The Planetary Fourrier Spectrometer on the European Space Agency's Mars Express probe is back in operation, after a malfunction that has kept the unit silent since July (AW&ST Sept. 19, p. 22). The PFS was the first instrument to make direct in-situ measurements of methane in the Martian atmosphere, and the first to indicate the presence of formaldehyde--both among the building blocks essential for life.
In the Viewpoint "U.S. Science & Technology Is on a Losing Path" (AW&ST Oct. 31, p. 70), Norman R. Augustine addresses the declining production of scientists and engineers without considering the underlying fallacies in our economic model.
A new set of problems with the European Space Agency's ATV cargo carrier will delay launch of the first vehicle by another year. But ESA insists this is unlikely to affect flights to resupply the International Space Station, which are still under review.
The U.S. Homeland Security Dept.'s program to see if military missile jammers can be adapted to civilian use is starting to see reality as a Boeing 767 and an MD-11 both began operational tests last week of infrared-guided missile detectors and jammers.
The miracle on Mars continues. Spirit and Opportunity, which landed in January 2004 with a combined roving and lifetime warranty of 4,000 ft. and 120 days, are pushing toward four years of combined life and more than 6 mi. of total travel. Both have made compelling discoveries about Martian water and transmitted images almost beyond belief (see p. 48).
Ground controllers used backup thrusters on the Progress resupply vehicle docked to the International Space Station to raise the station to a circular 219-mi. orbit, setting it up for the Progress docking in December. The Manifold 2 thrusters on Progress 19 fired for 33 min. in two maneuvers, the longest Progress burn yet.
If you've got a mobile phone with an built-in camera, there's a fair chance the basic sensor will have been manufactured by Micron Technology. Such CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductors) devices are now finding their way into an increasingly broad range of military applications, including on unmanned aerial vehicles and munitions. CMOS imaging devices are particularly suitable where weight and power requirements are at a premium, and they are being used with man-portable and hand-launched UAVs. U.S.
Ibrahim Youssef has been appointed president/CEO of Avox-Eros Services, Van Nuys, Calif., in addition to being president/CEO of another Zodiac US company, Intertechnique Services Americas of Milwaukee.
Meanwhile, Airbus has inked a deal with China's AVIC-1, the Aviation Industry Corp., to expand cooperation between the two to the building in China of wing boxes for Airbus narrowbodies. Airbus also says it will boost procurement volume in China to $60 million by 2007 and $120 million by 2010.
Aerospace lags other industries in expanding its supply base to low-cost nations such as China and India, but that's likely to change dramatically in the coming years, according to a pair of new surveys. While aerospace suppliers in the U.S. and Western Europe are reaping the lion's share of today's business, net spending in those regions is on track to decrease as prime contractors farm out more work to reduce costs and gain entry to lucrative new markets.
Neelam Mathews (New Delhi), Michael Mecham (San Francisco)
It is no surprise that competitive pressures are driving many aerospace companies to tap India's high-end engineering services. Perhaps less well known is that India's newest emerging offerings are aeronautical system design, testing services, cockpit equipment support software and composite structuring. With its highly skilled English-speaking labor pool, low costs and economic growth, India is quickly moving up the value chain as aircraft manufacturers look at less expensive options.
Since 1916, Aviation Week & Space Technology has chronicled the evolution of powered flight in thousands of stories, big and small. Throughout, the emphasis has been on hardware and technology innovations that have laid the foundations for future greatness and made aviation and aerospace arguably the most inspiring and visually stunning fields of human endeavor. Aviation Week itself made its debut a mere 13 years after the Wright brothers' history-making flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., in 1903.
William R. Norman has become senior vice president of UAL Corp.'s United Services. He has been vice president-base maintenance. Norman succeeds Gregory F. Hall, who has resigned. Randall Crain has been named San Francisco-based director of aircraft sales. He was head of sales operations.
VIP Sensors has introduced Model 1011, a 1.2-gram piezoelectric accelerometer for vibration and shock measurements on structures and small objects. This self-generating device requires no external power and exhibits a broad frequency response range to 15 KHz. and a high resonance frequency at 50 KHz. It utilizes a piezoelectric crystal material that exhibits stable output sensitivity over the operating temperature range. Each sensor features a 10-ft. integral low-noise cable terminated with a 10-32 connector.
Richard DalBello has been named vice president-government relations for the Intelsat General Corp., Bethesda, Md. He has been president of both the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Assn. and Satellite Industry Assn.
Aerion Corp. is seeking potential partners to build its proposed supersonic business jet and deliver the airplane to the market by 2011. "We are keeping to an aggressive timeline moving toward routine supersonic business jet travel," said Brian E. Barents, vice chairman of the Reno, Nev.-based advanced engineering group. He says Aerion has resolved major issues surrounding the technical feasibility of an SSBJ, and "we are now able to present . . . a design that is well-researched and quite achievable."
Neelam Mathews, New Delhi-based contributing editor for Aviation Week & Space Technology, has been appointed chairman of the new India chapter of the Bangkok-based Asia Pacific Aviation Media Assn. (Apama).
High speed without a sonic boom is a cherished goal of supersonic business jet designers, and four teams are working to further the technology under NASA contracts, with results to be reviewed early next year. Aerion Corp. and Supersonic Aerospace International will be presenting updates on their SSBJ designs at the National Business Aviation Assn. show in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 9-12. Both companies are proposing Mach 1+ airplanes.
A decision by Eutelsat Communications' private equity owners to abandon a long-awaited initial public offering could spell trouble for other planned aerospace IPOs. The move by the number-three satcom operator could also reset the stage for realignment of the telecommunications satellite sector.
Two of NASA's International Space Station partners are moving ahead on alternate ways to deliver equipment and supplies to the International Space Station, now that the U.S. agency has decided to retire its shuttle fleet. The European Space Agency has hired a team headed by Dutch Space to figure out how to put the European Robotic Arm (ERA) on Russia's planned Multipurpose Laboratory Module and launch it on a Proton rocket. The arm was originally intended to ride a shuttle to orbit, and be mounted on the canceled Russian Science and Power Platform.
The British government is attempting to use key procurement decisions to drive through fundamental changes in the U.K.'s defense-aerospace industrial base.
The Australian military will deploy the Elbit Systems-built Skylark man-portable unmanned aircraft to Iraq. The initial contingent will include four Skylarks, with two remaining in Australia for training.
The past decade or so is littered with good intentions when it comes to defense industrial policy in Europe. Grand declarations have come and gone, with the government and the private sector seemingly content to muddle along.
Boeing officials are downplaying the findings of the long-anticipated Pentagon Mobility Capabilities Study (MCS), which stopped short of requiring more C-17s despite an impending production line closure that would start next year.
As concerns grow over a pandemic sparked by avian flu spreading out of Southeast Asia, official Washington still grapples with what to do. President Bush calls for $7.1 billion to pay for vaccine development, an anti-viral drug stockpile, domestic and international surveillance and local preparedness. The administration says travel restrictions may be needed in a serious outbreak, but one expert thinks concern over airplanes' role in a crisis may be overblown.
