WORK IN PROGRESS: The new electronics package for the Minuteman III is so far proving to be less accurate than the system it's designed to replace, according to media reports. Responding to allegations that the new guidance and propulsion system has demonstrated poor accuracy in repeated tests, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. Craig Quigley describes the testing as a "work in progress.
QF-4 NUMBERS: The U.S. Air Force plans to field a replacement for the QF-4 drone by FY 2010 (DAILY, July 27), but if the effort is delayed, the service has the option of extending its contract with BAE Systems. The company has converted, or is under contract to convert, 153 of 321 old F-4 Phantoms to the unmanned drone configuration, leaving 168 to go. These will take the Air Force through about fiscal year 2007, as far as deliveries are concerned.
NEW CREW: Space Shuttle Discovery's mission to the International Space Station Alpha, which began when the shuttle lifted off at 5:10 p.m. EDT Aug. 10, will include bringing a new station crew and supplies to the station. Astronauts will also conduct spacewalks to install equipment.
OVERREACTION: Congressional restrictions on the export of commercial satellite technology are hurting the U.S. aerospace industry, according to Douglass. Congress' 1999 decision to transfer communications satellites to the munitions list had "negative impacts on U.S. economic and security interests," he says. The decision followed a post-launch investigation in the mid-1990s, during which sensitive rocket technology may have been transferred to China.
BUDDY-BUDDY: In-flight success with fighter-to-fighter refueling marks another milestone toward the introduction of the Eurofighter into the German air force, according to the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company. EADS Military Aircraft performed Eurofighter in-flight refueling trials with the German air force's buddy-buddy pod. The first test with the Manching-based Eurofighter Development Aircraft One and a GAF Tornado serving as a tanker took place Aug. 6. The flight lasted one hour and 40 minutes, according to the company.
The Air Force relies too much on outside agencies for science and technology work, according to the authors of a recent National Research Council report on Air Force S&T. The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), which currently spends most of its budget on outside organizations such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and others, is a perfect example of this trend, according to Albert Sciaretta, report co-author and president of CNS Technologies, Inc.
COMBIMATRIX CORP., a subsidiary of Acacia Research Corp. of Pasadena, Calif., has signed an agreement with NASA for NASA to license, buy and use CombiMatrix's active microarray biochips and related technology for biological research on the ground and in space. "CombiMatrix's technology will enable NASA to conduct genome-wide functional analysis of any organism under any environmental condition, including in a microgravity environment," said NASA Ames Research Center research scientist Viktor Stolc.
SPACEPORT SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, a limited partnership between ITT Industries and the Snelling Trust, has been awarded a $24.1 million contract by the National Reconnaissance Office. The 10-year contract includes space vehicle and payload-preparation support for multiple missions to be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on the Boeing Delta IV launch vehicle. "This is a good example of how the private sector can help advance the U.S. space industry," said SSI President Earl Savero.
NASA researchers are already looking forward to designing cockpit interfaces for the next-generation reusable launch vehicle (RLV) that will represent a marked improvement over current space shuttle systems. Among other changes, future human-automation interfaces will take better advantage of multiple senses, according to NASA Ames Research Psychologist Rob McCann.
Executives of more than 70 companies, including some involved with aerospace and defense, have sent a letter to President Bush asking for his assistance in resolving a dispute with the European Union over tax breaks given to U.S. exporters. The World Trade Organization, at the behest of the EU, ruled in late June that tax breaks given to U.S. exporters amount to an unfair export subsidy (DAILY, June 27).
The Air Force is requesting $16 million in fiscal 2002 to extend a Lockheed Martin contract for work on the Low Cost Autonomous Attack System (LOCAAS), known as "the world's smallest cruise missile."
DREAMTIME HOLDINGS, INC., of Mountain View, Calif., will fly the first commercially provided and flight-certified high-definition television camera on the Space Shuttle Discovery's mission to the International Space Station. Flying high-tech cameras and equipment to orbit is part of the multimedia agreement between NASA and Dreamtime Holdings. NASA partnered with Dreamtime in May 2000 to collaborate on a variety of multimedia-related services and products.
