Space News reports, “NASA is playing down concerns raised in a recent report about a long-running air leak in the Russian segment of the International Space Station, saying they have recently reduced the rate of the leak. A report by NASA’s Office of Inspector General released Sept. 26 noted that, in June, the ISS program had elevated a leak in a section of the Russian Zvezda module “to the highest level of risk in its risk management system.” NASA uses a system where both the likelihood and severity of a risk is rated on a scale of one to five; the leak rated a five on both.”
Full Story (Space News)
Tag: Aerospace
NTSB Issues Warning on Possible Use of Suspect Rudder Control Parts by Foreign Operators on Boeing 737s
Reuters reports, “The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has said more than 40 foreign operators of Boeing 737 airplanes may be using planes with rudder components that could pose safety risks, though it did not identify which airlines could be affected. The NTSB on Thursday issued urgent safety recommendations about the potential for a jammed rudder control system on some 737 airplanes after a February incident involving a United Airlines flight.”
Full Story (Reuters)
Embraer Shares More Details About its New Autonomous Takeoff System
Simple Flying reports, “During the Farnborough Airshow earlier this year, Embraer introduced a new takeoff system it calls E2TS, which stands for Embraer Enhanced Takeoff System. It’s a world-first automated takeoff system, which will see the pilots not rotating the aircraft off the runway. … At a media briefing last week, Embraer revealed more details about the E2TS system and how it works, as well as its potential to influence the wider aviation industry, not just the E2 family of aircraft.”
Full Story (Simple Flying)
Boeing Pauses 737 Production
Flying Magazine reports, “Boeing 737 production ground to a halt on Wednesday as the company continues to be riddled with costly strikes in the Pacific Northwest. A Fortune report stated that two separate representatives from Boeing confirmed the production stoppage after a Tuesday Bank of America analyst note suggested production of the company’s best-selling jets had come to a ‘complete halt.’”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Blue Origin Conducts Hot Fire Test on New Glenn’s Upper Stage
Aviation Week reports, “Blue Origin on Sept. 23 conducted a 15-sec. hot fire of the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen-fueled upper stage for its first New Glenn rocket, in what the company called a critical milestone on the road to flight. The static test fire at Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral SFS marked Blue Origin’s first fueling of a New Glenn rocket stage with flight propellants, and the first engine burn of an integrated flight stage.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 20 Starlink Satellites from California
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX launched its latest Falcon 9 rocket on a Starlink mission as Tropical Storm Helene pushed back the launch of the next mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the Starlink 9-8 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California happened at 9:01 p.m. PDT (12:01 a.m. EDT, 0401 UTC). This was SpaceX’s 64th Starlink launch of the year.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 20 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg (Launch at 30:30 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
Innovators Invited to Compete to Build Best Autonomous Emergency Response Aircraft
Flying Magazine reports, “Calling all students, engineers, businesses, and other innovators. Time is running out to join a competition that will award $2 million in prizes to whoever can build the best autonomous emergency response aircraft. December 11 is the submission deadline for Stage 1 of GoAERO—a three-year contest backed by NASA, Boeing, RTX, and other key aviation stakeholders seeking to aid the estimated 4.5 million Americans living in ‘ambulance deserts,’ who may need to wait longer than 25 minutes for emergency services to arrive. The aircraft created by competitors could rescue people in danger and respond to disasters, medical emergencies, or humanitarian crises.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Space Force Selects Four Companies to Develop Concepts for ‘Resilient GPS’ Satellites
Space News reports, “The U.S. Space Force selected four companies to develop concepts for smaller, more cost-effective GPS satellites based on commercial designs, aiming to augment the existing Global Positioning System network, the Department of the Air Force announced Sept. 23. Astranis, Axient, L3Harris Technologies and Sierra Space have been chosen to submit proposals for the Resilient GPS (R-GPS) program, which seeks to explore the use of proliferated small satellites transmitting core GPS signals.”
Full Story (Space News)
Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 Makes 4th Successful Test Flight
Simple Flying reports, “Boom Supersonic conducted a fourth and successful Boom XB-1test flight, this time reaching an altitude of 16,150 feet and a speed of Mach 0.617 (about 313 knots equivalent airspeed) during tests for flutter, g-forces, handling, and landing gear. The proof-of-concept XB-1 is helping educate Boom Supersonic on how to build and test supersonic aircraft in the lead-up to building Boom Overture.”
Full Story (Simple Flying)
Challenger Center and AIAA Open Nominations for 2025 Trailblazing STEM Educator Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Three winners will be honored for enthusiasm and dedication to STEM education
Washington and Reston, Va. (September 24, 2024) – Challenger Center and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announced they are accepting nominations for the 2025 Trailblazing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Educator Award. The annual award celebrates K-12 teachers going above and beyond to inspire the next generation of explorers and innovators. Nominations can be submitted online through December 1, 2024.
Three winners will be selected from the nominations. Each winner and their respective school or organization will be awarded $5,000. They will receive free access to Challenger Center’s STEM education programs. In addition, they will receive a trip to Washington, DC, to be honored at the 2025 AIAA Awards Gala, as well as a special presentation ceremony at their school. The winners also will have the opportunity to attend a space launch experience and/or a VIP tour of an aerospace facility.
“Teachers are essential in unlocking the potential of today’s students and fostering their interest in STEM,” said Valerie Fitton-Kane, vice president, Challenger Center. “We are excited to partner once again with the AIAA Foundation to celebrate outstanding STEM educators nationwide who go above and beyond to bring STEM to life for their students, inspiring them to explore the many opportunities available in STEM careers.”
“Educators are invaluable to our communities. We share a commitment with Challenger Center to invest in trailblazing educators because they are the clear force multiplier to inspiring our future workforce. They can spark students’ interest in STEM subjects, especially the science and engineering behind aerospace, that can drive a student’s future career choices,” said Laura McGill, chair, AIAA Foundation.
The award recognizes teachers who connect classroom lessons to the country’s current and future plans of STEM exploration and innovation, introduce students to STEM careers, and activate students’ imagination about space exploration.
The U.S. aerospace and defense industry leads the world in innovation, while still facing challenges of staffing a properly skilled and qualified workforce. Crucial gaps in diversity, equity, and inclusion must be addressed – more STEM-literate graduates are needed, greater participation is needed by women and ethnic minorities, and early retirements are creating a growing knowledge gap.
About Challenger Center
As a leader in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, Challenger Center provides hundreds of thousands of students annually with experiential education programs that engage students in hands-on learning opportunities. These programs, delivered in Challenger Learning Centers and classrooms, strengthen knowledge in STEM subjects and inspire students to pursue careers in these important fields. Challenger Center was created by the Challenger families to honor the crew of shuttle flight STS-51-L. For more information about Challenger Center, please visit https://www.challenger.org/ or connect on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.
About AIAA Foundation
The AIAA Foundation inspires and supports the next generation of aerospace professionals. From classroom to career, the AIAA Foundation enables innovative K-12 and university programming, including STEM classroom grants, scholarships, conferences, and hands-on competitions. Founded in 1996, the AIAA Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt educational organization connected to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, andInstagram.
Contacts
Challenger Center
Lisa Vernal
[email protected]
202-827-1573
AIAA
Rebecca Gray
[email protected]
804-397-5270