Space / Aerospace / Aircraft

[Guest1]

On 7/27/2022 at 12:20 PM, Kargokings said:

Chinese rocket core on potentially dangerous free-fall to Earth — again

By Michelle Butterfield  Global News

Posted July 27, 2022 11:53 am

 Updated July 27, 2022 11:56 am

Another day, another Chinese rocket body falling uncontrolled from space.

U.S. Space Command is warning that the remnants of the massive Chinese rocket that was shot into space last Sunday will likely fall to Earth soon, perhaps as early as July 31.

The 10-storey, 21-tonne rocket was part of the Wentian space station module and docked with the country’s Tiangong space station this week.

READ MORE: Huge Chinese rocket core falling ‘out of control’ back to Earth

The uncrewed craft was blasted to space by a Long March 5B rocket from the Wenchang launch centre on the Chinese island of Hainan.

The big problem, however, is that experts aren’t sure how much of the rocket will survive and, most concerning, they don’t know where it’s expected to crash-land

Evidently everyone held their breath, crossed their fingers and all worked out.

Quote

Long March 5B: Debris from Chinese rocket falls back to Earth - BBC News

 

[Guest1]

About Commercial Crew

NASA's Commercial Crew Program is a partnership to develop and fly human space transportation systems.

Boeing Updates
SpaceX Updates
Commercial Crew's Flickr Gallery
Our Public-Private Approach
Commercial Crew Press Kit
Children's Artwork Calendar

 

commercial_crew_press_kit_2.pdf (nasa.gov)

[Guest1]

Updated Timeline for ADS-B Performance Mandate in Canada – Canadian Aviation News (wordpress.com)

Quote

Updated Timeline for ADS-B Performance Mandate in Canada

2 August 2022Canadian Aviation News

OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 2, 2022 /CNW/ – NAV CANADA today confirmed that due to supply chain impacts related to the COVID pandemic, the previously announced implementation dates for the Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) Out Performance Mandate have been adjusted for Class A and B airspace.

In coordination with Transport Canada, the state regulator, new dates have been developed in a manner reflective of customer feedback regarding supply chain limitations and backlogs to acquire and install the appropriate transponder, as well as current equipage levels in each class of airspace.

As a result, the mandate will come into effect as follows:

• Class A Canadian airspace on August 10, 2023
• Class B Canadian airspace on May 16, 2024
• Class C, D and E to occur no sooner than 2026 and will be determined pending further assessment.

In February 2022, NAV CANADA announced Canada’s plan to implement ADS-B Out mandate to enhance aircraft operations in domestic airspace – requiring aircraft operators flying in certain domestic airspace to meet ADS-B Out Performance Requirements.

Following the announcement and after considerable industry engagement with Transport Canada and industry stakeholders, NAV CANADA is confirming new official start dates to allow customers adequate time to equip.

“The valuable input we have received from our stakeholders and partners on the Canadian ADS-B mandate indicates that later dates for the mandate requirement are warranted as the industry continues to navigate the ongoing impacts to supply chains due to the pandemic,” said Jeff Dawson, Assistant Vice President, Operational Support. “We are taking these steps to ensure customers have adequate time to comply with mandate equipage requirements.”

“What we are seeing in terms of equipage is very encouraging – rates in Class A airspace are at 95 per cent, while those in Class B airspace are above the 88 per cent mark and growing steadily.”

The equipage requirements of Canada’s approach to the implementation of the ADS-B are in line with a growing number of other countries in the world, and the adoption of satellite-based surveillance technology ensures long-term alignment with the global aviation system.

About the ADS-B Out Performance Requirements Mandate

To meet the ADS-B Out Performance Mandate, aircraft will be required to:

• Be equipped with an appropriate transponder with ADS-B out capabilities and performance with the applicable standard of Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) DO-260B, “Minimum Operational Performance Standards”, or newer.
• Have antenna capability for broadcast toward space-based ADS-B receivers emitting 1090 MHz extended squitter. This requirement can be met either through antenna diversity (the use of a top and bottom antenna) or with a single antenna that is capable of transmitting both towards the ground and up towards satellites.

About NAV CANADA

 

[Guest1]

How L3Harris created US special operators’ new plane to hunt and strike terrorists

By Stephen Losey

 Aug 2, 03:51 PM The L3Harris Sky Warden will be used to pressure terrorist groups in places like Africa, where airspace is largely permissive. (L3Harris)

WASHINGTON — U.S. Special Operations Command’s new Armed Overwatch aircraft will be able to carry multiple weapons configurations and modular sensors that can be quickly swapped out as well as be disassembled for deployment within hours.

The AT-802U Sky Warden, made by L3Harris Technologies and aircraft manufacturer Air Tractor, is SOCOM’s pick for a rugged plane that can carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, close air support, and strike missions against terrorist groups in austere locations such as parts of Africa.

