BOULDER, Colo., March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.'s Kepler Mission for NASA has been honored by Aviation Week and Space Technology with the publication's prestigious Laureate Award. The annual awards recognize individuals and teams for their extraordinary accomplishments and the inspiration they provide for others to strive for significant, broad-reaching progress in aviation and aerospace.
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Ball Aerospace was the prime contractor for NASA's Kepler Mission, designed to search for rocky, Earth-sized planets around other stars. Ball Aerospace built the photometer and spacecraft, and managed system integration and conducted testing for the Discovery Class mission.
Kepler has been continuously and simultaneously monitoring the brightness of more than 100,000 stars since its launch in 2009. In December 2011, Kepler confirmed its first planet in the "habitable zone," the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Kepler also has discovered more than 1,000 new planet candidates, nearly doubling its previously known count.
"Ball Aerospace is proud to be honored for its contribution to the Kepler Mission by Aviation Week's Laureate award for space," said David L. Taylor, Ball Aerospace president and CEO. "The Laureate Award for this pioneering spacecraft and its revolutionary scientific discoveries recognizes the dedication of hundreds of Ball Aerospace employees."
The award was presented by Aviation Week, the industry's premier news publication, during a black-tie event March 7, 2011 at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. The publication annually presents Laureate Awards in 10 categories and Kepler received the award in the category for space.
Ball Aerospace was previously honored by Aviation Week's Laureate Awards when the comet-colliding Deep Impact mission was a finalist for the space award in 2006. Ball Aerospace was also a member of the team that won the space award from Aviation Week in 1994, for the first Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions for national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. The company develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific applications. For more information visit www.ballaerospace.com.
Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) is a supplier of high quality packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2011 sales of more than $8.6 billion. For the latest Ball news and for other company information, please visit http://www.ball.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates, " "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; and changes in foreign exchange rates or tax rates. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the recent global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding the U.S. government budget and debt limit; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.
SOURCE Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
