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Air Force photograph by SrA. Benjamin Stratton Defense

B-1B Lancer: More than meets the eye

Air Force photograph by SrA. Benjamin Stratton Capt. Brandon Packard performs pre-flight checks of a B-1B Lancer June 11, 2013, at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia. Packard is a 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron weapons systems officer deployed from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. Carrying the largest payload of both guided and unguided…

Photographs by Linda KC Reynolds Events

Tehachapi hosts intermediate space challenge

Photographs by Linda KC Reynolds Students from Janice Tietz class took the overall top score at the Tehachapi Space Challenge and will proudly display the Traveling Trophy for one year at Tompkins Elementary School. More than 500 students, guests and volunteers participated in the event. High winds and cool temperatures didnít keep rockets on their…

NASA photograph by Jane Peterson Tech

College students study Earth from NASA’s DC-8 flying lab

Photograph courtesy of James Mumaw Bristling with numerous experiment probes projecting from its fuselage and wingtips, NASA’s DC-8 flying science laboratory descends for landing in this 2008 photo. The modified jetliner will be carrying more than 30 college students and their experiments during low-level flights over various areas in California June 17 20, 2013, as…

usafe-a10 Defense

Fighter squadron inactivation signals end of A-10s in Europe

The Air Force inactivated the 81st Fighter Squadron June 18, at Spandgahlem Air Base, Germany, in support of force-shaping procedures across the service.

boeing-awacs Business

Boeing subcontractor Air France Industries begins major upgrade of French AWACS Fleet

Boeing subcontractor, Air France Industries, has begun upgrading the electrical, mechanical and structural systems and mission hardware of the first of four French E-3F Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft.

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Business

UTC Aerospace Systems introduces smaller UAV autopilots

Posted  March 20, 2013

UTC Aerospace Systems recently announced the release of the Cloud Cap Technology Piccolo Nano autopilot, the smallest addition to the industry standard Cloud Cap Technology Piccolo family of flight management systems. The Piccolo Nano is designed to meet the requirements of the smallest UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) in both size and price with all the…

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In the news...

News Briefs March 20, 2013

Posted  March 20, 2013

U.S. training accident kills seven Marines A Marine Corps official says the seven Marines killed in Nevada died after a 60mm mortar exploded unexpectedly during a training accident, March 18. The Marines immediately issued an indefinite moratorium on firing of all such mortars worldwide until an investigation clears as safe the type of weapon and…

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In the news...

Headlines: March 20, 2013

Posted  March 20, 2013

News Pilot error one cause of 2012 Predator crash Pilot error and a propeller malfunction caused an armed MQ-1B Predator to crash into the Afghanistan countryside last fall, according to an accident report released today. Iraq war contractors fight on against lawsuits, investigations, fines Donald Rumsfeld declared war on the Pentagon bureaucracy on a quiet,…

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Space

NASA hosts its first Google+ hangout in Spanish

Posted  March 22, 2013

NASA is expanding its reach to the nation’s growing Spanish-speaking population by holding its first-ever Google+ Hangout en Espanol from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., EDT, March 28. As part of Science4Girls, a NASA initiative to partner with libraries during National Women’s History Month, participants will be able to learn more about the life and career…

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Business

Lion Air orders 234 A320 Family aircraft

Posted  March 22, 2013

Indonesia’s Lion Air has placed a firm order with Airbus for 234 A320 Family aircraft, comprising 109 A320neo, 65 A321neo and 60 A320ceo. The deal sees the carrier become a new customer for Airbus. The order was finalized March 18 at a special ceremony at the Elysée Palace in Paris in the presence of President…

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Marine Corps photograph by Cpl. Ken Kalemkarian
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Defense

Marine Corps’ first operational F-35B conducts initial Vertical Landing

Posted  March 22, 2013

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 watched in amazement and satisfaction as the Corps’ first operational F-35B Lightning II squadron conducted its first Short Take Off, Vertical Landing operations aboard Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. March 21, 2013.

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Defense

DOD delays sending furlough notices to civilian employees

Posted  March 22, 2013

Pentagon officials have put off sending furlough notices to civilian employees until they’ve had a chance to analyze how pending legislation that would fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year will affect the Defense Department. Officials now estimate that furlough notices will go out on or about April 5, said Navy…

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Space

Silicon Valley Space Center to develop suborbital payloads

Posted  March 22, 2013

The Silicon Valley Space Center will develop four scientific payloads to fly on the XCOR Lynx spacecraft, which is currently under construction in Mojave, California. The payloads will fly on missions sponsored by the United States Rocket Academy’s Citizens in Space program. The payloads are part of a cooperative agreement between the Silicon Valley Space…

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Sikorksy Aircraft Corp. photograph
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Business

Colombian Army takes delivery of five S-70i™ Black Hawk helicopters

Posted  March 22, 2013

The Colombian Army has formally inducted five new Sikorsky S-70i multi-mission helicopters into its fleet of Black Hawk aircraft. Colombia is the first South American country to buy the S-70i Black Hawk helicopter variant from Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

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Air Force photograph by SSgt. Jason McCasland
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Defense

B-52 gets new sniper pod

Posted  March 22, 2013

The 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., made its first live run with a new addition to the aging bomber.

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NASA Image of the Day

 

Rare Clear View of Alaska

 
On most days, relentless rivers of clouds wash over Alaska, obscuring most of the state's 6,640 miles (10,690 kilometers) of coastline and 586,000 square miles (1,518,000 square kilometers) of land. The south coast of Alaska even has the dubious distinction of being the cloudiest region of the United States, with some locations averaging more than 340 cloudy days per year. That was certainly not the case on June 17, 2013, the date that the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite acquired this rare, nearly cloud-free view of the state. The absence of clouds exposed a striking tapestry of water, ice, land, forests, and even wildfires. Snow-covered mountains such as the Alaska Range and Chugach Mountains were visible in southern Alaska, while the arc of mountains that make up the Brooks Range dominated the northern part of the state. The Yukon River -- the longest in Alaska and the third longest in the United States -- wound its way through the green boreal forests that inhabit the interior of the state. Plumes of sediment and glacial dust poured into the Gulf of Alaska from the Copper River. And Iliamna Lake, the largest in Alaska, was ice free. The same ridge of high pressure that cleared Alaska's skies also brought stifling temperatures to many areas accustomed to chilly June days. Talkeetna, a town about 100 miles north of Anchorage, saw temperatures reach 96°F (36°C) on June 17. Other towns in southern Alaska set all-time record highs, including Cordova, Valez, and Seward. The high temperatures also helped fuel wildfires and hastened the breakup of sea ice in the Chukchi Sea.Image Credit: NASA/Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFCCaption: Adam Voiland
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