In an interview with Defense News on Tuesday, Luke Savoie, president of L3Harris Technologies’ ISR sector, said the company’s use of model-based engineering and modular open systems allowed it to design a low-cost aircraft tailored to deliver what special operators need in the field.

SOCOM wants Armed Overwatch planes so it can continue to pressure extremist groups, such as Somalia’s al-Shabab, in areas with largely uncontested airspace, while the Air Force shifts its primary focus and more elaborate fighters and bombers toward potential high-end threats in Europe and Asia.

Armed Overwatch planes could also take over at least some of the missions carried out by the U-28 Draco ISR aircraft, which is aging and expensive to maintain.

L3Harris’ indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to deliver as many as 75 Sky Wardens will be worth up to $3 billion, with an initial contract award for $170 million.

The trust factor

L3Harris began work on what would eventually become the Sky Warden in March 2020, shortly after SOCOM released its Armed Overwatch solicitation. Savoie said the company started with “no preconceived notions.”

Rather than beginning with a list of must-haves for the airplane, as traditional requirements-based engineering might dictate, Savoie said L3Harris’s designers used model-based systems engineering to consider why a Sky Warden pilot might need certain capabilities and the best way to fill those needs.

L3Harris also sought to ensure the capabilities are tightly integrated to reduce the crew’s workload and take advantage of automation whenever possible, he said.

“In special ops, it comes down to that” trust, Savoie said. “The guy on the ground isn’t looking for dots on [a] map, on a tablet or something on his wrist. He’s looking for the confidence that someone talking in his ear knows what they’re talking about, and not having to second guess that.”

That led L3Harris to refine the kind of sensors and software this plane would need and how it would integrate the systems, he said. The company talked to those who have carried out this mission before to make the Sky Warden as user-friendly as possible.

“End users … constantly remind us, ‘I like to look through my gun sight, I don’t like to look at my arm, at a tablet,’” said Savoie, a former U-28 and AC-130 pilot.

Users also emphasized the importance of instant communication, with no latency, for an airplane carrying out an Armed Overwatch mission, Savoie said, as well as the need to streamline the information presented to the pilot.

To build the air frame that would become Sky Warden, L3Harris teamed up with Air Tractor, which typically builds agricultural and firefighting aircraft.

The company had worked with Air Tractor on previous programs, such as surveillance aircraft for Jordan in the mid-2010s and other projects involving sensor, weapons and software integration. But, Savoie said, with its added strike capabilities, Sky Warden was much more complicated than the Jordanian surveillance planes.

L3Harris created three prototype Sky Wardens. One was fully missionized, with all the modifications to do everything an operational Armed Overwatch plane would have to do. The company sent that prototype to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida last summer for SOCOM’s evaluation. Four other companies also demonstrated their prototypes to SOCOM in 2021 and early 2022.

A second prototype was built for L3Harris’s own flight tests and to qualify the plane’s autopilot. L3Harris also built a third Sky Warden prototype to test and certify the aircraft’s strengthened, high-load wing to ensure it could carry up to 6,000 pounds of external ordnance.

Savoie said Sky Warden can be easily prepared for deployment on a C-17 or C-5 mobility aircraft. The plane can be disassembled in about 7 hours, loaded on a cargo plane, and then reassembled in about the same amount of time once it’s reached its destination, he said. L3Harris brought a Sky Warden to May’s Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in Tampa, Florida, where it demonstrated how quickly the breakdown and reassembly process could take place.

“It’s a pretty compact form,” Savoie said.

The per-unit cost of a Sky Warden will vary depending on its configuration and capabilities, Savoie said, but declined to identify a figure.

L3Harris’ contract also includes providing training systems, mission planning systems, support equipment, spares and logistical support.

Air Tractor aircraft have carried weapons before, such as 50-caliber guns and 7.62 miniguns, Savoie said. The Sky Warden could be armed with six weapons stations, with the laser-guided 2.75-inch Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, or APKWS, rocket being its primary weapon.

Sky Warden could also carry GBU-12 Paveway laser-guided bombs, Savoie said, and L3Harris is close to having it capable of carrying the AGM-114 Hellfire missile. And Sky Warden has the infrastructure to handle as many as eight common launch tube-based weapons such as the AGM-176A Griffin, he said.

Construction of the Sky Wardens will begin at Air Tractor’s Olney, Texas facility. Once those airframes are built, they will be shipped to L3Harris’s modification center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where work to modify them for the Armed Overwatch mission will take place.

Savoie said L3Harris will manufacture parts for the modifications at its Greenville, Texas facility. L3Harris will also do software work for the plane at its Nashville, Tennessee facility, and sustainment activities will be done at Rockwall, Texas. Engineering work will be done at L3 locations in Waco, Greenville and Plano, Texas. Various other L3Harris sites will provide sensor, radio and weapons release capabilities, Savoie said.

