NASA's Gravity Probe B spacecraft has completed its data collection mission as part of an experiment to test Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. The satellite has orbited the Earth for more than 17 months, using four ultra-precise gyroscopes to precisely measure two effects predicted by the theory: The geodetic effect, or the amount by which the Earth warps the space time in which it resides, and frame-dragging, or the amount the rotating planet drags local space time along with it.
The U.S. Army Research Laboratory said Sept. 30 that it has awarded General Dynamics Robotic Systems a $28 million contract for a three-year extension of the Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance.
DELAYED: The first launch of an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle from the West Coast has been delayed. The launch of the Boeing Delta IV rocket was scheduled for Oct. 3 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. No new launch date has been scheduled for the vehicle, which is to carry a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.
CREW ARRIVES: A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying the Expedition 12 crew to the International Space Station arrived Oct. 3, NASA said. The Soyuz carried Expedition 12 Commander William McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev, as well as "space tourist" Gregory Olsen (DAILY, July 28), who will return with the Expedition 11 crew on a different Soyuz after spending eight days on the station. McArthur and Tokarev are beginning a six-month mission on the space station.
Aviation Technology Group's Javelin business jet prototype had its first flight Sept. 30 at the Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colo., the company said. The flight lasted for 35 minutes, ATG said. The aircraft reached a maximum airspeed of 180 knots and an altitude of 12,000 feet, and demonstrated handling qualities and engine stability, the company said. The company had detected a nosewheel shimmy during a high-speed taxi test and fitted a new nose landing gear (DAILY, Aug. 19).
The U.S. Marine Corps plans to begin operational testing of the Surface Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM) in mid-November, according to a representative of prime contractor Raytheon. The system includes up to six AMRAAMs mounted on a Humvee, as well as the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar and a fire distribution center (FDC) that controls the missile launcher. The system is designed to destroy low-cost cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and other air-breathing threats.
Saudi Arabia has requested more than $2 billion worth of military equipment for modernizing its national guard and supporting its aircraft, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on Oct. 3. The Saudi government has requested up to $918 million for defense and nondefense equipment to modernize its national guard. Defense equipment requests include 144 armored personnel carriers, 52 command and control vehicles, 12 water cannon vehicles, 51,400 assault rifles with grenade launchers and other equipment.
Electronic ballistics company Metal Storm has signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to research and develop a short-range weapon system based on its 40mm grenade launcher, the company said Oct. 3. The contract calls for a system that can "distribute large quantities of ammunition over a large area in an extremely short time frame," according to the DOE, to neutralize an enemy or create a diversion "that would afford a person safe egress from a protected facility."
UAV SBIR: Monrovia, Calif.-based AeroVironment Inc. has won a $9.6 million Phase III Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program contract from the U.S. Navy to bring a family of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to initial production for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. "New vehicles concepts, as well as existing production UAVs, will be explored with the goal of rapid deployment for field trials," the Defense Department announced Sept. 27.
Boeing's Unmanned Little Bird helicopter is gearing up for a second round of weapons testing at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., in November, according to Waldo Carmona, Boeing's general manager and director of advanced Army systems. During a previous round of tests at Yuma in August, the Unmanned Little Bird fired nine 2.75-inch rockets and three Hellfire missiles. Two of the missiles hit their target, while the third went into the ground and failed to detonate. The Defense Department later determined that the missile itself was faulty, Carmona said.
ARMOR ORDERS: Ceradyne Inc. of Costa Mesa, Calif., said Sept. 30 that it will fill two orders worth $9.1 million for ceramic body armor for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. The Army's order is worth $4.9 million and the Marine Corps' is worth $4.2 million. Shipments will start in October 2005 and be finished by February 2006.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Ala., and Goddard Space Flight Center, Md., will lead a team to develop a lunar lander spacecraft, the aerospace agency said Sept. 30. The lander, tentatively scheduled for launch in 2010, would be the second mission in the Robotic Lunar Exploration Program, after the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is being built at Goddard and is scheduled for launch in 2008.
DEFENSE BILLS: Attempts to speed the fiscal 2006 defense authorization and spending bills through the Senate apparently have fallen apart. Defense-related committee leaders have not tried to attach a version of the authorization bill to the appropriations bill - now on the chamber floor - as they discussed last week (DAILY, Sept. 26). Meanwhile, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) says Republicans and Democrats could not agree to set an Oct. 3 deadline for other amendments to the bill. While the Senate will be in session Oct. 3 and Oct.
An exercise to demonstrate and assess equipment designed to help military forces avoid friendly fire is under way in England, the U.S. Army said Sept. 27. The U.S., Britain, and seven other countries are taking part in Exercise Urgent Quest at Salisbury Plain Training Area, United Kingdom. The U.S. is leading the exercise. Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden are also participating. The event began this week and will run through Oct. 7.
DARPA WIRELESS: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking proposals for the Wireless Network after Next (WNaN) program, which is aimed at enabling "intelligent adaptive wireless networks consisting of densely deployed low cost wireless nodes," the agency says. With WNaN, DARPA hopes to provide "reliable and highly available battlefield communications at a low system cost." Proposals are due to DARPA on Nov. 15.
A recent study performed by Langley Research Center for NASA's science mission directorate recommends an airship as the best vehicle for the future exploration of Saturn's moon Titan. The success of the Cassini-Huygens mission, which landed a probe on Titan earlier this year (DAILY, Jan. 20), has sparked considerable interest in the mysterious moon - the only moon in the solar system known to have an atmosphere.
The U.S. Navy will host a three-day workshop for industry on the development of unmanned surface vessels (USV) and related technologies for anti-submarine warfare on Oct. 18-20 in Washington. The Navy said Sept. 29 it has experimented with USVs and will discuss its results in this forum. The workshop is supposed to bring together government and industry participants on control systems, sensors, unmanned operations and the adaptations of small craft design for support of Littoral Combat Ship missions.
General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin said they have successfully demonstrated key technologies in the system design for the U.S. Army's Warfighter Information Network-Tactical program.
