March 28, 2024

Rare Moon & Earth Photo from Chinese Satellite

moon & earth
Photo by CAMRAS , the result of a research design developed by Nobel prize winning astrophysicist Joe Taylor.
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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.

Chinese satellite captures stunning backside image of the Moon with Earth, reports The Verge. A Chinese satellite currently in lunar orbit snapped this incredible image of the far side of the Moon, with a tiny Earth hanging out in the background. Captured Feb. 3, the picture offers a rare perspective of the Earth and Moon system together.

A Chinese student has been sentenced to a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegally taking photos of a US military installation in the Florida Keys, reports Navy Times. A federal judge imposed the sentence Tuesday on 20-year-old Zhao Qianli, seen in this photograph in the Miami Herald.

Plans to replace Afghanistan’s aging fleet of Russian helicopters with American-made UH-60 Black Hawks may be unsustainable because of a lack of qualified pilots and engineers, reports Stars and Stripes.

Navy’s Sea Hunter drone ship sails autonomously to Hawaii and back to San Diego, reports The Drive, without the need of a crew for navigation and steering. The service has primarily been developing the drones as anti-submarine warfare platforms, but could also provide electronic warfare support and acting as decoys to help shield friendly forces.
 
President Donald Trump to tap David Malpass, critic of World Bank, to lead it, reports Seattle Pi.
 
Earth’s north magnetic pole has officially shifted, reports the NYPost. First discovered in 1831, the magnetic pole has been slowly shifting from Canada to Russia ever since.

DoD’s latest climate-change report didn’t even meet legal requirements, according to Mother Jones. In a Jan. 25 letter from the House Armed Services, the military is ordered redo the document by April 1.

German Aerospace Center developed de-icing technology using carbon fiber, reports Intelligent-Aerospace. “In principle, this electrical resistance heating system is similar to window heaters in cars,” explains Alexander Pototzky of the DLR Institute of Composite Structures and Adaptive Systems. “High-resistance electrical conductors are fitted to the wing structure; current is then applied, which causes them to heat up. In this case, the wing structure is made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer, which is characterized by its low weight and high strength.”
 
US Navy admits failure on $760 million weapon to protect its aircraft carriers from torpedoes, reports Business Insider.
 
Trump to meet North Korean leader Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam, reports ABC News. Trump seeks to continue his efforts to persuade Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.
 
Pope Francis acknowledges sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops, reports NPR.
 
US guided-missile cruiser and Navy supply ship involved in minor collision off Florida, reports USNI. USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55) and USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE-5) collided during a training exercise as part of a pre-deployment workup. There were no casualties and only minor damage above the waterline to both ships. Neither ship took on water.
 
SPY-6 radar finishes final round of developmental testing in Hawaii, reports USNI. “The radar performed exactly as predicted. This completes our rigorous developmental test program to support the on-time delivery of the Navy’s newest Flight III destroyer,” said Capt. Seiko Okano, major program manager for Above Water Sensors in the Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems.
 
Contracts:
MDM Construction, Rockford, Illinois (W911SA-19-D-2005); Greenstone Construction, Fargo, North Dakota (W911SA-19-D-2006); Richard Group, Glenview, Illinois (W911SA-19-D-2007); Allcon Construction, Butler, Wisconsin (W911SA-19-D-2008); Progressive Construction Services, Janesville, Wisconsin (W911SA-19-D-2009); JMJ Construction, Baraboo, Wisconsin (W911SA-19-D-2010); Relyant Global, Maryville, Tennessee (W911SA-19-D-2011); RHI Construction Services, West Haven, Utah (W911SA-19-D-2012); Platt Construction, Franklin, Wisconsin (W911SA-19-D-2013); and Signature Renovations, Capitol Heights, Maryland (W911SA-19-D-2014), will compete for each order of the $45,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, Department of Public Works construction. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 14, 2024. US Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, is the contracting activity.

BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair, Norfolk, Virginia, was awarded an $114,563,249 firm-fixed-price contract for the execution of USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) fiscal 2019 depot maintenance period Chief of Naval Operations availability. This availability will include a combination of maintenance, modernization, and repair of USS Bulkeley. This is a “long-term” availability and was competed on a coast-wide (East Coast) basis without limiting the place of performance to the vessel’s homeport. BAE will provide the facilities and human resources capable of completing, coordinating, and integrating multiple areas of ship maintenance, repair, and modernization. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $136,226,668. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by June 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy); and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $114,563,249 will be obligated at time of award, $85,275,770 of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competition via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received in response to Solicitation No. N00024-18-R-4448. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-4448). (Awarded Feb. 1, 2019)

Marine Hydraulics International Inc. (MHI), Norfolk, Virginia, was awarded a $103,384,447 firm-fixed-price contract for the execution of USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) fiscal 2019 Chief of Naval Operations-scheduled dry-docking selected restricted availability. This availability will include a combination of maintenance, modernization and repair of USS Gunston Hall. This is a “long-term” availability and was competed on a coast-wide (East Coast) basis without limiting the place of performance to the vessel’s homeport. MHI will provide the facilities and human resources capable of completing, coordinating and integrating multiple areas of ship maintenance, repair and modernization. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $149,237,975. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by April 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding; and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $103,384,447 will be obligated at time of award, and $103,159,625 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competition via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received in response to solicitation N00024-18-R-4448. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-4450). (Awarded Feb. 1, 2019)

General Dynamics NASSCO-Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia, was awarded a $67,179,025 firm-fixed-price contract for the execution of USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) fiscal 2019 dry-docking selected restricted availability Chief of Naval Operations availability. This availability will include a combination of maintenance, modernization, and repair of USS Arleigh Burke. This is a “long-term” availability and was competed on a coast-wide (East Coast) basis without limiting the place of performance to the vessel’s homeport. NASSCO will provide the facilities and human resources capable of completing, coordinating, and integrating multiple areas of ship maintenance, repair, and modernization. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $74,718,063. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $67,179,025 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by November 2019. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competition via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received in response to solicitation No. N00024-18-R-4448. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-4449). (Awarded Feb. 1, 2019)

Group W Inc., Vienna, Virginia, is awarded a $24,999,999 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract with a five-year ordering period for research and innovative technical analysis support services for the Marine Corps Operations Analysis Directorate. Work will be performed in Vienna, Virginia. Work is expected to be completed within the delivery dates set forth in each task order. The ordering period will commence on Feb. 5, 2019 and end on Feb. 4, 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funding on this contract will be obligated at the task order level. Operations and maintenance (Marine Corps), and research and development (Marine Corps and Navy) funding will be used for the task orders. Fiscal 2019, operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $950,200 will be obligated for task orders one and two and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via solicitation on the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three proposals received. The Marine Corps Installations Command, National Capital Region, Regional Contracting Office Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M00264-19-D-0007).

PAE Aviation and Technical Services LLC, Arlington, Virginia, is awarded a $23,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, requirements contract. This contract provides continued Contractor Instruction, Maintenance, Operations and Training Support (CIMOTS). CIMOTS will support the national strategic sealift Cargo Offload Discharge System requirements and facilitate training for the Improved Navy Lighterage System powered and non-powered craft at Expeditionary Warfare Training Groups, Pacific and Atlantic. Work will be performed in Coronado, California (90 percent);and Norfolk, Virginia (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2023. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; one offer was received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (N61340-19-D-1020).

Valiant Government Services LLC, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, was awarded a $16,255,102 modification (P00009) to contract W91278-18-C-0011 for operations and maintenance services. Work will be performed in Natick, Massachusetts; Daleville, Alabama; Silver Spring, Maryland; Aberdeen, Maryland; Frederick, Maryland; and Dover, Delaware, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 6, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army; and research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $16,255,102 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

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