Elbit Systems Ltd. of Haifa, Israel, expects to supply avionics systems and logistics support for the 76 ALX light attack aircraft that the Brazilian air force is buying from aircraft manufacturer Embraer. The ALX, a derivative of the Super Tucano, is designed for training and operational missions (DAILY, Aug. 9). The Brazilian air force buy also includes an option for 23 additional aircraft. All-glass cockpit
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., of San Diego, will provide six Predator unmanned aerial vehicles to the Italian air force under a $55 million contract. The contract includes one ground control station, one ground data terminal, spares and training, and options could bring the contract total to $63 million, according to the company.
Weather forecasts appear favorable for an Aug. 11 flight of the Helios prototype, an unmanned solar-powered airplane that could set an altitude record for a non-rocket powered winged aircraft. NASA's Dryden Flight Research program reported that final preparations are continuing for the aircraft, which was aimed at hitting 100,000 feet but may have to settle for about 95,000 feet (DAILY, Aug. 8). The declining sun angle and waning summertime may hamper the solar-powered aircraft's ability to go higher, according to NASA.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) said Aug. 9 that he favors scaling back the Bush Administration's proposal to build a missile defense test range in Alaska and expand research on a space-based missile shield. Daschle said he is concerned that such systems would violate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. He also said he believes the Administration is proposing to spend too much money on missile defense in proportion to other national security needs.
SHUTTLE DELAY: Thunderstorms and lightning forced NASA to delay the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery on Aug. 9. The launch window for the mission, which will bring a new crew to the orbiting laboratory, is now slated to open at 5:10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time Aug. 10.
HONEYWELL SPACE SYSTEMS announced it has developed a miniature Reaction Wheel Assembly (RWA), the HR04. The HR04 will be used to stabilize, position, and control small satellites with momentum requirements ranging from 0.2 to 1.0 Newton-meter-seconds, and will feature fully integrated motor drive electronics.
Increased aircraft deliveries by Airbus Industrie and a strong U.S. dollar helped boost the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co.'s revenues in the first half of this year, the company announced Aug. 9. Company officials reported revenues were up 33 percent in the first six months of 2001, compared with the same period last year. Revenues climbed from about 10.6 billion euros ($9.4 billion) in 2000 to about 14 billion euros ($12.5 billion) in 2001, the company reported.
BOEING SATELLITE SYSTEMS employees have been awarded U.S. Patent 6,236,939 for their work on a new method of positioning optical star trackers on satellites. The company said the innovation will enable BSS to achieve extremely precise determination of spacecraft attitude, and helped it win a recent government weather satellite contract. The innovation discovered by Yeong-Wei "Andy" Wu, Douglas H. Hein and David L. Augenstein, along with former BSS employee Garry Didinsky, improves the accuracy of using star trackers to determine a satellite's attitude and position.
EATON CORP.'S aerospace division has been selected by Goodrich Corp. to supply hydraulic and electric components for the Airbus A380's landing gear, the company announced Aug. 9. The value of the work for Eaton is about $50 million, according to the Cleveland-based company. Eaton's Fluid Conveyance business unit will provide Goodrich's Landing Gear Division with Aeroquip brand products for hydraulic hoses, tubing and fittings, electrical service wiring and brackets, clamps and mounting hardware.
A C-band beacon that was used as part of the July 14 missile defense test will be removed next year, a Ballistic Missile Defense Organization official said Aug. 9. The beacon won't be removed by building an X-band radar, as was expected, but through upgraded battle management software, according to Army Maj. Gen. Willie B. Nance, BMDO's program executive officer for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense Segment.
Airbus has started the final assembly of the first Airbus A318 at its Hamburg, Germany, facility, the company announced Aug. 9. To start the final assembly, the forward and aft fuselage sections of the A318 - the smallest Airbus aircraft - were joined.
The U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Command has been fielding high numbers of technology systems before they have completed operational testing, which has led to problems with many of them, according to a new report from the General Accounting Office. "Many information technology systems purchased and fielded during low-rate initial production and prior to completing operational testing experienced problems that negatively impacted fleet operations and capabilities," the report says.
A new organization, the Aviation and Space Stakeholders Coalition, has been formed to address issues of broad interest to the aviation and space community, a founder of the group told The Daily Aug 9.
