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MISSION LASER-INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Laser and Electro-Optics Branch iscurrently seeking an industry partner to assist with the laser development on theupcoming ICESat II mission.

The goal of this RFI is to insure that the best and widest possible set ofcapabilities is considered for the ICESat-II mission. It is anticipated that NASA GSFCwill proceed with a future funding opportunity to assist in the design, development andproduction of the ICESat-II laser transmitters, but this RFI in no way constitutes acommitment of future funding opportunities from NASA. Interested organizations are invited to submit to the NASA point of contact listed belowa description of their diode-pumped short-pulse Nd:YAG laser technical andresource/facility capabilities relevant to air and space applications. This submittalshould also describe the organizations experience and past performance in the areas ofair and space-based laser systems. We are specifically interested in the following areas:1) Diode-pumped short-pulse Nd: YAG laser design that would a) meet or exceed theperformance requirements given in Table I (will be uploaded as modification to this RFI)and b) be at a state of development that would enable production of a engineering testunit (ETU) for laboratory laser/electro-optic parametric conformance testing andlong-term (preferably accelerated) reliability testing. The engineering test unit (ETU)should be designed to flight-qualifiable standards but would not need to be flightqualified. 2)Diode-pumped short-pulse Nd:YAG laser manufacturing quantities produced per year forair and space applications (minimum quantities of each type of diode-pumped short-pulseNd:YAG laser are encouraged if exact numbers are considered proprietary) 3)Production methodologies, quality control and standards (e.g. Mil-specs, Telcordia,Six-sigma etc.) employed in the manufacturing process for diode-pumped short-pulse Nd:YAGlasers 4)Facilities development and facility capability for manufacturing of diode-pumpedshort-pulse Nd:YAG lasers 5)Laser component (e.g. pump laser diodes, damage testing of optical coatings, lasercrystal development etc.) development and testing facilities and experience. 6) Environmental testing (e.g. vibration, long-term reliability, temperature cycling, andaccelerated life-tests, vacuum) of air and/or space-based diode-pumped short-pulse Nd:YAG lasers, laser components and laser qualification experience and past qualification. 7) Previous and recent prototype, breadboard, brassboard, engineering model and flightmodel diode-pumped short-pulse Nd: YAG lasers hardware for air and space applications. Capability Statements should include an executive summary, not to exceed two pages, toaddress any major items that the organization wishes to highlight. As part of itsassessment of industry capabilities, the NASA-GSFC may contact respondents to thisRequest For Information, if clarifications or further information is needed. Capability Statements shall be submitted to the point of contact listed below and must bereceived by: Monday, June 30, 2008 no later than 5 PM EST Statements may be submitted electronically via email, by fax, or by regular mail, to: Dr. Michael A. Krainak, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Laser & Electro-Optics Branch, Code 554 Bldg 19, Rm S004, Greenbelt, MD 20771. Fax: (301) 286-1750 email: michael.a.krainak@nasa.gov PDF format is preferred. At this time, NASA is exploring the possibility of a future acquisition as a result ofthis RFI.

Plan of co-operation for Continental and United

Although falling short of a merger, Continental plans to leave the Delta-led SkyTeam group and join the United-led Star Alliance, althoigh this process may take at least a year. The two carriers are to work together on code-share flights, frequent flyier programmes, lounges, IT and procurement.

"This work was assisted by the efficieny opportunities identified during the parties' earlier merger discussions," a joint statement said.

A range of joint ventures are to be established to allow co-operation between the two airlines and other Star Alliance members, which include Lufthansa and Air Canada.

Continental, the fourth largest US carrier by traffic, will seek US Department of Transportation approval to join in an anti-trust immuzed alliance. This will enable the Houston-based airline to work closely together with United - the second largest US carrier - Lufthansa, Air Canada and other alliance members to work closely together and establish a transatlantic joint venture.

The North Atlantic plan aims to allow Continental, United, Lufthansa and Air Canada to poll revenues to allow them to compete more effectively with rival SkyTeam carriers led by Delta and Air France.

"The transatlantic joint venture will combine the strength of the carriers to create a more efficient and comprehensive transatlantic network for the carriers' customers," the statement said. Other joint ventures are planned for the Latin America and Asia-Pacific regions.

Within the US, the two airlines plan to begin broad code-sharing and frequent flyer reciprocity.

