Aerospace
The Lead
Students in Ghana Launch Mini-Satellite
May 15, 2013 2:33 pm | by Robbie Corey-Boulet, Associated Press | News | Comments
Their project might not sound like much: The college students on Wednesday launched a tiny model of a satellite the size of a Coke can on a big yellow balloon. It went aloft to a height of 165 meters (yards) and then came back down attached to a red parachute.
The Missing Piece of Einstein's Theory
May 17, 2013 1:43 pm | by Mike Wolterbeek, University of Nevada, Reno | News | Comments
A new window into the nature of the universe may be possible with a device proposed by...
NASA: New Pump Resolves Big Space Station Leak
May 17, 2013 1:21 pm | by Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer | News | Comments
An impromptu spacewalk over the weekend seems to have fixed a big ammonia leak at the...
Is It Possible to Bring Manufacturing Back to the U.S.?
May 17, 2013 9:33 am | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | News | Comments
Several factors come into play when manufacturers make the decision to move or reshore (see...
Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Faster, Stronger, Lighter
May 20, 2013 1:43 pm | by Jennifer Chu, MIT | News | CommentsThese days, aerospace engineering is all about the light stuff: building airplanes with lighter wings, fuselage and landing gear in an effort to reduce fuel costs.Advanced carbon-fiber composites have been used in recent years to lighten planes’ loads.
Dream Chaser Testing Begins
May 20, 2013 1:28 pm | by NASA | News | CommentsSierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Space Systems Dream Chaser flight vehicle has arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, CA, to begin tests of its flight and runway landing systems. The tests are part of pre-negotiated, paid-for-performance milestones with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), which is facilitating U.S.-led companies' development of spacecraft and rockets that can launch from American soil.
Boeing 787s Flying Again
May 20, 2013 9:20 am | by Joshua Freed, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsThe planes are returning after being grounded for four months by the federal government because of smoldering batteries on 787s owned by other airlines. The incidents included an emergency landing of one plane, and a fire on another.
Connectors Conform to M8 Form Factor Standards
May 17, 2013 1:06 pm | by PD&D Staff | Molex Incorporated | Product Releases | CommentsMolex Incorporated (Lisle, IL) supports industrial automation, aerospace, and defense network connectivity with its compact Brad Nano-Change (M8) connectors.
ERA President: EDS 2013 ‘Very Productive’
May 17, 2013 11:07 am | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | News | CommentsAfter the dust had settled, and most of the industry had returned to their native lands, ERA President Paul C. Nielsen of Brainard-Nelsen Marketing was able to put EDS 2013 in perspective. “I thought EDS was great,” Nielsen said. “It had a very high energy level with a lot of productive professional and personal meetings.”
After EDS: Q&A with John Knight
May 17, 2013 10:53 am | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | Orion Fans | News | CommentsAccording to John Knight, Vice President of Knight Electronics/Orion Fans, EDS 2013 proved to provide an excellent venue for networking within the electronics industry, and it continues the highlight the trends in the ever-evolving electronics distribution industry. After the event, Knight had a chance to reflect on the event.
Honeywell Tackles Wireless Applications
May 17, 2013 10:27 am | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor, ECN | News | CommentsHoneywell, a global company constantly supplying solutions for macroproblems of the world, says its customers are clamoring for wireless solutions and the company is ready to deliver. Designers are looking for systems that are reliable, low-maintenance, financially viable, easy-to-use, rugged, and, perhaps most importantly, secure.
Photos of the Day: The Flying Car
May 17, 2013 10:11 am | by The Canadian Press | News | CommentsThe Maverick LSA “Flying Car” recently crashed, raising issues with the Transportation Safety Board. The TSB has no jurisdiction in the investigation because the Maverick isn't a registered aircraft, and it will be up to the builders to report back on the cause of the crash during a test flight.
Flying Car Prototypes Grounded After Crash
May 17, 2013 10:05 am | by The Canadian Press | News | CommentsThe Transportation Safety Board says the U.S. manufacturer of flying cars has grounded all five of its prototypes until it can determine a cause for a recent crash in B.C. One of the Maverick flying cars crashed near a Vernon elementary school last week, leaving a pilot and a passenger with minor injuries.
Photo of the Day: Webb Undergoes Eye Surgery
May 16, 2013 12:38 pm | by NASA | News | CommentsMuch like the inside of an operating room, in the clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., engineers worked meticulously to implant part of the eyes of the James Webb Space Telescope. They scrubbed up and suited up to perform one of the most delicate performances of their lives.
Want Scientifically Literate Children? Get Out of Their Way
May 16, 2013 9:43 am | by Big Think | Videos | CommentsWe spend the first year teaching children to walk and talk and the rest of their lives telling them to shut up and sit down.
