Boeing investing in future growth at its Alabama operations
While aerospace giant Boeing grabs headlines with major deals at the Farnborough International Airshow, its Alabama operations are having a far-reaching impact on the company’s global business. Boeing workers in Alabama provide critical support and expertise in weapons systems, space exploration, advanced avionics research and more. One of the latest developments in the company’s 56-year history in the state is the expansion of its Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile seeker facility in Huntsville, which is taking support of its customers and warfighters to a whole new level. Meanwhile, Boeing is investing about $70 million in capital in Alabama to prepare its facilities for future growth. “It is an exciting time to work in aerospace in Alabama,” said Norm Tew, vice president and general manager of the Missile and Weapon Systems Division, and Huntsville senior site executive. “Boeing’s Alabama employees are designing, building and supporting some of the most advanced and most critical aerospace systems in the world, through our work on NASA’s Space Launch System, advanced air and missile defense systems, strategic deterrence systems, our engineering design centers and the many other projects and programs we support at our facilities in Alabama,” Tew said. “As the largest aerospace company in the state, we continue to grow our portfolio of work here and we’re making the investments to do so.” PAC-3 seeker The new PAC-3 seeker expansion is a 28,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility with investment from Boeing, as well as its customers. Gov. Kay Ivey joined company officials in April to mark the completion of the project. “This facility houses the latest production and test equipment and gives us additional capacity required to produce PAC-3 seekers for our customer and partner, Lockheed Martin – ultimately helping support the growing needs of the U.S. Army and its allies for the PAC-3 missile capability,” said Boeing spokeswoman Jen Wollman. The Boeing seeker technology provides key target data to the PAC-3 missile guidance system, and the company has produced more than 3,000 PAC-3 seekers over the history of the program, which spans more than 20 years, she added. Boeing’s Alabama-made seekers provide active data to the PAC-3 missile, which enables it to acquire, intercept and destroy enemy ballistic and cruise missiles as well as hostile aircraft using hit-to-kill technology. The company invested $45 million to expand the Huntsville PAC-3 missile seeker production line in 2011, and last year workers produced the 3,000th seeker at the Alabama location. Alabama presence Boeing employs about 2,700 people in Alabama at two key facilities in Huntsville, in the Jetplex Industrial Park and at Redstone Gateway. The company generates an estimated $2.3 billion of economic activity in the state annually. Last year, it spent $606 million with nearly 200 suppliers, supporting about 18,000 direct and indirect jobs. In addition, Boeing and its employees contributed more than $1.6 billion to charitable organizations throughout the state in 2017. “Boeing has been a pillar of Alabama’s aerospace industry for more than half a century, buoyed by the skill and dedication of its Huntsville workforce,” said Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “The company continues to deepen its roots here in the state, setting the stage for even more groundbreaking research, developments and products.” Boeing’s core business areas in Alabama are: Missile and Weapons Systems: Includes Ground-based Midcourse Defense, designed to detect, intercept and destroy long-range ballistic missiles during their midcourse phase of flight, and Strategic Deterrence Systems, which integrate Boeing’s support of the U.S. Air Force’s nuclear deterrence mission. Space and Launch: The world’s largest satellite manufacturer, which also provides other space and intelligence systems and manages Boeing’s share of United Launch Alliance and United Space Alliance. Also includes Space Launch System, responsible for design, development, testing and manufacture of the core and upper stages and avionics for the nation’s next-generation human-rate rocket to take people and cargo to deep space and to the International Space Station. Boeing Global Services: Support services for U.S. Army helicopters. Huntsville Design Center: Includes a team of nearly 250 engineers that support a wide variety of programs, including military and commercial aircraft. Boeing Research and Technology: The Alabama research center houses about 300 engineers, scientists and technicians who are working on advances in avionics systems, composite materials, cybersecurity and other areas. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Personnel note: Steve Miley named associate director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
NASA has named Steve Miley the associate director of their Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Marshall, one of NASA’s largest field installations, has almost 6,000 civil service and contract personnel, an annual budget of approximately $2.5 billion, 4.5 million square feet of infrastructure and a broad spectrum of human spaceflight, science and technology development. As associate director, Miley will manage and lead development of business operations, guide daily business decisions and oversee Marshall’s operational policy and processes. In addition, he will serve as a senior adviser in advancing the direction of the center’s future. “With three decades of government acquisition and management experience, Steve is well prepared for his new position on the center’s senior leadership team,” said Marshall Center Director Todd May. “The leadership skills he has displayed while working with NASA Headquarters, other NASA field centers, the U.S. Air Force, government agencies and partners has been, and will continue to be, invaluable to Marshall and the nation’s space exploration efforts.” Professional background The Dayton, Ohio, native