 |
|
         |
|
|
Login
|
Upcoming Conferences & Events
5 - 6 Feb 2009 - Arlington, VA
12th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference More info > See Complete List » industry headlines
NASA is planning wind tunnel tests of low-noise hybrid wing/body configurations as it pushes to enable the introduction of a new generation of highly fuel-efficient large aircraft as early as 2020. The goal is to reduce fuel burn by 40% and noise to 42 decibels. Boeing, with funding from NASA and the U.S. Air Force, will wind-tunnel-test two low-noise HWB configurations, called N2A and N2B, in 2011. Principle investigator for NASA's subsonic fixed-wing program Faye Collier, who attended AIAA's Aerospace Sciences Meeting last week indicated that a cargo version will now be the focus and that a freighter could be available by 2020. (Image Credit: NASA)
Engineers removed the first Falcon 9 rocket from its launch pad Monday, concluding the first round of pathfinder tests for the launcher and ground systems at Cape Canaveral. The black-and-white rocket was lowered from Complex 40 Monday afternoon after spending two days atop the pad. The Falcon 9, which weighs more than 30,000 pounds empty, was raised vertically around midday Saturday for two days of fit checks. More trials are scheduled over the next few days, and engineers have a long road ahead before clearing the rocket for launch this summer. (Image Credit: SpaceX)
NASA has begun preparations for its upcoming launch of space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station, and will be spending Monday and Tuesday joining the external fuel tank and solid-rocket boosters to the craft. The shuttle will ferry a truss sporting two solar wings that will complete work on the right side of the orbiting outpost. The truss is scheduled to be delivered to the pad Tuesday. The astronauts are expected to be at Kennedy for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, 19-21 Jan. Discovery's STS-119 mission to the International Space Station is targeted to launch 12 Feb. at 7:32 a.m. EST. (Image Credit: NASA)
SpaceX founder and CEO, Elon Musk, spoke to several hundred aerospace executives and engineers last Wednesday, sharing his plan to revitalize the U.S. launch industry. Musk, described as the “new face of the rocket industry,” was the keynote speaker for AIAA’s New Horizons Forum, in Orlando, FL. Speaking about the upcoming launch this year of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, Musk said “it will be much cheaper, safer, and more reusable than anything shot into space so far.” If the Falcon 9 launches successfully, Musk expects SpaceX to be able to perform about 50 launches per year.
|
AIAA E-Library
Donate Now
Support the Future–Make a gift to the AIAA Foundation.
More Info > AIAA News
Spotlight
Book
Space Vehicle Dynamics and Control, Second Edition Course Hypersonic Test Facilities Journals Search the Tables of Contents for all seven AIAA journals. |
 |
|