Navy AUV sets record

The Naval Research Laboratory's Acoustics Division, with Bluefin Robotics, set a record 315-mile long-endurance autonomous research mission using Reliant, a heavyweight-class mine countermeasures underwater vehicle (AUV). Reliant, when equipped with a low frequency broadband sonar system, is the prototype for the new U.S. Navy Knifefish mine-hunter. The 20 foot long, 1,350 pound AUV left Boston Harbor and traveled south past Cape Cod, then west through Nantucket Sound between Martha’s Vineyard and the mainland, then south of Long Island to the approaches to New York City. It traveled at a depth of 10 meters and an average speed of 2.5 knots. The vehicle surfaced at 20-kilometer intervals to report position via Iridium satellite and made Upper New York Bay with a 10 percent energy reserve. The system is designed to help the Navy detect and identify undersea volume and bottom mines in high-clutter environments. The Knifefish system is a part of the Littoral Combat Ship mine countermeasure mission package. (Source: Business Wire, 11/20/13) Note: Stennis Space Center, Miss., is home of an NRL detachment, the Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center and the Naval Oceanographic Office, which operates a fleet of unmanned underwater vehicles; A variant of the Littoral Combat Ship is built by Austal, USA in Mobile, Ala.; The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City (Fla.) Division conducts RDT&E in technologies for warfare in littoral regions, including mine warfare systems and mines.

Crew program inches forward

WASHINGTON – NASA requested proposals from U.S. companies to complete development of crew transportation systems that meet NASA certification requirements. This phase of the Commercial Crew Program is the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap), designed to ensure a company's crew transportation system is safe, reliable and cost-effective. "NASA is committed to launching American astronauts from U.S. soil in the very near future, and we're taking a significant step toward achieving that goal today," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. The certification process will assess progress throughout the production and testing of one or more integrated space transportation systems, which include rockets, spacecraft and ground operations. Requirements under CCtCap also will include at least one crewed flight test to the space station before certification can be granted. NASA has not been able to launch astronauts in space from U.S. soil since the end of the Space Shuttle program. The crew program is part of the Space Launch System program. (Source: PRNewswire, 11/19/13) Note: Stennis Space Center, Miss., is involved in NASA's SLS program, designed to take astronauts deeper in space than ever before.

NASA tests SLS autopilot

NASA completed the first tests with an F/A-18 research jet to evaluate the autonomous flight control system for the Space Launch System rocket. Called the Adaptive Augmenting Controller, the system will allow SLS to respond to vehicle and environmental variations such as winds or vehicle flexibility after it leaves the launch pad. It’s the first time a flight control system for a NASA rocket is being designed to adjust autonomously to unexpected conditions during actual flight rather than pre-flight predictions. Tests were Nov. 14-15 out of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. More than 40 tests were conducted using SLS-like trajectories. (Source: PRNewswire, 11/19/13) Note: Stennis Space Center, Miss., is involved in NASA's SLS program, designed to take astronauts deeper in space than ever before.

RR wins $5B engine order

Rolls-Royce, which tests engines at its outdoor test facility at Stennis Space Center, Miss., won a $5 billion order from Etihad Airways for Trent XWB engines to power 50 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft. The national airline of the United Arab Emirates ordered 24 A350-900 Regional, 16 A350-900 and 10 A350-1000 aircraft. The order takes the total number of Etihad A350 aircraft on order to 62, all powered by the Trent XWB. The Trent XWB, specifically designed for the Airbus A350 XWB, powered the first test flight of the A350 XWB at Toulouse on 14 June this year. Etihad has also ordered Trent 700 engines to power one Airbus A330 freighter aircraft (Source: Rolls-Royce, 11/17/13) Previous: RR XWB takes to the skies; New RR test stand opens

Survey ship clears way

PHILIPPINE SEA -- The USNS Bowditch oceanographic survey ship was first on scene off the coast of Tacloban, Republic of the Philippines, ensuring safe sea lanes in order for the George Washington Strike Group to assist the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in support of Operation Damayan. Bowditch (T-AGS 62) is an oceanographic sampling platform for surface, mid-water and ocean floor data collection. Surveys of this nature are required to confirm bottom features and identify navigational hazards in the wake of a major storm. The ship has been performing acoustical, biological, physical and geophysical surveys in the off-shore waters of the Philippines since Typhoon Haiyan struck. Bowditch is operated by the Military Sealift Command for the Naval Oceanographic Office, a component of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command headquartered at the Stennis Space Center, Miss. The ship is one of six Pathfinder-class vessels with an all-civilian crew of professional mariners and scientific support personnel. (Source: Task Force 70 Public Affairs, 11/17/13)

Science center to host launch event

NASA's Infinity Science Center just outside Stennis Space Center, Miss., is among five NASA centers that will host events and activities Nov. 18 for the public to view the launch of the agency's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft and learn about its mission. MAVEN is set to launch at 1:28 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. It will take measurements of the Martian upper atmosphere to help scientists understand climate change over the Red Planet's history. For more information on the Infinity activities, call 228-533-9025, ext. 311. (Source: PRNewswire, 11/15/13)

