A decision by the newly elected government of Silvio Berlusconi to force Giovanni Bignami to step down as head of national space agency ASI threatens to bring new strife to the troubled organization just as the European Space Agency is preparing for a critical ministerial meeting in November.
U.S. Army Cols. Warren E. Phipps, Jr., and Kurt S. Story have been nominated for promotion to brigadier generals. Phipps is deputy commander/assistant commandant of the U.S. Army Aviation Center, Ft. Rucker, Ala. Story is deputy commander for operations of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/U.S. Army Forces Strategic Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
The Pentagon has released $1-billion worth of funding for the production of six F-35B Joint Strike Fighter aircraft from Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Marine Corps following the completion of a propulsion system review July 22. The funding was on hold pending an analysis of the redesigned F135 engine optimized for the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing mission and first flight of the F-35B after flaws were found in testing.
As a Republican I was dismayed by the comments made by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in a Viewpoint (AW&ST June 30, p. 66). To characterize NASA as “boring” and stressing its failures does a great disservice to the numerous accomplishments the agency has achieved in its 50 years.
Selex Sistemi Integrati has won a $105-million contract to provide an airport management system for Qatar’s Doha airport. The deal requires the Italian company to deliver, within 21 months from contract signature, a turnkey air traffic and ground traffic control and management system. Selex also must provide and integrate ATC radars, the control center featuring 36 operator consoles for radar data processing and flight plans management, as well as meteorological systems and an automated and computerized system to control ground movements.
In a world where the slightest waiver in oil prices can send airline shares plummeting, market reaction has been surprisingly muted to an investigation by U.S. authorities into airfreight price fixing that appears to include a large number of international carriers.
High fuel prices have forced Vietnam’s first privately owned airline, Vietjet Air, to delay its first service from late this year to April 2009. The company has also deferred a lease of two Boeing 737-700s from General Electric.
Stung by repeated procurement missteps, the U.S. Air Force plans to revamp how it spends billions of dollars buying new weapons. USAF’s procurement chief says a better marriage between the requirements writers and acquisition staffs is needed to help the service get its process of buying advanced weaponry—including new bombers and UAVs—back on track after recent high-profile problems.
Boeing has started assembling the static test P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for the U.S. Navy, and is conducting electromagnetic interference tests on the first aircraft T1, prior to inducting it into a test rig for two months of loads calibration work. The static airframe, S1, faces a bleak future. Following structural tests, during which it will be subjected to ultimate load, or 150% of design limit load, the airframe will be sent to the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Div.
The European Space Agency has agreed in principle to set up an engineering facility in the U.K. The nature of the facility has not been determined, but it will be specialized in robotic exploration, climate change, telecommunications or other applications activities. The move is one of several under study to integrate Britain and other nations more closely into Europe’s space program, and give the program more high-level political, strategic and economic weight.
European Union emission allowance (EUA) prices under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme fell sharply in July, continuing to track crude oil, which lost more than $20 per barrel during the month.
Laurent Collet-Billon will replace Francoise Lureau as chief executive of DGA, the French armaments agency. Collet-Billon was deputy director in charge of weapons systems at DGA from 2001-06 before becoming a special adviser for defense and security at Alcatel-Lucent. A graduate of France’s National School of Aeronautics and Space, he will be responsible for streamlining the DGA in the wake of a thorough overhaul of the ministry of defense unveiled last month (AW&ST July 28, p. 32). Lureau is retiring after leading DGA for more than four years.
Rockwell Collins has now won a total of six work packages on the Airbus A350, giving the company the potential to reap $2.5 billion in sales and making its position on the program the largest it has ever won on an Airbus aircraft. Rockwell’s two additional A350 tasks are to provide information management and navigation capabilities on the new aircraft. This gives the company three-fourths as much content on the A350 as it has on the Boeing 787 where it is the dominant supplier of cockpit avionics. Work will be conducted at Rockwell’s U.S. facilities and in Toulouse.
