FUSE FINISHED: NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) mission is drawing to a close after eight years in space, NASA announced Oct. 17. The FUSE satellite became inoperable in July when it lost its ability to point accurately at areas of interest. Launched in 1999, FUSE helped scientists answer important questions about the conditions in the universe immediately following the Big Bang, how chemicals disperse throughout galaxies, and the composition of interstellar gas clouds, according to NASA. The agency will formally terminate the mission Oct. 18.
PACKBOT ORDER: The U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), on behalf of the Robotic Systems Joint Project Office at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., has placed an $8.8 million order with iRobot Corp. for 40 PackBot robots, plus spare parts and equipment, the company announced. The award brings total PackBot orders to date from PEO STRI to $45 million, under a contract with a potential value ceiling of $64.3 million. iRobot expects to complete delivery by the end of June 2008.
FRAMED BETTER: The Defense Department is contracting for Raytheon's Solipsys Tactical Component Network technology in a $45.5 million deal for the sensor netting framework, which is supposed to provide a single integrated picture and joint interoperability for U.S. forces. In its Oct. 16 announcement, Raytheon said the latest DOD award follows one from the department's Missile Defense Agency (MDA) earlier in the year for the ballistic missile defense system.
THWARTED: An amendment by Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) that would have eliminated the $150 million boost to NASA's fiscal 2008 budget request contained in the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) spending bill failed Oct. 16 after a 70-23 vote to table it. Ensign wanted the cut as an offset to increase funds for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. A final Senate vote on the CJS bill was expected later that evening. The White House has threatened to veto the Senate's entire CJS appropriation because of various spending plus-ups.
In the wake of the sudden death of its second-highest-ranking procurement official, the U.S. Air Force must address some lingering competitive concerns. Charles Riechers, 47, the service's principal deputy assistant secretary for acquisitions, was found dead Oct. 14 at his home in South Riding, near Dulles Airport, Va. He apparently committed suicide (DAILY, Oct. 16).
Rover drivers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory may be on the job into 2009 under the fifth extension of Mars Exploration Rover operations. Originally targeted for a 90-day service, the rovers Spirit and Opportunity have weathered mechanical difficulties and a major dust storm (DAILY, July 26) to continue plugging away on opposite sides of the Red Planet since they landed in January 2004.
Pat Shanahan is moving from his former position heading up Boeing Missile Defense Systems to take over the company's 787 commercial airliner program from longtime manager Mike Bair.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Boeing completed a 12-hour test flight of the A160T Hummingbird Oct. 12, marking the longest flight yet for the unmanned rotorcraft demonstrator. The A160T took off at 6:27 a.m. Pacific time near Victorville, Calif., and landed at 6:32 p.m. The aircraft carried a 500-pound payload at an altitude of 5,000 feet, simulating a multi-sensor operational mission, Boeing said in its Oct. 16 announcement.
Charter U.S. passenger carriers could be more vulnerable to a drop in outsourced Defense Department airlift business after a coming drawdown of major combat forces from Iraq and force reductions overseas, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has found. Nevertheless, a decrease in DOD's use of commercial airlift services, under the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), might not take a large dent out of the air transportation industry, CBO says in a new report for House and Senate Armed Services committees. (See charts pp. 6-7).
The Royal Thai Air Force has purchased three Sikorsky S-92 helicopters to transport the Thai royal family, while South Korea's SK Telecom has signed a position agreement for the upcoming S-76D, Sikorsky Aircraft announced Oct. 16. The S-92s, scheduled to be delivered in 2010, are Sikorsky's first sale to the Royal Thai Air Force. Air Chief Marshal Paisal Sitabutr and Sikorsky representatives signed the contract.
SPRINGFIELD, Va. - Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Missouri) believes troops and equipment must be increased in Afghanistan lest the U.S. cede initiative to the Taliban, drug lords and other forces, he told an industry group at a Government Electronics and Information Technology Association conference here Oct. 16
The fiscal 2008 supplemental spending measure on Capitol Hill for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan is likely to include billions of dollars in unrequested funds for 10 more C-17 airlifters, according to Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.). "We can expect to see additional C-17s purchased through the emergency supplemental ... maybe as many as 10," Carper told Aerospace Daily Oct. 16.
Boeing will integrate the F-22 Raptor into the U.S. Air Force's Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) training network under a $46 million contract from F-22 prime Lockheed Martin, Boeing announced Oct. 16.
Astronauts Roberto Vittori of Italy and Marsha Ivins of NASA cleared 40 dry-cargo items intended for Europe's first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) during a day-long cargo bench review in Turin, Italy. The manifest for the vehicle, christened the Jules Verne, includes an early edition of Verne's "From the Earth to the Moon," along with some of his original drawings and calculations for space flight.
INTEL I.T.: Northrop Grumman said Oct.15 it recently received a $220 million contract from the National Security Agency to develop an advanced information management and data storage system that will support efforts to modernize electronic intelligence and broader signals intelligence capabilities. Under the 51-month, cost-plus-award-fee Information Management and Storage (IM&S) system development contract, Northrop will provide architecture design, systems engineering, system development, integration, and test and deployment activities.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Satellite communications, advanced orbital mechanics and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) courses all will be added to the National Security Space Institute's (NSSI) advanced and specialty course curriculum in 2008 in response to perceived gaps in space education and training.
SPACE BILLS: The House of Representatives is expected to pass the following bills honoring aerospace achievements as early as Oct. 16: H.Con.Res. 225, Honoring the 50th anniversary of the dawn of the Space Age, and the ensuing 50 years of productive and peaceful space activities (Rep. Gordon - Science and Technology); H.Res. 736 - Honoring the 60th anniversary of the aeronautics research accomplishments embodied in the breaking of the sound barrier (Rep. Rohrabacher - Science and Technology); H.Con.Res.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Conax Florida Corp., St. Petersburg, Fla., is being awarded a $7,496,638.95 firm fixed price, sole source contract for 5,685 4-man HMMWV seat belt kits with an option for 5,685 additional kits that maybe exercised at a later date. Using service is Army. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one proposal originally solicited with one response. Date of performance completion is Jan. 17, 2008. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Columbus, Columbus, Ohio (SPM7L2-07-C-0093).
JAPANESE AEGIS: The Japanese destroyer JS KONGO (DDG 173) has arrived in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in anticipation of conducting an Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) weapon system intercept test in December. Known as Japan Flight Test Mission-1 (JFTM-1), the test will include an intercept of a ballistic missile with a separated warhead and will be the first allied Aegis BMD intercept test using the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3). For additional training prior to their flight test, KONGO also will participate in a U.S. Aegis BMD flight test, FTM-13, in November.
