GERMAN ARMOR: The German army will not see any cuts in its 765 Fuchs (Fox) armored personnel carriers, 175 of which are being upgraded to the A8 standard. In addition to the improved ballistic protection and new axles able to support nine tons of the Fuchs 1A7, the Fuchs 1A8 features further improvements in ballistic and mine protection and adds protection from improvised explosive devices, both blast and explosively formed projectiles. By the end of 2011, 88 Fuchs 1A8s had been delivered by Rheinmetall.
HOUSTON — An emerging space environmental movement finds a new forum in “Space Junk 3D,” a new documentary that dramatically illustrates the collision threat posed by the accumulation of manmade space debris to Earth-orbiting satellites offering a range of services all too often taken for granted. Those include cell, smart phone and broadcast communications, weather forecasting and GPS navigation data, not to mention vital but less visible support for national security.
The past year has seen a lot of turbulence in the stock market, but there have been a few bright spots for investors in aerospace and defense companies. Shares in suppliers of aerospace components fared particularly well in 2011 as Airbus and Boeing ramped up output, and soaring order numbers added to the airframers’ already bulging backlogs.
The past year has seen a lot of turbulence in the stock market, but there have been a few bright spots for investors in aerospace and defense companies. Shares in suppliers of aerospace components fared particularly well in 2011 as Airbus and Boeing ramped up output, and soaring order numbers added to the airframers' already bulging backlogs. Notable performers among suppliers include Hexcel (up 34%), TransDigm Group (33%), Triumph Group (31%), Sifco Industries (23%), Rolls-Royce (20%), Precision Castparts (18%), Safran (12%) and Moog (10%).
NASA's twin Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (Grail) spacecraft straddled the New Year as they eased into orbit around the Moon, where they will provide the most detailed gravity maps available and important clues to the origins of Earth's big satellite. Before the mission is over, the two spacecraft will also give thousands of middle-school students some hands-on experience in space research. After spending 3.5 months on a low-energy trajectory that started with a tandem launch Sept. 10, 2011, the first of the Grail orbiters braked into lunar orbit at 5 p.m.
Launch of France's first Pleiades Earth-imaging satellite plus a quartet of French military radar-mapping microsatellites atop the second Russian Soyuz flying from the European spaceport near Kourou, French Guiana, suggests that some cross-fertilization may be in order for the troubled Russian space program. The Dec. 16 mission marked the second flight of the Europeanized rocket from the new Soyuz pad at Sinnamary (see photo).
New approaches to life-support technologies, as much as powerful rockets and optimally configured spacecraft, promise to pace NASA's push into deep space with humans. Frequently, advances in the space life-support realm—where the emphasis is on compact, reliable low-energy systems—can lead to improvements at a faster clip in more down-to-earth arenas, including public and personal health, and even environmental protection. Activities at NASA's Kennedy and Johnson space centers, as well as on the International Space Station, are bearing this out.
It's been two years since European launch consortium Arianespace turned a profit. Despite Europe's economic crisis, the market for commercial satellite communications is strong and conditions for launch providers are generally favorable, yet the Evry, France-based launch services company continues to rely on government subsidies.
When it comes to the U.S. missile defense market, nothing and everything have changed. In the closing days of 2011, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced that Boeing would retain its decade-long position as prime contractor for the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) missile shield for another seven years. But if the $3.48 billion contract signifies a renewal of the partners' sometimes-rocky marriage, there now seems to be a change in the wedding vows.
AERONAUTICS/PROPULSION •The AeroVironment Nano Air Vehicle Team developed and unveiled a tiny remotely piloted air vehicle, the Nano Hummingbird. Looking and flying like a tiny bird, it is designed to record video with an onboard camera and send color video to a hand-held controller.
The initial two service modules for the Orbital Sciences Corp. Cygnus commercial cargo carrier, which is scheduled to fly to the International Space Station this year, are nearing completion at the company's factory in Dulles, Va.
Tight budgets and other factors have left the U.S. facing “serious gaps” in its ability to monitor the Earth’s climate from space, both for near-term forecasting and for tracking longer-term changes, a panel of the National Research Council has found.
PARIS — Years have ticked by since European launch consortium Arianespace turned a profit. Despite Europe’s economic crisis, the market for commercial satellite communications is strong and conditions for launch providers are generally favorable. Yet the Evry, France-based launch services company continues to rely on government subsidies.
NASA’s twin Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (Grail) spacecraft will spend the next month refining their orbits around the Moon, where they will provide the most detailed gravity maps available and important clues to the origins of Earth’s big satellite.
“Mr. President, congratulations. You're a tough adversary. No hard feelings, old pal. It's a great two-party system we have. We gave our best and you outdid us. As a matter of fact you stunned us. I never figured you could beat us that badly. I want to wish you all the success in the world.” Those words were spoken three decades ago by then-U.S. House Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill, a liberal Massachusetts Democrat, to President Ronald Reagan, a conservative Republican, after the chief executive prevailed in a tough budget battle.
The two largest space powers outside the U.S. had wildly divergent records in 2011, with Beijing boasting 19 launches and demonstrating in-orbit docking for a future space station while the Kremlin ordered an investigation into a string of high-profile engineering failures plaguing Russia's space program.
