A s Lockheed Martin’s Atlas 5 rocket gains traction in the commercial launch market, Russia’s threat to restrict sales of its RD-180 engine could get in the way.
NASA’s Armstrong (formerly Dryden) Flight Research Center will continue to build additional science and technology research work into its portfolio as it looks to host additional “X-Planes,” possibly including a supersonic commercial demonstrator, later this decade. Despite a continuing budget shortfall for aeronautics work, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden says Armstrong will play a central role in the agency’s narrowed strategic focus on six research areas.