Search

The article focuses on a new U.S. program for human space flight . The U.S. President, George W. Bush wants astronauts back on the moon by 2020 at the latest, and this time they're staying over. According to numerous space experts, NASA's best option for a moon mission and beyond is to revive ideas used in the Apollo missions of the 1960's and 1970's. Like the command and service modules, the crew exploration vehicle (CEV) would be launched into low-Earth orbit on top of a rocket, and at the end of the mission the remaining section of it would re-enter Earth's atmosphere and splash down into the ocean. INSET: BLAST FROM THE PAST.

Reports on the development of airships as of January 6, 2001. Details of the Sky Catamaran, which is a hybrid air vehicle made by Advanced Technologies Group; History of airships, including several crashes such as Zeppelin's Hindenburg accident in 1937; Design of the airships, including cheaper costs and faster flying ability.

The article reports on a ride in the Pacific Prowler, a B-25 bombing aircraft piloted by Jim Terry, a former U.S. Air Force major. Information is included on what the aircraft was used for and the history of why the bomber was created. The article looks at the role the aircraft played in World War II.

Outlines the plans of the power countries such as China, France, 0Russia and the United States to send men and women into space aboard their own home-built transports. Information on the role of China in launching manned spacecraft; Description of the X-ray Multimirror Mission, a research satellite for the European Space Agency; Failures of some space agencies in power nations.

This article focuses on the development of equipment to keep astronauts clean while on space missions. As a systems manager for flight crew equipment at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Stephanie Walker remains keenly aware of the limitations of life in space. We can send a human to the moon, but we cannot ensure that astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) stay fresh for their six-month missions. Future manned flights will demand extended togetherness: a round-trip to Mars should last at least 18 months. Higher-tech hygiene might be possible. NASA astronauts have tried two T-shirts woven with silver thread. The metal inhibits bacterial growth. Last year NASA began testing silverlaced bedsheets, blankets and other items in its Aquarius underwater habitat, off the Florida coast.

The article looks at ways to reduce the noise of sonic booms from fast lying aircraft. Aeronautical engineers at Edwards Airforce base say that although they haven't busted the sonic boom, at least they've taken a swing at muffling it. The boom from a straight-flying craft is actually two booms in one. A supersonic jet forms a shock wave at its nose, which claps back together after its tail. This pressure suddenly spikes a couple of pounds per square foot over ambient atmospheric pressure, then shoots below ambient by about an equal amount, spiking again before returning to ambient pressure. We cannot change the energy of the aircraft flying through the air," says Edward A. Haering, the Dryden Research Center's Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstration (SSBD) principal investigator, "But we can redistribute it to decrease the pressure changes." It might be possible to quiet the boom without modifying the aircraft. Manufacturers could be ready to unveil quieter supersonic jets within the next 10 years.

Reports on new attention to space debris by the space exploration community. The oldest known hunk of junk which is the Vanguard 1, launched by the United States in 1958; How in the forty-six years since then, the number of known orbital objects 10 centimeters wide or more has grown to nearly 11,000 with only a few hundred of them being operational satellites; Ideas from NASA on how to deal with the floating debris; Suggestion of ground-based laser to deflect it out of a spaceship's path; Design of a passive system or shielding; How the space station has hundreds of custom made shields to protect it; How the space station has to be moved in its orbit to avoid big piece of debris; Finding that not all pieces can be avoided or protected against. Some of the events which left debris in orbit. INSET: NEED TO KNOW: TRASHING SPACE.

The article discusses the role of blimps as forms of airborne surveillance. U.S. Navy engineers have equipped an airship with a system known as LASH, or Littoral Airborne Sensor Hyperspectral. LASH, developed by Science and Technology International in Honolulu, is essentially a camera that feeds the light pattern--usually in the infrared or ultraviolet range--into an onboard computer. The computer differentiates wavelengths and produces an image showing a real-time picture with enhanced color variations. In tests, it tracked whales swimming in a shipping lane 50 feet below the ocean's surface and detected grasshopper infestation in crops. LASH technology could prove beneficial in hospitals. The camera can detect cancer cells by looking for their minute light variations as compared with surrounding tissue; the system is undergoing Phase ii testing for use in detecting cervical cancer.

The article provides information on the Commemorative Air Force's (CAF) World War II fighter planes. A brief historical overview of the F-82 Twin Mustang, the only flyable aircraft which made a rough landing that damaged the landing gear and propeller is presented. It relates how the U.S. Air Force reacts when they heard about the swap of the Twin Mustang over the flayable P-38 in an agreement between CAF and Jim Fry.

Features George Aldrich, senior odor evaluator at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Number of objects that have rocketed into orbit under his approval; Use of mice in evaluating odors; Items sniffed by Aldrich during his 31 years on the job.

The article announces that U.S. manufacturer Goodyear will partner with German technical company ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co KG to build blimps with zeppelins. According to the article the first zeppelin will be in service by 2014. The article states that modern zeppelins are quieter, faster, and more maneuverable than older blimps. The article offers comments from Goodyear manager of public affairs Scott Baughman regarding the use of helium in the blimps.

The article reports on the creation of a Web site by Paul Freeman, an aerospace engineer for Rockwell Collins which features abandoned airports in the U.S. His discovery of the remains of an old airport and other abandoned airports compelled him to develop the site. The site includes information on approximately 1,400 former airfields.

Reports on the powered wing developed by pilot and skydiver Yves Rossy. Flight of Rossy using the powered wing; Features of the wing; Information on the other powered wing model being developed by Yves Rossy.

Provides information on New York City's Red Bull Flugtag, a five-hour competition among three dozen teams, each piloting an aircraft. Motive for organizing the event; Basis for the design of the aircraft, Superfunkadactyl; Requirements for participants in the event.

Features Tom Silliman of Electronics Research Inc., the man responsible for changing the burned-out flashing red aviation light in New York City's Empire State Building, designed to ward-off low-flying aircraft. Importance of aviation lights in preventing aircraft accidents; Process of Silliman in changing the red light; Amount of time required to change the light bulbs; Other buildings under Silliman's care.

Presents news on aeronautics in the U.S. as of June 2003. Unveiling of Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne spacecraft; Information on a video about extraterrestrials; Plan to transform the airshow Unlimited air racing.