About Stephen Losey

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter at Defense News. He previously reported for Military.com, covering the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare. Before that, he covered U.S. Air Force leadership, personnel and operations for Air Force Times.

AFSOC hopes its Armed Overwatch plane will be able to pressure violent extremist groups in austere places like Africa, where the airspace is largely permissive.

 

[Guest1]

Exclusive-Airbus axes remaining A350 jet deal with Qatar -sources

By Tim Hepher - 4h ago

 

© Reuters/IMAD CREIDIFILE PHOTO: Surface damage seen on Qatar Airways' airbus A350 parked at Qatar airways aircraft maintenance hangar in Doha

PARIS (Reuters) -Airbus has revoked its entire outstanding order from Qatar Airways for A350 jets, severing all new jetliner business with the Gulf carrier in a dramatic new twist to a dispute clouding World Cup preparations, two industry sources said.

Exclusive: Airbus axes remaining A350 jet deal with Qatar Airways -sources (yahoo.com)

[Specs]

Whatever happened to "The Customer is always right"?

[Airband]

Ouch!

[Falken]

Everybody ok I hope!

[J.O.]

On 7/30/2022 at 8:13 AM, Kargokings said:

Perhaps looking out of the forward starboard door to check the right landing gear?

It’s more likely that he was looking forward from the rear cargo door.

[Airband]

Preliminary NTSB Report

The plane, a twin-engine CASA CN-212 Aviocar, was being operated as a skydiving flight, the NTSB Report said. It had already flown two skydiving runs and was on its way to pick up a third group. As Crooks flew the plane on its descent to Raeford West Airport, the plane descended below the tree line and "dropped," according to the report.

While attempting to get the plane climbing again, the right main landing gear "impacted the runway surface," causing a hard landing. The pilot-in-command took over controls from Crooks, reached over 400 feet again and directed him to declare an emergency and request a diversion to Raleigh-Durham International Airport for landing, the report said.

At this point, Crooks was responsible for communicating with air traffic control while the pilot-in-charge flew the plane. They hit turbulence while approaching the airport and about 20 minutes into the flight, Crooks "became visibly upset" about the hard landing, the report said.

The pilot-in-charge said Crooks then opened his side cockpit window and "may have gotten sick," at which point the pilot-in-charge took over radio communications, the report said. Crooks lowered the ramp in the back of the airplane, indicating he "felt like he was going to be sick and needed air," according to the report.

"The (pilot-in-charge) stated that the (second-in-charge) then got up from his seat, removed his headset, apologized, and departed the airplane via the aft ramp door," the report said.

The pilot said there was a bar that Crooks could have grabbed about 6 feet above the ramp, but he never saw Crooks grab it before exiting the plane. The pilot turned the plane around to search for Crooks and notified air traffic control about Crooks' departure from the plane.

The pilot proceeded with an emergency landing at the airport. On post-accident examination, the plane had substantial damage to the landing gear lifts and the airframe structure, the NTSB report said.
The plane has been retained for further examination, the report said, and the incident is still under investigation.

[Guest1]

Curious, did anyone on this forum fly this aircraft or the aircraft type?

Air Canada Marks its 85th Anniversary, Donates CF-TCC, Historic Aircraft From its Original Fleet to Winnipeg's Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada Français

---

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Air Canada 

Sep 07, 2022, 11:37 ET

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• The Lockheed L‐10A Electra arrives to permanent home for the public to enjoy

Editor's Note: A video celebrating CF-TCC's arrival at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada can be found here.

MONTREAL, Sept. 7, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - In celebration of its 85th anniversary, Air Canada today donated its historic aircraft, an original Lockheed L-10A Electra airplane to Winnipeg's Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. The iconic aircraft, the first fleet type flown by the carrier, made its final journey as it taxied from the Air Canada hangar at Winnipeg International Airport to the Museum at a handover ceremony. The airplane will go on permanent public display as an iconic piece of aviation history.

 

In celebration of its 85th anniversary, Air Canada today donated its historic aircraft, an original Lockheed L-10A Electra airplane to Winnipeg’s Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. (CNW Group/Air Canada)

 

The aircraft, with registration CF-TCC, was one of three purchased by Air Canada's forerunner, Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA), in 1937. It was until recently one of only two Lockheed L10-A Electra aircraft still flying in the world.

 

Named after a bright star in the Pleiades star cluster, the 10A Electra was the pride of the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. In the 1930s, this twin-engine, all-metal monoplane was the exciting new face of commercial aviation.

"There is no more fitting preservation and commemoration for one of our original aircraft than to have TCC be on permanent display in Winnipeg, which was one of TCA's original hubs when the airline began operations in 1937 thanks to its central location in our country. Air Canada has a long and rich history connecting Canadians from coast to coast which continues to this day, and it all started with the Lockheed L-10A 85 years ago. As we celebrate our 85^th anniversary, we mark this milestone by ensuring that such an important part of Canadian aviation history will be available for Canadians and aviation enthusiasts to enjoy for many years to come," said Captain Murray Strom, Senior Vice President – Flight Operations at Air Canada.

