NASA will begin launching a series of "Mars testbed" missions in 2011 to pave the way for the eventual human exploration of the planet, according to Orlando Figueroa, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program Office. NASA's new Office of Exploration Systems will drive the requirements for the missions, Figueroa said. The missions are planned to head for Mars during every launch opportunity, which occurs roughly every two years.
SAN DIEGO - The war in Iraq and its aftermath are a preview of how the United States will fight future wars, according to retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert Scales. The 23-day campaign demonstrated that the U.S. military knows "how to do joint warfare right," said Scales, the former commandant of the Army War College and author of five books on warfare. However, Scales said he believes that additional capabilities are needed for future success.
Lockheed Martin announced late Feb. 18 that it is challenging the Army's recent decision to pick Alliant Techsystems (ATK) to develop the Precision Guided Mortar Munition (PGMM). Lockheed Martin said in a statement that it filed a protest Feb. 17 with the General Accounting Office. "Lockheed Martin believes the Army's evaluation process was flawed and is requesting, among other things, that the GAO perform a re-evaluation of the Army's best value determination."
Boeing Co. officials and researchers from Cornell University recently demonstrated leading-edge software and autonomy technologies aboard ScanEagle, a long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the company said Feb. 18. ScanEagle's 2.5-hour demonstration flight showed a UAV can be reconfigured rapidly and its mission capabilities updated without modifying and revalidating the flight control software, using Open Control Platform (OCP) software technology developed by Boeing Phantom Works, the company said.
The scheduled launch of STS-114 is likely to slip to January 2005 as engineers continue to grapple with issues related to the shuttle's external tank and the boom being developed to inspect the orbiter in space, according to a NASA official.
U.S. Air Force officials are awaiting the final report on tests of the Automatic Air Collision Avoidance System, or Auto ACAS, which is expected to be completed by the end of March. Auto ACAS is a computer program that detects a potential mid-air collision and takes control of the aircraft's autopilot system to avoid it. Final in-air testing wrapped up in August in Lockheed Martin F-16s. The Swedish government and the U.S. Air Force worked jointly on the project.
The warfighter increasingly is influencing U.S. Defense Department acquisition decisions, according to DOD officials. "From the combatant commander perspective, the warfighter has more to say about what weapons should be acquired," said Lt. Gen. Robert Wagner, deputy commander, Joint Forces Command. According to Ken Krieg, special assistant to the secretary of defense and director, Program Analysis & Evaluation, the warfighter and combatant commander have three tools to help influence the DOD acquisition process.
ALION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, McLean, Va. Vice Adm. Scott Fry (USN, ret.) has been hired as senior strategist for Department of Defense programs. ANALEX, Alexandria, Va.
The State Department plans to fully implement its new D-Trade licensing system for defense exports by September, according to a department official. The electronic system, which has been running since Jan. 15 (DAILY, Feb. 18) and was formally unveiled at a "roll-out" ceremony Feb. 18, currently can process license applications for the permanent export of unclassified defense articles and for the furnishing of defense services.
SAN DIEGO - Small, highly specialized companies that provide essential, highly advanced technology products in small quantities are finding a growing domestic and international market, according to the head of one such business. Eric Wogsberg, president and co-founder of Jupiter Systems, told The DAILY that sales for his company are expected to increase by 50 percent this year.
NASA must improve how it identifies, selects and prioritizes space shuttle upgrades, according to a recent report from the General Accounting Office (GAO). In March 2003, NASA instituted the Shuttle Life Extension Program (SLEP) to better organize shuttle upgrade efforts. At the time, the agency expected that the shuttle might remain in service through 2020, although now it is scheduled for retirement in 2010 in accordance with President Bush's new space exploration agenda (DAILY, Jan. 15).
SIGNED: EADS CASA and Lockheed Martin signed an $87.4 million deal in Madrid Feb. 18 for EADS CASA's delivery of two CN-235 aircraft for the U.S. Coast Guard's Deepwater program. EADS' Spanish arm said the deal "formalizes" its participation in Deepwater. Selection of the CN-235 was announced last year (DAILY, May 12, 2003).
A Marine Corps spokesman said Feb. 18 that the service welcomes the U.S. Air Force's recent expressions of interest in buying the Marines' short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) version of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
MOTOR SUPPLY: Alliant Techsystems (ATK) will supply first-, second- and third-stage Orion motors to Orbital Sciences Corp. under contracts totaling more than $97 million, the company said Feb. 18. ATK is to deliver 23 Orion flight sets in 2004 and 2005, along with additional tooling to support the higher production rate, which is needed to support the Bush Administration's goal for accelerated missile defense deployment.
Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems sector, Thales and Australian shipbuilder ADI have signed a memorandum of understanding to offer an integrated combat-management system solution (ICMS) to include naval combat management, command and control, command support and integration for amphibious ships, Northrop Grumman announced Feb. 16.
Goodrich Corp. will equip the latest version of BAE System's Hawk advanced jet trainer with its SmartProbe integrated air data system, the company said Feb. 17. The Hawk MK 128 is the latest variant in BAE System's family of jet trainers. It has a fully digital cockpit and will train pilots to fly aircraft including the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
ORLANDO, Fla. - The head of Air Force Space Command is expressing confidence that the service will be able to ease concerns in Congress and elsewhere about the planned Space Based Radar (SBR). During a Feb. 13 press briefing at an Air Force Association conference, Gen. Lance Lord said he believes SBR will be affordable, although lawmakers have suggested that the satellite constellation may end up being too expensive.
MOSCOW - The head of Rosaviakosmos, Russia's aviation and space agency, said contractor RSC Energia is proposing to build a new, six-seat spacecraft with a multiple-use return capsule that would be launched atop a modified Soyuz booster called Onega. Rosaviakosmos chief Yuri Koptev did not reveal any details at a Feb. 17 news conference. In the past, Energia has proposed the "Zarya" spacecraft, which would be a an enlarged Soyuz re-entry capsule, and reports here said the company also is pondering a "mini shuttle."
The U.S. State Department's new electronic licensing system for defense exports is up and running, a department spokeswoman said Feb. 17. The D-Trade system is designed as an eventual replacement for the department's time-consuming, paper-based licensing process. Reducing the time it takes to get export licenses reviewed has been a major priority for the U.S. aerospace industry.
