August 18, 1997

View Full Issue Table of Contents

HEADLINE NEWS

Safety of Nonprecision Approaches Examined

DALLAS Long-standing concerns about the safety of nonprecision instrument approaches are generating new initiatives aimed at upgrading these procedures, but it will be at least another 10-15 years before fully autonomous, airborne navigation systems with 3-D capabilities are available to replace them, according to airline and FAA officials.

By EDWARD H. PHILLIPS8 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Mir Repairs Loom as Water Dwindles

CAPE CANAVERAL MOSCOW Critical Mir station work to open the damaged Spektr module and reconnect its solar arrays with the stations power-starved electrical system is set for late this week, as Mir’s joint Russian/U.S. crew face another potential problem—a dwindling supply of water.

By CRAIG COVAULT,NICOLAY NOVICHKOV8 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Mars Rover Encounters New Challenges

LOS ANGELES Pathfinder recently accomplished the last step in achieving 100% mission success by operating for one month on the surface of Mars, but the lander has far surpassed most expectations during the period with return of more than 9,000 images and the recording of 4 million individual science measurements.

By BRUCE A. SMITH7 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Ariane Launches New Era for Satellite TV Business

KOUROU, FRENCH GUIANA An Ariane 44P booster successfully launched the first spacecraft dedicated solely to providing direct-to-home programming to South America, marking a major step in the expansion of the satellite television industry south of the saturated U.S. market.

By JOSEPH C. ANSELMO4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Indonesian Sale Could Expand Russian Prospects in Region

MOSCOW LONDON Indonesia’s intent to purchase 12 Su-30MK combat aircraft and eight Mi-171V military transport helicopters could pave the way for further sales of Russian equipment to Jakarta, as well as bolster its position in the broader Asian market.

By NICOLAY NOVICHKOV,JOHN D. MORROCCO4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Cargo Loading Focus of Fine Air Crash Probe

Melbourne, Fla. A Fine Air Services DC-8-61 may have left the ramp with its center of gravity too far aft, and that condition may have been aggravated when cargo shifted on takeoff, leading to the freighter’s crash near Miami International Airport.

By James T. McKenna3 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Shuttle Mission Boosts Comet Theory

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER Space shuttle Mission 85, which was scheduled to land here Aug. 18, should return a wealth of astronomy and Earth atmospheric information, including new data that could bolster a theory that Earth is bombarded by small comets daily.

By CRAIG COVAULT3 min

HEADLINE NEWS

FAA Tests Altitude Alerts

Washington In the wake of the Korean Air crash in Guam, the FAA is examining all its minimum safe altitude warning (MSAW) functions in the U.S.—nearly 200 in number—to ensure there are no common problems. Typically, those checks use test tapes of aircraft tracks with known altitude deviations to ensure MSAW gives proper alerts.

By Bruce D. Nordwall3 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Taiwan Do. 228 Crash Kills 16

Hong Kong A Formosa Airlines Dornier 228 landing under visual flight rules crashed into a mountainside on Matsu Island on Aug. 11, killing all 16 persons on board, including two cockpit crew. According to the 19-seat aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder, the pilot in his last radio transmission advised the tower that he was executing a go-around.

August 111997

August 251997

August 18, 1997

August 18, 1997

Guam Probe Targets Weather, Altitude Alert

By JAMES T. McKENNA8 min