most recently served as director of Marshall’s Office of Procurement. Named to the position in December 2015, he managed the organization responsible for all aspects of the contracting and procurement processes at Marshall, NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and associated contractor facilities. In 2014, Miley began a second stint as the associate director for operations in Marshall’s Engineering Directorate. He also held that post from 2007 to 2011. From 2011 to 2014, he was at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, as director of contracting for the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, the organization responsible for total lifecycle management of Air Force weapon systems. He led 13 acquisition directorates at three military sites, overseeing more than 2,000 contracting professionals, and guided more than $31 billion in annual obligations for 10 program offices with an active contract value of more than $196 billion. In 2006, Miley was appointed to the Senior Executive Service at NASA Headquarters in Washington, where he supervised the agency’s key technical capability portfolios as director of the Strategic Capabilities Assets Division. The Senior Executive Service is the personnel system that covers most of the top managerial, supervisory and policy positions in the executive branch of the federal government. Miley began his career in 1988 as a contract negotiator at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, supporting key military aviation and missile programs. After graduating from the Air Force contracting intern program in 1992, he transferred to NASA Headquarters in Washington as a contracting officer and procurement analyst. He was a contract negotiator for the NASA-Russian Space Agency contract for American support and use of Space Station Mir. In 1995, he transferred to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, as a contracting officer and business team leader in the International Space Station Program Office. He returned to NASA Headquarters from 1998 to 2007 to take on a variety of positions, including manager of the Sponsored Research Business Office and acting assistant associate administrator for infrastructure management in NASA’s Office of Space Flight. He earned a master’s degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., in 1986, a master’s degree in business administration from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, in 1992, and a bachelor’s degree from Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Ky., in 1983. He also received the Professional Designation in Contract Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and the Certified Professional Contracts Manager designation from the National Contract Management Association, headquartered in Ashburn, Va., in 1992. A 21-year Air Force reserve officer, Miley received his commission through the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2008. He and his wife Dana live in Huntsville.
University of Alabama wins fourth straight championship — in robotics
Make it four in a row. University of Alabama students who competed in a NASA robotics contest came away with the top prize again, making it four straight years for the team from UA to win. Alabama Astrobotics took the top prize at the NASA Robotic Mining Competition, besting student teams from more than 50 other institutions in the challenge to build a robot capable of navigating and excavating simulated Martian soil, or regolith. Made up of about 65 students from across eight disciplines including engineering and computer science, Alabama Astrobotics is the only team to win more than once in the nine-year history of the NASA contest, placing first in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017 and, now, 2018. “Our team is just like a football team, you have seniors who graduate at the end and you have new people coming in at the beginning, so every year it’s a completely different team,” said team lead and electrical engineering student Max Eastepp. “For us to be successful this year says a lot for this team and says a lot for how we adapt to new challenges each year.” Eastepp, a native of New Orleans, said teamwork is critical as students worked from July through the contest this month to design the robot and tackle the new problem NASA presented this year. Contest organizers revised the rules and rubrics this year to reflect the discovery that water ice is prevalent throughout the Red Planet. The challenge is to mine the precious icy regolith, simulated with gravel in the contest, since water ice will provide oxygen, water and fuel for future off-world colonists. What that meant for the contest, though, is no points were awarded to teams for digging the top foot of regolith. Teams earned points for collecting the gravel 12 inches below the surface. UA’s robot mined more of the gravel than any other team in the contest, with many teams failing to mine any gravel. Also, Alabama Astrobotics was the only team with a robot that competed entirely autonomously, meaning the robot used computer programming to guide itself, mine and deposit the soil and gravel without any directions from students during the contest. The team placed first in five of nine categories: mining, autonomy, systems engineering paper, efficient use of communications power and outreach reports. In all, the students won $11,000 for use on next year’s robot. Dr. Kenneth Ricks, team adviser and associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, said the team’s consistent success comes from a culture of sticking to a plan – meeting deadlines, testing thoroughly before competition and paying attention to detail. “We know what needs to be done and when it needs to be done,” he said. “If our students buy into that process, they know they will have opportunities to be successful.” The team received funding from the Alabama Space Grant Consortium, NASA, Dynetics, Fitz-Thors Engineering, Crank N Chrome and the university. Republished with the permission of the Alabama Newscenter.
