June 3, 1996

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HEADLINE NEWS

Mission 77 Highlights Shuttle Maneuverability

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER The orbiter Endeavour completed a record four rendezvous and four station-keepings last week, including a marathon 8-hr. period trailing a wastebasket-sized satellite by 2,000 ft. Mission 77 commander USAF Col. John H. Casper called it a “pilot’s dream flight” with the rendezvous and two satellite deployments and “lots of hand-flying and maneuvering.”

By MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM5 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Outgoing Bmdo Chief Seeks Better Threat Assessment

WASHINGTON The Clinton Administration and congressional Republicans are closer to a consensus on deployment of a National Missile Defense system than their rhetoric suggests, according to the outgoing director of the Pentagon’s Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.

By JOSEPH C. ANSELMO4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Endeavour Tests Metallic Tps

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER Mission 77 tested two different types of metallic thermal protection system panels by mounting them at the base of the vertical tail, where they were exposed to moderate reentry heat. The Inconel and titanium panels were built by Rohr Inc., which is using this sort of material for the Lockheed Martin X-33 experimental rocket proposal.

GLOBAL COMPETITION: THE BATTLE INTENSIFIES

U.S. Initiative Aims to Cut Military Aircraft Costs

NEW YORK Researchers working on the Lean Aircraft Initiative will complete the project’s first phase this summer, a three-year-long assessment of the industrial and managerial practices now in use by industry participants. The LAI is an Air Force-sponsored research project charged with uncovering, quantifying and disseminating manufacturing and managerial practices that could dramatically improve the affordability of U.S. military aircraft.

By STANLEY W. KANDEBO8 min

GLOBAL COMPETITION: THE BATTLE INTENSIFIES

Europe Surmounting Hurdles to Become Tougher Competitor

LONDON Europe’s aerospace/defense industry, while still trailing the U.S. in overall competitiveness, has the potential to emerge as a much tougher rival within the next few years. The vast majority of companies still are not on a par with their U.S. counterparts, but the gap is narrowing at the manufacturing level.

By ANTHONY L. VELOCCI8 min

May 271996

June 101996

June 3, 1996

June 3, 1996

Small Suppliers Outpace Large Aerospace Firms

By ANTHONY L. VELOCCI7 min