Although virtually all of the third-generation reusable launch vehicle (RLV) concepts currently being considered by NASA rely on some form of combined-cycle propulsion to get to orbit, the space agency is still not insisting on single-stage vehicles. NASA's last big push on single-stage-to-orbit space transportation was the X-33 program, which was abandoned last year due to cost overruns and schedule slips (DAILY, Mar. 2, 2001). NASA and partner Lockheed Martin Corp. spent five years and nearly $1 billion on the ill-fated project.
EDO Corp. will design, develop and build a suite of pneumatic weapon delivery systems for the Joint Strike Fighter under a $24.8 million contract from Lockheed Martin Corp., the company announced Jan. 9. EDO will design and develop its Suspension and Release Equipment System at its Marine and Aircraft Systems in Amityville, N.Y.
Although virtually all of the third-generation reusable launch vehicle (RLV) concepts currently being considered by NASA rely on some form of combined-cycle propulsion to get to orbit, the space agency is still not insisting on single-stage vehicles. NASA's last big push on single-stage-to-orbit space transportation was the X-33 program, which was abandoned last year due to cost overruns and schedule slips (DAILY, Mar. 2, 2001). NASA and partner Lockheed Martin Corp. spent five years and nearly $1 billion on the ill-fated project.
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) plans to use his expertise in space policy and his membership on two key Senate committees to push the Defense Department to help NASA ease the financial burden it will face in carrying out the Space Launch Initiative, an aide told The DAILY Jan. 9. DOD currently has a minor role in the SLI, though the program is just getting underway, the aide said. Nelson believes DOD should commit to making a significant financial contribution to the initiative because the department stands to benefit from the program's efforts.
Aviation Week has welcomed the Air Transport Association of America as a partner in The Next Century of Flight, an education initiative to promote career opportunities in the global aviation and aerospace industry to young people around the world. The Next Century of Flight, which began in 1998, is dedicated to helping the aerospace industry capitalize on the upcoming 100th anniversary of powered flight in 2003, and position itself for the future.
Aviation Week has welcomed the Air Transport Association of America as a partner in The Next Century of Flight, an education initiative to promote career opportunities in the global aviation and aerospace industry to young people around the world. The Next Century of Flight, which began in 1998, is dedicated to helping the aerospace industry capitalize on the upcoming 100th anniversary of powered flight in 2003, and position itself for the future.
NASA will increase its cooperation with the Department of Defense in developing technology and will beef up its aeronautics budget for fiscal 2003, new agency administrator Sean O'Keefe said Jan. 9. O'Keefe, only six days into the job when he met with reporters at NASA headquarters, said the agency will review the objectives of the International Space Station program before deciding the orbiting laboratory's final configuration.
NASA will increase its cooperation with the Department of Defense in developing technology and will beef up its aeronautics budget for fiscal 2003, new agency administrator Sean O'Keefe said Jan. 9. O'Keefe, only six days into the job when he met with reporters at NASA headquarters, said the agency will review the objectives of the International Space Station program before deciding the orbiting laboratory's final configuration.
AIA, Washington, D.C. Marshall O. Larsen, president and COO, Aerospace, of the Goodrich Corp., has been named chairman of the board of governors. Vance D. Coffman, chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp., has been named vice chairman. John W. Douglas was re-elected president and CEO. George F. Copsey was re-elected secretary-treasurer. ALCATEL, Paris, France Pascale Sourisse has been named president and CEO of Alcatel Space and Alcatel Space Industries. ANALYTICAL GRAPHICS, INC., Malvern, Penn.
Although unmanned aerial vehicles have demonstrated significant advances during the U.S. war on terrorism, they still have difficulty communicating with each other, which is why Congress has approved the creation of a joint UAV test bed aimed at improving interoperability, according to a congressional source.
The Boeing Co. and Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) have joined forces in the competition for the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, a linkage of platforms and weapons that will be fielded as part of the service's Objective Force beginning in 2010. The two companies led separate teams that were competing with teams of Lockheed Martin-TRW and General Dynamics-Raytheon in Phase One of the FCS effort. The decision to merge the Boeing and SAIC teams was made last month, a Boeing spokeswoman said Jan. 8.
MOSCOW - Russia's Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center plans to undertake joint aerospace ventures with Venezuela, according to center Director General Alexander Medvedev. Venezuela's minister for science and technology, Carlos Genatios, visited Khrunichev's facilities and Medvedev visited Venezuela and met President Hugo Chavez, he told The DAILY in an interview about Khrunichev's plans for 2002.
The Department of Defense has created a new office to guide DOD's frequency spectrum policy, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced recently. The new office will be at the deputy assistant secretary level, reporting to John Stenbit, the assistant secretary of defense for command, control and communications. This is the first time spectrum issues have been raised to the deputy assistant secretary level, according to the Pentagon.
Russia's Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center plans to undertake joint aerospace ventures with Venezuela, according to center Director General Alexander Medvedev. Venezuela's minister for science and technology, Carlos Genatios, visited Khrunichev's facilities and Medvedev visited Venezuela and met President Hugo Chavez, he told The DAILY in an interview about Khrunichev's plans for 2002.
A slight boost in funding appears likely for the Defense Department's Joint Robotics Pro-gram, according to report a released Jan. 7 by the research and consulting firm Forecast International Inc. The program, which is currently funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), was created in 1990 to oversee the military's development of robotic surveillance equipment for use in hazardous environments.
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has uncovered "ghostly" relics of an ancient eruption that tore through a cluster of galaxies millions of years ago, the aerospace agency announced Jan. 8. Chandra's images have revealed vast regions in the cluster Abell 2597 that contain virtually no X-ray or radio emission. Such areas, called "ghost cavities," appear to be the remnants of ancient explosions caused by material falling toward a black hole millions of times more massive than the Sun.
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has uncovered "ghostly" relics of an ancient eruption that tore through a cluster of galaxies millions of years ago, the aerospace agency announced Jan. 8. Chandra's images have revealed vast regions in the cluster Abell 2597 that contain virtually no X-ray or radio emission. Such areas, called "ghost cavities," appear to be the remnants of ancient explosions caused by material falling toward a black hole millions of times more massive than the Sun.
MAGAW APPOINTED: Presi-dent Bush signed the recess appointment of John Magaw to be undersecretary of transportation for security. Magaw is the former director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the U.S. Secret Service.
Deep views of the cosmos provided by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope may indicate that many stars in the universe formed just a few hundred million years after the big bang, much sooner than some previous theories speculated. Kenneth M. Lanzetta, associate professor of physics and astronomy at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, studied deep views of the universe from the Hubble and concluded the stars were born in a "torrential firestorm," according to NASA.
