December 16, 1996

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HEADLINE NEWS

Ice-Covered Ganymede May Have Molten Metal Core

PASADENA, CALIF. The Galileo spacecraft’s discovery of a magnetic field at Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, probably emanating from a molten core, calls into question either theories about planetary cooling, or the orbital history of the moon.

By MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM8 min

HEADLINE NEWS

EVA Hatch Problems Blamed on Loose Screws

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER Space shuttle engineers have determined that a loose screw in the gearbox of the extravehicular activity (EVA) hatch on the orbiter Columbia caused the hatch mechanism to jam, forcing cancellation of two station development EVAs during shuttle Mission 80 (AW&ST Dec. 9, p. 81).

By CRAIG COVAULT4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Russia Delays Commitment On Joint Mars Mission

WASHINGTON U.S.-Russian talks on a “Mars Together” effort in 2001 have been put in a holding pattern until next fall while the cash-strapped Russian Space Agency works to sort out its priorities. At an annual set of space science meetings at Cape Canaveral, Russian officials were unable to commit to either building a joint Mars spacecraft or conducting separate but coordinated missions.

By JOSEPH C. ANSELMO3 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Suitors Ponder Thomson Offerings

PARIS The French government, in a sud den departure from its earlier plan, last week elected to seil branches of the state-owned Thomson group in sep arate transactions. Thomson-CSF, the group’s defense electronics subsidiary, is scheduled to be privatized within the next few months.

By PIERRE SPARACO3 min

HEADLINE NEWS

China Broadens List Of Air Combat Exports

WASHINGTON China is showing signs of technical progress and a willingness to innovate in its quest to produce modern warplanes, but so far the nation is failing to land any big foreign customers to underwrite such projects. Nevertheless, China's product line for tactical aircraft is broadening.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM2 min

Continental Airlines A TEXAS TURNAROUND

Continental Airlines: A Turnaround Case Study

"Did you ever see a company succeed that didn’t have a Bethune, chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines likes to ask. “Did you ever see a company succeed that didn’t have employees who liked their jobs?” These were among the major questions that confronted Bethune when he took the helm of the troubled airline in late 1994.

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Continental Airlines A TEXAS TURNAROUND

Winning with Diverse, Global Suppliers

Part of Continental Airlines’ ability to succeed has been attributed to its ability to work with a large, diverse network of vendors and suppliers from around the world. Here are some of the leading providers to Continental. • Aero Corp. of Lake City, Fla., provides heavy maintenance, painting, interior work and other modifications for Continental’s Boeing 727, 737-200 and -300, and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and DC-10 aircraft.

December 91996

December 231996

December 16, 1996

December 16, 1996