Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
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| Here's a photo of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flying over Washington State. The Dreamliner made its 1,000th flight yesterday, marking another milestone in the flight test program. Responding to the overwhelming preference of airlines around the world, the 787 Dreamliner is a super-efficient airplane that will carry 210 - 250 passengers on routes of 7,650 to 8,200 nautical miles (14,200 to 15,200 kilometers) http://bit.ly/f6ZxP1 |
Douglas DC-9 First Flight
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| On February 25th, 1965, the Douglas DC-9 made its first flight. Designed to be a workhorse, the DC-9 design evolved over time and as a part of three different companies (Douglas, McDonnell Douglas and Boeing). Later variants included the MD-80, MD-90 and Boeing 717. Production of the DC-9/MD-80/90/717 family came to a close after almost 2,500 units were built over 41 years. |
Monday, February 21, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Single-engine plane crashes near Levelland, Texas; 2 killed, 2 hurt - Lubbock Online http://bit.ly/dMTBjQ
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Wednesday, February 16, 2011
United grounds its Boeing 757 fleet
United is checking the air data computers on its 96 Boeing 757s.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The planes' modified computer system is getting maintenance checks
- Some flights will be delayed or canceled, a spokesman says
- The flight schedule should be back to normal Wednesday, he says
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(CNN) -- United Airlines has grounded 96 Boeing 757 airliners for "unscheduled maintenance," an airline spokesman said Tuesday.
The grounding meant that some of the airline's flights would be canceled or delayed Tuesday night and Wednesday, spokesman Rahsaan Johnson said.
"Specifically ... United is performing follow-up maintenance checks starting today to the air data computers on its 96 Boeing 757s," Johnson said. "All of the air data computers are fully functional. The checks are necessary as part of a modification process to the system."
Johnson, who said the checks have already begun, said the procedures takes about 60 to 90 minutes per aircraft and that the airline should be ready to return to full service within the next 12 to 24 hours.
The Federal Aviation Administration said United's action involves its compliance with an airworthiness directive issued in 2004 that required a modification to the air data computer system to ensure that flight crews would be able to stop an overspeed or stall warning that sounded in error.
"This is a voluntary action on United's part, and we will follow up as necessary," said the FAA's Laura Brown.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Nautilus includes a centrifuge and inflatable parts
Posted 02.14.2011 at 5:52 pm13 Comments
NAUTILUS-X NAUTILUS-X stands for Non-Atmospheric Universal Transport Intended for Lengthy United States eXploration. via HobbySpace
This tubular spacecraft could serve as a reusable vehicle for lunar and deep-space missions, holding a crew of six and enough supplies for a two-year expedition.
Dubbed Nautilus-X, for “Non-Atmospheric Universal Transport Intended for Lengthy United States eXploration,” this craft could be built in orbit and ready for space missions by 2020, according to a briefing by NASA’s Future In Space Operations group.
It would be assembled from expandable structures, such as the inflatable habitats proposed byBigelow Aerospace. It would also contain a ring centrifuge to provide partial gravity, and radiation-mitigation systems that could include tanks of water or liquid hydrogen slush, reports the website HobbySpace.com.
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Science, Rebecca Boyle, astronauts, bigelow aerospace, centrifuges, gravity, international space station, nasa, nautilus-x, space exploration, space stations, space travelHenderson described the system at a briefing on NASA’s Technology Applications Assessment Team, which is studying (relatively) inexpensive, quick-turnaround technologies for space exploration. Check out the PowerPoint slides here. HobbySpace has a nice roundup of the meeting, which also included a DARPA-funded geosynchronous satellite servicing project, in-situ water recovery on the Moon, a project that would demonstrate space-based solar power beams, a solar electric propulsion vehicle, and propellant depots floating in geosynchronous orbit.
Nautilus is by far the highlight, however, with pretty specific schematics and development estimates. Construction would take at least five years and require two or three rocket launches. It would cost about $3.7 billion.
The centrifuge, which could help keep crew members healthy during a long trip, includes inflatable structures and pieces that must be launched into orbit. It would be fairly simple to test on the International Space Station — it would launch to the station on board a rocket, and if it works out, it could become living quarters for the station’s crew.
ISS Centrifuge: An artist's impression of a centrifuge attached to the ISS. Mark Holderman/NASA via HobbySpace
These are dreamy ideas, to be sure, especially in light of federal funding roadblocks. But the use of existing technologies like Bigelow’s modules, as well as the adaptability of a multi-purpose crew carrier, means a system like Nautilus could play a role in NASA’s future.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Using 3-D Printing Tech, British Airbus Engineers Aim to Print Out an Entire Aircraft Wing http://bit.ly/ejmicg
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Sunday, February 13, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Boeing 787 No. 5
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| Number 5 Boeing 787 Dreamliner recently paid a visit to Continental Airlines in Houston after flight testing in Bolivia. |
Monday, February 07, 2011
NASA contractor suggests private spaceflights starting in 2013
Posted 02.07.2011 at 2:01 pm1 Comment
Endeavour Rolls Out Space Shuttle Endeavour rolls to the launch pad at dawn a year ago for STS-130, which delivered the Tranquility node to the International Space Station. NASA is considering keeping Endeavour flight-ready after its last flight this April. NASA
A NASA contractor wants to go all Brett Favre on America’s space shuttles, pulling them out of retirement past their prime to keep them going, even if it’s to play for the other side.
United Space Alliance, which manages the shuttle program for NASA, wants to spend $1.5 billion annually to fly two missions a year from 2013 to 2017, using Endeavour and Atlantis. It would bridge the gap between the end of the shuttle program and the start of privately run space taxis, and help prevent American reliance on Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
The shuttles couldn’t emerge from retirement until 2013, however, after the construction of a new external tank. The last tank ever made is dedicated for Atlantis, which will be ready to fly a rescue mission during Endeavour’s April mission. If it’s not needed, Atlantis will close out the shuttle program with its final mission in June.
RELATED ARTICLES
 | Private Company Wants To Put a Robot on the Moon Next Year |
 | The Last Flight of the Space Shuttle Has Been Scheduled For June |
 | Video: The Last Ever Test Firing of the Space Shuttle Rocket Booster |
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Technology, Rebecca Boyle, commercial spaceflight, international space station, nasa,private spaceflight, shuttles, space exploration,space shuttle atlantis, space shuttle endeavour, SpaceXMark Nappi, head of USA’s Florida operations, told Florida Today it’s worth a shot to include the shuttle among other commerical options, because they have more than proven themselves: “It is safe. We have a lot of history, we understand how to operate it,” he said.
The company proposed a six-month study of the privatized-shuttle option, which is actually not a new concept — NASA has studied it going back at least a decade. Meanwhile, NASA is apparently looking at the costs of keeping Endeavour in flight-ready status at Kennedy Space Center after its final launch, MSNBC reported last week. Space shuttle Discovery has already been promised to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
The $1.5 billion price tag is about the same cost as NASA’s cargo contract with SpaceX, which involves at least 12 trips to the International Space Station. It’s about half the cost ($3.1 billion) budgeted for the space shuttle program in 2010, according to USA Today.
The whole plan is a long shot, however. Nappi said he told his employees as much to avoid giving them false hope.
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