BEIJING — Top scientists here are citing China’s burgeoning population, growing energy consumption and severe pollution problems to press the case for more research in space solar power (SSP) technology, which would place large solar-energy collectors in orbit to beam gathered energy to Earth as microwaves or laser light.
BEIJING — Engineers in Russia believe the Zarya cargo module, the oldest pressurized module on the International Space Station (ISS), can last in orbit until about 2028 — twice its design service life — despite microcracking in the hull during pressure and loads cycling of a test article on the ground.
HOUSTON — Some of the brightest in global aerospace are poised to pitch their recommendations for NASA’s proposed Asteroid Retrieval Mission and Grand Challenge. They will offer suggestions for an unbudgeted, multi-year demonstration of human and robotic strategies to thrust explorers out of low Earth orbit for the first time in 40 years, while assembling defenses against the collision threat posed by Near Earth Objects.
LOS ANGELES — SpaceX launched its upgraded Falcon 9 v1.1 at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., on Sept 29, marking the first demonstration of the vehicle the company plans to also use for human spaceflight missions.
PAYING BILLS: Congress passed a bill Sept. 30 that would keep salary payments going to active military personnel and civilian Defense and Homeland Security department employees and contractors “providing support to members of the armed forces.” The bill comes as everyone else in the U.S. government faced the consequences of a federal shutdown, which loomed Oct. 1 unless lawmakers and President Barack Obama reached an agreement on fresh appropriations overnight.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) oct. 2 — U.S. - Finland Defense and Security Industry Seminar, "For Stronger and Closer Cooperation," Embassy of Finland, Washington, D.C. For more information go to www.ndia.org/meetings/4470/Pages/default.aspx oct. 7 - 10 — Insensitive Munitions and Energetic Materials Technology Symposium, Loews Coronado Bay, San Diego, Calif. For more information go to www.ndia.org/meetings/4550/Pages/default.aspx
Eurocopter is shoring up work at its Columbus, Miss., plant by opening an assembly line for the AS350 Ecureuil/Astar light helicopter. Work on AS350 assembly will begin during the fourth quarter of 2014 in a bid to offset the impact of the U.S. Army’s decision to reduce the number of UH-72 Lakota light utility helicopters it plans to buy. The factory will initially build 50 AS350s, with plans to expand by 2016 by producing up to 60 additional helicopters annually by 2016, the company announced on Sept. 20.
Orbital Sciences’ unpiloted Cygnus resupply craft will make a second attempt to rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station early Sept. 29, management teams from NASA and the Dulles, Va.,-based company decided Sept. 27. The latest operations plan would position Cygnus, with its 1,543-lb. cargo of crew provisions, about 35 ft. below the orbiting science lab at 7:15 a.m. EDT, for an astronaut-commanded robot arm grapple.
Chinese Confusion: Ma Xingrui, administrator of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), tells the 64th International Astronautical Congress that his country is ready to join the International Space Exploration Group, a multinational organization of space agencies developing road maps for human exploration of the Solar System. But according to the ISEGC Terms of Reference, CNSA is “automatically” a member because it helped draft the 2007 framework document on which the organization was based.
The U.S. Coast Guard received approval this week to move forward on the production and eventual deployment of up to 30 fast response cutters (FRC) after the cutter-class vessels completed their initial operational test and evaluation phase this past month. Coast Guard officials say this means the service may continue to acquire the FRC as the budget allows and that the equipment and shore side infrastructure is in place to support new cutters as they are commissioned.
November 13-14, 2013 Phoenix, AZ Strategic Priorities in a Sequestration Era. Learn with programs are being affected and where government is likely to place its bets. Register Today: www.aviationweek.com/events/adp Click here to view the pdf
Most large weapons and systems contractors for the Pentagon should be relatively unaffected by a looming federal government shutdown that would start Oct. 1, especially if it is short-term, according to a press briefing by the defense comptroller. But roughly half of the Defense Department’s civilian workforce, or fewer than 400,000 non-uniformed employees, may face unpaid furloughs, and it will be up to Congress whether to ever pay them for the unplanned time off.
MD Helicopters is making performance enhancements to its MD540F as it prepares to move toward certification in 2015. The new aircraft, an updated and modernized variant of the MD500 family, will get a new anti-torque system. Engineers are studying a number of options including a four-bladed tail rotor to improve the aircraft’s performance in conjunction with the new Rolls-Royce M250-C47E turboshaft, which the company announced it had selected for the MD540F during Heli-Expo 2013 in Las Vegas.
The MRO Fleet, Forecasts and Data you need to accurately plan and strategize for the future. See for yourself with a free demonstration: AviationWeek.com/FleetMRO Click here to view the pdf
China’s new medium-heavy space launcher, Long March 7, is very likely to fly in 2014, says an industry official, confirming a delayed target announced six months ago.
