Draper Laboratory: 2007 Annual Repor

A L e t t e r f r o m t h e c h a i r m a n a n d p r e s i d e n tDraper Laboratory had an outstanding year in fiscal 2007. Revenue grew by more than 13% to $396M. Moreimportantly, the quality of our work and the impact of our solutions on our sponsors’ programs and the nation remainvery high and are points of pride for all of us at Draper. One of the keys to this success is our ability to recruit, develop,and retain outstanding technical staff members. Since we first became associated with the Laboratory, we have beenimpressed with the capability, enthusiasm, and energy of the Draper people. As a tribute to these talented women andmen, this report presents interviews with a small sample of them.This year’s performance is a result of executing the principal elements of our strategy: delivering outstanding solutionsas the basis for building long-term sponsor relationships; actively seeking new sponsors; focusing on a core set ofcapabilities and innovating to be among the best in the world in these select areas; and consistently searching for newproblems of national importance to which our capabilities are applicable.Compelling Solutions and Long-term Sponsor Relationships – The Laboratory’s 50+ years of support of the NavyStrategic Systems Programs continued with two major accomplishments. In the MK6LE (Life Extension) program,Draper completed the first prototype system and demonstrated end-to-end mission sequencing in our hardware-inthe-loopsimulation facility. We also completed, certified, and began delivering guidance hardware to the fleet from theIntegrated Support Facility (ISF) in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The ISF, which is where MK6 systems will be upgradedto LE configurations, significantly reduces support costs by consolidating the bulk of guidance system depot-levelrepair into a single location.In addition to supporting the flight control software for every Space Shuttle mission, Draper was a key contributorto three space flights this year. Our Inertial Stellar Compass (ISC), a miniature low-power spacecraft attitudedetermination system, flew successfully on the Air Force TacSat-2. ISC is the first application of MEMS gyroscopesin space. The Laboratory provided the autonomous mission management software for both the Air Force/LockheedMartin XSS-11 satellite inspection and the DARPA/Boeing Orbital Express satellite servicing flight demonstrations.The Draper heritage of supporting human spaceflight continued with important roles in NASA’s Exploration Initiative,as the avionics trusted agent for the NASA/Marshall Ares crew launch vehicle and as a guidance and control consultantto both Lockheed Martin and NASA/Johnson for the Orion crew exploration vehicle.In tactical applications, the Laboratory developed precision airdrop systems – used with both guided and unguidedparafoils – with which the Air Force and the Army have delivered over six million pounds of cargo to troops inAfghanistan and other sites around the world. Draper’s special operations business focused on technologies, such asvanishingly small systems, unconventional delivery vehicles, and navigation in challenging environments, that arecritical to close-in collection of intelligence information. We are producing specialized devices in volumes that wouldbe too small to interest industry.2 0 0 7 D r a p e r A R p a g e s 2 & 3