Women of Influence: NASA astrophysicist Dr. Colleen Wilson-Hodge
Alabama has been home to many pioneers in many different industries, but after several new astronomic discoveries, long-time Huntsville resident and NASA astrophysicist Dr. Colleen Wilson-Hodge has set herself apart in a big way. From an early age, Wilson-Hodge had a love for astronomy and space few could match. In the sixth grade, she took an overnight field trip to the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., where she toured NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. “I think that was the first time I realized I could actually work for NASA as a grownup,” she said. In college she became a NASA co-op student, alternating between classes and working for NASA she met Dr. Gerald Fishman, who was managing the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) at the time. She caught his excitement for the project, and began studying gamma ray bursts in 1989. Wilson-Hodge graduated with a Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 1996, and immediately began studying for her Ph. D. in Astrophysics, which she obtained in 1999. In 1999 Wilson-Hodge discovered a special type of pulsar called an X-ray pulsar, which led her to the finding of two new stars. X-ray pulsars emit X-rays and gamma-rays and are powered by accretion, stars gobbling up material from a companion star. “For just a little while, the universe is putting on a show that only I, and members of the gamma-ray team know about,” Wilson-Hodge told the Marshall Space Flight Center. She continued to work on the BATSE project until 2000, when the monitor was de-orbited. Wilson-Hodge continued working at the Marshall Space Flight Center, and made another discovery in 2011, when she and her team revealed unexpected changes in X-ray emission from the Crab Nebula. “For 40 years, most astronomers regarded the Crab as a standard candle,” she told UAH. “Now, for the first time, we’re clearly seeing how much our candle flickers.” In August of 2017, Wilson-Hodge and the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) team gave the world its first detection of light from the same source as gravitational waves, which according to NASA are “ripples in space and time.” “This new way of learning about the universe is kind of like gaining a new sense. It’s as if we’ve been watching the news for all of human history, but the T.V. has been on mute, now with gravitational wave detectors, we’re finally able to turn on the sound,” said Wilson-Hodge’s associate Tyson Littenberg. “When we built GBM and launched it on Fermi in 2008, we designed it to detect gamma-ray bursts well,” Wilson-Hodge told NASA. “Back then, it was only slated to fly for five years. Today, GBM is at the forefront of an entirely new type of science, ushering in this new era of multi-messenger astronomy.” Her findings won her, and the GBM team the 2018 Bruno Rossi Prize, the top prize in high-energy astronomy. Wilson-Hodge is a extremely “bright star,” in the world of scientific discoveries, and was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer some of Alabama Today’s questions about her life, work and influences: How have other women influenced your success? Several women in my life have had a positive influence. The first is my Mom, Carol Wilson, who always encouraged me to pursue my dreams, even if they were out of the ordinary. She has always believed in me and celebrated my successes, and still does! Another was Ms. Sutherland, my high school speech and drama teacher. She taught me much about public speaking that I still use today. I hear her voice in my head sometimes when I’m preparing talks. Early in my career at NASA, I worked with mostly men. One woman did have a big impact on me though. Her name is Dr. Jean Swank. She was the project scientist for the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, a satellite that I used quite a bit of data from in my PhD Dissertation. She is an excellent scientist and an extremely capable leader and she is a quiet person like me. She was my first in person example of someone like me leading a space experiment, something that I always wanted to do, and she was a mentor to me. More recently Dr. Linda Sparke from NASA HQ spent a year leading the project that I now lead. She is also an excellent scientist and leader and an extremely good reader of people. She was leading a project where she wasn’t the expert in the specific science area, so she led collaboratively, getting the inputs she needed from the experts on the team to make decisions. She wasn’t afraid to say she didn’t know, but knew where to go to get the information. She was a great mentor to me as I became the principal investigator of the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor. What shaped your desire to work with NASA, specifically high energy astrophysics? I was fascinated by the Voyager images coming back from Jupiter and later Saturn when I was a child. I would clip the photos out of the newspaper and collect them. In the third grade, I told my classmates I wanted to be an astrophysicist, partially because I liked the big word and partially because I was interested in space. In the sixth grade, my school from Athens, TN, took an overnight field trip to the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., where we toured NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. I think that was the first time I realized I could actually work for NASA as a grownup! When I was in college, initially at University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, I was hired as a cooperative education student at NASA MSFC. Initially I wasn’t working in astrophysics at all, and I thought my interest was to go into radio astronomy. While I was at MSFC, I walked down the hall to the Astrophysics Division and met Dr. Gerald Fishman who led the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) which was to be launched on the Compton Gamma ray
Richard Shelby encourages support, passage of $60 billion appropriations bill
