After six tries in 20 days, Japan's National Space Development Agency was able to complete its second set of geosynchronous rendezvous and automatic docking experiments on Aug. 27 with its ETS-7 chaser and target satellites. Intermittent failure of one of seven pairs of attitude control jets on the target spacecraft, a continuing problem, caused the repeated failed dockings. The successful capture was begun with the chaser 2,000 meters (6,560 ft.) from the target. The distance was reduced in steps down to 2 meters when closure was at 1 centimeter/sec.
Joseph F. Marcus (see photo) has been named vice president-production operations of Lockheed Martin Michoud Space Systems of New Orleans. He was director of space launch systems engineering for Lockheed Martin Astronautics in Denver.
Richard Whiston, executive vice president/general counsel of Pratt&Whitney, East Hartford, Conn., will also be president for space and Russian operations.
Richard D. Jones has become membership director for the Miami-based International Air Cargo Assn. He was publications director for the Battelle Memorial Institute Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation.
Mary Byerly has been promoted to assistant manager from product marketing manager of the Greater Philadelphia/ Wilmington Learning Center of FlightSafety International. Amparo Calatayud has been promoted to assistant manager from groundschool and simulator instructor at FSI's San Antonio, Tex., International Learning Center.
Plymouth Tube Co. is making near-net extruded shapes of Invar-36, a specialized nickel alloy, for use as tooling components in the production of advanced composite aerospace structures, such as those made of epoxy resin with embedded carbon fibers. The alloy's durability and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) makes it well suited for applications where warping can take place between disparate materials and their molds during curing. Plymouth Tube Co., 29W150 Warrenville Road, Warrenville, Ill. 60555.
James R. Jensen has become senior vice president-maintenance and engineering of Trans World Airlines. He was vice president-product support for the Douglas Products Div. of Boeing, Long Beach, Calif.
A variety of aviation-oriented greeting cards is available for personal and business use. A customer can create a unique card with a custom logo or imprinted message. Designs also are available with an adhesive-coated front panel so customers can affix a photograph. The Christmas card catalog is available now. CardMakers, P.O. Box 236, Lyme, N.H. 03768.
Mark L. Mele (see photos) has been named vice president-strategic planning and Richard N. Jowett vice president-investor relations and public affairs of Alliant Techsystems of Minneapolis. Mele was director of business planning and Jowett director of investor relations.
Greg Helleckson has been named director of flight operations and John Ryan director of maintenance for Reno Air. Helleckson was director of training, and John Ryan was a regional line maintenance manager for United Airlines.
USAF Col. (Ret.) Don Freeman (see photo) has been appointed military market segment manager for Analytical Graphics Inc., Malvern, Pa. He was director of intelligence for Air Force Space Command.
Astrotech Space Operations, a subsidiary of Spacehab, has won a $100,000 grant from the state of California to make launch site infrastructure improvements at Vandenberg AFB.
The SJ-350 front-load parts washer has a load weight of 2,000 lb., a load height of 60 in. and a basket diameter of 42 in., allowing it to handle even large engine components. The unit's water-propelled spray bar eliminates the need for gears and drive motors. The spinning motion blasts parts 200 times per min. Landa Inc., 4275 N.W. Pacific Rim Blvd., Camas, Wash. 98607.
With turbulence the leading cause of injury in nonfatal inflight accidents, the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group is making available its ``Turbulence Education and Training Aid'' to nearly 700 customers. The illustrated manual and 26-min. video--aimed at reducing the number of turbulence-related injuries and aircraft damage--teaches cockpit and cabin crew as well as dispatchers and aviation meteorologists about what causes turbulence, how to avoid it and how to minimize the risks.
Michael Patterson has been appointed credit manager of the Avatar Alliance's Atlanta operations center. He was director of financial services for Avsco Aviation Services.
Kip Harkness has become director of styling and design for the Galaxy Aerospace Corp. of Fort Worth. He was manager of design for Bombardier Business Aircraft.
John N. Entzminger, former deputy director for technology for the U.S. Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office, has been appointed to the board of directors of Adroit Systems Inc., Alexandria, Va.
The Bose Aviation Headset 10 is a lightweight, active noise reduction aviation headset. The headset uses a new technology called triport in which the ports in the ear cup effectively increase the air space behind the speaker at low frequency, significantly increasing active noise reduction and passive attenuation. This eliminates the need for actual air space behind the speaker, allowing for smaller ear cups, which reduces weight to 12 oz. and requires less clamping force to keep the headset in place.
The U.S./Russia summit in Moscow was a disheartening ``what should have been.'' It should have been the scene of a START 3 signing that slashed the number of each side's deployed nuclear warheads to 2,000, as spelled out in principle at the Helsinki summit of March 1997. Strategic nuclear warheads, not just launch systems, would have been destroyed. Mutual scrutiny of warhead inventories would have been expanded, building on the stalemated START 2's tough inspection rules.
The third Boeing E-767 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft made its first flight last week with its 30-ft. rotodome installed. This aircraft, plus a fourth, is scheduled to be delivered to the Japanese Defense Agency next year. The first two were delivered in March. Japan also is studying the purchase of another four E-767s so it can maintain two full AWACS ``orbits.'' South Korea and Turkey also are considering AWACS purchases.
Ulrich Ogiermann (see photo) has become senior vice president-sales and marketing of Luxembourg-based Cargolux Airlines International. He was general manager of the South African Div. of Lufthansa German Airlines.
