Ball Aerospace Proud of Spacecraft That Keeps Going and Going (Forwarded)

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.

Contact:
(303) 939-6551,

Oct. 12, 2004

Ball Aerospace Proud of Spacecraft That Keeps Going and Going

BOULDER, Colo. -- Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. recently celebrated the
20th anniversary of one of the longest-running space mission to date. The Earth
Radiation Budget satellite (ERBS) was launched in 1984 as the first spacecraft
specifically designed to be launched by a space shuttle. Ball Aerospace was
responsible for the spacecraft bus and the Stratospheric Aerosol Gas Experiment
(SAGE II), one of the three instruments onboard. In 1984, ERBS was expected to
have a two-year design life, but 20 years later, this mission is still supplying
valuable data about the Earth's ozone layer.

ERBS was part of NASA's three-satellite Earth Radiation Budget Experiment
(ERBE), designed to investigate how energy from the Sun is absorbed and
re-emitted by the Earth. This process of absorption and re-radiation is one of
the principal drivers of the Earth's weather patterns. Observations from ERBS
were also used to determine the effects of human activities (such as burning
fossil fuels and the use of CFCs) and natural occurrences (such as volcanic
eruptions) on the Earth's radiation balance. After two decades of data from SAGE
II aboard ERBS, scientists at NASA and Hampton University's Center for
Atmospheric Sciences, believe that ozone depletion is slowing.

During the last four years ERBS received an overhaul by a ground-based "pit
crew" of Ball Aerospace engineers who restored some of the systems on the
vintage spacecraft. The reaction wheels, which have been running constantly for
20 years, were used along with small rockets to adjust the orbit and a
previously decommissioned Nickel Cadmium battery was returned to service in a
tricky switch-over to compensate for a failing battery. ERBS and SAGE II are
expected to return data about the Earth's ozone until the recently revived
battery fails. Until then, the instrument will continue to provide scientists
with a critical view of the Earth's ozone layer.

Ball Corporation is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging
products and innovative packaging solutions to the beverage and food industries.
The company also owns Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., which develops
sensors, spacecraft, systems and components for government and commercial
markets. Ball employs 13,100 people worldwide and reported 2003 sales of $4.9
billion.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this news release contains "forward-looking" statements and
other statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such
as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," and variations of such words and
similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could
cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The
company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in the company's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially in Exhibit 99.2
in the most recent Form 10-K. These filings are available at the company's
website and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect the packaging segments of
the company include fluctuation in consumer and customer demand; competitive
packaging material availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate
and weather; fruit, vegetable and fishing yields; industry productive capacity
and competitive activity; lack of productivity improvement or production cost
reductions; the German mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws;
availability and cost of raw materials, such as resin, steel and aluminum, and
the ability to pass on to customers changes in these costs; changes in major
customer contracts or the loss of a major customer; international business
risks, such as foreign exchange rates and tax rates; and the effect of LIFO
accounting on earnings. Factors that might affect the aerospace segment include:
funding, authorization and availability of government contracts and the nature
and continuation of those contracts; and technical uncertainty associated with
segment contracts. Factors that could affect the company as a whole include
those listed plus: successful and unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or
divestitures and associated integration activities; regulatory action or laws
including environmental and workplace safety; goodwill impairment; antitrust and
other litigation; strikes; boycotts; increases in various employee benefits and
labor costs; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's
defined benefit retirement plans; reduced cash flow; and interest rates
affecting our debt.