MANASSAS, Va., May 11 -- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has awarded a $5.5 million contract to Lockheed Martin Space Electronics & Communications in Manassas, VA for the development of the X2000 System Flight Computer (SFC). The company's Advanced Digital Solutions group will develop, qualify, and deliver hardware such as prototype boards, engineering boards, qual boards, flight boards, software, and support test equipment.

The backbone behind the X2000 SFC will be a radiation-hardened PowerPC flight computer, or RAD750. This win marks the industry's first mega-radhard PowerPC flight computer order. The RAD750 provides a ten-fold improvement in throughput over the RAD6000, which was also developed by Lockheed Martin and served as the flight computer for the Mars Pathfinder.

X2000, also known as NASA's Deep Space Systems Technology Development Program, develops technologies that will serve such missions as Europa, Pluto- Kuiper, and the Solar Probe study of the Sun. Access JPL's Web site at http://cism.jpl.nasa.gov for more information about this program.

Lockheed Martin Space Electronics & Communications in Manassas, Virginia is an operating unit of Lockheed Martin Electronics Sector, a leader in design, development and manufacture of electronic systems for global defense, civil and commercial markets.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a highly diversified global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's core businesses span space and telecommunications, electronics, information and services, aeronautics, energy

NEWINGTON, Va., May 6 -- The U.S. Customs Service today announced the re-launching of its newly designed, official Web site -- http://www.customs.gov -- which has been viewed by some 11 million visitors since its grand opening in August, 1996. The site's new look features more visual impact, a more intuitive navigational scheme, and more information for the import-export community and international travelers alike.

The Customs Web site welcomes about 40,000 visitors a day, and reflects the diverse role of the agency, mirroring the functions and services performed by its 19,000-plus employees. For the benefit of the public, the site is organized in six sections meaningful to visitors.

One of the more popular sections is "Careers and Contracts," which lists current Customs employment and contracting opportunities. Those interested in pursuing a Customs career in the frontline of law enforcement will find opportunities listed here with details on application requirements.

The "Importing and Exporting" section has everything from basic information on importing goods for personal use, to more complex details applicable to major commercial shipments. A separate link brings visitors to downloadable publications and forms, including "Importing Into the United States," "The Harmonized Tariff Schedule," "U.S. Import Requirements," and many more. Forty Customs forms may also be downloaded for completing off-line.

International travelers will know U.S. Customs requirements before they go to foreign lands by visiting the "Traveler Information" section, where they will learn about customer service standards and what Customs is doing to ensure a pleasant arrival back in the United States. They will also discover what not to bring back home, how to mail gifts back to the U.S., what to do about pets and medications, and other pertinent topics.