SPARKS, Nev., July 17, 2019 – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), owned by Chairwoman and President, Eren Ozmen, and SNC CEO, Fatih Ozmen, will mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission with a special space display at the Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum (The Discovery) in Reno. A global aerospace and national security leader, SNC is headquartered in Sparks, Nevada, where approximately one-sixth of its 4,000 employees are based.
A 10-foot model of the SNC Dream Chaser® spacecraft, known as America’s Spaceplane™, is displayed in the main atrium of The Discovery. In addition, adults and kids can put on a virtual reality headset to tour SNC’s moon-orbiting Gateway Architecture concept, which includes a Large Inflatable Fabric Environment (LIFE) habitat designed for long-duration human activity in lunar orbit. A unit of SNC’s Astro Garden® system is also temporarily on display.
“We’re honored on this historic anniversary to showcase right here in Nevada, at The Discovery, this community’s contribution to the future of space,” said Eren Ozmen, SNC’s Chairwoman, President and owner. “Reno has been our home since Fatih and I came to the U.S. to pursue higher education and the American Dream. We set out to build a cutting-edge technology company that serves America, and we are grateful every day to live in a community and country that offer that gift of opportunity.”
SNC’s space innovations include the following.
Dream Chaser® Spacecraft: The SNC Dream Chaser® spacecraft is a reusable, multimission space utility vehicle. It is the only commercial space vehicle capable of a runway landing. The Dream Chaser® cargo system was selected by NASA to provide cargo delivery and disposal services to the International Space Station starting in 2021.
NASA Gateway: The SNC lunar Gateway architecture concept is inflated and large enough to accommodate four astronauts for 10-to-60-day stays to support exploration of the Moon and beyond, including travel to Mars. Positioned in lunar orbit, the Gateway, developed under NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships 2 (or NextSTEP-2) program, is envisioned as a habitat, a science laboratory and a staging point for space exploration missions.
VORTEX® Engine: The SNC VORTEX® engine applies patented vortex technology to a new family of high-performance rocket engines that will serve as boosters and upper-stage engines for a variety of space missions for NASA, commercial space companies and the U.S. military. The SNC VORTEX® engine will expand performance for the U.S. in booster and upper-stage propulsion at significantly reduced cost.
Environmental Systems: SNC engineers are creating the next generation of bioagricultural products through system and service solutions that increase plant productivity on Earth and in space. SNC’s unique capabilities stem from decades of research in environmental control in partnership with NASA and are optimized for growth of plant-made pharmaceuticals, industrial products and high-yield crops through lighting, control systems, automation and growth services. SNC’s work with NASA to create the vegetable production system (known as VEGGIE) and advanced plant habitat systems on the International Space Station is helping scientists understand more about plants and give critical insight into growing fresh food in space for long-duration travel.
Outside SNC, Eren Ozmen serves on the Board of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and Fatih Ozmen was selected by Vice President Mike Pence to serve on the National Space Council’s Users’ Advisory Group, which alongside representatives from SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing and other industry leaders.
For more information about Sierra Nevada Corporation, go to www.sncorp.com. For information and hours of operation for The Discovery, go to www.nvdm.org.
About Sierra Nevada Corporation
Owned by Chairwoman and President Eren Ozmen and CEO Fatih Ozmen, SNC is a trusted leader in solving the world’s toughest challenges through best-of-breed, open architecture engineering in Space Systems, Commercial Solutions, and National Security and Defense. SNC is recognized among the three most innovative U.S. companies in space, as a Tier One Superior Supplier for the U.S. Air Force, and as one of America’s fastest growing companies. SNC’s 55-year legacy of state-of-the art civil, military and commercial solutions includes delivering more than 4,000 space systems, subsystems and components to customers worldwide, and participation in more than 450 missions to space, including Mars. For more information, visit www.sncorp.com.
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