The need to demonstrate as much International Space Station extravehicular activity hardware as possible before the start of station assembly forced NASA last week to send the Columbia Mission 87 astronauts outside for a previously unplanned EVA to further evaluate station crane operations. Columbia was scheduled to end its 16-day flight with a landing here Dec. 5. on a mission that also provided extensive materials science data.
The SE-23000 HDR is a 23-gigabyte, rugged, removable magnetic hard drive. The drive fits in a standard three-quarter avionics transport requirement (ATR) rack. A nonremovable version fits in a five-eighth ATR enclosure. The unit, coupled with Mountain Optech's Intelligent Controller, can collect data at 5 megabits/sec. The high-capacity hard drive has been selected for an airborne radar data collection program. It is designed to meet the Mil-E-5400 shock and vibration standard. Mountain Optech Inc., 4775 Walnut St., Suite A, Boulder, Colo. 80301.
Tests of the initial configuration of Raytheon's Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System are slated this week. Stars is to be installed at National Airport in six months. Controllers complain that the system designers lack their input. Controllers will run through scenarios using simulated sections of Boston Center airspace, including one to locate which aircraft is declaring an emergency.
Damage to wiring for a backup brake system in a British Aerospace ATP transport was under investigation last week by the FBI. UFS Inc., a Chicago-based United Express carrier, operates the 64-seat twin-engine transport. A mechanic for UFS reported finding five severed wires in a wiring bundle of the ATP on the morning of Nov. 29. The aircraft had overnighted at O'Hare International Airport after a flight from South Bend, Ind. The wires, bundled in the nose gear well, had been connected to the brake isolation valve, part of the backup braking system.
MiG-MAPO has test-flown an improved attack version of the MiG-29 that includes an open-architecture avionics suite to make it easier to switch from air-to-air to air-to-surface weapons of either Russian or foreign manufacture. Called the MiG-29-917 internally, the experimental version was test-flown at Zhukovsky near Moscow on Nov. 29. The -917 designation is intended to supercede the MiG-29SMT designation for the aircraft that was presented in Moscow this summer at the MAKS-97 air show (AW&ST Aug. 25, p. 21).
The Motif Zone website at http://www.motifzone.com presents Motif information and resources intended for developers who need to work and program with X, Motif and CDE software. The site has sections on news, resources for developers, end users and system administrators, software, community bulletin boards and frequently asked questions. The site also features an online ``zine'' called The Motif Developer that includes articles by some of the top names in Motif development, as well as a ``Tips and Tricks'' page.
Jerry Schlesinger has become president of Aircraft Parts International, Memphis, Tenn. He will remain as first vice president of parent company First Aviation Services Inc., Wesport, Conn.
The German Bundestag's approval last week of a 1998 defense budget was good news for Trimilsat, the next-generation European military communications satellite network. The budget provides initial funding for Germany's share of Trimilsat, in which France and the U.K. also are planning to participate. The Bundestag's action constitutes ``a step in the right direction,'' clearing the way for all three governments to sign a memorandum of understanding and begin project definition early next year, according to Klaus Enslin, head of DASA's satellite business unit.
Robert Q. Fugate, a scientist at the U.S. Air Force's Phillips Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, N.M., has received the Defense Dept.'s Distinguished Civilian Service Award for his work at the Starfire Optical Range in atmospheric compensation.
NASA is banking on a breakthrough with new lithium-polymer batteries for its solar-powered Pathfinder Plus to stay aloft throughout the night--and fly month-long science missions. The batteries would be charged during the day at 65,000 ft. by new, more efficient ``Sunpower'' solar cells. They would fit atop the UAV's wing, which will be enlarged 20 ft. to span 120 ft. The aircraft would descend to 15,000-20,000 ft. at night. Pathfinder's redesign, which includes new engines and a new center spar, is considered a stepping-stone to the 240-ft.
