With two near-perfect Falcon 9 launches and the successful orbital operation, reentry and parachute landing of its first Dragon capsule, Space Exploration Technologies is confident it will join Russian, European and Japanese cargo ships in reaching the International Space Station next year, a critical component of NASA’s plan to maintain a six-person crew after the space shuttles are retired.
In the meantime, House Republican leadership is moving steadily toward lining up committee chairmen for the 112th Congress starting early next year, when the party assumes the majority in the lower chamber. The veteran homeland security appropriator who gave the U.S. Coast Guard, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman a tough time over the Deepwater recapitalization program, Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers (Ky.) is set to chair the powerful Appropriations Committee.
Overfilled upper-stage liquid-oxygen tanks caused by a ground-equipment malfunction are prime suspects in the Proton M Block DM rocket failure that sent three Glonass satellites crashing into the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 5, according to Russian sources. Russian space agency Roscosmos ordered an investigation immediately after the mishap, which prevented the rocket from reaching its intended orbit.
The twin-engine regional transport is designed to serve the 70-80-seat market. First flight took place in 2004, with type certification by Russia and Ukraine following in 2007. Power for the aircraft comes from two MKB Progress D436-148 turbofan engines. Six An-148s were delivered through 2009, and an additional 186 are forecast for production through 2019.
Italy and France have selected Arianespace to launch the Sicral 2 secure communications satellite, ordered early this year to complement the Sicral 1a/b and Syracuse III systems. It was the 11th award of the year for Arianespace.
This series is a family of twin-engine, 44-100-seat regional jets. The initial model was the CRJ100, which is no longer in production. It first flew in May 1991, and deliveries started in October 1992. The CRJ100 was replaced by the 50-seat CRJ200, which is powered by a pair of 9,220-lb. thrust General Electric CF34-3B1 turbofans. Other variants have included the 44-seat CRJ440, which is also powered by CF34-3B1s; the 64-78-seat CRJ700, powered by two 13,790-lb.-thrust CF34-8C5 turbofans; and the 86-90-seat CRJ900, powered by two 14,255-lb-thrust CF34-8C5s.
The C-212, once known as the Aviocar, made its first flight in March 1971, and deliveries began in May 1974. It is built in Spain by EADS CASA (Airbus Military since 2009), and is also built under license in Indonesia by Indonesian Aerospace (IAe). Approximately 474 C-212s (of all versions) were built through 2009. The C-212 is an unpressurized, 21-28-passenger regional turboprop. The C-212-200 is powered by two Honeywell TPE331-10R-511C/512C engines rated at 900 shp. each. The C-212-300 uses two TPE331-10R-513C turboprops, also rated at 900 shp. each.
These models, along with the A318, make up Airbus’s A320 family of twin-turbofan, narrowbody airliners. The initial model in the series, the A320, made its first flight in February 1987, and deliveries began in 1988. Deliveries of the stretched A321 began in 1994 and the A319, a shortened A320 version, entered the market in 1996. All models are available with either a CFM International CFM56 version or International Aero Engines V2500. The A319 typically seats 124 passengers, the A320 carries 150, and the A321 seats 185.
Shirley Savarino has been named to receive the 2010 NASA IV&V Engineering Excellence Award fromthe NASA Independent Verification and Validation program. Savarino is a TASC engineer working on the Mars Science Laboratory IV&V Project.
Japan is preparing the policy ground for joint development of combat aircraft, warships, and space- and cyber-warfare systems, with the launch of a study intended to build consensus on the issue. As the country inches toward an historic change in defense industrial policy, a study group will look at how Japan’s almost blanket ban on arms exports could be reviewed to help preserve its development and production base.
The initial version of the new ARJ21 regional jet from China’s Avic will be the 78-90-seat ARJ21-700, while later introduction of the 98-105-seat ARJ21-900 is also a possibility. The ARJ21 will be powered by two General Electric CF34-10A turbofans. Rollout of the first ARJ21-700 occurred in December 2007, followed by first flight in November 2008. Certification and deliveries were scheduled to begin in 2010, but this may be pushed back to 2011. Three aircraft were built through 2009. Production of 169 ARJ21s is forecast during 2010-19.