Attack Drone Flies into History with First Carrier Launch
May 16, 2013 9:39 am | by Reuters | Videos | CommentsThe U.S. Navy's first sea-based, unmanned attack aircraft has been launched successfully from an aircraft-carrier at sea for the first time. The pilotless X-47B, developed by the navy and Northrop Grumman, is designed to take off, fly and land autonomously for missions the navy says will change the nature of sea-based warfare.
Solar Impulse - Behind-the-Scenes
May 16, 2013 9:18 am | by Solar Impulse | Videos | CommentsAfter winning the prize of the "Most Frequently Asked Question", Solar Impulse's favorite behind-the-scenes expert uncovers how the pilots go to, well... to the bathroom. Meet Brian and the challenges he's had to face to find the most appropriate solution for this very sensitive issue.
Photos of the Day: Drone Launched from Aircraft Carrier
May 15, 2013 9:28 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsIn this image provided by the U.S. Navy an X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator is towed into the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush. The carrier is the first aircraft carrier to catapult-launch an unmanned aircraft from its flight deck.
U.S. Launches Drone from Aircraft Carrier
May 14, 2013 5:33 pm | by Brock Vergakis, Associated Press | News | CommentsA drone the size of a fighter jet took off from the deck of an American aircraft carrier for the first time Tuesday in a test flight that could eventually open the way for the U.S. to launch unmanned aircraft from just about any place in the world. The X-47B is the first drone designed to take off and land on a carrier, meaning the U.S. military would not need permission from other countries to use their bases.
Galactic Thermal Management
May 14, 2013 3:09 pm | by Chris Fox, Associate Editor, PD&D | Articles | CommentsA prominent enemy of efficiency and functionality is heat. From bearings to computer systems to intergalactic hardware, rising temperatures have a tendency to make life a nightmare for design engineers. Thermacore recently experienced the rigors of temperature management while contributing to the design of the NASA’s Landsat Data Continuity mission.
Boeing Resumes 787 Deliveries After 4-month Halt
May 14, 2013 3:06 pm | by Joshua Freed, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsBoeing is delivering 787s again after a four-month halt while it fixed problems that led to smoldering batteries. Boeing announced a delivery on Tuesday to Japan's All Nippon Airways. Airline flights and deliveries were halted in mid-January after two battery incidents.
3-man Space Crew Returns Safely to Earth
May 14, 2013 9:43 am | by Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press | News | CommentsA Soyuz space capsule with a three-man crew returning from a five-month mission to the International Space Station landed safely Tuesday on the steppes of Kazakhstan. Rescue teams moved quickly to help the crew in their bulky spacesuits exit out of the capsule, charred by the fiery re-entry through the atmosphere. They were then put into reclining chairs to start adjusting to the Earth's gravity after 146 days in space.
Photos of the Day: Spacecrew Returns to Earth
May 14, 2013 9:42 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsIn this image provided by NASA the Soyuz spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, May 14, 2013. Hadfield, Marshburn and Romanenko returned from five months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 34 and 35 crews.
Sun Unleashes Strongest Solar Flare of 2013
May 13, 2013 1:37 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe sun has fired off a massive flare, the strongest solar eruption this year. The powerful flare occurred Sunday and erupted on the side of the sun that was not facing Earth. While the planet was not hit with radiation, space weather forecasters say the solar blast briefly disrupted high-frequency radio signals.
Astronaut Exits Space Station with Music Video
May 13, 2013 1:34 pm | by Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer | News | CommentsIn a high-flying, perfectly pitched first, an astronaut on the International Space Station is bowing out of orbit with a musical video: his own custom version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." It's believed to be the first music video made in space, according to NASA.
Photos of the Day: Yemeni Military Plane Crash
May 13, 2013 1:07 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Yemeni military plane on a training exercise crashed Monday in the country's capital, slamming into a residential neighborhood and setting at least four houses ablaze, according to a military official and an Associated Press reporter at the scene.
Military Plane Crashes in Yemen's Capital
May 13, 2013 1:00 pm | by Ahmed Al-Haj, Associated Press | News | CommentsA Yemeni military plane on a training exercise exploded in midair over the country's capital on Monday, killing the pilot and slamming into a residential neighborhood, according to an army official. Fragments of the plane hit buildings on the ground in Sanaa and set small fires in four houses. Three people were slightly injured, according to the official.
Air-Launched Missile Target Prototype
May 13, 2013 12:54 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsLockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) have successfully tested a prototype air-launched Extended Medium-range Ballistic Missile (eMRBM) target at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.
Spacewalking Repair Halts Station Leak - For Now
May 13, 2013 9:57 am | by Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer | News | CommentsAstronauts making a rare, hastily planned spacewalk replaced a pump outside the International Space Station on Saturday in hopes of plugging a serious ammonia leak. The prospects of success grew as the minutes, then hours passed and no frozen flecks of ammonia appeared.
