Avum, Inc. Confirms Successful Spitzer Launch.

MALIBU, CA, September 1, 2003 -- AVUM, Inc.’s aerospace engineering group today confirmed NASA’s successful launch of the Spitzer Space Infrared Telescope Facility from Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 25, 2003.  AVUM engineers contributed in a number of areas to the development and launch of Spitzer.

During its two and one-half to five year mission, Spitzer will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space between wavelengths of 3 and 180 microns (1 micron is one-millionth of a meter).  Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.

"We are extremely pleased with the success of the launch so far," says Hank Mora, AVUM Executive Vice-President.  "We are anxious to begin seeing the results of the mission, once the in-orbit checkout, calibration, and science verification period has been completed."

AVUM has provided systems engineering and architecture design for the Spitzer program, including thermal design, pointing control testing and design, fault protection, ascent event software definition, cryostat motor control design and testing, temperature and position measurement electronics, software simulator design.

Spitzer is the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space.  Its highly sensitive instruments will allow scientists to examine regions of space which are hidden from optical telescopes.

Infrared light can penetrate the vast, dense clouds of gas and dust which block the view of many areas of space.  Scientists anticipate previously unseen views of regions of star formation, brown dwarfs, the centers of galaxies, and newly forming planetary systems.

"It has been a privilege for AVUM to work on the Spitzer project, the final mission in NASA's Great Observatories Program," adds Mora.  "It's hard not to get excited by a mission that could provide many answers about our cosmic origins.  It has been challenging work, but the potential scientific benefits of the mission are enormous."

For more information on Spitzer, please visit http://spitzer.caltech.edu/about/index.shtml

Avum, Inc.

Avum, Inc. is a privately held company in Southern California founded in 1992 by Randall Mora.  Avum provides custom application development and integration solutions to enterprise-class businesses as well as the aerospace industry.  The company is headquartered in Malibu, California and can be found on the web at www.avum.com.

Press Contact:

Randall P. Mora
(310) 457-8263 X6001