Mantis Society Study Center: 09/19/17

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Congress.gov: Senate Floor Today Update

S.Res.265

A resolution designating September 22, 2017, as "National Falls Prevention Awareness Day" to raise awareness and encourage the prevention of falls among older adults. (09/19/2017 legislative day)

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The Guardian today: Mexico earthquake: at least 149 dead after powerful quake – latest updates

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the guardian today

Wednesday 20 Sep 2017

Headlines

Mexico earthquake: at least 149 dead after powerful quake – latest updates

Death toll is expected to rise after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake strikes 120km from Mexico City, collapsing buildings and killing more than 149 people

Boris Johnson: I won't quit over Theresa May's Brexit speech

Hurricane Maria: category 5 storm lashes Virgin Islands – live

Donald Trump threatens to 'totally destroy' North Korea in UN speech

Millennials spend three times more of income on housing than grandparents

Relatives of Parsons Green tube attack suspect voice shock at his arrest

[eo-announce] Earth Observatory: What's New Week of 19 September 2017

The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (19 September 2017)
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Latest Images:
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/

* Maria and Jose Menace the Caribbean and North Atlantic
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90998&src=eoa-iotd

* Preparing for the Moon and Mars at Potrillo
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90986&src=eoa-iotd

* Crop Circles in Sharq El Owainat
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90937&src=eoa-iotd

* Cruising Through the Bay of Kotor
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90926&src=eoa-iotd

* Typhoon Talim
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90983&src=eoa-iotd

* An American Aerosol in Paris
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90980&src=eoa-iotd

* Rainy Fingerprints of Irma
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90970&src=eoa-iotd

* Drought Recovery Taking Longer
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90787&src=eoa-iotd

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Recent Blog Posts:
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/

Earth Matters
* Why Caribbean Islands Went Brown And How Long Will They Stay That Way?
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmatters/?p=7905&src=eoa-blogs

Notes from the Field
* NAAMES-III Expedition: September 12, 2017
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/fromthefield/?p=8872&src=eoa-blogs

* NAAMES-III Expedition: September 13, 2017
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/fromthefield/?p=8866&src=eoa-blogs

* NAAMES-III Expedition: September 14, 2017
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/fromthefield/?p=8869&src=eoa-blogs

* NAAMES-III Expedition: September 11, 2017
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/fromthefield/?p=8854&src=eoa-blogs

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NASA's Earth Observatory
Where every day is Earth day.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

Northrup Grumman Acquires Orbital ATK for $9.2 Billion

New post on Universe Today

Northrup Grumman Acquires Orbital ATK for $9.2 Billion

by Ken Kremer

Antares rocket stands erect, reflecting off the calm waters the night before a launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, VA, on Oct. 28, 2014. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com

Aerospace giant Northrop Grumman will acquire Orbital ATK for approximately $9.2 billion, in a deal the companies announced Monday and they say will "expand capability" is largely "complementary" and involves "little overlap."

Orbital ATK specializes in a wide variety of launch vehicles, missiles and munitions that Northrup believes will significantly enhance capabilities it lacks while offering Orbital significantly more technical and financial resources to grow sales and business opportunities.

Under the terms of the huge deal Northrup will dole out approximately $7.8 billion in cash to buy Orbital ATK and assume $1.4 billion in net debt. Orbital ATK shareholders will receive all-cash consideration of $134.50 per share, which is about a 20% premium above the stock's price of $110 per share at the close of trading Friday, Sept. 15.

Rumors of the deal first appeared on Sunday.

Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft blasts off on July 13 2014 from Launch Pad 0A at NASA Wallops Flight Facility , VA, on the Orb-2 mission and loaded with over 3000 pounds of science experiments and supplies for the crew aboard the International Space Station. Credit: Ken Kremer - kenkremer.com

The final purchase is expected to take place around mid-2018, subject to approval by government regulators and Orbital ATK shareholders.

The Boards of Directors of both companies have already both given unanimous approval to the mega buyout.

"Our two companies represent a very complementary fit," Wes Bush, chief executive officer and president of Northrop Grumman said in a conference call on Monday, Sept. 18.

"We have very little overlap, and we fully expect our combined portfolios of leading technologies, along with our aligned and innovation-focused cultures, to yield significant value creation through revenue, cost and operational synergies, accelerating our profitable growth trajectory."

Northrup indicated that Orbital ATK will operate as a separate fourth unit – at least initially - and that Orbital programs will benefit from the increased financial resources available from Northrup.

"Upon completion of the acquisition, Northrop Grumman plans to establish Orbital ATK as a new, fourth business sector to ensure a strong focus on operating performance and a smooth transition into Northrop Grumman."

For his part Orbital ATK CEO David Thompson was very pleased with the buyout and future opportunities.
"The agreement reflects the tremendous value that Orbital ATK has created for our customers, our shareholders and our employees," David Thompson, Orbital ATK president and chief executive officer said at the conference call.

"The combination will allow our team as a new business sector within Northrop Grumman to maintain strong operational performance on existing customer programs and to pursue new opportunities that require greater technical and financial resources than we currently possess."

"Our collective customers should benefit from the expanded capabilities for innovation, increased speed of delivery and improved affordability of production resulting from the combination."

"The combination of our companies and human capital will also significantly benefit our customers," Bush elaborated. "Together, we can offer our customers enhanced mission capabilities and more competitive offerings in areas such as space, missiles and strategic deterrents.

"Our shareholders can expect revenue synergies from these new business opportunities."

Northrup Grumman sales for 2017 amount to about $25 billion vs. about $4.5 billion for Orbital ATK
Orbital ATK itself is the product of a very recent merger in 2015 of Orbital Sciences and ATK.

The company employs over 13,000 people including over 4,200 scientists and engineers. It holds a heft backlog of contracts worth more than $15 billion.

"The agreement will also provide expanded career options for our employees as part of a larger, more diverse aerospace and defense company," said Thompson.

It will also benefit stockholders.

"The transaction represents a truly compelling financial proposition for our shareholders, valuing the enterprise at about $9.2 billion and providing our investors with more than 120% total return over the 3-year period from the completion of the Orbital ATK merger in early 2015 to the expected closing in the first half of 2018."

Orbital ATK Minotaur IV rocket streaks to orbit through low hanging clouds that instantly illuminate as the booster engines flames pass through. This first Minotaur launch from the Cape carried the ORS-5 satellite tracker to equatorial orbit for the U.S. Air Force at 2:04 a.m. EDT on August 26, 2017 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com

Orbital ATK launchers run the gamut from small to medium to large.

The rockets include the massive solid rocket boosters for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) heavy lift rocket under development, the Antares liquid fueled booster used to launch Cygnus cargo freighters to the International Space Station for NASA, the Minotaur family of medium class solid rocket launchers, as well as sounding rockets for a variety of low weight science missions.

The purchase is also estimated to result in $150 million in annual cost savings by 2020.

"We believe that this combination represents a compelling value creation opportunity for the customers, shareholders and employees of both our companies," stated Bush. "Through our combination, all of our stakeholders will benefit from expanded capabilities, accelerated innovation and greater competitiveness in critical global security domains."

Watch for Ken's continuing onsite NASA mission and launch reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Va.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news.

Ken Kremer

The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus OA-5 spacecraft onboard, is raised into the vertical position on launch Pad-0A for planned launch on Oct. 17, 2016, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer

Ken Kremer | September 19, 2017 at 10:12 pm | Tags: aerospace mergers, Minotaur rocket, Orbital ATK | Categories: International Space Station | URL: http://wp.me/p1CHIY-zHp

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