Douglas Isbell
Headquarters, Washington, DC                September 10, 1998 
(Phone:  202/358-1753)

Jane Platt
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
(Phone:  818/354-5011)

RELEASE:  98-162

CONTRACTORS CHOSEN FOR SPACE INTERFEROMETRY MISSION 

     NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA, has 
selected Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space, Sunnyvale, CA, and 
TRW Inc., Space and Electronics Group, Redondo Beach, CA, for 
negotiations as industry team members for the Space Interferometry 
Mission (SIM). 

     SIM is an innovative space system that will be launched in 
2005 to measure precisely the location of stars and to search for 
planets orbiting nearby stars.  SIM is part of the Origins Program 
in NASA's Space Science enterprise, a long-term program to enhance 
our understanding of the Universe and search for life beyond 
Earth. 

     The total value of these two contracts, including the mission 
formulation and implementation phases, is estimated to be in 
excess of $200 million.  The initial contracts will cover the 
mission's formulation phase, with an option for the implementation 
phase.  During the formulation phase, initial mission design and 
planning for full-scale implementation will be completed. 

     "This marks the start of what we envision as an exciting and 
productive relationship with our industry team members," said 
Chris Jones, SIM project manager at JPL.

     SIM will be placed into an Earth-trailing orbit around the 
Sun.  Its multiple telescopes will be used in pairs; the light 
they gather will be collected and processed to pinpoint the 
position of stars.  The system will synthesize images that could 
normally only be obtained with a much larger telescope.  It also 
will demonstrate the ability to "null" or cancel out the light 
from a star, which will help enable future missions to obtain a 
direct view of planets around other stars.  Interferometry will 
play a key role in several missions of the Origins program. 

     SIM will search for planets beyond our Solar System by 
watching for the telltale wobble motion of a star, which indicates 
the gravitational tug of an orbiting planet or planets.  SIM also 
will image the regions immediately surrounding massive black hole 
candidates in the nearest galaxies, measure the distances to half 
a dozen nearby galaxies, and study other celestial objects. 

     JPL manages SIM for NASA's Office of Space Science, 
Washington, DC.  JPL is a division of Caltech, Pasadena, CA. 

     Additional information on the Space Interferometry Mission is 
available on the Internet:

               http://huey.jpl.nasa.gov/sim/  

     Information on the Origins program is available at:

               http://origins.jpl.nasa.gov 

                          -end-