The Aviation Medical Research Center in Japan reports that nine of 111 hospitals located near the country's 21 major airports report treating passengers for ``economy-class syndrome'' medical problems associated with circulatory ailments from sitting too long in cramped conditions. The center, an independent institution administered by the Transport Ministry, said the hospital treated 44 people from 1993-2000, of whom four died. Most (40) were women; the average age was 61. The average flight time for the patients was 11.6 hr.
A presidential commission, led by Brent Scowcroft, is looking at intelligence activities and is expected to recommend oversight of the National Security Agency (signals and communications intelligence), National Reconnaissance Office (imagery) and National Imagery and Mapping Agency (which correlates the data) by the director of central intelligence, currently George Tenet. With his new authority, he would have considerable control over the three largest intelligence agencies (with a combined budget of about $15 billion) as well as the CIA.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives this week for a summit with President Bush. Until the war on terrorism took center stage, missile defense looked to be the hot topic. The Administration is trying to play down the prospects of a major agreement, but a deal seems to be in the offing. It would have Washington consenting to delay withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, Russia agreeing to allow the U.S.
The Pentagon has bought another month's worth of exclusive rights to the 1-meter imagery collected over Afghanistan by the Space Imaging Ikonos commercial remote-sensing spacecraft. The National Imagery and Mapping Agency paid a baseline $1.91 million, renewing a deal struck when operation Enduring Freedom started that effectively gives the U.S. government ``shutter control'' over the private satellite when it overflies the theater of operations (AW&ST Oct. 22, p. 25).
EMS Technologies Inc. has received a contract from Astrium to design and manufacture three antennas and a tower support structure for the Eutelsat W3A program. These antennas will be deck-mounted on the top floor of the satellite and support the spacecraft's Fixed Satellite Services.
Vought Aircraft Industries will relocate its manufacturing operation to Stuart, Fla., from Perry, Ga., because of reduced demand for aerostructures from Boeing. The transfer, which affects about 325 people, is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2002. Workers at the Georgia facility build doors for Boeing 737, 747, 757 and 767 transports.
Metric Systems Corp. will design and develop the advanced cargo handling system for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command under a $5.4- million work order.
Ed Wirt, Otis Cunningham, Tim Brown and Bill Foster, who all work on the Consolidated Space Operations Contract at Houston-based Cimarron, have won NASA Silver Snoopy Awards from the Spaceflight Awareness Program at the Johnson Space Center. They were honored for their efforts in promoting and enhancing manned spaceflight safety.
Despite news of continuing airport screener breaches nationwide, a congressional measure to beef up airport and aircraft security appears to be weeks away from passage. The fate of two competing bills now rests with a handful of Senate and House lawmakers charged with hammering out a compromise package that must be approved by both bodies. In opening statements during their first conference committee meeting on Nov. 7, key negotiators from both camps pledged to give the American public the promise of safer air travel by completing a bill by Thanksgiving.
NavCanada, a private corporation that provides Canada's civil air navigation services, reports revenues of U.S. $575.1 million for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31. Total operating expenses of $450.2 million and $125 million in nonoperating expenses resulted in a breakeven position compared with the previous fiscal year, when NavCanada reported $1.2 million excess revenue over expenses. The Sept. 11 events are expected to have a significant impact on operations.
As part of an effort to improve flight deck security, Delta Air Lines recently began a six-week evaluation of enhanced transponder and cabin video surveillance systems on one of its MD-88s. The transponder will assure continuous transmission of an emergency squawk to ATC, and closed-circuit video cameras will enable the flight crew to monitor areas outside the cockpit. Delta intends to install both systems fleetwide. . . . Japan's Transport Ministry said it is urgent that Japanese carriers introduce physical barriers to the cockpit.
This thermal infrared image was acquired by NASA's Odyssey spacecraft Oct. 30 from an altitude of about 22,000 km. (about 13,700 mi.), looking toward the South Pole of Mars. The image was made by the thermal-emission imaging system on the ninth revolution of the planet as part of the calibration and testing process. The extremely cold, circular feature (blue) is the Martian south-polar carbon-dioxide ice cap, with a temperature of about -120C (-184F) and a current diameter of more than 900 km.
China will sharply increase the development and launch of remote sensing, weather, science and communications spacecraft under its new five-year space initiative. If China successfully develops and launches the approximately 30 spacecraft it has planned through 2005, the number for the next five years will be more than half of the total of all Chinese-developed spacecraft launched since its first mission more than 30 years ago.
China is using Earth resources satellite programs to enhance its ties with politically important nations in the region such as Iran and Pakistan, while also using the highly successful China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS) program to build relationships in South America. With war in Afghanistan and unrest looming in Pakistan, there was a definite focus away from the U.S. among the 300 attendees, many from developing countries, at the recent ``Asia Pacific Conference on Multilateral Cooperation in Space'' here.
Research ministers are expected to approve the bulk of a $9-billion, five-year spending plan to be presented by the European Space Agency in Edinburgh this week. But political and budget uncertainties in Italy and the U.S. could cause the deferral of some parts of the plan, which is seen as a road map to a truly independent and competitive European space program.
The European Space Agency has offered five proposals for a second round of Earth Explorer missions, intended to test new remote sensing technologies. The missions include Acechem, a spectrometry project to investigate how human-induced chemical changes to the troposphere and stratosphere can cause climate change; EarthCare, a study of the impact of clouds, aerosols and radiation on climate, and Spectra, a spectrometry/thermal imaging mission to examine the relationship between vegetation and climate change.
British Airways is facing estimated year-end pretax losses of up to 1.1 billion, and financial analysts warn that worse will follow the October traffic plunge, as the global recession and the mounting costs of the war in Afghanistan gather force.
Congress and the White House probably will give NASA two years to bring spending on the International Space Station (ISS) under control or get stuck with a three-person station that already has Canada, Europe and Japan cranking up the diplomatic machinery in protest.
FAA ADMINISTRATOR JANE F. GARVEY INTENDS to include vertical flight operations in the planning stage of the National Airspace System modernization process. According to Roy Resavage, president of Helicopter Assn. International, the FAA has issued a Vertical Flight Policy Statement that highlights the agency's commitment to integrating helicopter and tiltrotor aircraft into the system. Currently, the airspace system is designed chiefly to accommodate fixed-wing, not rotary-wing, aircraft.
Applying for federal loan guarantees is ``a bit of a tricky issue,'' US Airways CEO Rakesh Gangwal told securities analysts. The airline is inclined not to, he said, but there might be problems in applying later if circumstances change. For example, other carriers might draw down the entire $10 billion in guarantees before US Airways can get in line. US Airways will be ``very, very prudent'' and is doing the preparatory work needed to file an application, he said. ``No one knows what tomorrow holds.''
Financially troubled Orbital Sciences Corp. last week reported third-quarter net income of $5.6 million, or 15 cents a share, compared with a loss of $121.3 million, or $3.23 a share, in the same period a year ago. The net income included a gain of about $22 million from the sale of several non-core business units and $13.9 million in nonrecurring charges. Revenue for the quarter rose 14%, to $91 million.
Robert Czajkowski has become president/CEO of Meltronix Inc. of San Diego. He succeeds Andrew Wrobel, who has resigned. Czajkowski has been CEO of US Semiconductor and was chairman/CEO of Space Electronics, also of San Diego.
