November 16, 1998

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HEADLINE NEWS

Airlift Crucial to Relief In Hurricane Mitch Disaster

washington Aid to Central America is being hindered in perversely unexpected ways as aviation efforts accelerate to meet the food, water and health care demands triggered by days of high winds and flooding during Hurricane Mitch. Serviceable airfields, or often even dry patches on which to land helicopters, were still not available a week after the early November storm.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM,JAMES T. McKENNA6 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Large-Scale Strikes Planned Against Iraq

WASHINGTON LONDON After reviewing at least three options for attacks on Iraq, senior U.S. Defense Dept, officials appear to have accepted the military’s recommendations for a large-scale air offensive that would include sustained attacks by both cruise missiles and manned aircraft.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM,JOHN D. MORROCCO4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Deep Space 1 Enters Safe Mode After Ion Engine Falters

LOS ANGELES The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Deep Space 1 probe encountered several difficulties last week, going into a “safe” mode on Nov. 11 and only achieving 4.5 min. of ion engine thrust instead of the planned 17 hr. on Nov. 10. Neither problem was considered serious by JPL engineers late last week, and both may have been fixed since then.

By MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

ARD Follow-on Eyed; Mars Express Approved

PARIS Space officials from Europe are scurrying to put together a proposal for a follow-on atmospheric reentry vehicle demonstration project to be presented at the next European Space Agency (ESA) ministerial meeting in June. “The U.S.is committing large sums to advanced reentry vehicle and propulsion technology projects like the X-38 and X-33 that are expected to lay the basis for future reusable space transportation systems,” cautioned Philippe Couillard, deputy director of space operations at Aerospatiale {AW&STOct. 19, p. 41; Nov. 2, p. 26).

By MICHAEL A. TAVERNA4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Giant Centurion Starts Flight Test

EDWARDS AFB, CALIF.AeroVironment’s Centurion solarpowered drone made its first flight here on Nov. 10 and demonstrated excellent handling under benign conditions. The test allayed concerns about how the 206-ft.-span, 1,385-lb. flying wing would handle, both on the ground and in flight.

By MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

French Aerospace In Merger Hustle

PARIS Aerospatiale/Matra Hautes Technologies and Dassault Aviation will be unified to form Europe’s biggest aerospace group with an estimated $18 billion in revenues and 66,000 employees. According to the strategic partnership agreement signed on Nov. 10, next month, the French government’s 45.7% stake in Dassault Aviation will be transferred to Aerospatiale.

By PIERRE SPARACO4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Sea Launch Completes First Offshore Tests

ON BOARD SEA LAUNCH COMMANDER The Sea Launch program has finished initial testing with the command ship and launch platform on the open ocean in preparation for a demonstration launch near the equator currently targeted for Mar. 14. While the trials—conducted about 25 mi. off the coast of Monterey, Calif.—focused primarily on the vessels’ marine systems, another test scheduled for January 200 mi. offshore will involve evaluation of Zenit launch systems.

By BRUCE A. SMITH3 min

November 91998

November 231998

November 16, 1998

November 16, 1998

Finally—First Station Module Set for Liftoff

By CRAIG COVAULT7 min