"We're very pleased that CF-TCC has landed at the Royal Aviation Museum and is now part of our permanent collection. This aircraft has ties to Winnipeg dating back to 1937 and to our museum in particular," notes Museum President & CEO Terry Slobodian. "Our museum was previously located in the original TCA hangar here in Winnipeg. The Lockheed Electra is a perfect picture of the early days of commercial air travel in Canada. We are grateful to Air Canada for their longstanding support of our museum and for entrusting us with this spectacular piece of aviation history."

The History of CF-TCC

CF-TCC was one of three L-10A aircraft purchased by Trans-Canada Air Lines. The L-10A aircraft type operated TCA's inaugural flight on September 1, 1937, a 50-minute trip from Vancouver to Seattle carrying mail and two passengers.

TCA had acquired the route plus two Lockheed L‐10A aircraft from Canadian Airways. In that same month, TCA bought three additional Lockheed L‐10A aircraft, brand new, from the Lockheed factory for $73,000 each. These aircraft were dubbed the "Three Sisters" and carried the registrations CF‐TCA, CF‐TCB, and CF‐TCC. The first aircraft, CF‐TCA is now at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa. CF-TCC last flew in 2018, and was one of two remaining Lockheed L‐10A Electra aircraft still flying in the world.

After being operated by TCA from 1937 to 1939, CF‐TCC was sold to the Department of Transport – Canada. During the next 40 years, the aircraft was sold several times to various private corporations and individuals.

In 1962, CF-TCC was leased by TCA and six of the original TCA pilots operated a commemorative flight across Canada on the occasion of TCAs 25^th Anniversary.

In 1975, a retired Air Canada employee recognized the faded old registration marks on the aircraft while attending an air show in Texas. Air Canada kept track of the aircraft until 1983, at which point the airline purchased back the aircraft, restored it, and flew it during the Air Canada 50th Anniversary celebrations in 1986. At the end of the Fifty stop Canadian tour, CF‐TCC was featured in the Air Canada pavilion during Expo 86 in Vancouver.

Since 1986, the aircraft has been maintained in flying condition. Volunteers and support from the broader aviation community, including from Air Canada Maintenance and Flight Operations, over the years have dedicated thousands of hours of personal time and other contributions into keeping CF‐TCC flying for generations to enjoy. When not flying, the aircraft has been based in the Western Canada Aviation Museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, or stored in Air Canada's Winnipeg hangar.

On September 21, 2007, it recreated TCA's first flight from Vancouver to Seattle, marking Air Canada's 70^th Anniversary.

In 2012, as part of Air Canada's 75th Anniversary Celebrations, CF‐TCC made several air show and public appearances, showcasing Air Canada's heritage and the history of commercial aviation in Canada.

In 2017 to mark the carrier's 80th anniversary, Air Canada's Lockheed 10A took to the skies for a cross country tour, beginning with a public appearance at the Royal Aviation Museum in Winnipeg. Along the way, the aircraft made stops in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Quebec City.

In 2022, on occasion of Air Canada's 85^th anniversary, the airline's Lockheed 10A made its final journey to the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada in Winnipeg. CF-TCC was taxied to the Museum from Air Canada's Hangar by the aircraft's long-time advocates and volunteers, Retired Captain Robert Giguere, Retired Captain Gerry Norberg, Retired Aircraft Maintenance Engineer George Huntington, and Air Canada Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Mike Clarkson. 

By the Numbers:

1937 Lockheed L‐10A Crew: 2 Pilots, 1 Flight Attendant (known as a Stewardess in 1937.) Capacity: 10 passengers Length: 38 ft 7 in   Wingspan: 55 ft 0 in   Height: 10 ft 1 in   Empty weight: 6,454 lbs   Max Weight: 10,500 lbs   Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R‐985 Wasp Junior SB, 450 HP ea.     Cruise speed: 140 knots, 190 mph   Range: 713 miles / 1,147 kilometres   Normal Cruising Altitude:   6,000 – 10,000 ft

Boeing 777-300ER (Air Canada's largest aircraft)   Crew: 2 or 4 Pilots, up to 12 flight attendants   Capacity: Up to 450 passengers   Length: 242 ft, 9 in   Wingspan: 213 ft, 3 in   Height: 62 ft, 4 in   Empty weight: 353,600 lbs   Max Weight: 775,000 lbs   Powerplant: 2 GE90-115B engines   Cruise speed: 484 knots, 557 mph   Range: 9,068 miles / 14,594 kilometres   Normal Cruising Altitude:   35,000 ft

About Air Canada

[Guest1]

***Current Information, directly from the Official Canadian Civil Aircraft Register database.***

 

  Aircraft Information

 

Mark:

CF-TCC

 

 

 

Common Name:

Lockheed

Model Name:

10A

 

Serial No.:

1116

 

Basis for Eligibility for Registration:

CAR Standard 507.02, 507.03 - Type Certificate - TC551

 

Category:

Aeroplane

Engine:

2, Piston

 

Max Take-Off Weight:

4581 kg

 

 

 

 

24 Bit Address:

Bin=110000000011001001100011, Octal=60031143, Hex=C03263

 

Regional Office:

Dorval

 

 

 

Base of Operations:

Montreal , Quebec, CANADA

 

  Manufacturer Information

 

Manufacturer:

Lockheed Aircraft Corporation Burbank, Calif.

