Michael A. Taverna and Robert Wall (Paris), Douglas Barrie (London)
The new French government promises to back ongoing modernization of France's armed forces and maintain the country's strong military presence in overseas operations. But it warns the aerospace community to expect a shake-up of major defense programs and a strong government hand in industrial matters.
NASA is giving away half of its space on the International Space Station. The question is whether anyone will be able to get there to use it. As the ISS enters the final stretch of its buildout to completion before the space shuttle fleet is retired in 2010, NASA managers are offering the use of roughly 11 refrigerator-sized experiment racks inside the station's pressurized modules, and perhaps four external sites, free of charge. The catch is that users will have to get their experiments to the ISS at their own expense.
The U.S. Transportation Dept. will award China route authority to two more U.S. airlines and allocate new frequencies through 2009 among them and the four incumbents in the market under a single, "streamlined" proceeding, launched June 21. May 2007 Amendments to the U.S.-China aviation agreement allow, as of Aug. 1, for a fifth U.S. carrier to be chosen as well as allocate a daily round trip between any point in the U.S. and any of eight points in China. This carrier and route almost certainly will be Delta Air Lines, for service between Atlanta and Shanghai.
Once again, the Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (Jassm) appears to have gotten a reprieve--but only for a week this time. Pentagon acquisition czar Kenneth Krieg reviewed the $5.8-billion program's status on June 27 after a problematic set of flight tests resulted in a 58% reliability rate. The update was required after the Air Force reported a massive cost overrun to Congress this year.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, chair of the Senate Appropriations commerce, justice and science (CJS) subcommittee, says she will postpone introduction of an amendment to the Fiscal 2008 CJS spending bill that would add $1 billion to help NASA recover from the lingering financial effects of the 2003 Columbia accident. As approved by the full Senate Appropriations Committee June 28, the CJS bill includes $17.5 billion for NASA--$150 million over the Bush administration's request--and funds the space shuttle and International Space Station programs fully.
Coming to the U.S. or leaving it, air travelers face worsening slowdowns. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) advises foreign experts who plan to attend its mammoth annual meeting in Washington next January to double-check visa requirements, even if there were none this year, and apply for needed visas early because security checks "may take three months or more." Plain old visa paperwork will slow down this summer, too, because the State Dept.
Barrington Antonio Irving has become the first African-American to fly solo around the world. About 2,000 people greeted the 23-year-old upon returning home on June 28 to Miami Opa-Locka Airport, from which he departed Mar. 23 in his single-engine Columbia 400, "Sweet Inspiration." Irving says his motive for the 24,000-mi. journey was to demonstrate to inner-city youth that they can overcome obstacles and attain higher goals.
Bigelow Aerospace launched its Genesis II inflatable space module on a converted Russian ICBM on June 28, as the company continues the successful orbital test of its first sub-scale module, Genesis I, which was launched last July. Genesis II, at 300-mi. altitude, carries a large billboard sign on its exterior reading "Blair," the granddaughter of CEO Robert T. Bigelow, in a test of the imaging system the company plans for marketing purposes. The new spacecraft is being controlled from Bigelow's futuristic space control center in northern Las Vegas.
Atlas Air subsidiary Polar Air Cargo and DHL Express on June 28 sealed a $150-million deal that will give DHL Express a 49% equity share and 25% voting interest in Polar. The deal also includes a 20-year blocked-space agreement that will give DHL access to Polar's capacity in certain markets (particularly U.S.-Asia routes) and on some Atlas aircraft. Atlas Air and DHL Express estimate the partnership could generate more than $3.5 billion in revenues. The closure follows decisions from the U.S. Transportation Dept.
Air New Zealand has begun putting Air China's code on its services between Shanghai and Auckland and on some flights between New Zealand and Australia. In return, Air New Zealand's code will go on Air China services between China and Australia.
Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise has become BOC Aviation Pte. Ltd., changing its name to reflect its sale in December to Bank of China, the world's sixth most valuable bank.
Initial flight tests of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (Sofia) are expected to begin within a few weeks at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, Calif.
