The U.S. Government Accountability Office has denied Rocketplane Kistler’s protest against NASA’s funded Space Act Agreement (SAA) terms. In early 2007, RpK lost its bid to provide Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) to NASA when it missed its financial milestones. That freed up $175 million in seed money, and NASA expects to sign an SAA with the winning bidder in a new COTS competition by the end of this month.
Dozens of U.S. and foreign carriers are appealing a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) ruling that has cost them hundreds of millions of dollars in retroactive airport security fees. The carriers, including American, Southwest, Aloha, United, US Airways, Delta, Northwest and Air New Zealand, are appealing a May 31, 2007, decision by TSA requiring them to pay collectively an additional $98 million a year, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2005, to defray the costs of screening airline passengers and their baggage.
Some readers may have missed the underlying significance of the numbers in “Seeking Earth’s Twin” (AW&ST Jan. 14, p. 49). Some trigonometry can show the Corot mission is doing a pretty good job at finding planets despite the odds. I presume the investigators have a more refined expectation of success, but I’ll play loose with some approximations.
Problems with its Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIRS) will delay launch of the Npoess Preparatory Project (NPP) from 2009 until mid-2010, but NASA hopes to use the delay to restore the Cloud and Earth Radiant Energy System (Ceres) instrument to the mission. Michael Freilich, director of the Earth Science Div.
“There will be no encore performance” of 2007’s strong traffic growth this year, says Giovanni Bisignani, director general of International Air Transport Assn. International passenger traffic increased 7.4% last year, compared to 2006’s 5.5% growth. The trend in increasing average load factors—75.1% in 2005, 76% in 2006 and a record 77% in 2007—will likely end in 2008, with demand growth forecast to slow to 5% on a 5.2% capacity increase. Airfreight traffic increased 4.3% in 2007, down slightly from 4.6% in 2006.
Does “gracious” air travel have a future? The answer is a resounding yes, based on the robust traffic growth of so-called boutique carriers. Their two-digit expansion could disrupt the legacy airlines’ yield management, capturing an increasing share of high-fare passengers.
Cessna is preparing to unveil the details of a large-cabin intercontinental aircraft that will expand its fast-growing business jet line into the super-midsize segment.
NASA has given the J2-X rocket engine it is developing for a return to the Moon its first hot-fire test, albeit a brief one. Engineers at Stennis Space Center, Miss., tested a pyrotechnic igniter Jan. 31 in a J2-X powerpack test article installed on historic test stand A1. Initial indications are that all objectives were met, setting up a full, fueled test for as early as Feb. 7. NASA plans to test the Saturn-vintage engine upgrade in stages, using old hardware where possible, to accelerate its development.
The space shuttle Atlantis will deliver a pair of grease guns to the International Space Station next month that may be used one day to lubricate the balky mechanism that rotates its starboard solar array like a windmill to follow the Sun. But a little of the pressure to get the big solar alpha rotary joint (SARJ) moving again has been relieved, now that the ISS crew has replaced another Sun-tracking device that was also out of order.
New Israeli UAV designs will incorporate radar, visual and aural stealth, carry both short- and long-range missiles and, in time, serve as platforms for nonexplosive devices such as lasers and high-power microwave weapons. Israel’s largest designers and producers of unmanned aircraft—Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)—foresee the expansion of UAV use in the Israeli military and among its foreign customers, which have become a major source of revenue growth for both companies.
The Port of Seattle’s Aviation Div. represented 4.8% of the total air emissions associated with the airport, while the public’s portion was 11.4% in 2006, according to a new study on greenhouse gas emissions released by Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The airport, which has been aggressive in reducing its carbon footprint, is using the study to help set goals as part of its environmental strategies.
EOS, a Novi, Mich.-based manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, says the technology is gaining acceptance among a variety of manufacturers because it can be tailored to individualized series production at less cost. The process uses a laser to heat and melt powdered plastics or metals layer by layer until a build is complete. Parts and tools are delivered directly from CAD data. The fact that the method lends itself to specialized production was attractive to 28% of those surveyed at recent German trade shows, EOS says.
