Ralph Tourino, vice president-integrated systems and solutions for the Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Space Support and Global Strike Div., has been named one of the 50 Most Important Hispanics in Technology and Business for the third consecutive year by the editors of Hispanic Engineer and Information Technology. Tourino was recognized for "leadership and outstanding work in the field of technology." Before joining Lockheed Martin, Tourino, a retired U.S. Air Force major general, was program director for the B-2 stealth bomber.
Magtrol now offers eight standard dynamometer tables. Each table has been designed to accommodate one of the company's Hysteresis/Engine or Eddy-Current/Powder Brake dynamometers and can be customized to meet the needs of most testing applications, according to the company. The corrosion-resistant tables are portable and are ideal for moving dynamometers to alternate testing stations because the stands are designed of lightweight aluminum with casters for smooth mobility.
Air Force officials are employing a different strategy on their $32-billion rocket program to divvy up the workload by allocating, instead of competing, a host of launches between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Details of the new bailout portion of the program remain unclear.
UNITED STATES Editor-In-Chief: Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. [email protected] Managing Editor: James R. Asker [email protected] Assistant Managing Editor: Michael Stearns [email protected] Senior Editors: Craig Covault [email protected], David Hughes [email protected] NEW YORK 2 Penn Plaza, Fifth Floor, New York, N.Y. 10121 Phone: +1 (212) 904-2000, Fax: +1 (212) 904-6068 Senior News Editor: Nora Titterington
If the space shuttle arrives at the International Space Station (ISS) with significant thermal protection system damage, NASA may not have enough confidence in unproven repair methods to risk the lives of the crew to bring the vehicle back for a landing. The damaged shuttle probably would be abandoned and discarded.
The North American maintenance, repair and overhaul business is forecast to reap revenues of $21.5 billion by 2013. MRO providers, however, face an uphill battle as they struggle to cope with unrelenting price pressures from customers and competitors without compromising quality of service.
Astronomers using the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton X-ray space observatory have pieced together pictures of the violence that results when galactic clusters plow into each other. In X-ray images of three large clusters, an international team of researchers has used a combination of positional and energy data to map the distribution and temperature of intergalactic gas, which can range above 100 million C. Such high temperatures result when clusters collide at closing velocities faster than 2,000 km./sec., converting the kinetic energy into thermal energy.
Airbus leaders like to suggest they don't share Boeing's view that an aggressive pursuit of composites is the way to go, but researchers for the European aircraft maker are seeing a rapid growth in their application on Airbus aircraft.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has ordered $33 million worth of eXaminer 3DX explosives detection systems from L-3 Communications Security & Detection Systems. About 500 of these machines are deployed worldwide. The eXaminer is one of only three machines certified by the TSA to screen checked luggage at U.S. airports.
Deputy Defense Undersecretary for Industrial Policy Suzanne Patrick says a recent study shows that U.S. contractors have "gotten behind the power curve" in the vertical-lift market. She says the U.S. government needs to encourage industry to start building vertical-lift aircraft "from scratch," and not just focus on upgrading existing helicopters. In particular, a Lockheed Martin/AgustaWestland team's upset win of the future U.S. presidential helicopter contract is at the very least a "nudge" to domestic manufacturers, she says.
Pinpoint Laser Systems has introduced a precision Microgage bore alignment kit for industrial applications. The product is well-suited for aligning extrusion presses, rams, precision screws, lathes and turning center, propeller shafts and stern tubes, bar feeders and other demanding applications. The system consists of a cylindrical laser, available in either a 2.250 or 1 in. diameter that is held right in the bore, tool holder, chuck or shaft mount. The laser reference beam is projected to a digital receiver that is held in a mount with a similar precision bore diameter.
William Ballhaus, president/CEO of The Aerospace Corp. of Los Angeles, is one of four people to be named honorary AIAA fellows. The others are: Eilene Galloway of the International Institute of Space Law in Washington; Clayton Jones, president/CEO of Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Wolfgang Schmidt, who is retired from DaimlerChrysler AG, Friedrichshafe, Germany.
