What SpaceX's latest failure means for the rest of American spaceflight

The Crew Dragon's engine test anomaly this past weekend will have dramatic consequences over the next year, and beyond. The problem with failing in spaceflight is that your failures are extremely loud and incredibly public. Once again, SpaceX is at the forefront of the public eye, after a failed ...

http://flip.it/fUdo3B

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Controlling instabilities gives closer look at chemistry from hypersonic vehicles [feedly]

Controlling instabilities gives closer look at chemistry from hypersonic vehicles
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Controlling_instabilities_gives_closer_look_at_chemistry_from_hypersonic_vehicles_999.html

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Drop test proves technologies for Spanish reusable microlauncher [feedly]

Drop test proves technologies for reusable microlauncher
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Drop_test_proves_technologies_for_reusable_microlauncher_999.html

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Sky Power unveils new combustion engines for drones [feedly]

Sky Power unveils new combustion engines for drones
http://uasmagazine.com/articles/2019/sky-power-unveils-new-combustion-engines-for-drones

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Will Dash 8 hybrid-electric X-plane hit the spot for green aviation? [feedly]

Will Dash 8 hybrid-electric X-plane hit the spot for green aviation?
https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2019/04/23/will-dash-8-hybrid-electric-x-plane-hit-the-spot-for-green-aviation/

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Zipline launches the worlds largest medical drone delivery network in Ghana

https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Medical-drone-delivery-service-to-be-launched-on-April-24-739892#

https://www.suasnews.com/2019/04/zipline-launches-the-worlds-largest-medical-drone-delivery-network-in-ghana/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opz9RE8zfJ4

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Air Force Seeks 10-20% Maintenance Savings From Innovation

Two additive repair centers have already been established to focus on parts maintenance.

https://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/air-force-seeks-10-20-maintenance-savings-innovation

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Cabin Inspection Software Adding Functionality for New Components and Aircraft Types [feedly]

Cabin Inspection Software Adding Functionality for New Components and Aircraft Types
https://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/cabin-inspection-software-adding-functionality-new-components-and

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Van Horn Assures Blades Safe Following Fatal Crash

Van Horn Assures Blades Safe Following Fatal Crash
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2019-04-22/van-horn-assures-blades-safe-following-fatal-crash

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What Elon said: Tesla CEO goes big on promises at Autonomy Day event

What Elon said: Tesla CEO goes big on promises at Autonomy Day event
https://newatlas.com/tesla-autonomy-day-elon-musk-quotes/59413/

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Restored Northrop N-9M Reported Down, Destroyed, in CA Accident [feedly]

Restored Northrop N-9M Reported Down, Destroyed, in CA Accident
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=980a936b-f361-4ea4-9f34-21a17783c18a

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New matchbox-sized radar in its way into impaired people, or unmanned moving devices to detect objects in real time.

Radar provides detailed information about the size, distance and speed of moving objects. However, for close-range applications, the transmitted radio waves must have short wavelengths to pick up as much detail as possible about its immediate environment. Such sensors could help visually impaired people, and unmanned moving devices, to see by translating radar reflections into useful information.



“Current radar modules are large and bulky. They also lose out on key details because they operate using long radio wavelengths,” says Seifallah Jardak , who worked on the project under the supervision of Sajid Ahmed and Mohamed-Slim Alouini from KAUST and along with Tero Kiuru and Mikko Metso from VTT. “We wanted to develop a low-power, portable radar. Colleagues at VTT brought the necessary experience in millimeter-wave and hardware design, while I focused on the signal processing side and developed modular radar software,” explains Jardak.



Continue reading https://discovery.kaust.edu.sa/en/article/791/tiny,-fast,-accurate-technology-on-the-radar


Paper: https://repository.kaust.edu.sa/handle/10754/631876
video: https://player.vimeo.com/video/307220053 

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Wing becomes first certified Air Carrier for drones in the US

https://medium.com/wing-aviation/wing-becomes-first-certified-air-carrier-for-drones-in-the-us-43401883f20b

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Lockheed Martin Inaugurates F-16 Production Line in Greenville, South Carolina

press release




GREENVILLE, S.C., April 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) hosted a ceremony to celebrate its new F-16 production line in Greenville, South Carolina. F-16 tooling and equipment previously in Fort Worth, Texas, has since been installed in a newly-refurbished hangar in Greenville, where the company will begin manufacturing F-16 Block 70 aircraft later this year.