As a milepost for the Royal Australian Air Force’s airborne early warning and control program, the first Boeing 737 modified there made a 2.5-hr. functional check flight from RAAF Base Amberley to verify air-worthiness.
Ian V. Ziskin (see photo), the Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp.’s chief human resources and administrative officer, has been inducted as a fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources .
Anthony J. Reardon, who has been president of Ducommun AeroStructures, also will be president/chief operating officer of Los Angeles-based Ducommun Inc. and president of Ducommun Technologies. John J. Walsh, who was president of Ducommun Technologies, will be the corporation’s vice president-strategy and technology.
Chinese airline growth seems to be moderating in response to government controls announced in August. The country’s carriers transported 185.19 million passengers in 2007, 16% more than a year earlier. That’s a bit slower than the 16.7% growth seen for the first half of the year. Within the 2007 figure, passenger numbers rose 18.6% for international routes and 15.7% for domestic services. Cargo volume was up 13%, to 3.95 million tons.
France has named a team of Thales and Sabena Technics to provide the avionics upgrade for the air force’s C-130 Hercules airlifters. The goal is to modernize 14 C-130s. Upgrades in air traffic management systems are driving the French, and numerous other C-130 users, to pursue the enhancements. The industry team will devise the avionics package and build upgrade kits that will be installed at the military depot facility at Clermont-Ferrand.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials insist they are already well underway to addressing shortcomings in military performance during the 2006 Lebanon war that gain renewed attention with the publication of an independent commission’s review of the conflict.
Malmo Aviation is extending its lease on nine Avro RJ100s. The long-term lease extension will see the Swedish carrier, which is part of Braathens Aviation, continue to operate the BAE Systems Regional Aircraft RJ100 until the second half of the next decade. Routes covered from Malmo’s main hub at Stockholm’s Bromma airport include Gothenburg, Malmo and Umea. The airline is also considering a service between Bromma and Lulea.
In May, Air Canada, through its regional affiliate Jazz, plans to add four new daily nonstop routes in an ongoing effort to expand its U.S.-transborder network. On May 1, Washington National-Ottawa service is to start, with Jazz flying 50-seat Bombardier CRJs. On the same day, flights to the carrier’s Toronto hub begin operating from Austin, Tex., with Bombardier CRJ700s, and from Richmond, Va., with Dash 8s. On May 15, Chicago-Calgary service is to commence using Embraer 190 aircraft.
Gary Vroman (see photos) has been appointed president of Ladish Forging , Cudahy, Wis. He was vice president-sales. Douglas Roberts has been named general manager of sales and marketing. He was international sales manager and will be succeeded by Rodney Pergolski, who was senior sales engineer.
Scientists who waited 33 years for a new look at the planet Mercury will have plenty of work in the years ahead, digesting the take from the first flyby of NASA’s MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, Geochemistry, and Ranging (Messenger) spacecraft.
U.S. Navy and Boeing officials are pondering a third multi-year contract for 170 additional F/A-18E/F Super Hornets (2010-13) that would bring the cost of each aircraft down to $49.9 million. Right now, the Navy is in the midst of its second multi-year buy (2005-09) of 210 of the strike fighters at $53.8 million each. Underlying the new funding initiative is an ongoing debate about one-seat strike aircraft (the E model) versus two-seaters (the more expensive F model), with a weapon systems officer in the back that also would drive up Navy manpower costs.
Iris recognition technology has been introduced at the U.K.’s Manchester Airport to manage employee access to restricted areas. An iris recognition camera system photographs the eyes of everyone passing through the restricted area and compares the unique images to ones held on record. Installation is scheduled to be completed by this summer.
Lance Griffiths (see photo) has been appointed radome design engineer for MFG Galileo Composites , Sparks, Nev. He was senior engineer in radio-frequency design for L-3 Communications in Salt Lake City.