 

Country of Manufacture:

U.S.A.

Year of Manufacture:

1937

 

  Registration Information

 

Type of Registration:

Private

 

Owner Registered Since:

1984-05-17

 

Latest Certificate of Registration Issued:

2006-08-28

 

 

Registered Owner Information

Name:

Air Canada

 

 

 

 

Address:

Centre Air Canada, zip 1012
P.O. Box 9000, Station Airport

 

City:

Dorval

Postal Code:

H4Y 1C2

 

Province/Territory/State:

Quebec

Country:

CANADA

 

Region:

Quebec

 

Mail Recipient:

Yes

[Guest2]

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, which has carried space tourists, suffers failure | CBC News

successful abort of the payload capsule. 

 

[Guest2]

 

[Guest2]

 

NASA's Moon mission pushed back, again
by AFP Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Sept 12, 2022

NASA is now targeting September 27 as the earliest possible launch date for its uncrewed Artemis 1 mission to the Moon, the agency said in a blog post Monday.

The date would depend on engineering teams successfully carrying out a test to fuel up the Space Launch System rocket, and receive a waiver to avoid retesting batteries on an emergency flight system that is used to destroy the rocket if it strays from its designated range.

If it does not receive the waiver, the rocket will have to be wheeled back to its assembly building, pushing the timeline back several weeks.

For the September 27 date, a "70-minute launch window opens at 11:37 am EDT," while the mission would end with an ocean splashdown of the Orion capsule on November 5.

A potential next date comes on October 2.

The Artemis 1 space mission hopes to test the SLS as well as the unmanned Orion capsule that sits atop it, in preparation for future Moon-bound journeys with humans aboard.

Once launched, it will take several days for the spacecraft to reach the Moon, flying around 60 miles (100 kilometers) at its closest approach.

One of the trip's main objectives is to test the capsule's heat shield -- which at 16 feet (five meters) in diameter is the largest ever built -- when the ship re-enters the atmosphere.

The next mission, Artemis 2, will take astronauts to the Moon without landing on its surface, while the third -- set for the mid-2020s -- would see the first woman and person of color on lunar soil.

NASA wants to build a lunar space station called Gateway and keep a sustained presence on the Moon to gain insight into how to survive very long space missions, ahead of a mission to Mars in the 2030s.

[Guest2]

https://canadianaviationnews.wordpress.com/

[Guest2]

 

[Guest2]

 

[Guest2]

Flying taxi ordered by American Airlines successfully completes first test flight

Stephen Jones 

5 hours ago

 

 

 

The piloted test flight was the first time that the VX4 had flown.  Vertical Aerospace

 

• The flying taxi that's been ordered by American Airlines has completed its first test flight. 
• The piloted test of the VX4 is the first in a series of planned tests, Vertical Aerospace said Monday. 
• American Airlines has preordered 250 of the aircraft, which could be certified by 2025. 

A British startup has successfully completed the first piloted test flight of its VX4 flying taxi.

The company, Vertical Aerospace, announced the news on Monday. It marks a significant step in the development of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft technology. 

Vertical Aerospace has designed the VX4, which has been ordered by American Airlines and Virgin Airlines, to carry four passengers on 30-minute flights between airports and across cities.

The test flight, which occurred inside an aircraft hanger, aimed to determine whether the vehicle could lift itself under its own weight, a spokesperson for Vertical Aerospace told Insider. 

During the 10-minute test, the craft, which was tethered to the ground, hovered at a height of around 3 feet, the spokesperson said. 

"This test represented the culmination of many months of preparation by a huge team," said Justin Paines, the company's chief test pilot, who also flew the aircraft.

The full-scale VX4 prototype was piloted by Chief Test Pilot, Justin Paines.  Vertical Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace, which is listed on the New York stock exchange, is one of several startups rushing to develop eVTOLs.

The vehicles, often marketed as flying taxis, are attracting significant interest from major airlines, charter firms, and tourism companies.

No model has been certified by flight regulators, although Vertical Aerospace hopes to have the VX4 certified by 2025.

In July, American Airlines announced it had paid for the pre-delivery of 50 VX4 craft and has a further 200 on order, with an option for 100 more.