Alabama U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS), on Wednesday announced the filing of a Fiscal Year 2018 appropriations bill. The bill would provide crucial funding to the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Justice, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Science Foundation. “This is a strong bill that provides significant support for my priorities on the Commerce, Justice, and Science subcommittee, such as law enforcement, national security, economic development, scientific research, and space exploration,” said Shelby. “Furthermore, it will rebuild and strengthen our military with the biggest increase in defense funding in 15 years, while also creating opportunities to renew America’s aging infrastructure throughout the nation. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bipartisan bill.” The bill would provide: $30 million in grants to support troubled coal mining communities across the nation $20.7 billion for NASA space, educational, and technology programs $2.9 billion for DOJ State and Local Law Enforcement Activities, including the Office on Violence Against Women, juvenile justice programs, and community crime prevention $32 million for Community Oriented Policing Services’ (COPS) to combat the opioid and heroin crisis. $177.5 million for initiatives to address rape kit and other DNA evidence backlogs Highlights from the bill, and full details of funding can be found below: Science National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – $20.7 billion for NASA, $1.1 billion above the FY2017 enacted level and $1.6 billion above the budget request, to support the human and robotic exploration of space, fund science missions that enhance the understanding of the Earth, the solar system, and the universe, and support fundamental aeronautics research. This includes: $2.15 billion for the Space Launch System (SLS), which is $212 million above the request. $1.3 billion for the Orion crewed spacecraft, $164 million above the request, to continue development of NASA’s next deep-space crewed capsule. $760 million for Space Technology, $74 million above the FY2017 enacted level to advance projects in early stages of development that are expected to demonstrate capabilities needed for future space exploration. $100 million is provided for Education programs that were proposed to be eliminated in the budget request. NASA EPSCoR is funded at $18 million, Space Grant is funded at $40 million, the Minority University Research and Education Project is funded at $32 million, and STEM Education and Accountability Projects are funded at $10 million. Department of Commerce The bill funds the U.S. Department of Commerce at $11.1 billion, $1.9 billion more than FY2017, to focus on core economic development activities, protecting intellectual property rights, strengthening trade enforcement, advancing cybersecurity research, and improving severe weather forecasting. Economic Development Administration (EDA) – $301.5 million for the EDA, $25.5 million more than FY2017. Increased funding expands the Public Works program to support brick-and-mortar projects in communities across the country and broadband infrastructure and access to unserved areas of the country. The bill also provides $30 million in grants to assist troubled coal mining communities. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – $1.2 billion for NIST, $247 million above the FY2017 enacted level. This amount includes a $10 million increase over the FY2017 level for the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Targeted funding will continue to support our nation’s cybersecurity posture through cutting-edge research, expanded advanced manufacturing opportunities, and the promotion of high quality standards to maintain fairness in the marketplace. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – $5.9 billion, $234 million above the FY2017 enacted level. The bill provides full funding for NOAA’s flagship weather satellites, which are critical for accurate weather warnings to protect lives and property. Increased funding is provided for the National Weather Service to address failing infrastructure at its Weather Forecast Offices across the country. In addition, the bill includes increased funding for our nation’s fisheries. This includes continued support for more accurate and agency-independent data and language allowing NOAA to experiment with alternative management regimes. Provisions in the bill will help expand opportunities for American commercial and recreational fishermen. Department of Justice The bill funds the Department of Justice (DOJ) at $30.3 billion, $1.3 billion above the FY2017 enacted level. The constantly-changing landscape of criminal activity at home and abroad tests the DOJ’s ability to deal with emerging threats. The bill ensures that federal law enforcement agencies work together to focus limited resources in a manner that safeguards taxpayer dollars while preserving public safety. Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) – The bill provides $504.5 million for EOIR, $64.5 million above the FY2017 enacted level, which includes funding for at least 100 new Immigration Judge (IJ) Teams to help reduce the extensive and growing backlog of pending immigration cases. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Salaries and Expenses – $9.03 billion, a $263 million increase above the FY2017 enacted level. Within funding provided, the FBI is expected to enhance its investigative and intelligence efforts related to terrorism, national security, human trafficking, and cyber threats, while also enforcing U.S. criminal laws. The bill directs the FBI to ensure full funding for the operations of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), and to review protocols associated with communication and information sharing between the Public Access Line and FBI field offices. Law Enforcement Grant Programs – $2.9 billion for DOJ State and Local Law Enforcement Activities, including the Office on Violence Against Women, juvenile justice programs, and community crime prevention grant programs. The bill contains $330 million to fund the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (CARA) grant program, a $227 million increase over FY2017, and $32 million for Community Oriented Policing Services’ (COPS) anti-heroin task forces grants. Overall, a $299.5 million increase in grant funding is provided above the FY2017 level to combat the opioid and heroin crisis. The bill also contains $415.5 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) and $177.5 million for initiatives to address rape kit and other DNA evidence backlogs. DOJ is directed to require all applicants for Byrne-JAG, COPS, and State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) grants to certify that they are in compliance with all
Huntsville NASA scientist wins top astronomy prize
