ULA’s Atlas V project meets two milestones
Centennial-based United Launch Alliance has completed two milestones that could lead to certifying its Atlas V rocket for human spaceflight, NASA announced Thursday.
The Atlas V, which is used in unmanned scientific exploration and national security missions, has been chosen by three of the four private companies that have received NASA funding to build commercial crew space vehicles as their launch vehicle.
In December, ULA conducted a series of detailed reviews of its systems and subsystems with technical experts and representatives of NASA’s commercial crew program.
“This was the first time that we were able to share detailed Atlas V design and flight data with NASA human spaceflight experts,” George Sowers, ULA’s vice president of business development and advanced program said in a statement.
A second review evaluated safety-critical launch vehicle systems, including details of the existing failure modes.
Ascent Solar names new CEO
Victor Lee has been appointed president and chief executive of Thornton-based Ascent Solar Technologies Inc., a developer of flexible thin-film solar panels, the company announced Thursday.
Lee is executive director of TFG Radiant Group Ltd., Ascent’s largest shareholder.
Raytheon wins $38 million missile defense contract
Raytheon Co. has been awarded a $38.1 million contract to provide engineering support to the command, control, battle management and communications program for the Missile Defense Agency.
Most of the work will be conducted in Colorado Springs; Huntsville, Ala.; and Arlington, Va.
Creditor in Martino case cannot sell gyroplane
A federal judge ruled Thursday that a creditor in “Troubleshooter” Tom Martino’s personal bankruptcy case couldn’t sell the wrecked gyroplane he bought from the radio personality, saying the rules of evidence trumped the creditor’s financial dilemma forcing the sale.
In what amounts to a small victory in Martino’s ongoing battle to beat back a variety of creditors lining up to collect, the ruling by U.S. Judge Michael Romero means James Cooper will have to wait on selling the Xenon gyroplane until experts have a chance to examine what might have caused it to crash in August.
Jailed tycoon took blood oath to hide bank fraud, witness says
HOUSTON — Jailed Texas financier R. Allen Stanford’s extreme measures to hide his Caribbean bank’s fraud included entering into a blood oath with a top regulator, the man who was in charge of the tycoon’s books told jurors Thursday.
James M. Davis, the former chief financial officer for Stanford’s companies, testified the financier came to an agreement with the official responsible for reviewing his bank on the island nation of Antigua, where that person, Leroy King, would not dig too deeply into the institution’s operations.
30-year fixed mortgage rate hits new low
WASHINGTON —The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell this week to a record low, for the ninth time in the past year. Even with the cheapest rates in history, the housing market remains depressed.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year loan dropped to 3.87 percent this week. That is below the previous record of 3.88 hit two weeks ago.
Gasoline futures fall on lower demand
Gasoline futures fell as U.S. demand for the motor fuel reached a 10-year low and supplies rose to the highest level in 11 months.
Futures dropped 2.33 cents to settle at $2.8689 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after the Energy Department reported that fuel supplied to wholesalers sank 1.6 percent last week to 7.97 million barrels a day, the lowest level since September 2001.
Denver Post staff and wire reports
