Nearly 31 years after launch--and 29 years after its warranty expired-- Pioneer 10 has sent its last signal to NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN). It was the first spacecraft to pass through the asteroid belt, first to make direct observations of Jupiter and first human-made object to pass the orbit of Pluto at the edge of the solar system. "It ranks among the most historic as well as the most scientifically rich exploration missions ever undertaken," Colleen Hartman, director of NASA's Solar System Exploration Div., remarked.
A smooth first flight for the 777-300ER that was most notable for the obvious boost in power provided by General Electric's GE90-115B powerplants has begun a year-long campaign to complete certification of Boeing's largest twin-engine aircraft.
Fixing the Air Expeditionary Force is a major topic for U.S. Air Force four-stars and was addressed at their recent Corona meeting. "Most people thought the AEF plan was a scheduling tool for Operation Northern Watch and Southern Watch," said Gen. Gregory Martin, chief of U.S. Air Forces, Europe. "[Instead], AEF is a total cultural and process change for the Air Force.
LynuxWorks of San Jose, Calif., has released a commercially available safety-critical software code for aerospace applications that fulfills the FAA's DO-178B certification standards at Level A, the highest rating. Called LynxOS-178, it is a version of software development code that the company developed for Rockwell Collins' Virtual Machine Operating System.
A first generation of Internet-based buy-and-sell Web sites has come and gone. Most of the second-generation ones have, too, except for a small handful like the airline-run Aeroxchange, OEM-run Exostar and a few independents like ILSMart. There hasn't been a particularly loud clamor within the industry for a third-generation of Internet marketplaces, but that hasn't stopped Brazil's Embraer from hoping its success with regional jets will carry over to a new venture.
New Skies Satellites and Intelsat have agreed to pool their C- and Ku-band frequency rights at 340 deg. E. Long., allowing each to expand revenues with minimal investment. New Skies will make its C-band rights in this slot available to Intelsat's 603 spacecraft, which is currently providing only Ku-band services. Each firm then will separately market video, Internet and data products, including "cross-strapped" C-/Ku-band transmissions.
Jumper is hammering home new distinctions among types of unmanned aircraft, the prelude to an attempt to get some of them operating in national airspace for ease of movement in large numbers. The new category is remotely-piloted aircraft, like the missile-firing Predator, for which a person on the ground, in a manned aircraft or on a ship is involved constantly in the airplane's operations. Such hands-on control makes the aircraft better able to survive attack and provides for human judgment in operations, Jumper says.
An important piece of the puzzle is falling into place that reveals how the U.S. will jam its foes' radar and communications after the retirement of EA-6B Prowler and EC-130 Compass Call aircraft. A new focused, digital low-band jammer, operating in the frequencies where most communications are clustered, is being developed for internal carriage by the Air Force's new Multi-Sensor Command and Control Aircraft (MC2A). It also can be packaged in a pod for use by smaller tactical aircraft.
Loy and Deputy Transportation Secretary Michael Jackson, speaking with reporters in TSA's final days as a Transportation Dept. agency--it moved to the Homeland Security Dept. Mar. 1--had mixed financial news for airport interests. On the one hand, installation of security equipment at airports might require what Loy terms "one last bite of AIP [Airport Improvement Program] money," continuing Fiscal 2002's diversion of funds that otherwise would finance new or improved infrastructure.
Thousands of pieces of orbiter Columbia debris, most of it found in north central Texas, are being sorted, characterized, then laid out in a hangar here on a 200 X 250-ft. grid (below), separated into specific orbiter sections. Only about 11% of Columbia has been recovered so far.
USAF officials have designated the service's proposed new Multi-Sensor Command and Control Aircraft as the E-10A. It eventually is to replace the E-8 Joint-STARS, E-3 AWACS and EC-130 Compass Call as radars and jamming systems mature. There was discussion of creating a new "M" prefix for multi-sensor, but program officials stuck with "E" for electrical systems. The new aircraft is expected to be a central element in USAF's network-centric command and control constellation. However, E-8 will continue to serve for some time.