"This is an exciting time as we celebrate another important milestone for the F-16 ‒ the world's most successful, combat-proven 4th generation fighter," said Michele Evans, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. "The future is bright, and it begins right here in Greenville, South Carolina ‒ the new home of F-16 production."


Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70

Demand continues to soar for new production F-16s and F-16V upgrades. Bahrain became the first F-16 Block 70 customer in June 2018, Slovakia signed Letter of Agreement in Dec. 2018 for 14 Block 70 aircraft, and Bulgaria and the U.S. Government are currently negotiating Bulgaria's planned acquisition of new F-16 Block 70 aircraft. The U.S. State Department also recently approved the proposed sale of 25 new production F-16 Block 72 aircraft and F-16V upgrades for Morocco.

"This is a great day for Greenville and South Carolina," said U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. "We have the best workforce in the country and now we are going to build the most advanced F-16 ever right here in the Palmetto State."

"South Carolina's workforce is second to none, and the fact that Lockheed Martin continues to invest and put its faith in South Carolinians to build the newest F-16s in Greenville speaks volumes about our state and the company," said South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. "Every person who calls South Carolina home should be proud that the F-16 is made right here in the Palmetto state."

More than 400 new jobs will be created to support the F-16 production line in Greenville. F-16 production also supports hundreds of U.S.-based Lockheed Martin engineering, procurement, sustainment and customer support jobs and thousands of U.S. supplier jobs. A significant portion of F-16 production occurs in the supply chain, which currently includes more than 400 U.S. suppliers in 41 states.

To date, 4,588 F-16s have been produced, and there are approximately 3,000 operational F-16s are in service today in 25 countries.

For additional information, visit: lockheedmartin.com/f16

About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 105,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

SOURCE Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

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Airbus and ZF to develop highly precise end-to-end autonomous driving solution

press release







Airbus Defence and Space and ZF Friedrichshafen AG, a system provider for mobility, are collaborating to enrich and complement ZF on-board system to enhance autonomous driving by using Airbus satellite derived information.




Under this collaboration, Airbus and ZF are combining their capabilities and expertise to offer a reliable end-to-end solution for self-driving and self-positioning vehicles. To answer the extreme level of accuracy required, Airbus provides its unique high precise Ground Control Points (GCPs), calculated using radar satellite imagery, to support the fusion of ZF sensor data such as Lidar and Radar. In addition, the GCPs serve as independent data source to improve and validate the accuracy of mobile mapping data.

Furthermore Airbus investigates generation of High Definition maps (HD maps) based on aerial and space borne approach, to complement ZF semantic cards. HD Maps are key to ensure the guiding route, as they build an important link between mobile mapping data and global positioning systems. They contain more information than just the road itself, as lanes, the radius of curves, lane widths, street signs, bridges, and buildings, as well as their distance from one another. Both remote sensed information GCPs and HD maps will be integrated as foundation layers into the “ZF AD Environment” – an enhanced HD maps solution ZF will present soon – where all needed information for autonomous driving will be implemented in a cloud based system.

Autonomous driving is a new, enthusing and challenging market for Airbus, as the highest level of autonomy requires the highest maps precision.



* * *



About Airbus

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2018 it generated revenues of € 64 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world’s leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

About ZF Friedrichshafen AG

ZF is a global technology company and supplies systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology, enabling the next generation of mobility. With its comprehensive technology portfolio, the company offers integrated solutions for established vehicle manufacturers, mobility providers and start-up companies in the fields of transportation and mobility. ZF continually enhances its systems in the areas of digital connectivity and automation in order to allow vehicles to see, think and act. In 2018, ZF achieved sales of €36.9 billion. The company has a global workforce of 149,000 with approximately 230 locations in 40 countries.

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Most Powerful U.S. Helicopter Ever, Marine CH-53K King Stallion, Heads For Production

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2019/04/18/marine-ch-53k-king-stallion-most-powerful-u-s-helicopter-ever-heads-for-production/

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Boeing sees FAA approving software fix in May, MAX ungrounding in July

https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN1RZ2JO

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