A more robust shuttle program with demonstrated autonomous repair capability critical for approval of a final Hubble servicing mission and completion of the International Space Station are the big payoffs from the STS-121 mission. The autonomous repair access demonstrated on STS-121 is a "significant step forward" in the decision process for a final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, says John Shannon, shuttle deputy program manager and head of the shuttle Mission Management Team.
After prolonged reflection, the French navy thinks it now has a road map for integrating tactical, long-endurance and perhaps armed unmanned aerial vehicles into its operations.
The laser event recorder was developed by Optra in partnership with the Naval Air Systems Command. The device measures, characterizes and documents laser exposures in support of dosimetry requirements for the protection of personnel who could potentially be exposed to laser illumination. The battery-powered device operates for up to 6 hr. against continuous and pulsed laser sources in the visible and infrared portion of the spectrum.
A change in government in Slovakia is casting doubt over plans to sell large stakes in the Bratislava and Kosice airports to operator Flughafen Wien based in neighboring Austria. The new prime minister is opposing the deal, which has passed Austrian anti-trust review. Slovakian authorities are expected to issue a verdict on the deal in mid-August.
Greek air force pilots may undergo jet training in Italy under a plan being negotiated between Rome and Athens, as maneuvering in the European trainer arena continues apace. The arrangement comes as Italian government and industry officials continue to entice Greece to buy the Aermacchi M-346 advanced jet trainer. Italy has already offered a risk-sharing partnership to Hellenic Aerospace Industry.
One Stop Systems, a designer and manufacturer of industrial-grade computing systems, has released Max Express--specifically designed for CompactPci Express. These driverless, high-bandwidth platforms deliver an efficient, economical solution for developing and testing boards, according to the company. The systems are suited for developers in the video, high-speed communications and defense and industrial I/O applications. The 8U and 5U platforms include a 14-slot hybrid backplane and redundant 200-watt power supplies in a 19-in. mount chassis.
Loss of the Insat-4C mission will set back India's bid to register its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle as a competitor for medium-lift payloads. Preliminary indications are that one of four liquid strap-on booster motors suffered a drop in pressure to zero after the July 10 liftoff. The resulting asymmetrical thrust prompted range safety officers at the Satish Dhawan Space Center to destroy the vehicle as it rose over the Bay of Bengal.
Chris Naro has become chief financial officer and Rob Penrod vice president-manufacturing of Adam Aircraft, Englewood, Colo. Naro was vice president-finance and strategic analysis for Honeywell International's Aerospace Business Unit. Penrod was director of operations for Bell Helicopter Textron.
Paul V. Haack has been appointed to the board of directors and its audit committee of the Esterline Corp., Bellevue, Wash. He is retired lead partner on the Boeing and United Airlines accounts at Deloitte and Touche in Chicago.
A failed second-stage separation ended the first test of India's newest ballistic missile, the Agni III, off the coast of Orissa. Developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization, the two-stage, solid-fueled Agni III has a range of 3,500 km. (2,200 mi.). It is being developed as part of India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. The 16-meter (52-ft.) tall, 1.8-meter-dia. Agni III weighs 48 metric tons.
I totally agree with W. Keith Watkins, who says the $100-plus billion it will cost to send man to the Moon and Mars is misguided spending in light of other pressing needs.
Clair Wilde has been appointed director of safety training and risk management for Million Air Salt Lake City. He was a training and safety coordinator for the Defense Dept.
Now in advanced development, the CarrySafe automated trace explosives extraction system for carry-on luggage is due to launch by year-end. Designed to extract and collect particle residue of explosives from suspect carry-on luggage during the airport security screening process, this step is an add-on, not a replacement for the chemical analyzers already deployed. Luggage is placed in the inspection chamber where a flexible adaptive enclosure allows rapid release/extraction of traces of explosives from external and internal surfaces of the bag.
Lt. Gen. Walter Natynczyk has been appointed vice chief of the Canadian Defense Staff. He succeeds Vice Adm. Ron Buck, who is retiring. Natynczyk has been chief of transformation.
David Maclean has been appointed managing director of the Defense Div. of U.K.-based BMT Ltd. He was managing director of BMT Defense Services (Australia) in Melbourne. Maclean will be succeeded by Nathan Harding, who has been a director at BMT Marine Projects Ltd.
General Electric is angling to parlay its systems engineering expertise into a lead position in the fast-growing airport security market. GE's Security Div. has been a rising force in the sector since it acquired computer tomography (CT)-based baggage scanner maker InVision Technologies in March 2004. The InVision business complemented GE's own Ion Track ion trace explosives and narcotics detection systems, widely used in baggage and passenger screening applications.
Phil Straub (see photo) has been appointed director of engineering for aviation, Carl Wolf (see photo) senior director of aviation marketing and sales and Tim Casey director of aviation aftermarket sales, all for Garmin International Inc., Olathe, Kan.
Russia will change its space policy this year to combine robotic and manned planning for the Moon and Mars as increased funding becomes a reality. The shift is underway as Russia is beginning advanced development of a robotic sample return mission to the Martian moon Phobos. If successful, the three-year flight planned for launch in 2009 will mark the first round trip between Earth and the direct vicinity of Mars.
Qantas welcomed the government's move this month to lift limits to air services on the "Kangaroo Route" between Australia and the U.K. The move would enable the airline to plan for future growth, according to Qantas CFO Peter Gregg. He says the airline has no immediate plans to add more flights, having only recently reached its limit of 28 services a week to the U.K. The relaxation also opens up routes for Virgin Blue and Jetstar.
It isn't every day that a crane lifts a 700-ton island onto the flight deck of the U.S.'s newest aircraft carrier, the George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), but that's what happened July 8 at Newport News, Va. The nuclear-powered carrier, which is named for the 41st U.S. President, is the 10th and final Nimitz-class carrier (after World War II Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz). "We're witnessing the end of an era," says Mike Petters, president of the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Newport News Sector, which is building the ship.
Boeing says the 787 will achieve better laminar flow over its engine nacelles if they are painted a single color. That will hardly come as news to many in the industry. The news is that Boeing wants to enforce a one-color policy. Its color of choice is gray to match the metallic appearance of the engine inlet. Contrasted with the flowing blue-and-white livery that Boeing's marketing department has selected for the rest of the airplane, the gray nacelles look, well . . . gray.
10-14 Correspondence 18-28 Who's Where 33 Industry Outlook 35 Airline Outlook 37 In Orbit 38-44 News Breaks 47 Washington Outlook 79 A European Perspective 152 Inside Avionics 186-188 Classified 190 Contact Us 191 Aerospace Calendar
Dan Sellas has become vice president-sales and marketing for the Aircraft Service International Group, Orlando, Fla. He was vice president-marketing and business development.
Delegates from 300 airlines and 600 airports are expected to attend the annual forum sponsored by Routes Ltd. of Manchester, England, Sept. 17-19 in Dubai, where the key topic is development of new airline services. Alexander Strahl, Routes' president, a former secretary-general of the Airports Council International, says the forum, the 12th in a series, has grown annually to an expected 2,000 delegates this year.