Nigeria is buying two ATR 42MP Surveyor maritime surveillance aircraft, which it hopes to field by 2009. It is the first export order for this configuration. The $73-million contract includes training, logistics support and initial spares. The Nigerian air force wants the aircraft to meet a requirement for surveillance of its large coastal waters zone, search and rescue missions and fishery and environmental monitoring.
A News Break on Aerospace Journalist of the Year Awards in the June 25 edition incorrectly described a story by William B. Scott. He won the Messier-Dowty Safran Group Award for Best Air Show Submission, an account of his F/A-18B flight in the slot position of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels' Diamond formation.
NASA has picked seven "suitcase science" experiments for further development against the day when astronauts can deploy them on the Moon's surface, and also has created two new programs to fund research based on data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) planned for launch next year and to help prepare for long-term human operations on the Moon.
Nav Canada, the country's air navigation provider, reports an average increase of 4.3% to 77.4 million charging units in April traffic, compared to 74.2 million during the same month in 2006. Traffic is measured in weighted charging units for en-route terminal and oceanic services. Traffic for the year ending Aug. 31 has been up 4.5%.
Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy completed the Air Systems Critical Design Review (CDR) for the F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter on June 22, paving the way for the initial production process to begin. First flight of the F-35A is tentatively scheduled for 2009.
After 15 years of pushing for a federally funded corporation to promote travel to the U.S., the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) senses that it is close to success. The Senate Commerce Committee has passed the Travel Promotion Act of 2007, which would set up a Corporation of Travel Promotion funded by fees paid by travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries. The bill also would establish a travel promotion office in the Commerce Dept. TIA expects a similar bill to be introduced in the House within two weeks.
Researchers at the University of Dayton in Ohio are using a light-gas gun to study the effects of damage to materials and structures caused by impact with space junk or meteoroids traveling at orbital speeds. The gun (see photo) features a 45-ft.-long, triple-barrel gunpowder and hydrogen-powered launcher that fires aluminum spheres at nearly 20,000 mph. Engineering staff at the university's Research Institute Impact Physics Lab recently broke a world record by shooting a sphere at hypervelocity speed.
The German, French and Spanish governments have agreed to back EADS's modular Advanced unmanned aircraft project, with funding for an initial risk-reduction phase. The year-long study will examine service requirements and could lead to a development effort starting next year. The Advanced UAV is likely to compete for funding with a potential Dassault/Israel Aerospace Industries effort and ambitions by AleniaAeronautica to create a multinational consortium, involving Dassault, Thales and others.
European Space Agency officials say they have begun talks with NASA about selling the U.S. agency one or more automated transfer vehicle space tugs. Under current agreements, ESA is committed to supplying around 20 metric tons of upload capacity to the International Space Station via the ATV through 2013-15, in return for utilities used by Europe's Columbus orbital laboratory (see p. 25).
Asiana Airlines, under an agreement with Jeppesen, will introduce Boeing Class 3 Electronic Flight Bag technology on its Boeing 777s. Three new Asiana 777s--the first was scheduled for delivery in June--will feature Class 3 EFB applications and data. Jeppesen is also providing its e-Link system so that dispatch and operations personnel may access charts and data. The airline says it plans to evaluate expansion of the EFB program for the entire fleet.
Rep. Henry Waxman (Calif.), a leading watchdog among House Democrats and chairman of the Government and Oversight Reform Committee, sees worsening trends in federal acquisition. Drawing on reports from the Government Accountability Office, the Defense Contract Audit Agency, inspectors general and other "independent" oversight officials, Waxman says 189 programs valued at $1.1 trillion have been "plagued by waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement" in the past six years--not coincidentally, during President Bush's tenure.
An industry link between Alliant Techsystems and MBDA's German business unit may entice Berlin back into a transatlantic anti-radar missile program. The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding covering "potential workshare opportunities" on the missile. Italy already is a partner on the program with the U.S., and the three countries were previously partners in the AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile precision navigation upgrade, which was canceled.
