AIAA AV Public Policy - You Tube Ad

"Save Constellation" You Tube ad

8 minutes 36 seconds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2IQVZmHnJQ

Key Issues : 2010 Congressional Visits Day - 16-17 March

AIAA's 13th Annual AIAA Congressional Visits Day will take place 16–17 March 2010.
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
Washington, DC

Goal: Raise the awareness of the long-term value that science, engineering, and technology bring to America.

AIAA Announces "Key Issues" for the 13th Annual AIAA Congressional Visits Day
Climate Change Mitigation
Recruiting, Retaining, and Developing a World-Class Aerospace Workforce
Increasing Emphasis and Funding for Technology and Engineering in STEM
Lessening the Impact of Export Controls on the Domestic Aerospace Industry
Developing An Actionable Strategy for Business and General Aviation
Enabling U.S. Leadership of Human Spaceflight

Expanded Talking Points:
http://aiaa.org/pdf/public/AIAA2010CVD_Key_Issues.pdf

General Event Info:
http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=129

Registration Form:
http://www.aiaa.org/pdf/conferences/registration/cvd10reg.pdf

LAST DAYS OF HISTORIC WIND TUNNEL - NASA TV

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/twan_10_23_09.html
This Week @ NASA
LAST DAYS OF HISTORIC WIND TUNNEL - LARC

Employees at the Langley Research Center took part in a celebration for the Center’s Full-Scale Tunnel that is scheduled to be demolished early next year. The event included a slideshow presentation of the tunnel’s history and a tour through the facility. During the years when Langley was the NACA Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, the tunnel attracted pioneers and luminaries like Orville Wright, Charles Lindbergh, Glenn Curtiss and Howard Hughes.

Robert James Houston: "I went to work in the full scale tunnel on June 10, 1958. It was still NACA, but we knew NASA was coming, and I went to work in the boundary layer and helicopter branch working on vertical lift."

Long Yip: "Went through school and the first thing I did was open a textbook on aeronautics and it had the full scale tunnel, and lo and behold I never dreamed that I would have worked there; so actually coming there was a great experience."

Tests conducted included U.S. World War II aircraft, the P-51 aircraft, the Mercury entry capsule, submarines and NASCAR vehicles. In all 796 tests conducted in the tunnel, some of the results have been crucial to the future of flight. The tunnel often referred to as “The Langley Wind Tunnel” is one of dozens of wind tunnels at the Center.

Augustine Committee Releases Final Report: AV Public Policy

The Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, headed by Norman Augustine, has provided its final report to the NASA Administrator and the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The 157 page report is available on the committee's Web site at http://hsf.nasa.gov.

AV Public Policy: House Committee on Science & Technology Comment on Augustine Committee Report

Chairman Gordon and Subcommittee Chairwoman Giffords Comment on Augustine Committee Report

(Washington, DC) – Today, the Review of the U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, chaired by Mr. Norman Augustine, retired Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation, publicly released its final report to the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The final report was released six weeks after the committee had released its summary report.

Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) offered the following comment upon the release of the report:

“While I plan to review the Augustine panel’s final report, the Science and Technology Committee’s September 15th hearing to review the panel’s summary report has already provided me with important information on the state of the nation’s human space flight programs. At that hearing, Mr. Augustine reported his panel’s assessment that a meaningful exploration program can’t be carried out under the budgetary projections that accompanied the Fiscal Year 2010 NASA budget request—that more money will be needed if we are to do anything worth doing as a nation. He also reported that his panel had assessed NASA’s Constellation program and found it to be ‘well managed’ and a program that is ‘executable and would carry out its objectives’ if adequate resources are provided.”

“We Americans fundamentally have to decide whether we want to have a human space exploration program or not—if we do, the Augustine panel makes clear that we will need to invest additional resources. Why should we pursue exploration? As the Augustine panel notes in its final report, human exploration can offer many tangible benefits to our society including ‘driving technological innovation; developing commercial industries and important national capabilities; and contributing to our expertise in further exploration…and can contribute appropriately to the expansion of scientific knowledge.’ In addition, the Augustine panel notes that ‘these more tangible benefits exist within a larger context. Exploration provides and opportunity to demonstrate space leadership while deeply engaging international partners; to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers; and to shape human perceptions of our place in the universe.’ Thus, the president has a clear and important decision to make, and I want to work with him to craft a productive path forward for the nation.”

Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairwoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) added:
“When Congress wrote and enacted last year’s NASA Authorization Act, it anticipated essentially all of the issues mulled by the Augustine panel this summer. In endorsing the Constellation architecture, Congress made clear that it saw a return to the Moon as just the first step in a flexible program of human and robotic exploration of the solar system. Congress also embraced the potential of international cooperation to make the nation’s exploration program more productive and cost-efficient. Congress saw the utility of the International Space Station and directed that it be capable of extension at least through 2020. Congress also stressed the importance of a robust technology development program as well as engagement of the commercial sector as appropriate—recognizing the potential of the commercial sector to support NASA’s low Earth orbit activities in the future, but also making clear that we are not prepared to have our astronauts’ access to space held hostage to purchases of seats from non-existent commercial providers. We also advocated for additional resources to ensure that these important initiatives can be carried out successfully. While I look forward to reading the Augustine panel’s final report, Congress has already made its decisions on the issues considered by the panel. Now that both internal and external independent reviews have confirmed that the Constellation program is being well executed, we know what needs to be done. Let’s get on with it and cease contemplating our collective navels. I have no doubt that the president will see the inspirational, geopolitical, scientific, technological, and myriad other benefits of a revitalized commitment to our nation’s space program, and I look forward to working with him to usher in a grand new era of exploration and science.”

The Committee held a hearing on the summary report on September 15, 2009 <http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2590> .


For more information on the Committee’s work on NASA <http://science.house.gov/RelatedByTag.aspx?KeywordID=2> , please see our website <http://science.house.gov/> .

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AIAA Spot Bombing Contest

All

Thanks for coming out to the Spot Bombing Competition last Saturday. This e-mail is going out for coordination to get all the pictures everyone took and put them in a central place for everyone to see. Kia offered to put them on the AIAA section website so I suggest all pictures are sent to her. Five teams competed and the winning scores were:

Team Closest Hit Average

First Place: 2 27.5’ 69.3’

Second Place: 4 46’ 152.3’

Third Place: 3 93.7’ 168.2’

Fourth Place: 5 137’ 170.0’

Fifth Place: 1 240’ 280.4’

Thanks

Spot Bombing Competition & BBQ

AIAA AV,

The Spot Bombing competition and BBQ has been rescheduled for August 2 at 8am. Same plan as before, teams will consist of one pilot, one navigator, one bombardier, and one flight engineer. Pilots must be Aero Club members that are current and have 150 hours of flight time. If you don't have a team, we can assign you to a team with a qualified pilot. Come out and test your skills at dropping flour bags at a bulls-eye from the sky. The team with the best aim wins a free BBQ lunch.

To participate, RSVP to aiaa.av@gmail.com by Wednesday July 30th.

Time: August 2^nd at 8am
Location: Edwards Aero Club
5 Seller Ave
Edwards Air Force Base
Entry Fee: $35 Per person to participate
BBQ lunch: $5


Good luck to everyone,
Eric