Dish Network Corp. says its venerable EchoStar 2 has experienced a major failure and appears to be a total loss. The spacecraft, launched in September 1996 and with a book value of $6.4 million, was operating from 148 deg. W. Long. primarily as a backup satellite. Services were transferred to the primary satellite at that location, EchoStar 1, launched in 1995. The incident was disclosed in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission just as Dish was orbiting a new direct-to-home broadcast satellite, ExhoStar XI, earmarked for the 100-deg.
The Transportation Trades Dept., AFL-CIO (TTD), is objecting to a change proposed by the National Mediation Board (NMB) to its Representation Manual, saying the change appears to be tied to the Delta/Northwest merger, and is anti-labor. The TTD, which represents 32 unions, says the change is pro-Delta because it would make it harder for workers to retain their union representation in a merger. The NMB notice sent to unions and airlines on July 15 asks for comments by Aug. 15.
The insolvency administrator for Germany’s Thielert Aircraft Engines says 24 companies have signed confidentiality agreements as they consider making investments or purchase offers for the piston engine manufacturer. A mix of financial investors and industrial buyers are among the potential purchasers. The company declared insolvency in April, but resumed production in June. Thielert manufactures the Centurion series of diesel engines ranging from 135-350 hp., designed specifically for new and older general aviation airplanes.
Operational launch-vehicle missions could be used as testbeds for future technologies, as was done in the 1960s, says United Launch Alliance (ULA) president and chief executive Michael Gass. The Boeing/Lockheed Martin joint-venture’s Atlas V and Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs) can carry very large technology experiments, but the capability is not being used, he says.
I read with interest the articles and responses on dismantling NASA. I graduated from college with a degree in aeronautical engineering in 1972—slightly past the great accomplishments of Apollo. I wanted to become a part of that great agency when I graduated. Now I am glad I didn’t.
One of my favorite characters, Newt Gingrich, has once again provoked critical thought about the status quo. Although the accompanying photo has him sporting spectacles, I think he has retained the myopic prescription that I sometimes believe must be standard issue for all members of Congress. While he presents interesting points, he shortchanges NASA’s accomplishments and contributions to technology development and the betterment of the human condition over the recent few decades for what amounts to a relatively paltry investment from the public coffers.
Honeywell Aerospace has completed sale of its consumables solutions business to B/E Aerospace for $1.05 billion. The subsidiary is a major distributor of aerospace fasteners and hardware and offers logistical services to OEMs, airlines and MRO facilities. Rob Gillette, Honeywell Aerospace president and CEO, says the sale will help the company focus on developing advanced technologies to improve the safety and security of air travel.
Raytheon has cleared a major hurdle in fielding its 500-lb. GPS/laser-guided Paveway IV bomb with the Royal Air Force. The weapons maker completed capability trials that clear Paveway IVs use on Harrier GR9s. The trials took place at the Naval Air Warfare Center China Lake, Calif., with 14 releases of operationally representative weapons conducted. The weapon, which suffered early accuracy and fuzing problems, will also be integrated with Tornado GR4s, the Typhoon and, eventually, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
A Russian military spacecraft featuring such characteristics as a new imaging reconnaissance satellite, is undergoing checkout in a Sun-synchronous polar orbit, after launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northeast Russia. The 15-ton Cosmos 2441 spacecraft was launched from Pad 4 of Plesetsk Launch Complex 34 on board a Soyuz 2B booster at 10:31 p.m. Moscow time July 26. The satellite was placed into a 770 X 210 km. (478 X 155 mi.) orbit inclined 98.3 deg.
In “Trouble Ahead” (AW&ST July 21, p. 47), the second-quarter profit/loss statements of Delta, American and Continental airlines do in fact show a systemic problem—airlines lie to their customers. A ticket cost is cited, then multiple extra charges are added on. As aggravating as security checks might be, the lying is worse. The only thing that can be fixed quickly is to stop misrepresenting the true cost of flying to the public.
