Press Release

MSC.Software Receives Contract From NASA for Digital Shuttle Project

By SpaceRef Editor
November 21, 2002
Filed under , ,

Space Shuttle Orbiter Drawings Into 3-D CATIA Solid Models

MSC.Software Corp. (NYSE:MNS), the leading global provider of simulation software, services and systems, today announced that NASA’s Johnson Space Center has selected MSC.Software to participate in a feasibility study to convert a defined set of 2-D Space Shuttle Orbiter drawings and engineering orders to 3-D geometric solid models in the CATIA CAD environment. The vendors chosen by NASA for the Design Shuttle Project were chosen based upon “technical capability, relevant experience and past performance.”

“MSC.Software has been a part of the space program since its inception in the 1960s and we are pleased to be extending our very strong working relationship with NASA,” said Frank Perna, chairman and chief executive officer of MSC.Software. “We won this contract because of our deep domain expertise in CATIA and decades of experience working with engineers at the NASA Johnson Space Center. The Digital Shuttle Project is exciting and important work and we are proud to be a part of it.”

According to reports, NASA plans to spend $1.6 billion over the next five years to upgrade the space shuttle fleet. NASA currently has more than one million design drawings and engineering orders that define the structural aspects of four Space Shuttle Orbiters. Many of these drawings were originally created in now obsolete CAD systems while some exist only on paper or microfiche. In order to service and maintain the shuttle fleet, NASA wants to convert a portion of the design drawings into CAD models, making them more accessible to NASA engineers for design and analysis and ensuring the proper function of shuttle components, systems and subsystems.

MSC.Software provides comprehensive professional services to companies, governments and research institutions around the world. In addition to process automation and consulting services, MSC.Software relies on its close relationship with Dassault Systemes to develop, market and support the entire Dassault product line. MSC.Software is the leading Dassault Systemes’ business partner in the U.S. and relies on an experienced team of engineers around the world for CATIA data creation, migration and conversion services, training, ongoing technical support and custom programming.

For more information on MSC.Software Professional Services, please visit http://www.mscsoftware.com/services/.

About MSC.Software Corporation

MSC.Software (NYSE:MNS) is the leading global provider of simulation software, with related services and systems that help companies make money, save time and reduce costs associated with designing and testing manufactured products. MSC.Software works with thousands of companies in hundreds of industries to develop better products faster by utilizing information technology, software, services and systems. The company employs more than 1,500 people in 22 countries. For additional information about MSC.Software’s products and services, please visit www.mscsoftware.com.

SpaceRef staff editor.