AIAACarleton

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Hello everyone!
This is a friendly reminder that we are having our first design project meeting TODAY at 6pm in CB3400.
See you there!

NASA Remembers Challenger Tragedy 30 Years Later.
On Thursday, several media sources reported on the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, specifically highlighting astronaut Christa McAuliffe, who was supposed to teach her high school class from space.
On its website, Yahoo! Good Morning America (1/28) reports that 30 years ago, “the nation watched on live television as the Challenger shuttle carrying seven people, including a high school teacher, exploded into a fireball 73 seconds after liftoff.” The article notes that aboard the flight was Christa McAuliffe, “a high school teacher who beat out 11,000 other applicants for the chance to be the first ‘everyday’ citizen to go to space.” McAuliffe’s crewmates included astronauts “Cmdr. Michael J. Smith of the U.S. Navy, Francis R. Scobee who served as mission commander, Lt. Col. Ellison S. Onizuka of the U.S. Air Force, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair and Gregory Jarvis.” Steve McAuliffe, McAullife’s widower, said, “For us, Challenger will always be an event that occurred just recently,” adding, “We are happy to know that Christa’s goals have been largely accomplished in that she has inspired generations of classroom teachers and students, and has focused public attention on the critical importance of teachers to our nation’s well-being.”
The AP (1/29, Dunn) reports that dozens of teachers “who competed alongside Christa McAuliffe to become the first teacher in space gathered Thursday to remember the seven astronauts who perished aboard Challenger 30 years ago.”
USA Today (1/28, Dean) reports that on the day before the launch of Challenger thirty years ago, McAuliffe, NASA’s Teacher in Space, “took time in crew quarters to write college recommendations for some of her New Hampshire students.” During NASA’s Day of Remembrance at the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, McAuliffe’s backup astronaut, Barbara Morgan, said, “At a time when many people would think only of an impending launch, Christa was taking care of a teacher’s business,” adding, “The Challenger crew were wonderful, wonderful people, wonderful human beings, and they were very much like all of you here today.”
Business Insider (1/28) , the Los Angeles (CA) Times (1/28), Fox News (1/28), and CBS News (1/28) also report on the story.

NASA To Deploy 13 Mini-Satellites On First SLS Mission.
The Orlando (FL) Sentinel (2/2) reports that on Tuesday, NASA announced that in addition to its primary mission of sending humans into deep space, the Space Launch System (SLS) will also deploy 13 mini-satellites on its Exploration Mission-1 in 2018. In a press release, NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman said that the payload of science-based 13 CubeSats aboard SLS will “showcase the intersection of science and technology, and advance our journey to Mars.” According to the Sentinel, NASA revealed seven of 13 satellites on Tuesday “with another three being negotiated with international partners and another three open to a competition called the Cube Quest Challenge that will name winners in 2017.” The seven science-based satellite missions include Skyfire from Lockheed Martin, the Lunar IceCube from Morehead State University, and five NASA-developed payloads.
SPACE (2/2) reports that during a news conference, Newman remarked, “SLS and the Orion spacecraft are going to take people further than we’ve ever taken people in human history,” adding, “These technology missions in deep space are really something to pause, reflect on — we’re not just talking about it, we’re doing it. And it’s starting right here.”
The Verge (2/2) explains that CubeSats are miniature research satellites “that are fairly easy to build for space-based science and exploration.” The article adds that the NASA-developed payloads for the 2018 mission include the Lunar Flashlight, which “will use a laser to map water ice at the lunar south pole”; the Near-Earth Asteroid Scout, which “will visit and study an asteroid that’s in Earth’s neighborhood”; and the BioSentinel, which “will carry yeast cells into space, to give researchers a better understanding of how deep space radiation affects living organisms.” The article explains that the BioSentinel mission could be particularly useful for future Mars missions, since NASA needs to know how the “radiation-filled space” on a journey toward the Red Planet will affect the human body.
The Denver Post (2/2, Wallace) adds that Lockheed Martin’s SkyFire “is being developed to perform a flyby of the moon to gather data on the lunar surface,” noting that the “shoebox-sized” satellite “was selected in May 2015 by NASA as part of the agency’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships program.” Lockheed Martin Space Systems spokeswoman Lauren Duda said in a statement that the company is collaborating with NASA “to determine which SkyFire technologies can best fulfill NASA’s strategic knowledge gaps,” adding that “fulfilling these knowledge needs will have major implications for future deep space exploration.”
Mashable (2/2) also reports on the story.

Airbus Glider Craft To Fly At Edge Of Space.
The Daily Mail (2/3, Dailymail.com)reports on the Airbus-sponsored Perlan II, “the first engineless aircraft designed to fly at the edge of space using air currents,” adding that the glider is to conduct a record-breaking test at 90,000 feet in June that “could pave the way for hypersonic planes and aircraft on [Mars].” According to the article, Airbus “says that any insight gained into flight at increasingly higher altitudes...could provide a range of potential advantages” relating to weather, climate change and space travel. Airbus CEO Tom Enders said in a statement that the “knowledge gained from this project will impact how the world understands and addresses climate change,” and will “also help Airbus continue to innovate ways to fly higher, faster and cleaner, on Earth and possibly beyond.”

An interesting read!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/united-to-buy-40-boeing-jets-in-blow-to-bombardier-c-series/article28306016/

Bombardier snubbed as United to buy 40 Boeing jets United, the second largest U.S. airline by capacity, said the Boeing 737-700 aircraft will enter its fleet beginning in mid-2017

Hey Everyone!!! Carleton's AIAA chapter is going to host its first official General Meeting this Wednesday (January 20 2016) from 16:00-17:30 in Mackenzie Building (ME 4346)! We will be discussing our plans for the chapter, in particular we will hopefully form a team to compete in the Light Sport Aircraft competition this May! Everyone is welcome to come whether you are an AIAA member, an Engineering student or just curious about Aerospace! Hope to see you all there! :)