Washington D.C. Congressman Howard ìBuckî McKeon, R-Calif., and Congressman Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to redesignate NASAís Dryden Flight Research Center as the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center and the Western Aeronautical Test Range as the Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautical Test Range. Joining McCarthy in introducing this legislation…

Members of the 1st and 7th Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., took notice when an upper stage Russian rocket disintegrated in low earth orbit Oct. 16. The break up introduced an estimated 500 pieces of debris into an area where the U.S. operates a multitude of satellites, further congesting an already…

Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy have conducted the Navy’s first catapult launch of an unmanned system using the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator. The test was conducted Nov. 29 at a shore-based catapult facility at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. It marks the first of several shore-based catapult-to-flight tests that will be…

Many are surprised to discover that the largest organ the human body has is the skin. Skin provides a physical barrier against harmful, external factors. The F-22 Raptor, much like the human body, has a layer of skin called low observable.

A team of researchers, including engineers from Los Alamos National Laboratory, N.M., has demonstrated a new concept for a reliable nuclear reactor that could be used on space flights. The research team recently demonstrated the first use of a heat pipe to cool a small nuclear reactor and power a Stirling engine at the Nevada…

Northrop Grumman photograph Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman assist with the onload of the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator. The air vehicle arrived by barge Nov. 26 from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. Truman is the first aircraft carrier to host test operations for an unmanned aircraft. The Navy…

A sophisticated airborne synthetic aperture radar system developed by the NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is being used in a series of earthquake imaging flights over central California the week of Nov. 26.

Lockheed Martin announced Nov. 27 that it has successfully demonstrated a portable, ground-based military laser system in a series of tests against representative airborne targets. Lockheed Martin developed the Area Defense Anti-Munitions system to provide a defense against short-range threats, such as rockets and unmanned aerial systems. Since August, the ADAM system has successfully engaged…

An officer stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base traveled thousands of miles earlier this year to return to his birth country of Vietnam for the first time in eight years. But Capt. Huy Tran wasn’t there to reunite with his own family or friends. His mission was to help search for and recover missing…

The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group marked an important milestone in continuing to prepare the war fighter for tomorrow’s threats as the first QF-16 drone arrived for developmental testing at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Nov. 19. “The work done prior to today and the test work that is forthcoming will enable the Air Force to…