Jim Wasson has joined Defense Systems North America (DSNA) as the director of technology marketing. He had been with McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) in Mesa, Ariz., where he served as senior program and business development manager for new product development and technology projects.
Bonnie W. Soodik has been named vice president-general manager, quality, for Douglas Aircraft, the commercial jetliner division of McDonnell Douglas. Paul Tobin, previously manager of executive communications and public relations programs at Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa., was named director, internal communications.
SPACEHAB, INC. of Arlington, Va., has signed a $54 million contract under which it will lease its Spacehab Space Shuttle Middeck augmentation module to NASA for use in the resupply of Russia's Mir space station during Shuttle docking missions in 1996 and 1997. NASA plans to use the Spacehab modules primarily to carry cargo. The contract allows NASA to fly up to three additional missions if there is a requirement. McDonnell Douglas will provide integration and operation services for Spacehab, Inc.
Nearly 500 hourly workers at Wyman-Gordon's Houston, Tex., aerospace forgings plant are on strike following rejection of a contract that would have replaced an agreement that expired Sunday night. A company spokesman told The DAILY that talks continue between management and leaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' Local Lodge 15, so the company won't detail the agreement turned down by the workers or the status of negotiations.
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (FCC) has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on digital TV. The notice is the first step in updating the FCC's 1992 Report and Order on digital TV, which was made before major advances in digital technology enabled multiple digital TV signals to be delivered in a single 6 MHz channel.
TRIMBLE NAVIGATION, Sunnyvale, Calif., has won a $1.3 million contract to supply the U.S. Marine Corps with 40 Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver systems. The contract also contains provisions for 203 additional receivers not to exceed $7.5 million.
Steven G. Zylstra, joined its wholly owned subsidiary, Simula Government Products Inc., as director, Business Development for the Technology Development organization. He most recently served as general manager of General Pneumatics Western Research Center, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Ball Aerospace hit rock bottom in 1994, when the CEO of its parent company, Ball Corp., made it clear in public statements that the Broomfield, Colo.-based operation was up for sale. Sales at the Aerospace and Communications group had finished 1993 off 10% to $270 million-roughly their 1990 level-and the company was going through a painful downsizing that eliminated one-fifth of its jobs.
Phillip Rosnik has been named director of customer services for the UNC Accessory Services unit. Thomas B. Modly was named director of management technology.
LAUNCH OF NASA/COMMERCIAL METEOR (formerly COMET) satellite, which had been slated for yesterday, has been rescheduled for Saturday at 6:20 p.m. from Wallops Island, Va.
Michael D. Griffin, former NASA associate administrator for exploration, has joined the company as senior vice president and chief technology officer. He most recently was senior vice president for program development at Space Industries International.
ARIANESPACE has signed a contract for one firm launch of the European Meteorological Satellite Organization's Meteosat second generation satellite. The contract also contains options to launch two additional Meteosats.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued TRW Inc. a second patent for its Odyssey satellite system after taking into account a protest filed by Hughes Aircraft Co., the prime contractor on a competing system.
The Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office plans to develop a standardized, joint signals intelligence architecture for an open network that will let SIGINT sensors on manned and unmanned airborne platforms interoperate seamlessly. The Joint Airborne SIGINT Architecture will take advantage of digital signal processors, allow software reconfiguration, and cut out the need for signal-specific, specialized hardware. The result will be a series of technology modules that can be integrated into systems as quickly as possible.
ALPHASTAR, a Greenwich, Conn.-based direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television service, has announced plans to offer service to Alaska and Hawaii by the end of the year, making it the first digital satellite television service available in all 50 states.
FAA awarded a $69 million contract to Denro Inc. to build and install the Enhanced Terminal Voice Switch (ETVS), which the agency said yesterday represented a 30% savings over originally projected costs to upgrade communications at civilian and military air traffic control towers and approach and departure facilities.
Adrian T. Dillon was elected vice president-chief financial and planning officer, effective Sept. 1. Dillion, currently vice president-planning, will succeed Stephen R. Hardis, who will become Eaton's chief executive officer on that date.
Dale P. Hoffman was appointed vice president and manager of advanced technology programs. Allan M. Frew Jr. has been appointed deputy general manager of Defense Systems Division. Joanne M. Maguire was appointed vice president and general manager of the Space and Technology Division.
As part of a major reorganization put into place Tuesday, the Advanced Research Projects Agency has created a new Information Systems Office strictly for projects that are joint, information-intensive, and focus on systems of systems. When ARPA Director Larry Lynn took the agency's reins earlier this year, he made no secret of his plans to restructure the organization, which he felt had grown too big (DAILY, July 17, page 65).
PANAMSAT CORP., Greenwich, Conn., has filed a registration statement for an initial public offering of common stock. PanAmSat plans to use the proceeds from the offering for development and launch of its PAS-7 and PAS-8 satellites and to pursue international opportunities in direct-to-home services, among other things. Morgan Stanley and Co. is leading the offering with co-managers Bear, Stearns&Co. and Donaldson, Lufkin&Jenrette Securities Corp.
SPACE INDUSTRIES, INC. is developing a briefcase-sized satellite that is expected to cost "considerably less than $1 million" per copy. The 15 pound, free-flying platform can maneuver for up to 12 hours before requiring refueling and can be controlled via a joy stick from on the ground or on a human-tended space platform. Applications seen by the company include providing video to the ground during Space Station assembly. Space Industries said the satellite could also be fitted with solar panels, allowing it to fly longer missions as a telecommunications platform.
