SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aerojet, a GenCorp
(NYSE: GY) company, celebrates the successful May 25 landing on Mars by
NASA's Phoenix spacecraft. Aerojet provided mission-critical propulsion for
all phases of the voyage ranging from launch, cruise and for the smooth
landing onto the northern polar region of Mars. This landing, the first
successful actively guided descent onto the Martian surface since 1976,
used 12 pulsing monopropellant hydrazine engines to guide the spacecraft to
the surface. Eight Aerojet cruise engines guided the spacecraft en route.
Aerojet has provided propulsion for all of NASA's Mars orbital and
lander missions since 1975. These include the Viking landers, Mars
Pathfinder, Mars Global Surveyor, 2001 Mars Odyssey, Spirit and Opportunity
and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The success of the Phoenix lander extends
this proud Aerojet heritage. "Aerojet joins NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory and our customer, Lockheed Martin, in celebration of this Mars
landing," said Aerojet Vice President of Space Systems, Julie Van Kleeck.
"We look forward to significant scientific returns from the spacecraft and
landers."
NASA's Phoenix mission is lead by the University of Arizona, Tucson
with project management at JPL and development partnership at Lockheed
Martin.
Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally
serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets.
GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense
products and systems with a real estate segment that includes activities
related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the company's excess real
estate assets. Additional information about Aerojet and GenCorp can be
obtained by visiting the companies' Web sites at http://www.Aerojet.com and
http://www.GenCorp.com.
SOURCE Aerojet
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Related links:
http://www.Aerojet.com
http://www.GenCorp.com
CONTACT:
Glenn Mahone, +1-202-302-9941,
Glenn.Mahone@Aerojet.com, or Kristin Conner, +1-916-355-2143,
Kristin.Conner@Aerojet.com, both of Aerojet; or Linda Cutler of
GenCorp, +1-916-351-8650, Linda.Cutler@GenCorp.com
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