August 20, 1990

August 20, 1990

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HEADLINE NEWS

YF-23A Completes High-Speed Taxi Test; Nose Gear Vibration Delays First Flight

YF-23A Completes High-Speed Taxi Test; Nose Gear Vibration Delays First Flight

Hubble’s First Science Discovery Boosts Hopes for Flawed Telescope

By JAMES R. ASKER

YF-23A Completes High-Speed Taxi Test; Nose Gear Vibration Delays First Flight

Magellan Begins Systems Checkouts After Entering Orbit Around Venus

By MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM

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HEADLINE NEWS

YF-23A Completes High-Speed Taxi Test; Nose Gear Vibration Delays First Flight

LANCASTER, CALIF. The Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23A completed a high-speed taxi test at Edwards AFB, Calif., reaching a maximum of 120 kt. The advanced tactical fighter prototype’s nose wheel was raised slightly, activating the nose gear “squat” switch.
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YF-23A Completes High-Speed Taxi Test; Nose Gear Vibration Delays First Flight

Hubble’s First Science Discovery Boosts Hopes for Flawed Telescope

WASHINGTON Despite its serious optical flaw, the Hubble Space Telescope has produced a picture that reveals new details of a dense cluster of very young stars. The image, made by Hubble’s Wide Field/Planetary Camera (WF/PC) on Aug. 3, has excited astronomers interested in how stars form, evolve and die.

By JAMES R. ASKER

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YF-23A Completes High-Speed Taxi Test; Nose Gear Vibration Delays First Flight

Magellan Begins Systems Checkouts After Entering Orbit Around Venus

PASADENA, CALIF. The Magellan spacecraft entered orbit around Venus on Aug. 10 with enough precision that its radar-mapping orbit was directly achieved without the use of a planned trim maneuver. The spacecraft was in generally good condition and was performing accurately, though it has lost some redundancy.

By MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM

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YF-23A Completes High-Speed Taxi Test; Nose Gear Vibration Delays First Flight

China Launches First Long March 2E Booster

HONG KONG China Long March 2E rocket lifts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China. The June 16 launch was the first for China’s new heavy-lift booster and the first use of Xichang’s new heavy-lift launch pad (AW&ST July 23, p. 31).
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YF-23A Completes High-Speed Taxi Test; Nose Gear Vibration Delays First Flight

Columbia Launch of Astro Payload Targeted for Early Next Month

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER Managers here have targeted launch of the orbiter Columbia with its Astro payload for Sept. 1, and a final decision on the launch date will be made Aug. 21 after the mission flight readiness review. The liftoff will mark the resumption of space shuttle flights after a three-month delay.
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YF-23A Completes High-Speed Taxi Test; Nose Gear Vibration Delays First Flight

Sikorsky MH-60K Makes First Flight

NEW YORK Sikorsky Aircraft has completed the first flight test of a Black Hawk derivative being developed for the U. S. Army’s special operations forces. The aircraft, the MH-60K, made its 30min. first flight last week at Sikorsky’s Stratford, Conn., facility.
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B-2 SIMULATOR TRAINING

B-2 Features Glass Cockpit, Panoramic Pilot Visibility

BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK The USAF/Northrop B-2 has a spacious, state-of-the-art glass cockpit and wraparound windows that give pilots more than 200 deg. of panoramic visibility. Except for the ejection seats and control sticks instead of yokes, the cockpit with its four cathode ray tube (CRT) displays for each pilot resembles a modem commercial transport more than a stealth bomber.

By BRUCE D. NORDWALL

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B-2 SIMULATOR TRAINING

Air Force Credits Single SPO for Success In Developing B-2 Simulator, Aircraft

BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK The U. S. Air Force and B-2 contractor team applied experience gained from the F-117 stealth aircraft program to develop the training program for the B-2 weapon system, including the concept of a companion trainer aircraft and an integrated system program office.
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U.K. AEROSPACE

United Kingdom, Ltd.

A new look for a veteran player in the global marketplace
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The Anglo-American Aerospace Connection

LOCATE A U.S. AIRCRAFT and you will probably find a British component. Locate almost any U.S. airline and you’ll find planes provided by a British manufacturer. Perhaps the models that best express how U.K. aerospace firms have operated in recent years in the U.S. are Lucas Aerospace Industries, British Aerospace, Ltd., Shorts and RollsRoyce, all optimistic in a rapidly changing and tight-money era.
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