NASA will not launch the space shuttle Discovery on its final trip to orbit until Feb. 3, 2011, at the earliest, after deciding to carry out more testing in pursuit of the elusive root cause of cracks in the orbiter’s external fuel tank. The decision by Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for space operations, and Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon to add launch pad fueling and production plant hardware tests to the analysis erased earlier prospects of launching the 11-day STS-133 assembly mission to the International Space Station between Dec. 17 and 20.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continues to pursue what can only be described as a schizophrenic and irrational policy with regard to flight crews—particularly pilots. The new and aggressive pat-down procedure has already been dubbed as “foreplay.” Crewmembers such as myself, who prefer not to submit to advanced imaging technology, may now be required to undergo this time-consuming and more invasive alternate inspection. This, of course, also involves additional manpower that could otherwise be employed in expediting passenger security lines.
The Sukhoi Superjet 100, formerly known as the Russian Regional Jet, is a family of twin-engine regional transports powered by PowerJet (Snecma/NPO Saturn) SaM146 turbofan engines rated at 13,500-17,500 lb. thrust each. A 95-98-seat baseline model, the Superjet 100-95, is being developed, while the 100-75, a 75-78-seat version, and the 100-115/120, a 110-130-passenger variant, are being considered. Any future development depends on sales of the baseline model.
The second flight of the space shuttle Atlantis was almost its last. What was then NASA’s newest orbiter sustained severe damage to its fragile thermal protection system when it lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B on Dec. 2, 1988. But through a combination of military secrecy and plain old human misunderstanding, the problem went unaddressed until Atlantis returned to Earth four days later.
The flying of the space shuttle involves complex choreography of man (or woman) and machine. With five shuttle missions under his belt and a stint as the chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office, U.S. Navy Capt. (ret.) Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson is among the most qualified to explain what must be done to make a flight a success. In an exclusive Aviation Week pilot report, he describes what transpires from launch through landing from the commander’s point of view.
Matt Andersson, President (Chicago, Ill. ), Indigo Aerospace Inc. (Chicago, Ill. )
In the Viewpoint “How to Run With a Tiger” (AW&ST Nov. 1/8, p. 106), PwC’s Scott Thompson may be advancing an unbalanced strategy concerning Chinese aerospace. He asserts China must be accommodated in varying stages of cooperation (“defensively,” “halfway” or “all-in”) by Western counterparts. But he omits a critical choice: attack.
With the survival of the F136 program hanging in the balance, General Electric and Rolls-Royce will reach unprecedented levels of testing on the embattled alternate Joint Strike Fighter engine in coming days. Facing the continuous threat of being axed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates amid continuing budgetary uncertainty, four F136s are now running as the program accelerates its attempt to rack up 1,000 test hours by year-end.
Rolls-Royce’s decision not to participate in the A320NEO, either through its International Aero Engines partnership or in its own right, will effectively eliminate the U.K. engine maker from the single-aisle marketplace for at least a decade.
As part of its military modernization strategy, Indonesia is set to place an order for jet trainers and also wants to expand its fleet of fighters, helicopters and fixed-wing transports.
USAF Brig. Gen. Teresa A. H. Djuric has been appointed deputy director of the Space and Intelligence Office within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics at the Pentagon. She has been commander of the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development at the University of Air Education and Training Command, Maxwell AFB, Ala. Col. Christopher J. Bence has been nominated for promotion to brigadier general. He is deputy director of operations and plans at Headquarters U.S.
“Designs for Success” (AW&ST Nov. 1, p. 72) is another example of the striving for a “better process.” No mention is made of the people whose skill, experience, talent and dedication are required to build the desired systems. This perpetuates the persistent belief that process alone can cure all ills.
Did anyone notice that the majority of the cockpits depicted in the “Future Cockpits” articles all had side sticks? (AW&ST Oct. 25, pp. 44-56). It appears that the control yoke is truly past its “use by” date, and having an unobstructed view of the instrument panel has come of age. This, along with a mission planning table, is a great tool for pilots.
The National Research Council will spend 2011 evaluating 14 different technology road maps drafted by NASA experts as the agency works toward a long-range technology-investment plan. A panel headed by Ray Colladay, chairman of the NRC’s aeronautics and space board, will gather public comments on the draft plans, available on line, and make recommendations by January 2012, with an interim report by late summer. Topics include launch and in-space propulsion, robotics, human health and life support, and thermal management.
