The Moon is the next world for humanity to explore and turn into a new home—even as we push out into the deeper ocean of space. -Forty-five years ago, a few of us wandered her surface, yet we turned away, not realizing the importance of what we had done—or what could be done. Now it is clearly time to return and, by learning how to live there, to prepare ourselves to plant the seeds of humanity on the red sands of Mars.
I greatly enjoyed the highly detailed “Road Map” ( AW&ST Aug. 25, p. 36), outlining the new Rolls-Royce turbofan strategy. Now all three engine manufacturers have plans in place to develop engines that offer lower noise and double-digit improvements in fuel burn—a boon for the flying public.
The Scaled Composites-developed SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane conducted a cold-flow pressurization test of the vehicle’s modified rocket motor system during a glide flight at Mojave, California, on Aug. 28. The flight, which followed release from the White-KnightTwo carrier aircraft, is a prelude to the imminent start of powered flight tests using a new plastic-based rocket motor fuel.
The U.K. Royal Navy’s last Invincible-class aircraft carrier, HMS Illustrious, has been decommissioned. The 22,000-ton ship, which has been used as a helicopter carrier since the withdrawal of the Harrier GR9 fleet in 2010, was formally retired during a ceremony in Portsmouth on Aug. 28. The ship’s helicopter-carrying role will now be undertaken by HMS Ocean, which has just undergone a 15-month £65 million ($108 million) refit which included upgrades to the flight deck, hangar and aviation facilities. The U.K.
