NASA Targets & Diverts an Astroid

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.
NASA’s DART mission successfully slammed into an asteroid Monday evening, reports CNN. A NASA spacecraft has intentionally slammed into an asteroid in humanity’s first test of planetary defense. The impact occurred at 7:14 pm ET greeted by cheers from the mission team in Laurel, MD. The DART mission, or the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, launched 10 months ago. While the asteroid, Dimorphos, was not at risk of impacting Earth, this demonstration could determine how to deflect space rocks that could pose a threat to Earth in the future.
The Navy simulated a spill response last week in preparation for draining approximately 1 million gallons of fuel from its Red Hill pipeline system, reports Military.com. The Navy hopes to drain the pipes in October under a plan that still needs to be approved by the Hawaii State Dept. of Health. The exercise was part of the Navy’s demonstration of its personnel’s ability to drain all 104 million gallons from 14 tanks, not expected to begin until 2024.
Russian President Vladimir Putin grants Russian citizenship to US whistleblower Edward Snowden, reports Reuters. Snowden, 39, fled the United States and was given asylum in Russia after leaking secret files in 2013 that revealed vast domestic and international surveillance operations carried out by the NSA, where he worked.
Security fears loom as VA hospitals and clinics begin performing abortions, reports Military Times. Legal issues seem covered for now, so VA SEC Denis McDonough said, while he is not presuming threats, officials’ focus is on physical security for staffers ahead of any potential trouble.
The fugitive defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard,” who orchestrated a huge bribery scheme involving dozens of US Navy officials, has requested asylum in Venezuela, reports Military.com. Leonard Francis was captured in the South American country after he slipped away from house arrest in San Diego on Sept. 4, only weeks before he was to be sentenced. By law the Venezuelan government must consider the asylum request.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is leaking and pressure has dropped on Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, reports Business Insider. Danish authorities have detected a gas leak on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea and are warning ships to not sail within five nautical miles of it. The Danish Energy Agency stated, “The Danish Maritime Authority has released a navigational warning and established a prohibitive no sail zone around the area.”
Long COVID has forced a reckoning for one of medicine’s most neglected diseases, chronic fatigue syndrome, reports The Atlantic. ME/CFS involves a panoply of debilitating symptoms that affect many organ systems and that get worse with exertion. The Institute of Medicine estimates that it affects 836,000 to 2.5 million people in the US alone, but is so misunderstood and stigmatized that about 90 percent of people who have it have never been diagnosed.
A US Coast Guard cutter sighted Russian and Chinese war ships near an Alaskan island last week, reports Stars and Stripes. Three Chinese and four Russian naval vessels were operating as a “combined surface action group” within the United States’ exclusive economic zone, the Coast Guard said. They were likely part of a previously announced, joint Russian-Chinese naval exercise.
Despite economic woes, UK leaders tout a massive defense-spending hike, reports Defense News. In his first interview since the Conservative government, led by new Prime Minister Liz Truss, took office earlier this month DEFSEC Ben Wallace said defense spending by the end of the decade would see a massive increase, doubling annually to £100 billion ($107 billion) compared with £48 billion ($51 billion) now.
Five years after its commissioning, the world’s largest warship is in shape to deploy, reports USNI, USS Gerald R. Ford is “fully delivered” and ready to deploy, says RADM James Downey, the officer who oversees the Navy’s carrier program.
The National Hurricane Center ended Tuesday evening with warnings of a life-threatening storm surge along Florida’s west coast to arrive Wednesday along with hurricane force winds and heavy rainfall affecting most of the state and spreading to the rest of the Southeast US by Thursday.
Florida has activated some 5,000 National Guard troops and military installations and ordered some evacuations in preparation for Ian’s arrival midweek, reports Stars and Stripes.
Personnel at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa have been ordered to evacuate, reports Air Force Times. “Col. [Adam] Bingham has issued an installation-wide mandatory evacuation,” according to a Sept. 26 tweet from the official base account, “to be completed by Tues. 27 Sep @ 1200L for non-mission essential individuals, including uniformed service members/dependents.”
Check local weather conditions on the Chesapeake, Potomac and Patuxent rivers from NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System.
The Army is dispatching two High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems to Latvia for the country’s national combat readiness exercises, reports Army Times. Approximately a dozen personnel will be deployed to the exercise, called Namejs 2022.
The Army is having no issue retaining soldiers, amid a crisis recruiting new ones, reports Military Times. Despite the historic recruiting slump, active-duty soldiers want to stay. The service has surpassed more than 100% of its retention goals every year since 2017, including new numbers for 2022.
A pilot program will be required for Marine master sergeants to supplement the limited professional military education enlisted service members are given, reports Marine Times. Previously a voluntary course for senior enlisted Marines is now being tested as a part of the standard course load for E-8 service members.
