Nickel-Hydrogen Batteries Power Martian Mission
EaglePicher Technologies, LLC, Joplin, Missouri, May 30, 2001 - NASA's "2001 Mars Odyssey" spacecraft launched successfully from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard a Delta II launch vehicle on April 7th. EaglePicher Technologies, LLC (EPT) of Joplin, Missouri manufactured the batter on-board. The spacecraft, was built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, in partnership with NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for space exploration activity. The "2001 Mars Odyssey" will join the Mars Global Surveyor already in Mars' orbit as part of the Red Planet's mission effort.
EaglePicher's Power Subsystems Group combined two types of cells to build a unique nickel-hydrogen battery configuration for this program. The 16 amperehour battery design contains eleven 2-cell Common Pressure Vessel (CPV) cells and one Independent Pressure Vessel (IPV) cell to achieve the twenty-three cell equivalent. The battery's function is reserve power for spacecraft operation, utilized approximately a third of the time, when solar arrays become eclipsed. "EaglePicher is proud to be a significant supplier to the NASA Space Program. We have been a continuous source of battery power throughout four decades of space flight missions", said Ron Repplinger, Director of Power Subsystems Group at EPT.
The "2001 Mars Odyssey" mission is to guide a two Martian-year mapping of the planet (46 Earth Months). It will travel about 200 days to reach Mars; the anticipated date of arrival is October 24th of this year. A probe will search for and analyze various elements of the environment such as water, ice, mineral deposits and radiation. The results of this study will help to determine what future challenges exist for human Mars explorers. This satellite will also establish communications for U.S. and International landers in upcoming 2003 and 2004 missions.
Production took place within the Power Subsystems Group, a part of EPT located in Joplin, Missouri. The group has four major product lines: Nickel-Hydrogen, Advanced Electrochemical Systems (lithium-ion), Electronic Systems, and Motor Generators. EPT is a leading supplier of nickel-hydrogen cell and battery technology for military, aerospace and commercial satellite applications, as well as a diversified manufacturer of special purpose power storage systems and solar array components. In addition, EPT intends to offer this nickel-hydrogen technology in the near future as terrestrial backup power for applications in telecommunications and other high-reliability environments. The primary thrusts for EPT's products and services are in the areas of: telecommunications, semiconductors, medical, defense, applications and space power. EPT's engineering network and extensive research, development and manufacture of products ranging from aerospace power systems to electronic devices to chemical analysis provide a solid foundation on which customers can depend.
This news release contains statements which, to the extent that they are not recitations of historical fact, constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking information involves risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the ability of the Company to develop, market and sell new products and customer acceptance of those products based on factors such as performance, reliability and cost, as well as factors discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
