Senior Editor Craig Covault (foreground, left) reviews checklists in the cockpit of the Orbital Sciences Corp. Lockheed L-1011 "Stargazer" launch aircraft prior to firing a Pegasus XL booster off Cape Canaveral to place the Sorce solar observation satellite in orbit (see cover). From left are Elbert Harris, backup pilot; Bill Weaver, command pilot; Bob Taylor, flight engineer; and Don Moor, copilot. The flight deck crewmen are all former Lockheed test pilots who fly the aircraft under contract to OSC.
Orbital Sciences Corp. Lockheed L-1011 launch aircraft flying off Cape Canaveral, Fla., drops the 52,000-lb. Pegasus XL winged booster carrying the NASA Sorce solar observation spacecraft (see p. 56). In this picture sequence, the Pegasus first stage ignites with 163,000 lb. thrust, in the bottom view. NASA photos by Robert A. Rivers and V. Eric Roback flying in a Langley Research Center T-38 chase aircraft.
NODE SATS Tucked away in the cargo compartment of a Russian Progress resupply vehicle set for launch to the International Space Station this week are the first elements of an MIT experiment that will see "satellites" the size of bowling balls maneuvering inside the station's Unity node.
There is little schedule margin left as the Pentagon pushes to meet its goal of next year fielding an initial missile defense system to protect the U.S.
Barry Eccleston has been appointed Phoenix-based vice president-propulsion systems for Honeywell. He was vice president-commercial aerospace for Europe, and has been executive vice president-business development for Fairchild Dornier and president/CEO of International Aero Engines.
BOMBS AWAY B-2s have expanded their ability to drop bombs in two separate test events. Most recently, a B-2 flying over the Utah Testing and Training Range at Hill AFB dropped two 5,000-lb. GBU-28B/B bombs. The weapon features GPS guidance in addition to laser guidance, and represents an enhancement of the GBU-28A/B that is only laser-guided. B-2s already were able to drop 5,000-lb.-class weapons, although those were only GPS-guided. Integration of the latest weapon required only a software update. Earlier this month a B-2 dropped 80 inert 500-lb.
INSAT DELAY India's Insat-3E, which was delayed from its scheduled Sept. 3 Ariane launch from Kourou, French Guiana (AW&ST Aug. 18, p. 21), needs at least three weeks more time so a few components in the communications payload can be retested. The suspect components--solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs)--were delivered at least two years ago by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. The retests have become necessary following a quality alert by the manufacturer of the parts.
TRIGGER HAPPY Saab Bofors Dynamics will develop the proximity fuze for the ramjet-powered, beyond-visual-range Meteor air-to-air missile. The $55-million (SEK450-million) contract springs in part from Saab's decision earlier this year to become involved in Meteor. The deal also includes options for production of the missile. Meteor also features an impact fuze. Both operate in conjunction with a blast fragmentation warhead.
Frontier Airlines has concluded an order for an additional 15 124-seat Airbus A319s set to be delivered in 2004-08. In the shorter term, Frontier will take delivery of 14 A318/A319s from leasing companies.
The Air Line Pilots Assn. 49th Air Safety Forum held last week in Washington highlighted areas it believes critical to the safety of man, machine and the nation's aviation system as the industry begins its second hundred years. Safety Management System (SMS) and Crew Monitoring (see p. 66) were among the most discussed topics.
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The tests have shown what I and many others suspected all along was the initiating event in the space shuttle Columbia accident. The fix is deceptively simple. Long ago, plasterers used linen in the top coat to stabilize and provide for a quality finish for interior walls. Model builders first used silk cloth held down with airplane glue to strengthen balsa structures. Later the material was silk-weight glass cloth held down with polyester resin.
H-3A/BS OUT, SH-60JS, -KS IN Japan's navy has retired the last of 167 H-3A/B antisubmarine helicopters built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries under license from Sikorsky (HSS-2 Sea King) between 1962-88. The aircraft have been replaced by Sikorsky/Mitsubishi SH-60Js and -Ks.
It was incorrectly reported that the Delta Air Lines Pilots Assn. withdrew from wage concession talks with airline management, and that Dalpa favored opening the entire contract to negotiation (AW&ST July 28, p.18), according to a union official. Instead, the official said, union representatives reiterated Dalpa's "philosophical imperatives." And instead of opening the entire contract, Dalpa is interested only in modifications if it gets its requested contract extension.
Pakistan International Airlines has selected Goodrich wheels and brakes for the three Boeing 777-200ERs it has on firm order, with deliveries scheduled to commence in January 2004. PIA also has five options for 777-200ERs.
BUSTER BUYER The U.S. Army has awarded San Antonio-based Mission Technologies a $5-million contract for three Buster mini-UAVs. The fully automated, 4-hr.-endurance UAV has been in development for several years, although the contract for the Army night vision laboratory marks the first significant sale of the system. The day/night-capable systems are slated for delivery within a year.
Martin Ricciuti has become vice president-sales and marketing of EADS Airframe Services, Lake Charles, La. He was a regional sales manager for Curtiss-Wright Flight Systems.
Lockheed Martin's Future Combat System Multifunction Utility Logistics and Equipment vehicle has been selected by the team of Boeing and Science Applications International Corp. for the system development and demonstration phase of the U.S. Army's FCS program. The value of the SDD phase could exceed $200 million.
Regarding the runway incidents at O'Hare airport (AW&ST July 28, p. 44), all those involved should meet and decide what preventive measures will be taken following an incursion accident. Then before an accident occurs, implement the changes. The "what-if" method with appropriate follow-on action is an effective, but often not used, safety/risk management tool and offers considerable benefits to all air transport and aerospace operations.
NEXT-GEN ISR The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a $126-million contract for the first of what is expected to be a fleet of E-10A 767-400ERs. The aircraft will serve as a testbed for the ground and air surveillance fleet that is slated to replace the E-8C Joint-STARS ground moving-target tracking sensor and later the E-3 AWACS air-surveillance platform. Plans call for the Air Force to build five ground target tracking E-10As.
SARS SURVIVOR Thai Airways International bucked the SARS red-ink trend by posting a 7-billion-baht ($167-million) profit for the first nine months of its fiscal year, ending June 30. But SARS still tainted the well; profits were off 22% from last year. Senior Vice President Tasani Sudasna said government efforts to promote Thai tourism as a SARS-safe destination have helped; the carrier is now operating at 75% of pre-SARS levels. The coming quarter is traditionally tourism-rich.
The best of youth starts life with "a sense of enormous expectation, the sense that one's life is important, that great achievements are within one's capacity, and that great things lie ahead." Ayn Rand described this rare individual--the type needed for the aerospace industry's workforce--in the introduction to the 25th anniversary edition of The Fountainhead in 1968.
Firing a Pegasus winged booster into space from the Orbital Sciences Lockheed L-1011 launch aircraft requires precision timing by the transport's pilots and detailed coordination between the cockpit crew, onboard launch panel operators and ground control center.
BUNKER BUSTER NASA is braced for the release this week of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board's final report, a massive dissection of the entrenched agency "culture" that board members believe contributed to the Feb. 1 shuttle reentry disaster. Despite early complaints by Capitol Hill Democrats that the board wasn't sufficiently independent, agency officials up to and including Administrator Sean O'Keefe don't expect to get an early look at the report and its accompanying CD-ROM before it is released on the board's web site at 10 a.m. EDT Tuesday.