Huntsville, Ala. native and NASA astrophysicist Dr. Colleen Wilson-Hodge and the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) team have been awarded the 2018 Bruno Rossi Prize, the top prize in high-energy astronomy. In August of 2017, the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor on NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected something that scientists have suspected for decades; that a collision of two neutron stars would produce gravitational waves and create “short” gamma-ray bursts. Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions in the cosmos, and this particular burst was quiet abnormal. Wilson-Hodge and her team have the given the world the first ever detection of light from the same source as gravitational waves, which according to NASA are “ripples in space and time.” “When we built GBM and launched it on Fermi in 2008, we designed it to detect gamma-ray bursts well,” Wilson-Hodge told NASA. “Back then, it was only slated to fly for five years. Today, GBM is at the forefront of an entirely new type of science, ushering in this new era of multi-messenger astronomy.” Tyson Littenberg, a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the team that helped GBM realize the significance of their discovery, explains the encounter this way; “This new way of learning about the universe is kind of like gaining a new sense. It’s as if we’ve been watching the news for all of human history, but the T.V.has been on mute, now with gravitational wave detectors, we’re finally able to turn on the sound.” “Discovering the first unambiguous gamma-ray burst associated with a gravitational wave has been an extremely exciting discovery,” said Wilson-Hodge. “It would not have been possible without the incredible dedication and amazing scientific contributions of the entire Fermi GBM team.” Wilson-Hodge earned her Ph.D in Astrophysics from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, her love for the cosmos began in Elementary school, and only grew from there. In college she became a NASA co-op student, and met Jerry Fisher, he was working on the Burst and Transient Source Experiment at the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory at the time. His excitement for the project and for gamma-ray bursts were “infectious” to Wilson-Hodge, “this was something that was discovered almost within my lifetime, and I was just really excited and wanted to be a part of that.” she said in an interview with UAH. Wilson-Hodge has been on the forefront of many new discoveries in the cosmos, in 1999 she discovered two new kinds of pulsar called an X-ray pulsars, and in 2012 she discovered unexpected changes in X-ray emissions from the Crab Nebula.
Mo Brooks named founding member of newly formed House NASA Caucus
Mike Pence pledges that US will go to the moon, Mars and beyond
Trump administration officials are pledging to send Americans back to the moon – and then on to Mars. Space industry leaders say they and NASA are building the spaceships to get there. And they’re promising that in five years, astronauts could be working around the moon – but not quite land there yet. Here’s what Vice President Mike Pence is saying: “We will return American astronauts to the moon, not only to leave behind footprints and flags, but to build the foundations we need to send Americans to Mars and beyond.” But few details, such as cost, are being mentioned in the space visions outlined at the first meeting of the revived National Space Council since it was disbanded in 1993. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
UA students part of NASA project to capture solar eclipse from near space
A group of students at the University of Alabama plan to launch a balloon to take video of the solar eclipse next week as part of a nationwide science project led by NASA. Similar to a weather balloon, the UA balloon should rise 100,000 feet in the air, high enough to see the curvature of the Earth, and send live video of the eclipse to a website as part of the NASA Space Grant network’s Eclipse Ballooning Project. With 55 balloon teams, the NASA project aims to livestream the eclipse over the internet as it travels southeast across the continental United States on Monday. “The first time I heard about this project, I thought it was amazing,” said Haley Miller, a team member and senior from Spartanburg, South Carolina, who is studying aerospace engineering. “I’ve never seen an eclipse, so this is just a once-in-a-lifetime event.” The UA students will launch during the eclipse from the Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The eclipse begins at 12:14 p.m. Central time and ends at 3:07 p.m. The total eclipse portion of the event is from 1:43 to 1:45 p.m. Although the moon will cover about 90 percent of the sun over Tuscaloosa, there will not be a total eclipse in Alabama, so the students chose a location inside the so-called path of totality. Morgan Minton, team adviser and instructor in the UA Freshman Engineering Program, said the seven students on the project are learning how to apply skills learned in the classroom to a real-world problem. “These skills they pick up along the way and refine are things that will make them competitive when they enter the work environment,” Minton said. “These are skills that transcend just a high-altitude balloon project.” The balloon will carry two cameras, one pointed at the ground to capture the moon’s shadow and another pointed at the sun. In a novel approach among the NASA teams, the students added a control moment gyroscope to steady the camera on the eclipse and shadow, even if the balloon spins, a common occurrence, Miller said. The balloon will also carry instruments to measure the temperature outside the balloon and inside the payload to gauge the eclipse’s effect on temperature at a high altitude, Miller said. The students will be able to track the balloon as it flies, and have built in several redundancies to ensure the balloon is retrieved. The balloon should record the eclipse even if communication with the livestream breaks, Miller said. The students had three test flights since 2016, including two in the spring. The biggest unknown is weather, as lightning or heavy rain would mean scrubbing the launch, Miller said. The UA team is named Project Fenrir after a wolf in Norse mythology foretold to swallow the sun. Along with Miller, the team includes: Evan Terry, a senior in telecommunications and film from Winter Springs, Florida. Chandler Nichols, a junior in aerospace engineering from Chattanooga. Ryan Burns, a junior in aerospace engineering from Louisville. Annelise Frank, a junior with a concentration in computer engineering from Chicago. Danielle Carter, a senior in aerospace engineering from Winfield. Wesley Cooper, a junior in mechanical engineering from Louisville. Republished with permission of Alabama NewsCenter.