Former Michigan Gov. John Engler has been appointed to the board of directors of Northwest Airlines. He is now vice president-government solutions for North America for EDS.
While the U.S. and European carriers continue to struggle through one of the industry's worst downturns, air freight is a top reason why major Asian airlines and the cargo integrators that serve the region are making money.
Frank Klaus (see photo) has become president of Garrett Aviation Services, Tempe, Ariz. He was regional general manager for Americas sales for GE Aircraft Engines. Klaus succeeds Jeff Garwood, who is now president of GE Fanuc Automation.
The special operations-heavy Afghanistan campaign revealed a disconnect between ordinary U.S. Air Force organizations and elite units, which could have perilous implications. Among the problems is that special ops units don't have precise knowledge of electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in the active force, so they can't leverage them. On the other hand, the special ops community's penchant for secrecy means active units often don't know where their spooky brethren are, says Col.
Gregory D. Aretakis has been named senior director for planning and scheduling of Frontier Airlines. He was vice president-market planning for Vanguard Airlines.
As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of flight throughout 2003, Aviation Week & Space Technology is proud to introduce a new look. The world of aerospace is undergoing constant transformation, and AW&ST is committed to evolving with it. This redesign of the magazine will make it easier--and faster--for time-pressed readers to access the news and analysis they need. The look is contemporary and clean--continuing our goal to serve our readers more effectively, attract the next generation of leaders and demonstrate to all how dynamic our industry is.
Tom Mepham has been named president of the Cargo Systems division of the Goodrich Corp., Charlotte, N.C. He was vice president/general manager for regional, business and military programs for the Sensor Systems division.
Lufthansa German Airlines is asking Boeing to develop a stretched version of the 747-400. Nico Buchholz, the airline's senior vice president of corporate fleet, said the airline would have a requirement for a slightly larger 747 that would seat about 450 passengers in a standard three-class configuration. The aircraft would require range performance similar to the -400, but be less noisy and easier to maintain, Buchholz noted. He does not consider a new wing to be necessary.
Israel Aircraft Industries says it has "a broad list of areas" in defense electronics to explore with Nelco Ltd., a business unit of India's Tata Group, according to an IAI official. Nelco is a supplier of electronic systems and software. It recently completed a contract for unattended ground sensors for India's Defense Ministry "based on a transfer of technology from a leading U.S. company." The two companies expect to complete a contract within the next 15 months. Israeli companies are emerging as India's second-largest weapons supplier, after the Russians.
Pierre-Henri Ricaud has been appointed head of mergers and acquisitions and Christian Pechmann chief controller for EADS. Ricaud was secretary general and has been succeeded by Laurence Dors, who was secretary general of EADS International, the group's marketing arm. Pechmann was head of planning and control for Airbus.
Civil libertarians have latched onto yet another homeland-security issue--the Transportation Security Administration's proposed Aviation Security Screening Records (ASSRs), the database underpinning the next-generation Computer-Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening System (CAPPS-2) to profile airline passengers. TSA chief James Loy says libertarians will feel better once the agency has sought their "help and counsel" and explained that CAPPS-2 will simply validate the identities of passengers and look for matches against multi-agency watch lists.
Mar. 9-11--Air & Expedited Motor Carriers Assn.'s Air Cargo 2003. Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, Phoenix. Call +1 (703) 519-0335 or see www.aemca.org. Mar. 10-12--University of California at Los Angeles Short Courses: "Space Remote Sensing Systems." Also, Mar. 17-21--"Structural Integrity of New and Aging Aircraft." Call +1 (310) 825-3344, fax +1 (310) 206-2815 or see www.uclaextension.org. Mar. 12-13--European Regions Airline Assn. Conference. Stuttgart (Germany) Airport. Call +44 (127) 685-6495 or see www.eraa.org.
Officials in the Navy's broad area maritime surveillance program, which is designed to integrate unmanned aircraft into the service's airborne patrol force, are being pressured by senior Pentagon civilians to maximize competition when they select an aircraft for the fleet. These patrol missions are often among the Navy's most tedious.
