[meteorite-list] Stardust Selected For Aviation Week 2006 Program Excellence Award

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci=18042&rsbci=0&fti=111&ti=0&sc=400

LOCKHEED MARTIN-BUILT NASA STARDUST SELECTED FOR AVIATION WEEK 2006
PROGRAM EXCELLENCE AWARD

Denver, Co., November 21, 2006 --

NASA's Stardust program has received the 2006 Aviation Week Program
Excellence Award. Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] designed and built the
Stardust spacecraft under contract to NASA. The award was recently
announced at the publication's Aerospace and Defense Conference in
Phoenix, Ariz.

The Stardust mission, managed by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL), provided scientists with the first comet samples and interstellar
dust grains ever returned to Earth from a known comet. In addition to
building the Stardust spacecraft, Lockheed Martin built the sample
return capsule, provided joint spacecraft operations working in concert
with JPL, and designed and implemented the capsule's recovery in the
Utah desert earlier this year.

"Stardust was an amazing mission; one of intrigue, innovation and
determination, not to mention a couple world records," said Jim Crocker,
vice president of Civil Space at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.
"This award is another testament to our remarkable program team at NASA
JPL, Lockheed Martin and the University of Washington."

On Jan. 2, 2004 Stardust flew through the coma of comet Wild 2 and
captured cometary dust particles. The spacecraft also collected
interstellar dust during its seven-year, 3.2-billion mile voyage.
Stardust's sample return capsule gently returned these samples to Earth
on Jan. 15, 2006. As a result, scientists are already rewriting the text
of how the solar system was formed.

"I was thrilled to represent our Stardust team for this award because it
recognizes the breadth and depth of its accomplishment," said Joe
Vellinga, Stardust program manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Company. "Aviation Week's team of aerospace and defense experts culled
through more than 300 programs to find those that did what they set out
to do, on schedule and within cost. To win out of the entire industry is
extremely flattering."

Lockheed Martin's Atlas launch vehicle program won the second of only
two 2006 Aviation Week Program Excellence Awards.
.
The Program Excellence Award is judged by a panel of industry experts
according to a comprehensive set of criteria that includes quality
program management.  Programs are evaluated on how they create value for
the parent corporation and customers, establish organization and
leadership processes, address complexity and use metrics to measure
performance.

The Stardust program was also a recent recipient of the 2006 Popular
Mechanics Breakthrough Award. Stardust was one of eight innovations
recognized in the Science & Invention category and featured in the
October 2006 issue. 

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, a major operating unit of
Lockheed Martin Corporation, designs, develops, tests, manufactures and
operates a variety of advanced-technology systems for national security,
civil and commercial customers. Chief products include human space
flight systems; a full range of remote sensing, navigation,
meteorological and communications satellites and instruments; space
observatories and interplanetary spacecraft; launch vehicles, fleet
ballistic missiles; and missile defense systems.

For more information about the Stardust program go to:
http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000
people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design,
development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced
technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2005
sales of $37.2 billion.

Contact:


Media Contact: Gary Napier, (303) 971-4012; gary.p.napier at lmco.com

For additional information, visit our website:
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/stardust