Southern Research technology to provide unique look at solar eclipse
A high-definition imaging system developed by Southern Research and deployed on NASA aircraft flying nearly 10 miles above Earth will give scientists a unique look at the sun’s corona during a rare total eclipse taking place over the United States in August. As a bonus, Southern Research’s Airborne Imaging and Recording System (AIRS) will provide highly detailed observations of Mercury’s surface and could uncover the first solid evidence of the existence of Vulcanoids, a belt of asteroids believed to be circling the sun. Johanna Lewis, director of Engineering’s Program Management Office at Southern Research, stands next to the AIRS/DyNAMITE instrument that will provide a unique look at the sun and Mercury during the 2017 solar eclipse. (Southern Research) To capture this data, Southern Research and its AIRS/DyNAMITE technology are supporting the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), which won a NASA contract to carry out the mission during the Aug. 21 eclipse. AIRS/DyNAMITE turrets will be mounted on two NASA WB-57 research aircraft, which will fly at 50,000 feet and collect high-resolution video and infrared data throughout the first total solar eclipse occurring over the length of the entire continental U.S. in 99 years. “NASA is providing the WB-57 aircraft, Southern Research is providing the unique onboard sensors and Southwest Research Institute is conducting the science,” said Johanna Lewis, director of the Program Management Office in SR’s Engineering Division. “Southern Research will be handling the data collection, and we will be making sure that Southwest Research Institute is getting the best data that we can provide on Mercury and the sun,” she added. Unprecedented observations The total eclipse will unfold over 14 states, from Oregon to South Carolina, as the moon’s shadow completely blocks the sun, turning day into night for a few minutes. For scientists, the event is a chance to get a close look at the otherwise hidden solar corona, as well as planets and stars normally obscured by the sun’s blinding light. SwRI says the mission will provide the clearest images ever of the sun’s outer atmosphere and the first thermal images of surface temperature variations on Mercury. “This airborne platform provides us with higher-quality, higher-speed images than are achievable from current or previous space-borne instruments,” said Amir Caspi, Ph.D., principal investigator of the project and a senior research scientist in SwRI’s Boulder, Colorado, office. “We hope to better understand what causes the corona and why it’s so hot. It’s millions of degrees Celsius, hundreds of times hotter than the visible surface below,” he added. “The corona is the source of electromagnetic storms here at Earth, which can damage satellites, cause power grid blackouts and disrupt communication and GPS signals, so it’s important to better understand it.” ‘Eyes in the sky’ Lewis and John Wiseman, Ph.D., a senior project leader in Southern Research’s Engineering Division, traveled to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston this month for test flights of one of the WB-57 aircraft with an AIRS/DyNAMITE instrument modified for the mission. Three NASA AIRS/DyNAMITE-equipped WB-57 aircraft fly over Houston. (Southern Research) “The system provides a means of tracking events you might not be able to get elsewhere, with simultaneous mid-wave infrared and visible light data,” said Wiseman, one of the instrument’s inventors. “It’s configurable, and we have had a number of payloads in it, so it’s very versatile.” Southern Research developed the technology in partnership with NASA, which was looking for a system to capture HD video of the July 26, 2005, launch of the Space Shuttle’s “Return to Flight” mission after the Columbia mishap. Acting as “eyes in the sky” for NASA, the system, from a distance of 20 miles, captured full-motion video of the shuttle’s liftoff and tracked it to 146,000 feet. “It was developed as an experiment, and it was supposed to have about five to 10 flights,” Wiseman said. Since then, the high-altitude video system has been used to monitor critical rocket launches, to collect data for science missions and to assist the Department of Defense on security missions. In the past six years alone, the AIRS/DyNAMITE technology has flown on almost 500 flights. Extended view of eclipse On Aug. 21, the twin WB-57 aircraft flying in the stratosphere over Carbondale, Illinois, will tag-team the total eclipse, gathering exceptionally accurate measurements of the solar corona to better understand how energy moves throughout the sun’s atmosphere, according to NASA. From a vantage point high above the clouds and Earth’s weather systems, the AIRS/DyNAMITE-equipped planes will get a clear view of the eclipse and collect data during totality for about 8 minutes. That’s far longer than the 2 minutes and 40 seconds available to ground stations monitoring the event. In addition, the instruments will be in position to make unprecedented observations of Mercury’s surface in infrared light, which can be otherwise hindered by radiation from the sun. Scientists hope these measurements will give new information about how Mercury’s surface temperature changes as its day turns to night, shedding light on its surface composition, NASA says. “Because Mercury is so close to the sun, it’s very difficult to perform direct observations. When the moon is going into eclipse over the sun, we will have a rare opportunity to collect Mercury infrared data,” Lewis said. There’s even more to this mission. While the sun’s bright light is blocked, AIRS’ HD cameras will search the skies for evidence of vulcanoids, a hypothetical band of asteroids traveling around the sun in Mercury’s atmosphere. That’s important because vulcanoids could provide insights about the creation of the planets and the solar system’s earliest period. “Most people have never heard of vulcanoids before. This will be a unique opportunity for them to look for these things that scientists theorize are there, but nobody has ever proven,” Lewis said. “If we provided the instrument that proves they were there, that would be a major accomplishment.” Flying with the WB-57 Southern Research will play another important role in the eclipse mission. A Houston-based SR communications engineer, Donald Darrow, will serve as the special equipment operator in the back seat of one of the WB-57 aircraft, operating the AIRS/DyNAMITE instrument during the flight. Lewis said a