Lockheed consolidating sites

Lockheed Martin said Thursday that it will close and consolidate several of its U.S. facilities and reduce its workforce by 4,000 to cut costs in response to declines in U.S. government spending. Operations will be closed in Newtown, Pa.; Akron, Ohio; Goodyear, Ariz.; and Horizon City, Texas; and four buildings on the Sunnyvale, Calif., campus, also will be closed by mid-2015. Closures will eliminate 2,000 positions, and other initiatives will eliminate another 2,000 positions in the Information Systems and Global Solutions, Mission System and Training and Space Systems business areas by the end of 2014. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 11/14/13) Note: Lockheed Martin has operations across the Gulf Coast, including the Space and Technology Center at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

NASA has most satisfied workers

If you're a federal government worker, you're most satisfied if you work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. That's according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's 2013 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. In this year's survey, 376,577 federal employees provided their opinions on all aspects of their employment. There were twenty-nine items identified as strengths, and from 2012 to 2013, the highest increasing trend involved the commitment and respect of supervisors to their employees. But the 2013 responses demonstrate a significant drop in employee satisfaction and continue last year's declines across the majority of questions. In this region, NASA has a rocket test facility at Stennis Space Center, Miss., and also operates the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. (Source: GCAC, 11/14/13) Survey. Previous: NASA among best places to work; NASA best place to work

Commercial space success hailed

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Wednesday hailed the success of the agency's public-private partnership with American companies to resupply the International Space Station, and announced the next phase of contracting with U.S. companies to transport astronauts is set to begin next week. The United States now has two space transportation systems capable of delivering science experiments and supplies from U.S. soil to the International Space Station. Commercial companies could begin ferrying NASA astronauts to ISS as soon as 2017. The Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program is now over. SpaceX and Orbital Sciences have successfully flown missions to ISS. Now the push is on for carrying astronauts. On Nov. 19, the agency will issue a final Request for Proposals for the new Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract. (Source: NASA via PRNewswire, 11/13/13) Note: Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, are both involved in NASA and commercial space programs. Previous: SpaceX picks SSC for engine R&D; Crew abort test reviewed; Dream Chaser has landing snafu

SBC meeting set

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. The next general meeting of the Stennis Business Consortium is Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. in the auditorium of the StenniSphere, Building 1200. There is no cost, but registration is required. This meeting will focus on resource business providers, nonprofit organizations that can help your business take the next step. SBC's mission is to provide a mechanism for federal and state agencies, local institutions, and businesses to exchange information on small business goals, needed and emerging technologies, upcoming procurement requirements and opportunities, and issues dealing with existing procurement regulations. (Source: MSET, 11/13/13) To register

Orion fired up

Avionics placed in Orion at Kennedy.
Lockheed Martin photo

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- NASA's deep space craft, Orion, has been powered on for the first time in a major milestone in the final year of preparations for flight. Orion's avionics system was installed on the crew module and powered up for a series of systems tests last week. Preliminary data indicate Orion's vehicle management computer, as well as its innovative power and data distribution system -- which use state-of-the-art networking capabilities -- performed as expected. All of Orion's avionics systems will be put to the test during its first mission, Exploration Flight Test-1(EFT-1), targeted to launch in the fall of 2014. (Source: NASA, Lockheed Martin, 10/28/13) Note: Orion is built in part at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans. Engines for the rocket that will eventually be used to lift Orion will be tested at tennis Space Center, Miss.

Crew abort test reviewed

Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, recently laid out its plan to NASA to demonstrate the Dragon spacecraft's ability to carry astronauts to safety in the event of an in-flight emergency. In the test, which will take place along Florida's space coast next summer, a Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket and an abort command will be issued about 73 seconds into the flight, when it's flying through the area of maximum dynamic pressure. The test spacecraft will be retrieved from splashdown and returned to Port Canaveral by barge so data can be incorporated into the system's design. SpaceX is one of three companies working under NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability initiative to develop spaceflight capabilities that eventually could provide launch services to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil. SpaceX has already flown cargo missions to the ISS. (Source: Space Travel, 10/28/13) Note: SpaceX will test its developing Raptor engine at Stennis Space Center, Miss., beginning in 2014. Previous

Dream Chaser has landing snafu

Sierra Nevada's prototype Dream Chaser spacecraft had its first free-flight test Saturday, but sustained damage when its landing gear failed to deploy properly while landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The spacecraft, which looks like NASA's space shuttle, was unmanned during the test. It was released from an air-crane helicopter at 12,000 feet and adhered to the design flight trajectory throughout the flight profile. The landing gear in the test flight was adapted from an F-5E fighter, but future versions will use a different design. Sierra Nevada is one of the commercial companies contracted by NASA to develop spacecraft to bring supplies and personnel to the International Space Station. (Sources: NBC News, 10/27/13, Space Travel, 10/28/13) Sierra Nevada contracted with Lockheed Martin to assemble the composite structure for the first space-bound Dream Chaser at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

