WASHINGTON -- NASA has exercised an $86 million, one-year contract option with Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems International of Windsor Locks, Conn., for work on spacesuits used on the space shuttles and the International Space Station.

This will be the first option period of the contract known as the Extravehicular Activity Systems Contract. The contract is a cost-plus-award-fee contract.

Under the contract, Hamilton Sundstrand and its subcontractors perform engineering management for hardware systems used in spacewalks, supporting enhancements, ensuring flight and spacewalk readiness, providing safety and mission assurance, meeting flight milestones and achieving mission goals.

Work covered under the option will begin in October 2009 and continue through September 2010. The option value includes about $76 million for the estimated core-completion-form-tasks and $10 million for Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity, or IDIQ, tasks. This brings the contract value to about $514 million, which includes approximately $454 million for the estimated core-completion-form-tasks and $60 million for IDIQ tasks.

For more information about the space shuttle, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For more information about the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station