By John Hamilton
WSMR PAO
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. — Members from Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme division, White Sands Detachment, are working together to ready the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFiRE) Flight 2 research vehicle for launch later this year.
Preparations to fly a new high tech engine are currently underway at White Sands Missile Range.
By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor
The monthly Plane Crazy Saturday open house at the Mojave Air and Space Port took place under decidedly soggy skies today. (Much like the one last month; ah, winter in Mojave! Damn you, Pacific storms!)
The tarmac was filled largely with military planes and one very large jumbo jet that wasn’t part of the show. The United Airlines 747-422 in the distance is the second aircraft destined for use as part of Stratolaunch’s air-launch system. The 495-seat aircraft, which was manufactured in 1997, arrived on Thursday. The other 747 is now sitting in front of the BAE Systems hangar at the other end of the taxiway.
More photos from Plane Soggy Saturday after the break. (more…)
ALCÂNTARA (March 6, 2012 — State of Maranhão PR) — The 29 years of foundation of the Alcantara Launch Center, in Maranhão, yesterday, were marked by priorities to be implemented this year: the completion of the process of technological modernization, eight campaigns rocket launches entry-level intermediary, the operation of the Tower Mobile Integration (TMI) and the first ground test of the Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV).
The anniversary ceremony was attended by the deputy governor of Maranhão, Washington Oliveira, Senator Edison Lobão Filho and the President of the Legislative Assembly of Maranhao, Arnaldo Melo, who have been awarded the title of Friend of the Alcantara Launch Center, a recognition of the personalities that CLA, in the context of their professional duties, have contributed to the success of the Brazilian Space Program.
Video Caption: On March 15, 2012, Austria’s Felix Baumgartner jumped out of a space capsule from an altitude of approximately 71,580 feet as the Red Bull Stratos project moved forward into the manned flight stage in New Mexico. The 42-year-old rode the space capsule attached to a giant helium balloon above the so-called “Armstrong Line.” The goal of the Red Bull Stratos project is to see Baumgartner attempt a record-breaking […]
Test crew included (from top left): NASA Crew Survival Engineering Team Lead Dustin Gohmert, NASA Astronaut Tony Antonelli, NASA Astronaut Lee Archambault, SpaceX Mission Operations Engineer Laura Crabtree, SpaceX Thermal Engineer Brenda Hernandez, NASA Astronaut Rex Walheim, and NASA Astronaut Tim Kopra. (Credit: Roger Gilbertson / SpaceX)
Hawthorne, Calif. (SpaceX PR) —Recently, SpaceX completed another important milestone – the first NASA Crew Trial, one of two crew tests as part of Space’s work to build a prototype Dragon crew cabin.
HARTFORD, Conn. (UTC PR) —In a meeting with investors and analysts, United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) today updated its financing plan for the proposed $16.5 billion cash acquisition of Goodrich Corp. (NYSE: GR), including expected proceeds of approximately $3 billion from net divestitures and $1.5 billion from mandatory convertible instruments.
UTC businesses identified for sale include Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Clipper Windpower and the Hamilton Sundstrand Industrial businesses: Milton Roy, Sullair and Sundyne. These businesses are treated as held for sale and have been moved to discontinued operations in UTC’s financial statements. Gains realized at the time of closing are expected to be greater than impairment charges in discontinued operations.
NASM PR — The 2012 Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Trophy will be awarded in the Lifetime Achievement category to Burt Rutan and in the Current Achievement to the Cassini-Huygens Flight team. They will be presented their awards March 21 at a black-tie dinner in Washington, D.C.
“The winners of the 2012 Trophy Awards have challenged the established ways of thinking,” said Gen. J.R. “Jack” Dailey, director of the museum. “Burt Rutan has inspired the aeronautical community to reach beyond the conventional for innovation and achievement; the Cassini-Huygens mission has changed our understanding of the Saturn system and contributed to our understanding of planetary systems’ formation and evolution.”
Established in 1985, the award recognizes outstanding achievements in the fields of aerospace science and technology and their history. As in past years, Trophy winners receive a miniature version of “The Web of Space,” a sculpture by artist John Safer.
By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor
Roscosmos has decided to extend its first open competition for new cosmonauts to April 30 after only 151 candidates applied, the space agency’s press service reports. The deadline for applications was originally March 15.
The result is a marked contrast to NASA’s recent astronaut application process, which was completed in late January. The space agency received 6,372 applications, the second highest in history and about double the normal number for recruitment.
The decision to extend the Roscosmos recruitment drive was reached during a meeting on Thursday of the Interagency Commission (IAC) that is overseeing the selection process. Chairman of the Bid Evaluation Committee O. Kotova noted a recent surge in applications as the deadline approached.
“Practice shows that it takes a considerable amount of time for applicants to collect the required documents, to meet certain terms and conditions of the competition. We assume that the number of people willing to devote himself to space activities has increased,” Kotova said.
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria seen before his jump at the first manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on March 15 2012. In this test he reach the altitude 21800 meters (71500 ft) and landed safely near Roswell. (Credit: Jay Nemeth/Red Bull Content Pool)
ROSWELL, NM (Red Bull Stratos PR) – At precisely 9:50 a.m., Felix Baumgartner landed with his parachute in the New Mexico desert nearly 30 miles away from Roswell, wearing a spacesuit as he safely completed a journey towards the edge of space. Just 1 hour and 40 minutes earlier the extreme athlete from Austria had lifted off from Roswell on board a space capsule attached to a 165-foot-high helium balloon that brought him to an altitude of nearly 71,580 feet.
Roscosmos Head Vladimir Popovkin (right) and his press secretary, fomer model Anna Vedischeva.
By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor
The curious case of Roscosmos head Vladimir Popovkin — hospitalized recently after suffering a head injury — has taken another strange turn, this one involving an alleged brawl over a sultry model turned personal press secretary.
As you might recall, Roscosmos said Popovkin was hospitalized last week for “physical and emotional exhaustion” as a result of a brutal schedule that included frequent international travel on behalf of the struggling Russian space program he was brought in to save last April. But, that story didn’t hold for very long.
