The space shuttle Endeavour arrived Jan. 6 at the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A from the Vehicle Assembly Building in preparation for next month’s STS-130 mission to the International Space Station after a 6-hr. trip. Endeavour is scheduled to lift off at 4:39 a.m. EST Feb. 7 for a 13-day orbital sortie to the ISS. Its six-member crew will deliver the third and final pressurized node to the orbital outpost. Designated “Tranquility,” it will carry the long-awaited station cupola, which will give crews a 360-deg.
The U.K. is considering modifying surplus AgustaWestland Merlin Mk1 helicopters as the basis for a replacement airborne search and control (ASAC) platform for the navy’s current Sea King Mk7, which is due to be withdrawn from service in 2016. A decision on whether to pursue converting spare Merlin Mk1s for the ASAC role is “subject to the [Strategic] Defense Review and investment approval,” Bill Rammell, the minister for the armed forces, told Parliament last week.
U.S. Strategic Command has officially assumed oversight of the Commercial and Foreign Entities (CFE) program, which is designed to improve sharing of space situational awareness data with satellite owners and operators. Though CFE, the U.S. government shares some data on the whereabouts and activities of its satellites, although commercial operators hope for more specific information despite government worries about security.
A recent engine acquisition and maintenance deal with Air Berlin worth several hundred million dollars marks Mubadala Development Co.’s first foray into financing in line with its maintenance, repair and overhaul subsidiary SR Technics, which is the Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala’s European maintenance arm. This 10-year deal with Air Berlin is the first SR Technics has announced in conjunction with Mubadala that includes a financing aspect. The company will fund 12 spare engines, themselves worth $100 million, in a sale and lease-back agreement with Air Berlin.
In regard to the article “Street Smart” (AW&ST Nov. 23, 2009, p. 44), I have some misgivings about the levels of technology we engineers are offering as “improvements” to our aircrew friends. Do we really need to get rid of most buttons and knobs? Engineers are designing these things and offering them as improvements merely because we are able. The article refers to the car industry and satellite navigation systems that are growing in popularity. Most are touchscreen, so is it wise to make adjustments or ask questions on the move?
California Institute of Technology controllers are calibrating NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft, after commanding its telescope cover to open and using the instrument to capture this first-light image of about 3,000 stars in the constellation Carina.
Commercial aviation security will always be event-driven (hijackings, 9/11). It is sad but true. Neither the U.S. government nor the airlines want to admit there is a significant element of risk to travelers with the ongoing global war on terrorism. The terrorists know internal threats have little chance of succeeding. Passengers will not stand by while something bad is happening. The use of external weapons such as shoulder-fired missiles and rocket-propelled grenades is a serious threat to commercial aviation.
Lost in the national security news dominating the capital is an announcement of Obama administration plans for five new public-private investments totaling more than $250 million to help prepare more than 10,000 new math and science teachers, and retrain more than 100,000 who are already in the classroom. Boosting so-called STEM efforts—science, technology, engineering and math—has long been desired at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, regardless of political party, with strong backing from the aerospace and defense industry.
Lockheed Martin has completed two-thirds of the preliminary work leading up to a critical design review in August for the Medium Extended Air Defense System (Meads), says Mike Trotsky, the company’s vice president for air and missile defense. Armaments directors for Germany, the U.S. and Italy have reaffirmed their commitments to the joint development program, though Germany has requested integration of its IRIS-T interceptor into the architecture. A contract is expected this year.
Positions in and around the capital are hardening over nuclear issues as the White House races to finalize its weapons policy and cement another round of reductions with Russia. Republican senators and their occasional ally Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut Independent, warn President Barack Obama they might not support a follow-on deal to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) unless he commits to improvements in nuclear infrastructure and possibly even a new nuclear-warhead design.
Japan is risking a rapid loss of fighter engineering skills, an official review of the industry warns, urging the government to avoid fully importing combat aircraft.
Northrop Grumman officials oversee a tow taxi test at the U.S. Air Force’s Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., of the company’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D) designed for the U.S. Navy.
