NASA will buy hardware and software that allows space shuttles to use power from the International Space Station, extending the time available for docked operations to 12 from eight days. That will enable more assembly, maintenance and shuttle-inspection/ repair work during the dwindling number of shuttle missions remaining before retirement in 2010. Installation of the Station-Shuttle Power Transfer System in shuttle orbiters will begin next spring, and the first use of the system is scheduled for STS-119--six flights out on the manifest.
NASA has shifted analytical work on the space shuttle external tank out of New Orleans, but the extent of Hurricane Katrina's impact on the flight schedule remains to be seen. Administrator Michael D. Griffin says early estimates of a slip in the next flight from March to October 2006 were probably too pessimistic, but agency spaceflight managers need more information before setting even a planning date.
Wales's ParcAberporth continues to press its case as an emerging center of excellence for unmanned aerial vehicle work. Last week saw the first flight of the Watchkeeper Hermes 450 UAV in U.K. airspace during an event at the site. The Hermes 450 is the air vehicle element of the British Defense Ministry's 700-million-pound ($1.286-billion) Watchkeeper surveillance system. The event also saw Boeing and Qinetiq form a team to look at civil UAV applications.
Executives from Intelsat and Lockheed Martin say a joint report on the Jan. 14 electrical power failure of the LM-built IS 804 will be issued at the end of the month. LM Commercial Space Systems President Ted Gavrilis said the evidence has pinpointed the probable cause of the failure, which led to the total loss of the spacecraft, but several avenues are being pursued. The glitch could potentially affect 11 spacecraft, eight of which are in operation--including three at Intelsat.
The network of ATR turboprop operators is expanding. South Korea's Hansung Airlines has commenced operations with one ATR 72-200, making it the first ATR operator on the peninsula. Hansung's fleet is to grow to 10 aircraft in the next five years, with the second to be added in early 2006. Meanwhile, ATR and Air Caledonie have firmed up the commitment announced in June for the New Caledonian carrier to buy three turboprops from the EADS/Alenia Aeronautica joint venture--one ATR 42-500 and two ATR 72-500s. Deliveries are planned for 2006 and 2007.
PanAmSat has completed the acquisition of EuropeStar, a London-based fixed satellite service (FSS) operator with one spacecraft and two orbital slots (AW&ST Aug. 1, p. 18). The unit will be folded into PanAmSat-Intelsat company.
Russia launched a Progress supply vehicle toward the International Space Station on Sept. 8, setting up an automatic docking on Sept. 10. The Progress carried 2.5 tons of supplies including food, water, fuel and clothing for the two-man crew, and a new water-circulation system for the Elektron oxygen generator, which has been off-line.
Mike O'Dwyer, inventor of the world's fastest gun, likes to reminisce about growing up in Australia, a long-dead father he never knew, and his memories of a boyhood obsession. Sometimes his musings turn to the nature of modern warfare and his fascination with inventing weapons. O'Dwyer, a former grocer, was transfixed as a child by newsreels of kamikaze attacks on allied ships at the end of World War II.
Italian aviation authorities are urging the redesign of fuel quantity indicators used on ATR turboprops after finding that the wrong one had been installed on the Tuninter ATR 72 that crashed last month into the Mediterranean Sea off Sicily, killing 16 of 39 on board.
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, is one of the staunchest advocates for defense funding on Capitol Hill. But some of the Vietnam War veteran's positions--including advocacy of "Buy America" restrictions--have put him at odds with both Pentagon brass and his Senate counterpart, John W. Warner (R-Va.). In a wide-ranging interview, Hunter discussed with Defense Technology International's Joseph C.
Jerry Agee has become acting president of the Mission Systems Sector of the Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp. He succeeds Donald C. Winter, who has been nominated as secretary of the Navy. Agee has been deputy sector president.
A new round of consolidation in the fixed satellite service business is likely to push back an anticipated upswing in commercial satellite orders. However, companies building smaller spacecraft could benefit, industry officials said at a Euroconsult-sponsored industry gathering here last week.