The test flight announced on Monday was the first time the VX4 had flown, although Vertical Aerospace previously carried out tests flights on prototype craft. 

Because the test flight was piloted, Vertical Aerospace had to apply for a permit from the UK's aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The spokesperson said that members of the CAA were present during the first test flight. 

Vertical Aerospace plans to continue testing the VX4 for several months and increase the altitude and speed with each new test flight.

[Guest2]

Alice, the first all-electric passenger airplane, takes flight

Jennifer Korn - Yesterday 5:01 p.m.

The world’s first all-electric passenger aircraft has successfully taken to the sky.

Alice, the first all-electric passenger airplane, takes flight - ABC17NEWS

 

View on Watch 

Israeli company Eviation Aircraft successfully launched the Alice on Tuesday morning from Washington’s Grant County International Airport. The zero-emission plane traveled at an altitude of 3,500 feet for its eight-minute inaugural flight.

“This is history,” Gregory Davis, Eviation’s president and CEO, told CNN Business.”We have not seen the propulsion technology change on the aircraft since we went from the piston engine to the turbine engine. It was the 1950s that was the last time you saw an entirely new technology like this come together.”

With battery technology similar to that of an electric car or a cell phone and 30 minutes of charging, the nine-passenger Alice will be able to fly for one hour, and about 440 nautical miles. The plane has a max cruise speed of 250 knots, or 287 miles per hour. For reference, a Boeing 737 has a max cruise speed of 588 miles per hour.

Eviation was founded in 2015 and has been pushing the Alice forward ever since. The company hopes to use the information gathered during Tuesday’s flight to review next steps and deliver aircrafts to customers by 2027 — though Eviation warns that plan is subject to change.

“We’ve actually generated, frankly, terabytes of data with the data acquisition systems that we had on the aircraft, so we’re going to take a couple of weeks actually and review it to see how the aircraft performs versus our models and our analysis,” Davis said. “From there, we’ll understand what we need to do next.”

The company says it expects to be working on developing an FAA-certified aircraft through 2025, followed by a year or two of flight testing before it can deliver Alices to customers.

Three different versions of the Alice are in protoype stages: a “commuter” variant, an executive version, and one specialized for cargo. The commuter configuration holds nine passengers and two pilots, as well as 850 pounds of cargo. The executive design has six passenger seats for a more spacious flight, and the cargo plane holds 450 cubic feet of volume.

But the Alice’s journey toward take-off has not been without issue. Plagued with delays, the Alice was originally expected to fly in 2021. Eviation faced executive turnover and a series of weather issues that hindered testing progress, pushing back take-off dates and announced fleet launches by years. Commuter airline CapeAir expected to put a fleet into service by 2023, serving routes across Boston and Cape Cod, but the purchased Alices have faced delay. DHL and Miami-based air charter company GlobalX have also announced plans to buy the plane.

[Guest2]

 

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

This New All-Electric Seaplane Just Completed Its First Test Flight

The aptly named Seaglider, which can reach 180 mph at full tilt, could enter service by 2025.

REGENT | See It In Action (regentcraft.com)

[Guest2]

 

New lab module to assist space station's completion
by Staff Writers
Beijing (XNA) Nov 01, 2022

The Tiangong Space Station as shown complete after the docking of the Mengtian lab module. Artwork only.

China's Mengtian space lab module, the third major component of the nation's Tiangong space station, was launched on Monday afternoon in a key step to complete the in-orbit assembly of Tiangong.

The lab module's carrier - a Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket - blasted off at 3:37 pm from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the southernmost island province of Hainan.

After flying more than eight minutes, the rocket placed the spacecraft into a low-Earth orbit nearly 400 kilometers above the ground.

Mengtian, the world's largest single-body spacecraft now in active service, was then scheduled to rendezvous and dock with the Tiangong station's Tianhe core module, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The three crew members of the Shenzhou XIV mission, who have been staying in Tiangong for nearly five months, were ready for Mengtian's arrival, the agency said in a news release.

Mengtian was transported to the Wenchang Space Launch Center by ship in early August. It underwent function and prelaunch checks over the past three months at the launch center. The craft received fuel earlier this month at the center.

The lab module is about 17.9 meters long, has a diameter of 4.2 meters and weighs more than 23 metric tons. It has 32 cubic meters of internal space that can be used by the astronauts, according to its designers at the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology.

Gan Keli, Mengtian's project manager at the Shanghai academy, said that the spacecraft consists of four sections - a crew working compartment, a payload section, an airlock cabin and a service module.

"There are 13 scientific cabinets inside the craft to hold scientific equipment. It also carries 37 extravehicular payload adapters capable of carrying scientific experiments that need to be exposed to the space environment, cosmic rays, a vacuum and solar winds," Gan said.