North Alabama aviation firm upgrading Austrian Air Force helicopters
An aviation company that upgrades Black Hawk helicopters is deepening its roots in North Alabama while expanding its customer base around the world, starting with an order for the Austrian Air Force. Huntsville-based Ace Aeronautics, which does business as Global Aviation Solutions (GAS), has about 50 employees and plans to add 25 to 50 positions at its Alabama location over the next two years. Most of the jobs will be at a hangar the company is building at the airport in Guntersville. The positions will include mechanical and electrical engineers, aviation mechanics, electricians, technicians, inspectors and other highly skilled professionals. As it ramps up in Guntersville, GAS has landed a major piece of new business. The company was awarded a contract worth more than $40 million by the Republic of Austria Ministry of Defense to upgrade its fleet of Black Hawk helicopters. The contract covers the design, manufacture, installation and testing of new avionic systems for nine Austrian S-70A-42 Black Hawk helicopters, said Darrell Kindley, the company’s president and CEO. “GAS is pleased to provide the Austrian Air Force with our Garmin 5000H-based avionics upgrade kit called the ACEHAWK,” he said. “We’re happy to be selected by the Austrian Air Force to solve the parts obsolescence problems with their Black Hawk helicopters.” The company will perform the work at its headquarters in Huntsville and its new hangar in Guntersville. The project is expected to be complete by fall 2020. The cockpit of a Black Hawk helicopter. The aircraft’s worldwide popularity has been a boon for Alabama’s Global Aviation Solutions, which specializes in upgrading the copters. (GAS) Cockpit upgrades GAS was established in 2015 specifically to develop cockpit upgrades for the Black Hawk family of helicopters, Kindley said. “The overarching objective of GAS is to minimize technological upgrade and obsolescence challenges facing Black Hawk operators around the world through forward-thinking and intelligent architectural design,” he said. Products include upgrade kits for customers that already own UH-60A/L and S-70 Blackhawks. The company also supplies complete helicopters, UH-60As, with varying levels of structural, mechanical and avionics upgrades, purchased from the U.S. Army’s UH-60 divestiture program. GAS’ primary customers are foreign governments, but it also markets to the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of State and other government agencies. Aviation tradition For Marshall County, GAS is the latest in a long tradition of great aviation and aerospace companies, said Matt Arnold, president and CEO of the Marshall County Economic Development Council. “Back during the Space Shuttle program, we had two or three companies that made specialized parts for NASA. Most of those have transitioned into supplying components for Boeing, Lockheed and others. Other aviation related companies are located in Marshall County, such as RainAir, BAE Systems and Metal Research,” he said. Arnold said the county offers valuable assets for firms in the industry. “In 2008, we opened the Aviation Training Center at the Albertville Airport. That program teaches students the airframe component of the FAA Part 147 A&P certification program for aviation mechanics,” he said. “Recently, Snead State Community College took over that program and is going to add the power plant component, making it a true A&P program. Students will be able to become fully certified as an aviation mechanic right here in Marshall County. “That is a tremendous resource for potential companies like GAS to locate here.” Alabama’s Fort Rucker is the training center for the U.S. Army’s helicopter pilots. (Contributed) Guntersville expansion Kindley said GAS was drawn to the Guntersville airport for three key reasons: a new 5,000-foot runway, room to grow as the first business to move to the airport, and proximity to Huntsville. “Of course, the most important … it’s Guntersville. Who doesn’t like Lake Guntersville? I live there,” he said. GAS is constructing 42,000 square feet of hangar space at the airport, and there are plans for an expansion if needed. The facility, once complete this summer, will be capable of completing about 12 helicopters per year. Kindley said the market for Black Hawk upgrades is very large. “The UH-60/S-70 Black Hawk is a wonderful air vehicle that has been in use for over 30 years,” he said. “Many of the foreign customers have older Black Hawks and are ready for an avionics upgrade.” GAS sees this as the greatest demand and the largest business opportunity, compared to selling new or recapitalized UH-60As purchased from the U.S. Army, Kindley added. “The upgrade market is in the thousands; the new or recapitalized market is in the hundreds,” he said. “Good thing GAS does both.” Rotorcraft expertise GAS is part of a robust rotorcraft presence in Alabama. Helicopter MRO operations include Arista Aviation in Enterprise and Vector in Andalusia. Also, Science and Engineering Services (SES) has been growing its Huntsville manufacturing operation, with a recent $70 million, 450-job expansion. In addition, Fort Rucker near Ozark has been the training center for U.S. Army helicopter pilots since 1955, and the U.S. Army’s helicopter command is at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. Republished with permission of Alabama NewsCenter.