When Darpa ended its work on the Metal Storm sniper rifle in 2002, the agency's official explanation was that it had decided to pursue a "more promising endeavor" called Mach 5/50. Like Metal Storm, Mach 5/50 was an Australian concept to demonstrate a weapon with very high rates of fire and no moving parts. Also like Metal Storm, Mach 5/50 would utilize stacked projectiles with a "unique positioning, seating and sealing approach" to develop a weapon that could be used in everything from naval air defense to firepower for combat vehicles.
The long-depressed launch service industry is gearing up to meet growing demand for small satellites, and to benefit from a momentary dearth of launch positions for large spacecraft.
World News Roundup 16 Investigators find crashed ATR 72 had wrong fuel quantity indicator 16 NTSB joins probe into crash of Indonesian 737-200 17 Startup Chinese cargo airline orders six Boeing 747-400Fs 18 Loral aiming for Chapter 11 exit this month 18 Space executives report on many fronts at industry gathering World News & Analysis 20 Pentagon blames procedures, com- munications in Katrina response 22 Homeland Security assisted rescue and recovery efforts
Jade Cargo International is expected to announce soon an order for six Boeing 747-400ER freighters, as the Chinese venture prepares for the launch of operations early next year. The airline had planned to start operations earlier this year, but has been delayed by a lack of suitable aircraft as well as ownership changes. Jade Cargo picked Shenzhen airport in the Pearl River Delta of southern China as its base, to take advantage of the expected boom in air cargo traffic from the continued growth of consumer goods production.
Cockpit confusion is seen as a contributing factor in the crash of a Helios Airways 737 last month in Greece. The German pilot and Cypriot copilot had trouble communicating in English, which further encumbered efforts to fix an airflow valve problem. The valve was set incorrectly, leading to the aircraft failing to pressurize.
Are electrostatic-discharge weapons really on the horizon? On Aug. 17, Thomas Dearmin, president and CEO of Ionatron Inc., rang the closing bell of the Nasdaq stock exchange. It was a day that marked a high point in what has been an exciting year for the company that produces what it calls a "next-generation" directed-energy weapon.
Mars Exploration Rover scientists and engineers are planning the next phase of operations for the rover Spirit, using the view that unfolded upon reaching the summit of Columbia Hills late last month. The journey up the hills took more than a year--four times the "guaranteed" 90-Martian-day lifetime of the rovers.
Bill Watters has become vice president-flight operations for Adam Aircraft, Englewood, Colo. He was chief pilot/senior international captain for Gulfstream Aerospace.
Russia is beginning civilian/military Earth-imaging operations with two new spacecraft, one a Kometa film-return mapping satellite and the other a Monitor electro-optical platform. The Cosmos 2415 Kometa, based on the original Vostok manned spacecraft design, was launched Sept. 2 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Soyuz booster into an initial 122 X 175-mi. orbit inclined 64.8 deg. It will spend about a month aloft performing a medium-resolution broad-area mapping mission for Russian military and civilian uses.
The pending merger of Intelsat and PanAmSat is expected to trigger further consolidation of the fixed satellite service industry, unless it is sidetracked by regulators first.
Sonaca, a major aerostructures producer, is considering cutting about 300 jobs. The decision is causing a stir in southern Belgium where the unemployment rate hovers above 8%. The Charleroi-based company's difficulties are a direct result of the euro's unfavorable exchange rates against the U.S. dollar and of Embraer's decision to significantly reduce the 35-50-seat ERJ 135/145 production rate. In addition, Sonaca executives say the company is facing competitive pressure on prices in the regional twinjet market.
A look across the Atlantic shows European network airlines are returning to profitability after the rise of low-cost carriers (LCCs), while their U.S. peers continue to lose money. One major reason may be that their parent corporations rely less on passenger airline income and more on diversifying their networks and revenues.
While House and Senate leaders wrangle over the best way to investigate the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is pressing ahead this week with its own probe.
