December 5, 2011
Calvin Williams, Community Service
When Calvin Williams’ mom gave flowers from her garden to neighbors, to ensure someone else had “a little more,” she was establishing a legacy of giving that carries on through her son. Her words, “Son, things are not as bad as they could be,” come to the forefront when he sees the needs of others, and a spark to reach out to help ignites.
Calvin volunteers with the American Red Cross to provide food, water, and shelter to victims of disasters across the country. He tirelessly gives his time, energy, and heart to families who have been devastated by hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and fires. One such act of giving was in our local Maryland community at an apartment fire that killed six victims. After safely securing the victims in a central location, Calvin helped meet both immediate and long-term needs of the survivors. Those needs included providing essentials like food, clothes, and water, and finding shelters and working with apartment complexes and housing developments for additional accommodations.
Calvin has traveled to New Orleans once every year since 2003 to assist Hurricane Katrina victims and has been to Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi to extend a helping hand to flood victims. The worse was Katrina, he reflects, “I can’t say that I was prepared…at the end of the day, you are so full you don’t think about being tired…dirty…hungry.” His eyes swell with emotion as he sits silently thinking about our fellow Americans in need.
November 7, 2011
NASA selects Vantage Partners LLC of Lanham, Md., for GESS-3 Contract
NASA has selected Vantage Partners LLC of Lanham, Md., to provide engineering and scientific services to the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. For further information click here
August 15, 2011
Vantage Systems Receives ISO 9001:2008 Certification
Vantage Systems, Inc. received its ISO 9001:2008 Certification after a thorough independent audit of its Quality Management System (QMS) by Quality Systems Registrars, Inc. The certification confirms that Vantage received written assurance by an independent external body that its management system has been audited and verified that it conforms to the requirements specified in the ISO 9001:2008 standard.
ISO 9001:2008 applies to Vantage’s QMS processes that influence the exceptional product or service quality it delivers. Within the scope of the Certification to design and develop multi-disciplinary engineering and information technology services and solutions and provide ongoing maintenance support, Vantage enables its clients to achieve their goals by providing critical engineering and information technology services and solutions through a talented, experienced, and high-integrity work force.
“This Certification marks a pivotal moment in Vantage’s history as we focus on expanded strategies that will pave the way for future growth and stability. ISO 9001:2008 is a key indicator of our commitment to providing measurable, quality engineering and IT services to our clients nationwide,” commented Vantage’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Polk.
January 1, 2011
Vantage Systems to Support NASA GSFC Astrophysics Science Division
Vantage Systems, Inc. has been awarded a four year contract to provide Application Programming and Computer Software Support to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Astrophysics Science Division (ASD), one of the world’s largest and most diverse astrophysical organizations. Our support includes:
RXTE Guest Observer Facility (GOF) - Provide support for questions that come into the RXTE help desk. Maintain operation of the automated pipeline processing of RXTE data.
Swift Data Center - Provide data management support for the processing and distribution of the data collected by Swift Gamma-ray Burst Explorer, and support the maintenance and enhancement of the data processing software in support of the Swift Data Center.
Support HEASARC's role in VAO - The purpose of this task is to provide support for ASD's role in the Virtual Astronomical Observatory. This includes maintaining the data and metadata for multiple missions hosted within NASA’s High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) database. As well, this task will provide software development and operations maintenance on related software applications and provide science user community support and programming assistance.
HEASARC Support - Maintain NASA’s High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center Website. Provide technical support for proposal activities, data documentation, senior reviews, and conference attendance.
Suzaku Data Center - Provide support and development for existing pipeline processing for Suzaku at GSFC. Handle and maintain data, databases, and networks for the Suzaku mission. Develop software as required for the program. Assist with user support on the data pipelines.
April 6, 2010
Vantage Systems Awarded ELC Transition Sustaining Engineering Contract
Vantage Systems, Inc. was awarded a 5-year contract to provide Sustaining Engineering (SE) Services to support the International Space Station (ISS) ExPRESS Logistics Carrier (ELC) project office at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Vantage will support GSFC in transitioning SE to ISS in order to ensure continuous support to the Johnson Space Center ISS External Carriers Office for ISS activities. The project includes the provision of ELC mission transition planning and related activities and integration of products and support.
Vantage will support the ELC project in the following areas:
- Sustain engineering activities
- Sustain engineering efforts for transition
- Sustain engineering for transfer of data
- Web application development and maintenance
- Data reduction
- Electronic media and document services
- Educational outreach
The ISS is an Earth-orbiting facility that supports long duration human habitation and scientific/technological research activities in the microgravity environment of low earth orbit. GSFC is partnered with the ISS program for the Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station (ExPRESS) Logistics Carriers (ELC). NASA/GSFC is providing ISS with five ELC to be used as logistic carriers/science platforms aimed to bring up to ISS items related to engineering/logistic purposes and scientific payloads.