Richard Shelby delivers opening remarks at FY18 NASA budget hearing
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) held a hearing to review the FY2018 $19.1 billion budget request for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) — a $561 million decrease from current FY2017 funding. Alabama U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, Chairman of the committee, delivered opening remarks in the subcommittee hearing. “This budget request attempts to navigate a challenging fiscal environment, but would disrupt ongoing missions and delay future exploration for years to come,” Shelby said. Shelby continued, “This subcommittee has strived to provide balance funding to the overall NASA portfolio, while also ensuring that ongoing activities are appropriately funded to accomplish NASA’s missions. I look forward to working with you to achieve the appropriate balance for NASA’s missions.” Shelby’s full remarks, as prepared, are below: I am pleased to welcome Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot to the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to examine NASA’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget request. Mr. Lightfoot and I worked well together during his tenure as the Director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Mr. Lightfoot, thank you for serving as NASA’s leader during this time of change and I appreciate you joining us today. The Administration has proposed a fiscal year 2018 budget of $19.1 billion dollars for NASA, which is a reduction of 2.9 percent from the current year level. While this overall cut is less than many other agencies experienced in the President’s budget request, it still reflects a significant reduction of $561 million. This budget request attempts to navigate a challenging fiscal environment, but would disrupt ongoing missions and delay future exploration for years to come. There are proposals to cut science missions and to eliminate the entire education directorate using the rationale that NASA could do without these programs under a reduced budget. Other research programs are left with insufficient financial resources, which will make it impossible for NASA to meet its own management plans and launch schedules. For human exploration, the current administration picks up where the previous administration left off, by projecting a lofty vision for space while providing a budget that keeps that vision from leaving Earth. The Space Launch System and the Orion crew capsule are designed to break our human space program free of its decade’s long tether to low Earth orbit, eventually sending our astronauts to Mars. In addition, SLS will provide NASA with a versatile platform to deliver planetary robotic science and space-based astronomy missions. SLS is the vehicle that will make possible many of NASA’s goals to push the boundaries of exploration. I look forward to an initial launch of SLS and will work to see that a crewed-launch will follow soon thereafter. I believe we must have an accurate budget to reflect these launch decisions and to meet our nation’s exploration goals. If the other pieces necessary for exploration are not ready, we will lose time and waste funds in the near-term that could be used for other important activities down the road. NASA, I believe, must ensure that the rigor with which it reviews its own missions is applied to all of its activities and avoid pressure to send astronauts to space at any cost. There is a growing sentiment that NASA should change the way it does business; that it should be a buyer of commercial transportation services. Were it not for billions in development funds from NASA acting as venture capital, there would be no companies attempting to one day take crews to the space station. Even with this investment, the companies NASA will use for commercial crew services are behind in schedule, the program has increased in cost, and independent observers cite the inability of our partners to meet contracted safety standards. While risk is inherent in anything NASA chooses to undertake, there is no replacement for proper analysis and reasonable precaution when lives and the resources of the nation are at stake. When it comes to agency operations, I am encouraged to see the investments in information technology and cybersecurity in this proposed budget. NASA is very popular with the public and also has a significant amount of data for scientists to use in understanding the universe around us. I believe it is incumbent that NASA be able to share its findings, but the agency must also maintain a secure cyber environment for operations. NASA’s innovative ideas often involve significant risk and also require significant investment. This subcommittee has strived to provide balance funding to the overall NASA portfolio, while also ensuring that ongoing activities are appropriately funded to accomplish NASA’s missions. As with any administration, the proposed budget represents a snapshot in time based on decisions made with the most relevant information available. As the subcommittee moves ahead to produce our annual spending bill, I look forward to working with you to achieve the appropriate balance for NASA’s missions.
