verizon Public Sector landed a $400 million contract from the Federal Bureau of Investigation for data bandwidth expansion and network services. This project is supposed to yield faster network speeds and strengthened security measures for the FBI’s network infrastructure.

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DIU, Partners to Demo Commercial GNSS Disruption Detection Tech in Upcoming Military Exercises
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DIU, Partners to Demo Commercial GNSS Disruption Detection Tech in Upcoming Military Exercises

Participants in the Defense Innovation Unit’s Harmonious Rook program will demonstrate their commercial geospatial intelligence and navigation warfare capabilities at upcoming domestic and international military exercises.

Harmonious Rock is a prototype project aimed at providing situational awareness of intentional disruptions of Global Navigation Satellite System that jeopardize position, navigation and timing capabilities of users worldwide.

The National Air and Space Intelligence Center and the National Space Intelligence Center and other defense and civilian agencies are participating in the program. The initiative also uses data, machine learning analytics, visualization and contextualization capabilities from several vendors and non-governmental organizations.

“Instead of developing, building, and deploying hardware tailored for collection of navigation warfare operations, we are accessing currently available commercial data and analytics to address the need for PNT situational awareness,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Nicholas Estep, program manager of Harmonious Rook.

The prototyping companies will support the Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training exercise that will take place later in August and the U.S. Army 1st Armored Division’s Command Post Exercise at the National Training Center in September.

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