Hot-Fire Tests Steering the Future of NASA’S Space Launch System Engines, NASA “Engineers developing NASA’s next-generation rocket closed one chapter of testing with the completion of a J-2X engine test series on the A-2 test stand at the agency’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and will begin a new chapter of full motion testing on test stand A-1. … The March 7 test, which set the short-lived duration record, was […]

NASA Associate Administrator Statements on the Asteroid Initiative in the FY 2014 Budget Request “The following are statements from the associate administrators of NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, Science Mission Directorate, and Space Technology Mission Directorate on the administration’s budget request for the 2014 fiscal year.” Keith’s note: Apparently the observations of Jaiwon Shin, the Associate Administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (about the budget), weren’t deemed […]

Congresswoman Eshoo Announces Plan for Hangar One and Moffett Federal Airfield “Following a meeting with Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto), GSA, NASA, and the White House at the Capitol on Tuesday, February 26, the General Services Administration will issue a Notice of Intent regarding Hangar One and Moffett Federal Airfield, which reflects the following: 1. Moffett Federal Airfield will NOT be excessed. It will remain a restricted Federal Airfield […]

Mitt Romney pulls in $6 million at Beverly Hills fundraiser, LA Times “When you have a fire in an aircraft, there’s no place to go, exactly, there’s no — and you can’t find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft, because the windows don’t open. I don’t know why they don’t do that. It’s a real problem. So it’s very dangerous.”

Transformed X-48c Flies Successfully “The remotely piloted X-48C aircraft successfully flew for the first time Tuesday at Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert. The aircraft, designed by The Boeing Co. and built by Cranfield Aerospace Limited of the United Kingdom, is flying again in partnership with NASA. The new X-48C model, which was formerly the X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft, was modified to evaluate the low-speed stability and […]

OIG: NASA’s Use of Research Announcement Awards for Aeronautics Research “Based on our sample results, we estimate that ARMD’s 447 NRA awards during this 5-year period contained $25.2 million in unallowable or unsupported costs. Moreover, we project that by addressing the deficiencies we identified NASA could avoid awarding approximately $3.6 million in unallowable and/or unsupported costs annually in ARMD NRA awards.”

NASA Aeronautics Research Critical to Maintaining America’s Lead in Global Aviation Market Democrats Urge Continued Support for Aeronautics Research “Because of the lengthy gestation period needed to move from concept to deployment, industry has often been reluctant to apply resources to high risk, fundamental aeronautics research and development (R&D) –an investment often needed as a forerunner to bringing to market new technologies and capabilities. NASA and successive Congresses believe that […]

NASA Should Phase Out Lower-Priority Aeronautics Activities, Focus on Higher Risk, Higher Payoff Projects “At a time when NASA’s aeronautics funding is at a historic low, the agency needs to restart its highly successful flight research program, rather than devote most of its efforts to small-scale research, says a new report from the National Research Council. To accomplish this, the agency should phase out lower-priority aeronautics activities and select two […]

NASA Research Opportunities in Aeronautics 2011 “This publication announces the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Headquarters, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) plans to release the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 version of the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) entitled, “Research Opportunities in Aeronautics (ROA)”, NNH11ZEA001N. Under the FY 2011 ROA NRA ARMD will continue solicitation of foundational and systems-level research proposals for four programs within ARMD: the Airspace Systems Program, the […]

Remarks for Adminstrator Bolden – National Academy of Sciences Aeronautics and Technology Rountable “It’s very important that we help bring about the next generation of aircraft and air traffic control systems. Aviation is a huge sector of the economy, not only in terms of jobs, but also in transporting goods and people. It consistently contributes in a positive way to the nation’s balance of trade and is a symbol of […]

National Aerospace Week Launched, Aerospace Industries Association “Ongoing and emerging security threats, aging civil and space infrastructure, fiscal challenges and keeping and creating jobs all present our nation with enormous challenges. This year’s National Aerospace Week, an event established by Congress, will focus on informing the debate over choices our government will make in the coming months. The aerospace and defense industry is the lifeblood of America’s industrial base, employing […]

Chicken Fat Studied by NASA as Eco-friendly Jet Fuel “It’s made out of chicken fat, actually,” said Langley’s Bruce Anderson, AAFEX II project scientist. “The Air Force bought many thousands of gallons of this to burn in some of their jets and provided about 8,000 gallons (30,283 liters) to NASA for this experiment.” Anderson and his team will test a 50-50 mix of biofuel and regular jet fuel, biofuel only, […]

Washington Post: “The control tower at Reagan National Airport went silent early Wednesday, forcing two airliners carrying a total of 165 passengers and crew to land on their own. Both planes landed safely after their pilots took matters into their own hands, broadcasting their progress as they approached and landed. They were also communicating with controllers at a separate facility in the region that does not handle landings. Read more […]

Brown Fights to Preserve Mission of NASA Glenn, Kills Effort to Move Aeronautic Research Away from NASA “Existing language ( “Section 605″ ) of the FAA reauthorization bill would have established an Advisory Committee on the Future of Aeronautics to, among other purposes, consider transferring the responsibility for civil aeronautics research and development–a key mission of NASA Glenn–from NASA to other existing departments or agencies of the federal government, to […]

Panel: $11 million air safety study not worth much, AP “An $11 million air safety study sponsored by NASA that asked pilots to reveal mishaps and problems they encountered was so riddled with flaws that it could not provide useful insights about U.S. flight safety, according to a new review by a national scientific panel. The research project ran for nearly four years and involved telephone interviews that lasted about […]

Governors Riley, Barbour and Jindal Announce Launch of The Aerospace Alliance, The Aerospace Alliance “Governor Bob Riley (R-AL), Governor Haley Barbour (R-MS), and Governor Bobby Jindal (R- LA) today announced the launch of The Aerospace Alliance, a 501(c)(6) private/public organization that will establish the Gulf Coast and surrounding region as a world class aerospace, space and aviation corridor. The announcement was made before hundreds of supporters at an event in […]

National Academy of Sciences Review of NASA’s pilot safety survey “A new report from the National Research Council, AN ASSESSMENT OF NASA’S NATIONAL AVIATION MONITORING SERVICE (NAOMS), examines the NAOMS project, an anonymous survey used to collect data from commercial and general aviation pilots over several years regarding aviation safety-related incidents. The report assesses the survey methodology and analyzes the data collected. The report also provides recommendations on the appropriate […]

NASA Solicitation: Recovery Act: Advanced Concept Studies for Supersonic Commerical Transport Aircraft Entering Service in the 2018-2020 Period “RECOVERY ACT – THIS NOTICE IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. THIS OPPORTUNITY IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION, LOCKHEED MARTIN AERONAUTICS COMPANY, PALMDALE, CA. The Supersonics Project is aligned with the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) principles of maintaining intellectual stewardship of aeronautical core competencies for the nation in the […]

Keith’s note: On 27 August there will be an invitation-only media briefing with Jaiwon Shin, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Aeronautics who will give a progress report on activities undertaken in the past year and discuss what’s ahead for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate in fiscal 2010. Alas, you can only attend this event if you are invited and are physically present in Washington, DC. I have been invited but I […]