The USAF depot at Hill AFB in Ogden, Utah, is offering its design services to industry for ``Group A'' box-to-box wiring modifications. Hill's engineering design integration team is responsible for the night vision compatibility upgrade on Block 25, 30 and 32 F-16s and is pursuing similar night vision upgrades on Block 40s and 50s aircraft, according to Kevin Schow, engineering design integration supervisor.
Michael Forster has been appointed CEO of Mercury Scheduling Systems Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia. He was president/CEO of Sierra Expressway Airlines, Oakland, Calif.
The X-38 technology demonstrator faces possible weather-related problems as a result of earlier development snags that have pushed back the date of the first drop test. The X-38 prototype is being readied for its fifth captive-carry flight in preparation for the initial drop test, but that test will probably not be conducted until February, or late January at the earliest.
The F/A-18E/F has a ``wing drop'' problem, but the Navy promises a fix by New Year's. The phenomenon produces uncommanded 30-40-deg. rolls when a wing loses lift during high-angle-of-attack maneuvers. By adding 18 in. on the inboard side of each leading-edge flap, gluing 40-grit sandpaper along 4 ft. of the rest of the leading edge and by changing the way the wing flaps interact, researchers have reduced the drop to 5-10 deg. They hope to eliminate it altogether with additional minor changes.
The FAA last week said it would act on two of four NTSB fuel-tank recommendations and rejected the other two. The NTSB on Dec. 13, 1996, issued the four recommendations to mitigate what its investigators believe are ignition and explosion risks in 747 fuel tanks.
NASA is eyeing a major change in direction for the International Space Station--making the 470-ton facility more relevant to the development of specific hardware and technologies needed for a manned expedition to Mars. The space agency has tentatively baselined the launch of a human expedition to the red planet for 2014. The demonstration of Mars-related systems and technologies on the ISS will be analogous to the inflight tests of specific hardware and technologies that preceded the Apollo manned lunar landing program.
Data returned by the Pathfinder lander indicate Mars may have been much more Earth-like than previously believed, according to a summary of the three-month mission.
A small Colorado company has developed a breakthrough ``associative'' computer processing method to boost data manipulation speed and performance by 10, to 100 times over conventional systems. Embedded as a combined hardware and software ``core'' in data-handling systems, the technology has the potential to revolutionize satellite communications, signature/target recognition and other applications, its inventors believe. Demonstrations of dramatic speed improvements with no sacrifice in accuracy support their claims.
WinTED 2.1 allows users of Microsoft Windows 95/NT systems to launch applications that run on Unix-based workstations made by Sun, Hewlett-Packard, Silicon Graphics and IBM. This is important because while most design work still is done on the high-end workstations, users on the shop floor who need to access plans may be using desktop systems. The program allows on-demand PC X server, advanced front panel control, and drag-and-drop functionality. TriTeacl Corp., 2011 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad, Calif. 92009-1431.
Rami R. Razouk (see photos) has been promoted to general manager from principal director of the Computer Systems Div. of the Aerospace Corp. of Los Angeles. Marvin J. (Jim) Hamilton has been appointed principal director of the Computer Resources Planning Subdivision and John Hussey principal scientist for corporate development in the Washington office. Hamilton held the post of distinguished engineer, and Hussey was director of systems development for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's environmental satellite service.
Michael E. Wiggins, professor and associate chairman of the Aeronautical Science Dept. at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.,has received the V.L. Laursen Award from the University Aviation Assn. The award is given for service to the field of aviation education.
HeatPath gels are designed to improve thermal management of sensitive components and power devices in electronic equipment. They have more than five times the compressibility of conventional elastomers, which significantly reduces the junction temperatures of devices. The gel's conformable nature allows it to fill gaps between components and heat sinks. The HeatPath line is available in three series covering a thickness range of 0.25-15 mm. Raychem Corp., Electronics OEM Components Div., 300 Constitution Drive, MS 110/7568, Menlo Park, Calif. 94025.
