Asteroid samples collected from deep space returned to Earth on Sunday — a mission that would not have been possible without the role of a Joplin company.
During a flyby of Earth, the Osiris-Rex spacecraft ejected a smaller capsule that parachuted safely to scientists in a Utah desert waiting to collect the material from the asteroid Bennu.
Because it is so old, Bennu could contain organic molecules similar to those that could have been involved with the start of life on Earth, according to scientists.
Power to reach Bennu came from one of Joplin’s oldest and largest employers, EaglePicher.
The Delta V rocket, which launched the craft out of Earth’s orbit in 2016, had between 10 and 14 of the company’s silver-zinc batteries powering it.
The uncrewed Osiris-Rex spacecraft that collected the dust and rock samples from Bennu is powered by four EaglePicher batteries, according to Ron Nowlin, senior vice president of program management for the Joplin-based company. Two 28-volt, 30-amp lithium-ion batteries that are charged by the spacecraft’s solar panels provide power to the primary spacecraft for communications, science experiments, photography and more.
Nowlin previously told the Globe that the company started this project a decade ago, and said the mission had been going on so long it is easy to forget that the spacecraft is still out there.
The sample capsule that reentered the atmosphere Sunday did so with electrical power also provided by EaglePicher. That secondary craft was powered by two of the company’s 28-volt, 17-amp lithium batteries.
New ownership?
Going into space is nothing new for EaglePicher, which has been a source of batteries and power systems for satellites and space vehicles, crewed and uncrewed, since 1958 with Explorer I. What is changing for the company is possible new ownership.
Recently, a privately held Illinois company announced it has reached an agreement to acquire EaglePicher, which has just under 900 employees companywide, most in the Joplin area. EaglePicher has three plants in Joplin, as well as Seneca, a corporate office in St. Louis; a plant in Pittsburg, Kansas; and plants in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Tuthill Corp. said in a statement that the deal is expected to close in 2023, subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. EaglePicher is currently owned by another Illinois company, GTCR, based in Chicago.
In a statement, Jay Tuthill, chairman of Tuthill, said: “It has taken 130 years for Tuthill to reach this place — a place where we are able to join forces with a company like EaglePicher. It has required the combined efforts of thousands of good people to make this possible. It’s a personal thing for me. I come from a military family. I believe in a strong America. I’m thrilled to know that, through EaglePicher, Tuthill will now be a direct contributor to the defense, space and aviation industries that help to keep our country at the forefront.”
During an interview last week, Tuthill also said he has been touring EaglePicher plants and operations, including those in Joplin, and believes EaglePicher and its workers will blend in well with his company’s vision.
“A company can be no better than the people the company comprises,” he said. “The people of Joplin turn out to be a perfect fit for long-term manufacturing.”
Private equity companies have different styles, Tuthill noted, but added Tuthill Corp.’s is not maximizing instant value; rather, he likened the management philosophy to farming, which means supporting growth with patience and long-term investment.
“How can we properly feed this company so it can be as strong as it can be?” Tuthill asked.
He also acknowledged this will be a change from his company’s “legacy industrial products.”
Tuthill Corp., with headquarters in Burr Ridge, Illinois, was founded in 1892 as a manufacturer of common brick for Chicago construction companies. Tuthill Pump Co. was established in 1927 to manufacture internal gear pumps. It has since become a manufacturer of equipment powering sectors including agriculture, chemical processing, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, construction, and mining.
Core areas
Tuthill said EaglePicher’s business is solid in its primary areas:
—The company provides batteries and power products for numerous defense uses, including, among other things, Patriot and Tomahawk missiles, as well as torpedoes, with, “an 85% market share,” according to the company’s website.
—EaglePicher has helped power just about every mission into space, including the Apollo moon missions, and more recently its batteries were used on the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope. Last year, it was selected to provide batteries for NASA’s Artemis I mission, including the Orion crew module, which will return humans to the moon and eventually go to Mars.
—It also provides lithium-ion battery systems for aviation, including systems for the B-2 bomber, unmanned aircraft and other military jets.
Just last week, EaglePicher announced an award by Saab to design and develop a 24 volt lithium-ion battery for the Gripen E-series fighter aircraft.
These new 24-volt, 36-amp-hour lithium-ion main and emergency batteries power avionics and weapon systems while delivering instantaneous power for engine start in “austere, cold-weather” operations, according to a company statement.
In a statement, EaglePicher said its history includes “transforming aviation through lithium-ion technology, as the first to develop lithium-ion power for a defense aircraft,” the B-2.
“EaglePicher’s legacy is in aviation and aerospace,” Rich Hunter, EaglePicher’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to partner with the talented team at Saab on this innovative aircraft.”
Going forward
Steven Westfall, CEO and president of Tuthill, said in a statement that beginning in 2020, Tuthill intentionally divested itself of some of its legacy industrial operations, “with the aim of putting the company in strong position to make an acquisition like EaglePicher.”
Tuthill said his company has a strong balance sheet and “virtually no debt.”
He said they met recently with EaglePicher officials, looking out over the next five years.
“The message they sent us is their base business is pretty steady,” he said. “They clearly have an appetite to break into some new areas.”
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