April 5, 2010
Vantage Systems to Provide ELC Mission Sustaining Support
Vantage Systems, Inc. has been awarded a contract to provide mission support for Utilization and Logistics Flight (ULF) Missions and Sustaining Engineering (SE) activities, responsibilities, and interfaces between GSFC and NASA/Johnson Space Center/ISS to support the ExPRESS Logistics Carriers (ELC) project. The scope of this project applies to activities performed during both on-ground and in-flight phases. Vantage will provide mission support for mission preparation, flight operations, materials and post-flight activities.
Vantage’s overall support will be to perform dedicated analysis as required by the mission integration or by anomaly detection including both ground processing and on-orbit phases. Vantage will also provide essential engineering support after hardware/software and ground support equipment development.
The International Space Station (ISS) is an Earth-orbiting facility that supports long duration human habitation and scientific/technological research activities in the microgravity environment of low earth orbit. GSFC is partnered with the ISS program for the Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station (ExPRESS) Logistics Carriers (ELC). NASA/GSFC is providing ISS with five ELC to be used as logistic carriers/science platforms aimed to bring up to ISS items related to engineering/logistic purposes and scientific payloads.
April 5, 2010
Vantage Systems Awarded Contract for Multidisciplinary Engineering Support ExPRESS Logistics Carrier (ELC) Program
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center awarded Vantage Systems, Inc. a contract to provide engineering expertise in support of the Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station (ExPRESS) Logistics Carrier (ELC) project. Vantage will provide multidisciplinary engineering services to include the areas of program management, systems engineering, materials, structural analysis and loads, mechanical design, electromechanical design, thermal, manufacturing, integration and test, logistics and IT.
This contract is a follow on to a previous contract awarded to Vantage in 2007 by which Vantage was instrumental during the development, testing, and integration of the ELC project and was involved with ELC from systems requirements development through the hardware verification and launch phases. Vantage staff has been involved and supported ELC in many areas including mechanical, electrical/avionics, harness design and fabrication, integration and test (I&T), structural, software and IT and management.
Joe Polk, Vantage President and CEO, commented, “The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has been a satisfied Vantage customer since 1993, and we welcome the opportunity to continue to provide quality service via this ELC contract. We have a solid track record of success and delivery of best quality products and services on the ELC program as well as numerous other GSFC programs.”
April 2, 2010
Vantage to Provide Engineering Services to Thermal Infrared Sensor Project
ASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) awarded Vantage Systems, Inc. an 8(a) set-aside IDIQ contract for Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) Engineering Support Services (TESS). Vantage will perform engineering support services that will encompass all phases of project implementation from conceptual studies through definition, design and development; fabrication; integration; launch; preparation for pre- and post-launch operations; satellite servicing; and data acquisition, processing, distribution, analysis and archiving.
Vantage will also provide multidisciplinary design, analysis, integration and test support (systems, thermal, mechanical, electrical and software) to confirm that the TIRS Instrument meets or exceeds design, performance and verification criteria for the remaining phases of its development lifecycle.
TIRS is being designed to continue the Landsat thermal data gathering that has been used operationally to monitor water consumption on a field-by-field basis in the Western United States and internationally. TIRS will produce radiometrically calibrated, geo-located thermal image data and will deliver algorithms and parameters necessary to evaluate data and produce required outputs.
“Vantage has supported GSFC on various missions for over 16 years, and we are excited about this opportunity to continue to support GSFC on the TIRS project,” commented Joe Polk, Vantage President & CEO.
April 29, 2009
Vantage Systems begins Work on NASA PAAC III Contract
Vantage Systems, Inc. has begun work on the Program Analysis and Control (PAAC III) contract that it won as part of the ASRC Research and Technology Solutions (ARTS) team to provide mission support services to the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Flight Projects Directorate.
As a lead subcontractor, Vantage provides mission enabling support in the areas of mission information systems; planning & scheduling; configuration management; documentation dissemination and control; data management; and general accounting and business services.
The 5-year contract has a maximum value of $200 million and supports current and future NASA programs, including the Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite-R (GOES-R), the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), the Magnetospheric Multi-Scale (MMS) Mission and numerous other space and earth science programs.
“Vantage is pleased to continue our efforts to support NASA at GSFC and nationwide in its mission to plan and manage space flight projects. We will move forward in our commitment to provide quality services as we support the GSFC Flight Projects Directorate and its program offices,” commented Joe Polk, Vantage President and CEO.
October 30, 2008
Vantage Systems on winning team for NASA PAAC III Contract
Vantage Systems, Inc. is part of a team led by ASRC Research and Technology Solutions (ARTS) that has been awarded a five-year contract by NASA to provide mission support services to the Goddard Space Flight Center's Flight Projects Directorate. The contract has a maximum value of $200 million. Under the Program Analysis and Control (PAAC III) contract, Vantage will use its expertise in a lead subcontract role to support current and future NASA programs, including the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Magnetospheric Multi-Scale (MMS) Mission and numerous other space and earth science programs. Vantage's role will focus on business and information technology support. Vantage is already supporting both of these areas through other contracts at Goddard.
"We are proud to be part of the ARTS Team. This award is testament to their commitment to provide high level technical and support services to their customers," said Joseph Polk, president of Vantage Systems.