Bolden visits SSC

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden was at Stennis Space Center Wednesday to welcome employees back to work after the U.S. government shutdown. Bolden held separate meetings with SSC and NASA Shared Services Center workers. He also toured the B-2 Test Stand, which is being prepared to test the core stage of NASA’s new Space Launch System, which will carry humans deeper into space than ever before. Stennis employees returned to work Oct. 17 following a 16-day furlough. (Source: NASA/SSC, 10/24/13)

SpaceX picks SSC for engine R&D

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – SpaceX, the first commercial company to successfully fly a cargo mission to the International Space Station, has chosen Stennis Space Center for its rocket engine testing program. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant made the announcement today. SpaceX will use SSC to test its Raptor methane rocket engines, capable of generating nearly 300 tons of thrust. SpaceX will upgrade the E-2 test stand at SSC with methane capability. Another commercial company involved in flying cargo to the ISS, Orbital Sciences, tests AJ-26 engines that power its Antares launch vehicle at SSC. Commercial company Blue Origin also tests engine at SSC. (Source: GCAC, governor's press release, 10/23/13) Previous: Cygnus leaves ISS; Blue Origin tests thrust chamber. For background on SSC, see Chapter III, Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor 2013-2014.

Cygnus leaves ISS

A private cargo ship built by Orbital Sciences left the International Space Station and will re-enter the atmosphere Wednesday and self-destruct. Unlike the Dragon spacecraft of SpaceX, Cygnus is designed to burn up upon re-entry. It has been loaded with items no longer needed at the ISS. The unmanned spaceship attached itself to the ISS on September 29, the first successful resupply flight by Orbital Sciences. Dragon was the first private company to successfully dock with ISS. Both companies have billion-dollar NASA contracts to deliver cargo to the ISS on multiple missions over the coming years. Cygnus launched Sept. 18 atop an Antares rocket, powered by AJ-26 engines tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Sources: Space Travel, 10/21/13, NBC, 10/22/13) Previous: Cygnus docks with ISS

New RR test stand opens

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – Rolls-Royce North America today officially opened its second test stand at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center, an investment of $50 million that will mean 35 new jobs when fully operational. SSC is where NASA and commercial companies test rocket engines, but Rolls-Royce opened its first jetliner engine test stand here in 2007. "Our decision to first build, and now expand, the Rolls-Royce Outdoor Jet Engine Test Stand here at Stennis embraces the spirit of partnership with the state of Mississippi," said James M. Guyette, President and CEO of Rolls-Royce North America. "Rolls-Royce is investing in America because our collective innovation, competitiveness and cooperative spirit – and we find the state of Mississippi is the perfect location to expand our operations." The site conducts jet engine testing, including noise, crosswind, endurance and other tests, on the latest and most sophisticated Rolls-Royce civil aircraft engines. That includes the Trent 1000 that powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Trent XWB that powers the Airbus A350 XWB. (Source: Business Wire, 10/16/13)

RR to mark stand opening

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Rolls-Royce North America will officially open its second jet engine test stand at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi Oct. 16. The test stand represents a $50 million investment and high technology jobs. The same day, Rolls-Royce will donate a Trent 1000 jetliner engine to Infinity Science Center, just outside SSC. The engine, which was tested at SSC, will serve as a centerpiece for aviation engineering and STEM career education. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Rolls-Royce North America opened its Outdoor Jet Engine Testing Facility at SSC in 2007, the first outside the United Kingdom. Testing at SSC includes noise, crosswind, thrust reverse, cyclic and endurance testing on all current Rolls-Royce engine types. (Source: Rolls-Royce, 10/07/13) RR to open second SSC test stand; RR breaks ground on test facility

RR welcomes Japan order

Rolls-Royce welcomed a decision by Japan Airlines to order 31 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, which are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. The Trent XWB will power 18 A350-900 and 13 A350-1000 aircraft. The engine powered the A350 XWB to its first test flight in June this year at the Airbus base in Toulouse, France. (Source: Rolls-Royce, 10/07/13) Note: Trent XWB engines are tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

The body heat charger

Smart phones could one day be charged in a pocket using only body heat. Even sooner than that, rocket sensors needed to monitor an engine's health while launching it into space could feature sensors powered solely by the heat generated from the rocket. Those opportunities are within the realm of possibility thanks to a new patent-pending Loyola University New Orleans invention by physics professor Patrick Garrity. A $74,523 NASA grant from Stennis Space Center, Miss., will allow the invention to enter prototype or beta testing at SSC. Thermoelectric technology, turning heat into electricity, has been around for years but it's inefficient. But Garrity aims to change that with a system that redirects the heat and raises the efficiency. (Source: Loyola University, 09/30/13)