Repurchase of P.B by Acer

Here is finally the epilogue of a history which will have begun here are several months. For recall and to make simple, at the beginning Gateway and Lenovo were on the rows for the repurchase. Acer then said very interested him also, but Packard Bell had then already entered into negotiation with Chinese Lenovo. Fortunately for Acer, all was not lost since Gateway kept its right to make against-offers to that of Lenovo or other companies. However at the end of August, Taiwanese Acer repurchased Gateway for 710 million dollars. Blow, Acer, via Gateway, was always in hand to repurchase Packard Bell. But why this war between Lenovo and Acer for the acquisition of Packard Bell? Quite simply because this company is well established in Europe. Thanks to the repurchase, Lenovo could thus have reinforced its position on the European market but that meant blow potential loss of share of market for Acer whose presence is rather strong on the old continent. At the beginning of October, Acer gained the deal and confirmed the repurchase of Packard Bell via its from now on subsidiary Gateway for an amount then unknown. This acquisition has been in fact effective for Wednesday when Acer finally acquired 75% of Packard Bell for 45.8 million dollars. Thanks to the repurchases of Gateway and Packard Bell, Acer thus could reinforce its position on the American and European markets and take last year the third world place of the salesmen of PC with Lenovo. to see>>

The inaccuracy and the fidelisation

Customers

"the incomes by customer increase with time: those tend to buy more and expensive ", Magali Dubosson Torbay details. A report completely shared by Switzerland Tourism, which is undertaking various studies on the development of consumer loyalty.

to see>>

Levers of the development of consumer loyalty.

As in a couple. "people are not inaccurate by nature", thinks Olivier Would know, of Mbeem, solution of piloting of the client relationship. They become it because there is an impoverishment of the relation, "a shift between what they give and what they receive in return". It is not a question only of material elements (wages, fringe benefits), but also of intangible values: environment, valorization, possibilities of being formed, of arranging its working time... Thus Philippe Cateau, director and founder of Optentiel (undertaken based in Nyon aiming at optimizing the potential of the collaborators and the teams), estimate that, to improve fidelity, it is necessary to act on various axes: remuneration, the professional (adequacy of the person, in terms of competences, personality, potential, etc, with its station), the relational one (environment, recognition) and the honesty of the employer (good policy of internal information, coherence enters the speeches and the facts...).to see>>

Top economist says America could plunge into recession

Suzy Jagger in New York

Losses arising from America’s housing recession could triple over the next few years and they represent the greatest threat to growth in the United States, one of the world’s leading economists has told The Times.

Robert Shiller, Professor of Economics at Yale University, predicted that there was a very real possibility that the US would be plunged into a Japan-style slump, with house prices declining for years.

Professor Shiller, co-founder of the respected S&P Case/Shiller house-price index, said: “American real estate values have already lost around $1 trillion [£503 billion]. That could easily increase threefold over the next few years. This is a much bigger issue than sub-prime. We are talking trillions of dollars’ worth of losses.”

He said that US futures markets had priced in further declines in house prices in the short term, with contracts on the S&P Shiller index pointing to decreases of up to 14 per cent. To see>>

Consumer groups slam fuel for poor pact

Angela Jameson

Consumer groups today slammed a Government deal that will see the six major energy companies pay merely an additional £225 million over three years to help people struggling with rising power bills and accused the Chancellor of backtracking on a Budget pledge to make the industry do more for vulnerable customers.

"The Government is letting the energy industry off lightly," a spokesman for Energywatch, the consumer watchdog, said.

Age Concern, Help the Aged and other consumer groups joined in the criticism of the Government's deal with the energy industry, saying that the Government was failing the most vulnerable and had done nothing to tackle the terrible injustice of charging the poorest customers more through pre-payment meters.

Help the Aged, which this week launched a legal challenge to the Government over fuel poverty, with Friends of the Earth, was also critical of the deal. Kate Jopling, head of public affairs at the charity, said: "This initiative will only just begin to scratch the surface. The Government cannot shirk its own responsibility to tackle this serious and growing problem."

Related Links

• Energy suppliers in talks to help 4.5m families

• Ofgem angers groups with threat of windfall tax

Gordon Lishman, Director General of Age Concern, said: “A figure of £225 million over three years is well under the £150 million per year the government said it would be looking for in the Budget. Helping 100,000 households is just a drop in the ocean. To see>>