Gan noted that scientific equipment onboard will be used for microgravity studies and to carry out experiments in fluid physics, materials science, combustion science and fundamental physics.

A major technical feature of Mengtian is that it can move scientific apparatus out of the Tiangong station without being handled by the astronauts, to conduct extravehicular experiments and bring them back inside the station after experiments, according to the designer.

Moreover, the lab module is capable of deploying miniature spacecraft such as CubeSats into orbit, he added.

Liu Guoning, deputy chief designer of the scientific cabinet system at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, said the scientific experiments to be carried out in Mengtian are expected to enable scientists to conduct cutting-edge studies and achieve world-class findings.

Liu's center is responsible for making and implementing plans and schedules for scientific work on the Tiangong space station.

The results of the experiments can also boost the application and transfer of advanced space science and technology to other research fields, Liu said.

"So far, we have arranged about 40 experiments in those eight cabinets and will gradually carry them out in accordance with the overall plan," he said.

Liu said three experiments that will take place in Mengtian will involve cooperation with researchers from the European Space Agency, and these will help to increase the status of the Tiangong station in the international science community.

"The Tiangong station will be our country's largest space-based platform for science and technology in the coming decade. We are determined to make full use of the asset to obtain breakthroughs in science and technology and to generate comprehensive benefits," he said.

Wentian, the Tiangong station's first lab module, was launched on July 24 on a Long March 5B rocket from the Wenchang center.

Tiangong is currently composed of four sections: the Tianhe core module, the Wentian lab, the Tianzhou 4 cargo ship and the Shenzhou XIV spacecraft.

After Mengtian is connected with the Tiangong, the station will form a T-shaped structure and astronauts will have as much as 110 cubic meters of usable space.

After the labs, the Tianzhou 5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou XV crew are scheduled to arrive at the massive orbiting outpost around the end of this year.

Monday's launch mission marked the 446th flight of the Long March rocket family and the country's 47th space mission this year. China plans to undertake more than 60 rocket launches in 2022.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

[Guest2]

Liftoff! NASA launches mega Moon rocket, ushering new era of exploration
By Lucie AUBOURG
Kennedy Space Center, United States (AFP) Nov 16, 2022

NASA launched the most powerful rocket ever built on a journey to the Moon on Wednesday, in a spectacular blaze of light and sound that marked the start of the space agency's new flagship program, Artemis.

The 32-story tall Space Launch System (SLS) blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 01:47 am (0647 GMT), producing a record 8.8 million pounds (39 meganewtons) of thrust.

"What you have done today will inspire generations to come, thank you!" Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA's first female launch director, told cheering teammates.

Fixed to the rocket's top was the uncrewed Orion spaceship that will orbit Earth's nearest neighbor, in a test run for later flights that should see the first woman and first person of color touch down on lunar soil by the mid-2020s.

About two hours after launch, NASA said the spacecraft was on its trajectory to the Moon, and later released the first images taken of Earth receding behind the craft.

"Now we are going back to the Moon, not just for the sake of going to the Moon, but to learn how to live on the Moon in order to prepare to send humans all the way to Mars," NASA administrator Bill Nelson told a news conference after the launch.

"This is the next beginning, this is the Artemis generation," added Nelson, who said he watched the launch from the roof of the rocket assembly building along with a group of astronauts.

America last sent astronauts to the Moon during the Apollo era, from 1969-1972.

This time it hopes to build a sustained presence -- including a lunar space station -- to help prepare for an eventual mission to Mars in the 2030s.

There were nervous moments as teams worked to overcome technical issues that ate into the two-hour launch window, which opened at 1:04 am.

First, engineers were forced to pause the flow of liquid hydrogen into the core stage Tuesday night because of a valve leak, but a team sent to the launch pad resolved the issue after about an hour, by tightening loose bolts.

Later, the space agency reported that a radar site monitoring the rocket's flight path was experiencing problems due to a faulty ethernet switch, which had to be replaced.

It was third time lucky for NASA after two previous launch attempts were canceled for technical reasons. The launch was also delayed due to weather setbacks including Hurricane Ian, which battered Florida in late September.

- 'Extremely excited' -

About 100,000 people were expected to have gathered along the coast to witness the historic event.

Todd Garland drove from Frankfurt, Kentucky to watch from Cocoa Beach.

Wearing an Artemis T-shirt, the 55-year-old told AFP tearfully: "This has been an experience I've looked forward to all my life.

"My first memory is my mother waking me up at two years old to watch the Moon landing and I've always wanted to see a launch ever since, and now I have."

Kerry Warner, 59, a grandmother and semi-retired educator who lives in Florida, added the launch was "part of America and what America is all about."

- Far side of the Moon -

The Orion crew capsule was lifted by two boosters and four powerful engines under the core stage, which detached after just a few minutes.

A final push from the upper stage set the capsule on its way to the Moon, though it will take several days to reach its destination.

