TeeKup
April 24th, 2007, 03:04 PM
Today I learned some information thats a little bit startling and confusing.
April 22, 2007
Release #: 2007-06B
Blue Angel Identified Following Beaufort Crash
PENSACOLA, Fla. – An F/A-18A Hornet assigned to the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron crashed during yesterday’s air show at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, SC. The pilot, who did not survive, has been identified.
Blue Angel #6 was flown by Lt. Cmdr. Kevin J. Davis, 32, of Pittsfield, Mass. He served as the opposing solo pilot. This was Davis’ second year on the team and his first year as a demonstration pilot.
At approximately 4 p.m. EST yesterday, Davis was joining the Delta formation for the final maneuver of the aerial demonstration when the mishap occurred. The crash occurred approximately three miles outside the air station.
The other five Blue Angel jets were not involved in the incident and landed safely moments later.
The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
Lt. Cmdr. Davis’ official biography may be downloaded from the squadron’s website at http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/officers/06.pdf (http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/officers/06.pdf.). (http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/officers/06.pdf.)
The Blue Angels have been a symbol of pride and strength in the USAF, I'm wondering how this is going to affect the rest of the public.
In other news, NASA's space shuttle program is expected to retire by 2009 to make room for the new Constellation project. Billions of dollars of equipment is expected to be disposed of along with alot of jobs. :S
NASA prepares for the beginning of the end of the shuttle era
Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: Science and Tech (http://media.www.stateronline.com/news/2007/04/24/ScienceandTech/)
Originally published: 4/23/07 at 10:48 PM EST Last update: 4/23/07 at 10:48 PM EST
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (MCT) — With only three years remaining before the space-shuttle fleet's planned retirement, NASA managers have begun tackling the thorny issues that will dictate the program's end.
Critical facilities must be overhauled to support planned human missions to the moon. Billions of dollars' worth of obsolete shuttle hardware must be disposed of. And, most difficult of all, thousands of jobs must be shifted or eliminated as the shuttle era ends and the new Constellation project takes off.
"Because it touches so many buildings and pieces of equipment and — most important of all — people, it requires a lot of technical management and attention every day," said Joel Kearns, transition manager for NASA's space-operations division at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "It's a really big retirement and closeout."
Nowhere will the changes be felt more keenly than at Kennedy Space Center, which will see a transformation of its work force, facilities and operations. However, the changes also will impact at least three other NASA field centers that play a major role in sending humans to space: Johnson Space Center in Houston; Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.; and Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss.
Today, there are about 13,000 full-time workers at KSC, consisting of roughly 11,000 contractors and 2,000 government employees. Most of them work on the shuttle.
One of NASA's biggest challenges is to avoid an early exodus of critically skilled employees as the program winds down.
"We have a real challenge to make sure that the people who work so hard at KSC and at the support centers around KSC stay all the way until the end, because it's only with the right skilled people that we can be sure we can fly safe," Kearns said.
Moving workers from shuttle operations to the Constellation programs is another challenge.
Though NASA wants to retain workers with essential skills, many abilities required in today's shuttle program will not be needed to prepare the new Orion spacecraft for flight. An example is the dozens of workers who repair and replace the heat-resistant tiles that protect the shuttle during its fiery re-entry through Earth's atmosphere. The Orion capsule will feature a different type of heat shield.
There are 3 other pages on the website concerning this: http://media.www.stateronline.com/media/storage/paper867/news/2007/04/24/ScienceAndTech/Nasa-Prepares.For.The.Beginning.Of.The.End.Of.The.Shutt le.Era-2875677.shtml
The Constellation Project information can be found here:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html
This is probably going to cause some financial setbacks for NASA. I have my doubts about the Constellation Project, but then again the Space Shuttle's weren't all that save either.
Discuss.
April 22, 2007
Release #: 2007-06B
Blue Angel Identified Following Beaufort Crash
PENSACOLA, Fla. – An F/A-18A Hornet assigned to the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron crashed during yesterday’s air show at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, SC. The pilot, who did not survive, has been identified.
Blue Angel #6 was flown by Lt. Cmdr. Kevin J. Davis, 32, of Pittsfield, Mass. He served as the opposing solo pilot. This was Davis’ second year on the team and his first year as a demonstration pilot.
At approximately 4 p.m. EST yesterday, Davis was joining the Delta formation for the final maneuver of the aerial demonstration when the mishap occurred. The crash occurred approximately three miles outside the air station.
The other five Blue Angel jets were not involved in the incident and landed safely moments later.
The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
Lt. Cmdr. Davis’ official biography may be downloaded from the squadron’s website at http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/officers/06.pdf (http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/officers/06.pdf.). (http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/officers/06.pdf.)
The Blue Angels have been a symbol of pride and strength in the USAF, I'm wondering how this is going to affect the rest of the public.
In other news, NASA's space shuttle program is expected to retire by 2009 to make room for the new Constellation project. Billions of dollars of equipment is expected to be disposed of along with alot of jobs. :S
NASA prepares for the beginning of the end of the shuttle era
Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: Science and Tech (http://media.www.stateronline.com/news/2007/04/24/ScienceandTech/)
Originally published: 4/23/07 at 10:48 PM EST Last update: 4/23/07 at 10:48 PM EST
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (MCT) — With only three years remaining before the space-shuttle fleet's planned retirement, NASA managers have begun tackling the thorny issues that will dictate the program's end.
Critical facilities must be overhauled to support planned human missions to the moon. Billions of dollars' worth of obsolete shuttle hardware must be disposed of. And, most difficult of all, thousands of jobs must be shifted or eliminated as the shuttle era ends and the new Constellation project takes off.
"Because it touches so many buildings and pieces of equipment and — most important of all — people, it requires a lot of technical management and attention every day," said Joel Kearns, transition manager for NASA's space-operations division at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "It's a really big retirement and closeout."
Nowhere will the changes be felt more keenly than at Kennedy Space Center, which will see a transformation of its work force, facilities and operations. However, the changes also will impact at least three other NASA field centers that play a major role in sending humans to space: Johnson Space Center in Houston; Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.; and Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss.
Today, there are about 13,000 full-time workers at KSC, consisting of roughly 11,000 contractors and 2,000 government employees. Most of them work on the shuttle.
One of NASA's biggest challenges is to avoid an early exodus of critically skilled employees as the program winds down.
"We have a real challenge to make sure that the people who work so hard at KSC and at the support centers around KSC stay all the way until the end, because it's only with the right skilled people that we can be sure we can fly safe," Kearns said.
Moving workers from shuttle operations to the Constellation programs is another challenge.
Though NASA wants to retain workers with essential skills, many abilities required in today's shuttle program will not be needed to prepare the new Orion spacecraft for flight. An example is the dozens of workers who repair and replace the heat-resistant tiles that protect the shuttle during its fiery re-entry through Earth's atmosphere. The Orion capsule will feature a different type of heat shield.
There are 3 other pages on the website concerning this: http://media.www.stateronline.com/media/storage/paper867/news/2007/04/24/ScienceAndTech/Nasa-Prepares.For.The.Beginning.Of.The.End.Of.The.Shutt le.Era-2875677.shtml
The Constellation Project information can be found here:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html
This is probably going to cause some financial setbacks for NASA. I have my doubts about the Constellation Project, but then again the Space Shuttle's weren't all that save either.
Discuss.