Regarding Airbus receiving $2 billion in government aid to launch the A350 and more than $4 billion to launch the A380, Boeing Commercial Airplanes' marketing chief hit the nail on the head when she called the European Union "EU Inc." (AW&ST Mar. 14, p. 21).
FL Group (formerly Flugleidir Icelandair) has exercised the five options valued at $325 million from a January order for 10 Boeing 737-800s. Aircraft from the original orders begin arriving next year; aircraft from the exercised options in 2007.
Boeing will build more Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) seekers next year in addition to the 159 already under contract from Lockheed Martin. The award includes the first international sale of the missile, to the Netherlands, with Japan expected to follow suit soon. Production, assembly, integration and testing of the seeker is carried out at Boeing's facility in Hunstville, Ala.
Remaining questions about the structural health of U.S. firefighting airtankers is prompting the creation of a new center dedicated to researching and finding solutions for aging-aircraft problems. A consortium combining the expertise and resources of NASA, academia, the U.S. Forest Service and private companies will build the center around the concept of condition-based maintenance.
Northrop Grumman has conducted the first flight of its modified Hunter UAV. The Endurance-Hunter, or "E-Hunter," includes the original fuselage coupled with a new tail assembly and longer center wing to stretch mission duration to 30 hr. at 20,000 ft. Company officials conducted controllability tests, including high-speed taxi runs and low-speed aerial handling passes.
Richard Christopher Olsen, Associate Professor of Physics (Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif.)
"Back in Play" (AW&ST Mar. 7, p. 38) suggests the MTSat vehicle solar sail will "balance it in the solar wind." That is not possible. The solar wind, a plasma pheno- menon associated with expansion of the solar atmosphere, does not penetrate into geosynchronous orbit. The standoff distance for the magnetopause, the boundary between the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind is 8-9 Earth radii, is well outside geosynchronous orbit. It appears the sail is using solar photon (light) pressure. (The article should have said solar light pressure--Ed.)
USAF Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Lichte has been nominated as assistant vice chief of staff at the Pentagon. He has been vice commander of United States Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein AB, Germany. He will be succeeded by Maj. Gen. Robert D. Bishop, Jr., who has been nominated for promotion to lieutenant general. Bishop has been assistant deputy chief of staff for air and space operations. Maj. Gen. Christopher A. Kelly has been nominated for promotion to lieutenant general and as vice commander of the Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
Russian Aerospace Agency Roskosmos and Arianespace have inked a contract covering production and supply of Russian hardware for the new Soyuz launch pad at Europe's spaceport near Kourou, French Guiana. The deal covers adaptation of Soyuz to the new facility and completion of an upgraded Soyuz 2b model to be operated there. Prime contractor for the launch system will be the Samara Space Center. KBOM will supply the ground infrastructure, under the supervision of TsENKI, and NPO Lavotchkin will deliver the Fregat upper stage. Initial launches are expected in 2008.
At first blush it would seem Airbus' A380 would be a nightmare for those facing the challenge of maintaining the massive aircraft's huge number of parts, large structures and difficult-to-reach places. But, as it turns out, the size of the 555-seat aircraft--or even Airbus' use of Glass-Reinforced Aluminum (Glare) or Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP)--isn't causing maintenance experts any particular headaches.
Helena Stalnert has been appointed communications director of Saab, effective June 1. She has been a news program editor-in-chief of Swedish public television. Stalnert will succeed Irene Svensson, who heads Saab's office in Brussels.
At the turn of the century, Boeing Commercial Airplanes immersed itself in the Internet to accelerate delivery of spare parts and distribute service bulletins.
Demand and earnings of Asian carriers may come under pressure as fares rise in response to escalating fuel prices. India's government-owned Indian Airlines and private carriers Air Sahara and Jet Airways introduced a 12% hike in domestic ticket prices effective Apr. 15. Air New Zealand, Virgin Blue, Asiana Airlines and Korean Air had already raised fares. Qantas introduced a fuel surcharge, and Singapore Airlines is weighing doing so.
