Apr 6 2010
The Lockheed Martin engineers’ team was accorded recognition by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) for their key role in destroying an errant U.S. satellite during 2008 to thwart it from an unpredictable and uncontrollable reentry and likely crash on the Earth.
The recognition award was received by two employees of Lockheed Martin Joseph Rappisi and Anthony J. DeSimone, Ph.D. on behalf of the engineering team.
The Ronald W. Reagan Missile Defense Award is an annual award given to organizations or individuals for outstanding scientific or engineering achievement, innovation, or outstanding support related to technologies that are designed to safeguard against attack from ballistic missiles.
The team collaborated with the MDA, the national laboratory, the U.S. Navy, and other scientists and industry engineers for modifying the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Weapon System. The modification was carried out to perform this emergency mission.
MDA’s Director Lt. Gen. Patrick J. O'Reilly informed that the successful mission highlights the team’s ingenuity, flexibility, and drive for achieving the almost impossible task.
Source: http://www.lockheedmartin.com