03 Aug 2007
Astronaut to visit Irvine Electronics!

IRVINE, California /Aug. 16, 2007 --- NASA Astronaut John D. Olivas (“Danny”) will be visiting Irvine Electronics, Inc., a local contract manufacturer, on August 16th at 10:00 a.m. Danny Olivas was instrumental in repairing the lifted heat shield on the space shuttle Atlantis in July. His heroic efforts assisted in the safe return of the shuttle and his fellow astronauts. For this momentous occasion, Irvine Electronics has invited a group of local school children, the families of employees as well as members of the community to meet and learn about the continued space exploration efforts. Danny Olivas, PhD, P.E., NASA astronaut is a distinguished graduate from the University of Texas-El Paso for his BSME, the University of Houston for his MSME and Rice University for his PhD in mechanical engineering and materials science. To date, he has logged over 336 hours in space including over 14 EVA (spacewalk) hours. Dr. Olivas holds six U.S. Patents; four NASA Class One Tech Brief Awards; five JPL-California Institute of Technology Novel Technology Recognitions and more. He was selected as a mission specialist by NASA in 1998. IEI was awarded a multi-year contract in 2004 from Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne to build the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) for the Space Shuttle using NASA trained and certified personnel with specialized aerospace quality skills. The project was completed in 2007. The PTU is a key component that will provide the means for extended stays in space. The power transfer unit will experience its first flight on STS-118, installed on the Endeavor shuttle scheduled to launch August 7, 2007. The employees of Irvine Electronics are honored to have a member of the NASA community, along with the prospects of having children, the future generation of astronauts, here to be a part of this momentous occasion.