Troubled Sea Launch will face two vibrant, securely entrenched competitors, if and when it emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Arianespace, which turns 30 this year, conducted seven Ariane 5 launches in 2009—a new record. It also nailed 11 orders for the Ariane 5 and a record five for the medium-lift Soyuz, which it will begin lofting from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, this year.
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is preparing to start the final integration of its first Falcon 9 launch vehicle following a full-duration orbit-insertion firing of the second stage at its McGregor, Tex., facility.
The pilots of the American Airlines Boeing 737-800 (N977AN) involved in the Dec. 22 runway overrun at Kingston, Jamaica, had rejected an ATC advisory to land on alternate runway, and set down on Runway 12 despite reported tailwinds there, according to the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) preliminary factual report.
Michael Mecham (San Francisco ), Robert Wall (Paris)
Rebounding from a year marred by a machinists strike, Boeing hit its delivery target for 2009 but saw its worst year for orders since 1971. The Chicago-based manufacturer delivered 481 airplanes, meeting its 480-485 target. They included 372 737s and 88 777s, both records, reports Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing. It also delivered eight 747-400s and 13 767s.
A heavy rotorcraft that Avicopter plans to develop with Russian Helicopters should go into service in the second half of the decade, produced under a program partly justified by the need for rescue aircraft amid natural disasters.
Astronomers expect significant discoveries to emerge from the deluge of data coming from NASA’s Kepler planet-finder, now that researchers have had time to verify some of the first findings from the orbiting space telescope with optics on the ground. In its first observations, the spacecraft demonstrated that it will be able to find any Earth-like planets orbiting other stars in its field of view. In their first public release of Kepler results on Jan.
Ryanair says it is not looking to mount a third takeover attempt of Aer Lingus, in which it holds a 29.8% stake. With Aer Lingus’s share price continuing to sag, there has been an expectation that Ryanair may use its cash cushion to take over the Irish carrier. But Ryanair says nothing is in the works and as long as the Irish government retains its 25% stake, another takeover bid is “highly unlikely.”
Allegiant Air’s parent company plans a $28.3-million cash purchase for 18 of SAS Group’s surplus MD-80s, with deliveries to be made in the first three quarters of 2010. Allegiant Air plans to place 13 of the aircraft in service by the end of 2011. The 13 are in addition to the previously announced purchase of two MD-80s from SAS, set to be delivered in the first quarter. The other five aircraft will be parted out as sources for spare engines and other components. Allegiant expects to pay less than $4 million per aircraft to prepare the former SAS aircraft for service.
Obama jumps ahead of critics and concerned observers in declaring that systemic mistakes were made by intelligence and security officials ahead of the failed Dec. 25 airline bomb plot (see p. 31). It was not a failure to collect intelligence that almost led to a disaster, the president says, but rather a failure to share the information properly and act on it. “The bottom line is this: The U.S. government had sufficient information to have uncovered this plot and potentially disrupt the Christmas Day attack.
The U.S. Army plans to begin a competition for the Enhanced Medium-Altitude Reconnaissance Surveillance System (Emarss), one element of the defunct Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) program.
Turkish Airlines’ firm order for 20 Airbus A320-family aircraft, signed late last month, puts the European manufacturer within the 300-gross-order-intake range it set a year ago. The latest deal is for A319s and A321s, with the exact split yet to be determined. Deliveries are due to begin in 2011. Turkish placed orders for 36 Airbus airliners last year, mostly narrowbodies.
The V-22 Osprey’s range and speed, the twin talents of the aircraft most heavily promoted by the U.S. Marine Corps, are revealing themselves in Afghanistan, as readiness and reliability numbers begin to climb steadily throughout the fleet.
Capt. (ret.) Syed M. Husain (Mississauga, Ontario)
While legislation and thought would go a long way toward alleviating scheduling shortcomings, crew rest and fatigue are matters of self-discipline. The Colgan Air accident on which these observations were based was more a result of cost-cutting measures adopted during flight training, leading to sub-standard performance as evident after the NTSB inquiry.
