Lockheed Martin, SES Americom and Echostar are by mid-January expected to complete geosynchronous orbit insertion and checkout of the Americom AMC-16 communications spacecraft, pending its successful launch on Dec. 17 from Cape Canaveral on board a Lockheed Martin Atlas V. The Lockheed Martin A2100 spacecraft is to be parked at 85 deg. W. Long. to provide television and other services to North and Central America including new spot beam service to Mexico.
Departing NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe has offered to help his successor shepherd the space exploration program he crafted for the Bush administration through its first tottering steps. He was already fending off some wolves circling the program even before he announced his departure for an academic job.
An article in the Dec. 13 issue misidentified the probable origin of the comet Tempel-1 (p. 56). Tempel-1 is actually thought to have originated in the Kuiper Belt, which lies beyond the orbit of Neptune. The launch date cited has been delayed by four days until Jan. 12 to give Boeing time to change an interstage ring on the mission's Delta II launch vehicle. The aircraft in the photo accompanying the story "Gold in Data" (AW&ST Dec. 6, p. 38) was misidentified. The Air Canada transport shown is a Boeing 767.
Key dates on two of the Pentagon's highest-profile aviation programs appear to be in motion, again. The first is for the presidential helicopter, the VXX. Now that the Pentagon has moved up a scheduled program review to Jan. 13, industry officials expect the contract to be awarded early, too, rather than Jan. 28, as planned earlier, to give the nod to either Sikorsky and its VH-92 or the Lockheed Martin US101 team. The Navy appears keen on a Friday-evening announcement, so early opportunities would be Jan. 14 and 21.
Eurofighter Typhoon production will continue uninterrupted. On Dec. 14, at the 11th hour, contracts launching Tranche 2 production for the air forces of U.K., Germany, Italy and Spain were signed, after a prolonged delay. The 16 billion euros ($21 billion) worth of contracts buys 236 fighters and 519 associated engines and includes a relevant amount of R&D. A separate deal is pending for logistic support. Production is scheduled from 2008-12. The U.K. held out for an early introduction of significant air-to-ground capabilities.
Civil 2nd Place Fort Worth Police Dept. air support unit patrols the skyline in a Bell 206B. --Sheldon Cohen Joshua, Tex. Civil 3rd Place Qatar Airways Bombardier Global Express takes off from Farnborough, England. --Marcel Mivelaz Molondin, Switzerland
The rovers Opportunity and Spirit will celebrate their first-year anniversary of operations in early January finding more evidence to support their tale that water and wind played major roles in forming the Martian landscape. After six months surveying Endurance Crater, Opportunity has climbed out of that hole onto the surrounding Meridiani region where it will be able to scan its own heat shield to assess its performance and observe the soil roiled after landing.
AIR SECURITY THROUGH THE YEARS While there is a more serious mission that these badges represent, they can also be appreciated as minature works of art in themselves. U.S. Civil Aeronautics Authority Note: The Wright Flyer (above)is enlarged to show detail Badge worn on a British bobby's helmet Royal Air Force Police Los Angeles Airport Officer's Badge Another U.S. Civil Aeronautics Authority Badge Irish Airport Police Badge
In another deal, Boeing named the U.K.'s Ultra Electronics Holdings to be lead contractor on the 7E7's wing ice protection system. It will be responsible for overall integration and the controlling software and electronic equipment. The 7E7 will be the first application of an electronically-based wing ice protection system.
Australia took delivery of the first two of 22 Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters last week. The first four of the Australian helos will be built by Eurocopter in France, with the rest to be assembled at Australian Aerospace in Brisbane.
Boeing has confirmed the order of five 777-300ERs for Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi valued at $1.09 billion at list price. Deliveries will run from October-December 2005.
The Air Transport Assn. forecasts that U.S. passenger traffic will break a record over the upcoming holiday season with 38 million travelers, up 6% from the previous year. Domestic enplanements are expected to top 34 million or 5.6% more than in 2003 while international enplanements of more than 3 million would be up 5.7%.
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin says France has agreed to guarantee a 121-million-euro ($161-million) loan by the European Investment Bank earmarked for a Soyuz launch facility to be built at the European launch complex in Kourou, French Guiana. The loan is to cover the purchase of Russian hardware to be used in the 314-million-euro facility, which is to begin operating an upgraded Soyuz 2 booster in 2007.
Sverdrup Technology Inc. won a five-year contract worth as much as $1.15 billion to support engineering and science at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The hybrid cost-plus-award fee/firm-fixed-price contract will include engineering products and services for the International Space Station, space shuttle and other spacecraft programs.
The British Defense Ministry and BAE Systems are quietly developing a range of visual and infra-red signature reduction technologies for aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) applications in an effort that has included flying demonstrators. In response to questions from Aviation Week & Space Technology, the Defense Ministry is at least partially lifting the veil of secrecy from these efforts.
The U.S. Air Force's chief of staff is expanding his war on "cultural ruts" in the military that inhibit the use of airpower in combat, and this time his target is airlift in Iraq.
Ted Carlson of Mission Viejo, Calif., won the grand prize in this year's Aviation Week & Space Technology annual photo contest with this image of four Michigan ANG A-10s flying over cloud cover. Special section devoted to contest prize winners and honorable mentions begins on p. 44. Following the photos are prize-winning paintings and honorable mentions from the annual juried exhibition of the American Society of Aviation Artists.
General 2nd Place Sean D. Tucker pulls negative Gs in a vertical roll. --David Carlson Valrico, Fla. General 3rd Place A Jenny replica flies over foggy fields. --Jim Koepnick Oshkosh, Wis.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has given initial approval for air-to-ground wireless Internet transmissions as early as 2006. The FCC also is taking public comment on inflight cell phone usage. Its action is aimed at expanding the availability of WiFi networks, which passengers are accustomed to accessing in airports. Internet applications are available on a limited basis.
Space 2nd Place Ariane 5 V163 Rosetta awaits launch at the European Spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana. --Stephane Corvaja Paris, France Space 3rd Place Soyuz TMA-3 during its rollout to Pad 1 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. --Stephane Corvaja Paris, France
World News Roundup 15 Boeing, USAF to try again this week for first Delta IV Heavy launch 15 Sukhoi begins to cut metal for Russian Regional Jet 16 Lockheed Martin to start testing of first modernized AT-63 Pampa 17 Two of three shareholders aiming to acquire control of Eutelsat 17 Typhoon Tranche 2 pact signed; no production interruption seen World News & Analysis 20 In counteroffensive, Airbus draws first blood with its A350
