From: "Jacques van Oene" Newsgroups: sci.space.news Subject: NASA and Florida join forces to develop space science facility Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2001 20:52:26 GMT Organization: chello broadband Approved: sci-space-news@zagami.jpl.nasa.gov Message-ID: charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: nntp1.jpl.nasa.gov 981752100 1509 137.79.50.27 (9 Feb 2001 20:55:00 GMT) X-Complaints-To: news@newsfeed.jpl.nasa.gov NNTP-Posting-Date: 9 Feb 2001 20:55:00 GMT X-Authentication-Warning: backdraft.briar.org: smap set sender to using -f X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2615.200 Originator: daemon@zagami.jpl.nasa.gov Xref: newsread2.funet.fi sci.space.news:4289 NASA News National Aeronautics and Space Administration John F. Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899 AC 321 867-2468 ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________ Bruce Buckingham For Release: 4 p.m. Feb. 8, 2001 Kennedy Space Center, FL (321) 867-2468 Eddie Ellegood Spaceport Florida Authority (321) 730-5301 KSC Release No.: 17 - 01 NASA AND FLORIDA JOIN FORCES TO DEVELOP SPACE SCIENCE FACILITY Florida Lt. Governor Frank Brogan and Kennedy Space Center Director Roy Bridges broke ground today for the construction of a 100,000 square-foot research facility and a three-mile roadway made possible through a unique partnership between NASA and the State of Florida. The Space Experiment Research & Processing Laboratory (SERPL) will be the magnet facility for a proposed 400-acre Space Commerce Park, located south of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. "The SERPL facility and the Commerce Park will contribute to the expansion and diversification of NASA, commercial, academic and international space programs in our state," said Lt. Governor Brogan. "Together with NASA, Florida is investing in the success of the International Space Station, and in the commercial potential for space-related research and technology development in our state." The SERPL facility will support the development and processing of life sciences experiments destined for the International Space Station and accommodate NASA, industry and academic researchers performing associated biological research. The Florida Space Research Institute and the University of Florida will have a permanent presence within SERPL and will be using the facility for biological and space related academic and research activities. Facility design is being performed by Flad & Associates, Affiliated Engineers, SE Inc. and Jones, Edmunds & Associates Inc. under a contract with NASA. The facility construction will be managed by Bovis Lend Lease under a contract with the Florida Department of Management Services and Spaceport Florida Authority. Upon completion in 2003, the SERPL activities will be co-managed by the Florida Space Research Institute and NASA. The roadway, to be known as Space Commerce Way, will serve the proposed Space Commerce Park and the public by providing a 24-hour access route through Kennedy Space Center. The road will connect Kennedy Parkway (State Road 3) with the NASA Causeway (State Road 405) and will enable 24-hour public access to the Space Commerce Park and the Visitor Complex. The road is being designed and constructed in two phases. Design of the first phase was performed by Jones, Edmunds & Associates Inc. under a NASA contract with construction funded by a Florida Department of Transportation project grant. Funding for the second phase design and construction will be through NASA (non-appropriated) funds under the management of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Concessionaire. "SERPL and the unprecedented opportunities for collaboration that it represents are key to Kennedy's evolution to a recognized center for technology development," said Roy Bridges. "We expect this partnership to pay dividends to NASA, the State of Florida, and the space industry well into the future." -- end -- -- Jacques :-) "One thing about the speed of light... It usually arives too early in the morning". My spaceflight History Homepage: http://www.jacqmans.com