Highlights Local Firm On The Eve Of 'Small Business Saturday'

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden toured Kegman Inc. of Melbourne, FL, on Friday. The company was one of many which supplied technology and engineering support to the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover. Bolden's tour of Kegman coincided with the Second Annual Small Business Saturday, a day to support the local small businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country.

Rover 'Curiosity' To Explore Mars 8 1/2 Months From Now  

NASA began a historic voyage to Mars with the Nov. 26 launch of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), which carries a car-sized rover named Curiosity. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard an Atlas V rocket occurred at 1002 EST. "We are very excited about sending the world's most advanced scientific laboratory to Mars," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "MSL will tell us critical things we need to know about Mars, and while it advances science, we'll be working on the capabilities for a human mission to the Red Planet and to other destinations where we've never been."

Local Albuquerque Charter School Students Get First-Hand View Of Careers In The Aerospace Industry

Members of the Southwest Secondary Learning Center (SSLC) visited Aspen Avionics last week, and received a tour of the facility and an introduction to available career paths in the aerospace industry.

Design Equivalency Review Completed For Production Launch Vehicle

United Launch Alliance (ULA) said Tuesday it has reached a key milestone that could lead toward the certification of the Atlas V launch vehicle for human spaceflight. The Design Equivalency Review (DER) completes a rigorous assessment of the flight-proven Atlas V launch vehicle's compliance with NASA human spaceflight requirements.

Planemaker Will Show Off Its Latest Product In Asia, Africa, And The Middle East

To generate interest in a product, you have to get in front of potential users and buyers. That's true whether what you're selling is the latest weight-loss gadget or a new jetliner. With that in mind Boeing is about to embark on what it calls a six-month "Dream Tour" with its 787 Dreamliner.

Russian Operator Signs Agreement To Purchase Five Additional Avanti II

Piaggio Aero has delivered the first P.180 Avanti II aircraft to JSC FIS, a Russian company which provides Flight Inspection and calibration services. JSC FIS and Piaggio Aero have also jointly announced the signing of new contract for 5 more P.180 Avanti II  “Flight Inspection” aircraft to be delivered beginning in 2012.

Airplanes To Be Scrapped For Parts To Keep U.S. Airplanes Flying

The U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD) has finalized a deal to sell as many as 72 surplus Harrier VTOL aircraft to the U.S. Marine Corps for use as spare parts. The U.S. DoD will reportedly pay $180 million for the aircraft.

Ascend's 2020 Aviation Finance Forum Explores Shifting Investment Landscape

Financial innovation by aircraft lessors is keeping the sector buoyant, according to global aviation specialist Ascend, as it prepares to address the industry. Ascend’s Head of Risk Advisory Paul Sheridan says a massive $75 billion of aircraft demand this year is opening up new financing options and driving competition among new entrant lessors across the commercial aviation industry.

Aero Linx: JPL's Mars Science Lab Site NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft began its mission at 1002 EST, Nov. 26. It is the start of an eight-month interplanetary cruise to Mars. The spacecraft's components include a car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for signs of life, including methane, and to help determine if this gas is from a biological or geological source.

Chandler Wobble A small motion in the Earth's rotation axis relative to the surface, discovered by American astronomer Seth Carlo Chandler in 1891. Its amplitude is about 0.7 arcseconds (about 15 meters on the surface) with a period of 433 days. It combines with another wobble with a period of one year, so the total polar motion varies with a period of about 7 years. The Chandler wobble is an example of free nutation for a spinning non-spherical object.

Aero-News Quote of the Day "We enjoy the opportunity to not only support a local Albuquerque program, but we also appreciate the opportunity to inspire and encourage young people to pursue their passion for aviation. At Aspen, the students can see that there are many roles that need to be filled in a technology company, not only being an engineer or a pilot, but also marketing, customer service, and operational leadership roles.” Source: John Uczekaj, Aspen’s President and CEO, commenting on the visit by members of the Southwest Secondary Learning Center (SSLC) to Aspen Avionics, where they received a tour of the facility and an introduction to available career pat