Top Aviation and Space News- August 15th 2012

Pakistani Air Force Base With Nuclear Ties Is Attacked 

KARACHI, Pakistan — Suspected Islamist militants attacked a major Pakistani Air Force base with links to the country’s nuclear program in the early hours of Thursday, setting off an exchange of fire that lasted several hours. More

FAA cracks down on third-party seat belt extenders 

FAA late last month issued an "Information for Operators" (InFO) guidance “reminder” that carriers should not use any seat belt extenders other than those that are FAA-issued. More 

American Airlines Makes A U-Turn Regarding The Merger 

Each day, the story of a possible merger between American Airlines (AAMRQ.PK) and US Airways (LCC) looks more and more like a soap opera. The story has so many twists and updates that I lost the count; not only that but I also stopped counting anyways. In my last 2 articles I mentioned how it was interesting that the CEO of American Airlines Tom Horton suddenly became quiet after badmouthing US Airways for weeks. It felt to me like he received a warning from his board of directors. Now, there is another twist in the story. More 

787 shown in United livery ahead of delivery 

 United Airlines 787. Courtesy, UA

United Airlines (UA) has unveiled its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner after being rolled out of the paint hangar at Boeing’s Everett, Wash., facility. UA is the North American launch customer for the Dreamliner and expects to take delivery of its first 787 in September. The airline has firm orders for 50 787s, for delivery by 2019. Unmanned U.S. military hypersonic craft fails An unmanned experimental aircraft failed during an attempt to fly at six times the speed of sound in the latest setback for hypersonic flight. More 

Premiê indiano anuncia missão a Marte em 2013 

Veículo espacial orbitaria Marte para obter dados do clima, da geologia, da origem, da evolução e das condições de vida no planeta vermelho. Mais 

Afriqiyah Airways converts three A320 orders into three A330-300s

Libya-based Afriqiyah Airways (8U) has converted its order for three Airbus A320s into three A330-300s as part of the carrier’s expansion plans. More  

Teste do X-51A Waverider falha mais uma vez 

Um teste crucial para o míssil experimental X-51A da Força Aérea dos EUA terminou em fracasso, de acordo com a própria Força Aérea. O teste realizado nessa terça-feira também foi a terceira vez que o míssil de cruzeiro hipersônico X-51A Waverider, desenvolvido pela Boeing, ficou abaixo das expectativas. Mas desta vez pode ter sido o último teste. Veja a seguir um vídeo do que estava previsto para ocorrer no teste. Mais

Is a moon colony on the horizon? 

LOS ANGELES — Imagine a machine that could build a 2,000 square foot home in under 24 hours. Imagine one that could do that on the surface of the moon? It may seem unrealistic, but Behrokh Khoshnevis — an engineering professor at the University of Southern California — has developed a way to do just that. With a $500,000 grant from NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts division, Khoshnevis is retooling a construction system he pioneered 10 years ago that will help scientists establish permanent lunar structures. More 

Astronomers find record-breaking galaxy cluster 

(Reuters) - A massive so-called galaxy cluster, one of the largest structures in the universe, has been discovered about 5.7 billion light years from Earth and credited with setting several important new cosmic records. More 

Singapore Airlines Plan Custom Seats, Cabins for 777s, A350s and 787s 

Singapore Airlines has appointed two world-renowned design firms – BMW Group subsidiary DesignworksUSA, and UK and Singapore-based James Park Associates (JPA) – to help develop the next generation of in-flight cabin products that will be introduced from the second half of next year. More