The upper stage will meanwhile release 10 CubeSats to carry out science experiments, including one that will unfurl a sail-powered by sunlight and perform asteroid reconnaissance work.

Rather than landing on the Moon, Orion will assume a distant orbit, venturing 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers) beyond the far side -- further than any other habitable spacecraft so far.

Finally, the spaceship will embark on the return leg of its journey. When passing through the atmosphere, the capsule's heat shield will need to withstand a temperature half as hot as the Sun's surface.

Though Orion isn't carrying humans this time, it has three sensor-equipped dummies on board to help gather safety data for future crew members.

The mission will last 25-and-a-half days, with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on December 11.

NASA is banking on a successful mission after developing the SLS rocket for more than a decade.

It will have invested more than $90 billion in its new lunar program by the end of 2025, according to a public audit.

Artemis 2 will involve a flyby of the Moon with astronauts in 2024, while Artemis 3 will see boots on lunar soil, no sooner than 2025.

NASA hopes to settle into a yearly launch schedule, and will include international partners from Japan, Canada and Europe.

[Guest2]

Dec 2, 2022

MEDIA ADVISORY M22-180

 

NASA Sets Coverage of Orion’s Historic Moon Mission Return, Splashdown

NASA’s uncrewed Orion spacecraft reached a maximum distance of nearly 270,000 miles from Earth during the Artemis I flight test before beginning its journey back toward Earth. Orion captured imagery of the Earth and Moon together from its distant lunar orbit, including this image on Nov. 28, 2022, taken from camera on one of the spacecraft’s solar array wings.

Credits: NASA

 

NASA will provide live coverage of the Artemis I uncrewed Orion spacecraft’s return flyby of the Moon on Monday, Dec. 5, as well as its return to Earth on Sunday, Dec. 11.

 

The agency also will host several briefings to discuss the upcoming activities from Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA will provide live coverage on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app.

 

Orion has begun its return trek toward Earth, completing a burn Dec. 1, to exit a lunar orbit thousands of miles beyond the Moon, where engineers have been testing systems to improve understanding of the spacecraft before future missions with astronauts.

 

Return lunar flyby coverage will begin at 9 a.m. EST Monday, Dec. 5. The return powered flyby burn, in which the spacecraft will harness the Moon’s gravity and accelerate back toward Earth, is expected at 11:43 a.m. The spacecraft is expected to fly about 79 miles above the lunar surface at 11:42 a.m., just before the burn.

 

U.S. media wishing to join in the news conferences in person must request credentials from the Johnson newsroom no later than 1 p.m. on the day of each briefing at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. Media interested in participating by phone must also contact the Johnson newsroom no later than one hour before the start of the briefings.

 

Live coverage as Mission Control, Houston, monitors the spacecraft’s entry, descent, and splashdown off the coast of San Diego will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 11. Splashdown is expected at 12:40 p.m., after which the exploration ground systems recovery team from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, working with the U.S. Navy, will recover the spacecraft.

 

NASA also is hosting a STEM event in collaboration with the San Diego Air and Space Museum at 9 a.m. PST Sunday, Dec. 11, for students and families to learn about Orion and the science, technology, engineering, and math that ensures the success of the agency’s missions. Participants will be able to watch a live stream of the splashdown, participate in STEM hands on activities, and hear from NASA experts and Department of Education Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten.

 

Following the lunar flyby Dec. 5, NASA will host a 5 p.m. news conference at Johnson.

 

Participants will include:

 

• Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, NASA Headquarters
• Judd Frieling, flight director, NASA Johnson
• Debbie Korth, Orion Program deputy manager, NASA Johnson
• Melissa Jones, landing and recovery director, NASA Kennedy Space Center

 

The agency also will hold a 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, news conference to preview Orion’s entry through Earth’s atmosphere, descent, and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.

 

Participants will include:

 

• Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, NASA Headquarters
• Judd Frieling, flight director, Johnson
• Howard Hu, manager, Orion Program, NASA Johnson
• Melissa Jones, landing and recovery director, NASA Kennedy

 

A news conference also will be held after splashdown, about 3:30 p.m. Dec. 11.

 

Participants will include:

 

• Bill Nelson, NASA administrator
• Jim Free, NASA associate administrator for the Exploration System Development Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
• Howard Hu, Orion Program manager, Johnson
• Emily Nelson, chief flight director, Johnson
• Melissa Jones, recovery director, Kennedy

 

Following a successful launch on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, Artemis I is testing the Orion spacecraft on a rigorous mission in the extreme environment of deep space around the Moon before flying astronauts on Artemis II in 2024. Artemis includes a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration at the Moon where the agency will prepare for future missions with crew to Mars.

 

Learn more about the Artemis I flight test at:

 

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

[Kip Powick]

See....Those "Flat Earth" people  were pretty close to the truth.......the earth is  almost FLAT  but not entirely, as the bottom is elliptical .