NASA Announces Winners of 2012 George M. Low Award

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE 818-354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Guy Webster 818-354-6278
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov

Beth Dickey 202-358-2087
NASA Headquarters, Washington
beth.dickey-1@nasa.gov

News release: 2013-206 June 21, 2013

NASA Announces Winners of 2012 George M. Low Award

The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-206&cid=release_2013-206

WASHINGTON -- Two companies that share a commitment to teamwork, technical and managerial
excellence, safety, and customer service have been selected to receive NASA's premier honor for
quality and performance, the George M. Low Award.

NASA recognizes URS Federal Technical Services Inc. of Germantown, Md., in the large business
award category and ATA Engineering Inc. of San Diego in the small business award category. ATA
Engineering Inc. was involved in the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity mission.

"NASA's industry partners are crucial in our work to reach new destinations and expand our nation's
capabilities, and we're happy to recognize these two companies with the high honor of the George M.
Low Award," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "Their success both in space and on the
ground has demonstrated excellence and innovation that will help us reach our challenging goals and
keep America the leader in space exploration."

URS Federal Technical Services Inc. is the institutional services contractor at NASA's Kennedy
Space Center in Florida. With 1,100 employees and subcontractors, the company maintains 1,250
facilities, roadways, railroad tracks and an airfield; provides utilities, indoor climate control, life
support and propellant storage; conducts non-destructive evaluation; cleans, samples and calibrates
components; and coordinates logistics.

Evaluators cited URS' automation initiative, which deployed tablet computers to employees to reduce
their paperwork burden; its process for ensuring customer satisfaction; and the breadth of its safety
program in an industrial environment with so many potential hazards.

ATA Engineering Inc. supported development of the Mars Science Laboratory and its robotic rover,
Curiosity, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. With 93 employees, the company
played a key role in the mission by conducting detailed mechanical simulation work to support
spacecraft's challenging entry, descent and landing at Mars in August last year.

Evaluators cited ATA's problem-solving ability, demonstrated with the design of Curiosity's sampling
scoop; its emphasis on contracting with small business and hiring young talent with high potential;
and its strong culture of teamwork.

"I congratulate these companies for winning our premier award. It's our recognition for their
management's leadership and employee commitment to the highest standards in performance," said
Terrence Wilcutt, the agency's chief of safety and mission assurance. "For NASA to do the kind of
things the country asks us to do in exploration, science, research, and technology development, we
depend on our contractors to operate at an exemplary level. URS Federal Technical Services Inc. and
ATA Engineering Inc. have set the example for all of us."

The Low award demonstrates the agency's commitment to promoting excellence and continual
improvement by challenging NASA's contractor community to be a global benchmark of quality
management practices.

The award was established in 1985 as NASA's Excellence Award for Quality and Productivity. It was
renamed in 1990 in memory of George M. Low, an outstanding leader with a strong commitment to
quality products and workforce during his 27-year tenure at the agency. Low was NASA's deputy
administrator from 1969 to 1976 and a leader in the early development of space programs.

For more information about the George M. Low Award, visit:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codeq/gml

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science
Laboratory Project, of which Curiosity is the centerpiece, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in
Washington.

For more information about the Curiosity Mars rover, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/msl and
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl . To follow the mission on Facebook and Twitter visit:
http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity .

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