Russian military recruiter was shot amid fear of Ukraine call-up, reports UPI. A young man shot a Russian military officer at close range at an enlistment office Monday, an unusually bold attack reflecting resistance to Russian Putin’s efforts to mobilize hundreds of thousands more men to wage war on Ukraine. The shooting comes after scattered arson attacks on enlistment offices and protests in Russian cities against the military call-up that have resulted in at least 2,000 arrests.
The Baynet has photos from the 75th St. Mary’s County Fair.
Contracts:
Addon Services LLC, Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (HQ003422D0023) in the amount of $19,010,000 to procure heavy and civil construction on the Pentagon Reservation for up to 10 years if all options are exercised. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. The total amount of this action if all options are exercised is $45,000,000. The estimated completion date is Sept. 26, 2032. The work will be performed at the Pentagon. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
HDD JV, Leesburg, Virginia, is awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (HQ003422D0024) in the amount of $19,010,000 to procure heavy and civil construction on the Pentagon Reservation for up to 10 years if all options are exercised. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. The total amount of this action if all options are exercised is $45,000,000. The estimated completion date is Sept. 26, 2032. The work will be performed at the Pentagon. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Atlantic Diving Supply Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia, has been awarded a $40,751,037 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for fire and emergency services and personal protective equipment. This contract provides structural coats, pants and suspenders for firefighters. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2027. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. The 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8051-22-D-0003).
Airbus U.S. Space & Defense Inc., Arlington, Virginia, was awarded an $8,393,765 modification (P00018) to contract W58RGZ-22-C-0022 for contractor logistics support services in support of Lakota aircraft. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2026. Fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $8,393,765 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
Lalini Enterprises LLC, Washington, D.C., is awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (HQ003422D0020) in the amount of $19,010,000 to procure heavy and civil construction on the Pentagon Reservation for up to 10 years if all options are exercised.. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. The total amount of this action if all options are exercised is $45,000,000. The estimated completion date is Sept. 26, 2032. The work will be performed at the Pentagon. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Athena Construction Group Inc., Triangle, Virginia, is awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (HQ003422D0021) in the amount of $19,010,000 to procure heavy and civil construction on the Pentagon Reservation for up to 10 years if all options are exercised. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. The total amount of this action if all options are exercised is $45,000,000. The estimated completion date is Sept. 26, 2032. The work will be performed at the Pentagon. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Derivative LLC,* Arlington, Virginia, was awarded an $11,062,952 hybrid (firm-fixed-price and labor-hours) contract to support the workforce of the Corpus Christi Army Depot Aircraft and Aircraft Component Production organization. Bids were solicited via the internet with ten received. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2025. Fiscal 2022 Army working capital funds in the amount of $11,062,952 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912NW-22-F-0085).
Cottrell Contracting Corporation, Chesapeake, Virginia, was awarded a $13,541,449 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Deal Island, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 27, 2024. Fiscal 2014, 2015 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 civil operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $13,541,449 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W912DR-22-C-0040).
Paraton Incorporated Inc., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $21,907,880. modification (P00043) to contract W15QKN-19-F-1334 for research and analytic support to the Army Analytics Group Research Facility Laboratory. Work will be performed in Monterey, California, with an estimated completion date of June 26, 2023. Fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $12,686,533 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
Norfolk Dredging Company, Chesapeake, Virginia, was awarded a $33,302,500 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of March 24, 2023. Fiscal 2022 civil construction funds in the amount of $33,302,500 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (W912BU-22-C-0040).
Science Applications International Corp, Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $30,777,951 modification (P00069) to contract W31P4Q-21-F-0033 for hardware-in-the-loop aviation systems engineering services. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 26, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
Tidewater Inc.,* Elkridge, Maryland, is awarded a $9,171,493 firm-fixed-price task order for Building 10 entrance modernization, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Maryland. The work to be performed provides for the reconstruction of the main vehicle drive and drop-off lanes, pedestrian walkways, and hospital entrance. The contract also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised, would increase cumulative contract value to $9,540,559. Work will be performed in Bethesda, Maryland, with an expected completion date of April 2024. Fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance (Defense Health Agency) funds in the amount of $9,171,493 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the System for Award Management website, with seven offers received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Washington, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N40080-21-D-0029).
Huntington-Ingalls Industries – Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $23,589,802 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-15-C-2114 for the procurement of material and labor associated with contractor-furnished on board repair parts for the outfitting of CVN-79. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by June 2024. Fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) outfitting funding in the amount of $23,589,802 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Phoenix International Holdings Inc., Largo, Maryland, is awarded a $112,000,000 cost-plus-award-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for worldwide undersea deep ocean search and recovery operations that provide necessary engineering and technical support to man, manage, maintain, and operate the Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) deep ocean search, survey, rescue, recovery, and salvage capabilities. Work will be performed worldwide and is expected to be completed in September 2027. No funding will be obligated at the time of contract award as funds will be obligated upon the issuance of individual task orders under this contract. This contract was competitively procured via the System for Award Management website, with three offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-22-D-4318).