PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
CONTACT: Jim Doyle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 1996
NEW MESSAGE SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERRED TO INDUSTRY
Approval has been given by NASA and the California Institute
of Technology to transfer a new, sophisticated computer message
handling system to Telos Corp. for marketing.
The system, developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory by
a JPL-Telos team under contract to the Department of Defense, is
called the Automated Message Handling System. It adds
organization to message distribution by automatically routing
electronic mail and news to interested readers according to
content.
"The new system bridged the old telegram type traffic used
by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called AUTODIN," said Maurice Roe,
product manager for Telos. "It brought the paper world onto the
end-user's desktop personal computer."
The system will be used by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the
1,300 members of the staff who receive more than 520,000 messages
a year.
The transfer is part of an ongoing effort by JPL to develop
information processing systems for the government and then
transfer the technology to industry for product support and
commercial marketing.
The original message handling system technology was
developed years ago by JPL for the Army War College, said William
Frey, manager of software-intensive systems at JPL. "The latest
configuration is what the Joint Chiefs now have, and it has
evolved over the years in association with Telos," Frey said.
Telos Corp., a Herndon, VA, based information technology
company, has provided technical support to JPL in the area of
space and defense communications since 1975. It was selected as
the transition contractor for JPL's new message system in 1995.
"The close working relationship between Telos and JPL has
proved invaluable in the success of the AMHS transition to
industry," said Bob Spearing, president of Telos Information
Systems.
The system has been installed at more than 30 Global Command
and Control System sites around the world, Roe said.
The California Institute of Technology manages JPL for NASA.
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