John Karas had hoped to savor the $8.2 billion Orion contract win with a little time to himself.

But he never got that reflective moment at Lockheed Martin's Washington office on Aug. 31, 2006.

After hearing from his boss that Lockheed Martin had won, Karas' first reaction was to pump his fist in the air. He began to blurt the news. But he stopped short, so nearby colleagues wouldn't hear of the victory.

NASA had sworn Karas to secrecy.

But there was a problem. Four Lockheed Martin colleagues were in the same room: spokeswoman Joan Underwood; Linda Karanian of the company's Washington office; Karas' current deputy, Ken Reightler; and Eric Thoemmes, head of the Washington office.

Karas got off the phone. He desperately needed to go to the bathroom. The two men joined him there. After swearing Reightler and Thoemmes to secrecy, Karas told them the news. They hugged.

A little later, Karas, Underwood, Karanian and Reightler stepped into a waiting car in front of the Washington office.

While Karas had told Reightler and Thoemmes the news, Underwood and Karanian were in the dark. But the two women sensed something was up. Three men usually don't go to the bathroom together, they reasoned.

Immediately after the car pulled away from the curb, Karas took a breath and then demanded that everybody give him their cell phone, pager or BlackBerry. In the back of the limo, he swore the three to secrecy.

"We're in lockdown," Underwood recalled Karas saying. The wireless devices, meanwhile, were going off on the car's floor. Other Lockheed Martin colleagues were calling to find out the status of the contract.

After telling his colleagues in the car of the win, Karas directed the driver to take them to the Jefferson Memorial before heading over to NASA headquarters for the official 4 p.m. announcement.

At the memorial, the four walked around the inside and went to the steps overlooking the Tidal Basin. They talked about the victory's significance.

"This is not how I envisioned we'd be celebrating this thing," Karas recalled saying.

Referring to Thomas Jefferson, Underwood recalled telling Karas: "John, this is the man who made the Lewis and Clark expedition happen. You are doing the same thing. It's just beyond the bounds of Earth."