Top Aviation and Space News- August 29th 2012

‘Curiosity’ Transmits Will.i.am Song From Mars Making its interplanetary debut, 

Black Eyed Peas artist will.i.am’s “Reach for the Stars” became the first song to be broadcast to Earth from the red planet. NASA’s rover “Curiosity” transmitted the piece on Tuesday from the Martian surface to an audience of students at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. More 

Airbus Grabs 2 Important SE Asian Orders 

 Airbus S.A.S secured the $7 billion jet order from Philippines Airlines (PAL). The order is for 44 A-321 family narrow-body jets and 10 A330 family long-haul jets with deliveries scheduled for next year. And while this order is excellent news for Airbus, it would be naïve to assume that an aircraft deal has been achieved without a political dimension. More 

U.S. Northern Command assists with Hurricane Isaac efforts 

 NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affairs August 29, 2012 

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - U.S. Northern Command is coordinating Department of Defense’s support to FEMA and state and local response activities in response to Hurricane Isaac. There are currently ten Mission Assignments approved for Hurricane Isaac. U.S. Northern Command has deployed four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from Fort Campbell, Ky. and two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters from Norfolk Naval Air Station, Va., to assist in search and rescue efforts. A SAR planner has also been activated and deployed to the Baton Rouge Emergency Operations Center. There are four Emergency Planners Liaison Officers deployed to the National Response Coordination Center in support of FEMA and Fort Polk, La. has been designated as a Federal Team Staging Area. More 

Astronomers Discover Planetary System Orbiting Two Suns.

Astronomers using NASA's Kepler space telescope have discovered a planetary system orbiting two suns. The planetary system is located about 5000 light-years away from Earth, in the constellation of Cygnus (The Swan). The pair of stars whirls around each other every 7.5 days. One star is similar to our Sun while the other is a diminutive star only one third the size and 175 times fainter. This artist's concept illustrates Kepler-47, the first transiting circumbinary system. You can see a larger version of the image here. More 

Bell Helicopter Named Number One in Product Support For the seventh consecutive year 

Bell Helicopter has been named number one in helicopter product support in the AIN Product Support Survey. More 

Flying Tigers Indicted for Aircraft Parts Fraud 

The Philadelphia U.S. Attorney’s Office has indicted Flying Tigers of Lancaster, Penn., its president Jay Stout and his son Joel Stout, with various crimes, including conspiracy, fraud involving aircraft parts, wire fraud and obstruction of justice. Also indicted was Howard Gunter, a former FAA certified mechanic and inspector, on charges of conspiracy and fraud involving aircraft parts.More 

Dutch F16s scrambled to intercept Spanish passenger jet that could not be contacted by radio

AMSTERDAM — The Netherlands scrambled two F16 fighter jets Wednesday to escort a Spanish passenger plane to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport after air traffic controllers could not make contact with the aircraft’s crew. Dutch media initially reported a possible hijacking, but local police and Vueling, the Spanish carrier whose jet was at the center of the scare, later confirmed there was never a hijacking or a hostage situation. More 

Philippine Airlines Buys 54 Airbus Jets Worth $7 Billion 

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus on Tuesday secured a $7 billion order from Philippine Airlines (PAL), beating American rival Boeing as they continue their global contest to increase their market share. Philippine Airlines said it plans to buy up to 100 new aircraft over the next decade as it carries out a major fleet modernization program and restructures operations to become a low-cost carrier. The firm order announced Tuesday is for 10 long-haul A330-300 aircraft and 44 aircraft from the A321 family. More 

Descoberto primeiro sistema de 2 planetas que orbita ao redor de 2 sóis 

Descoberta mostra que sistemas planetários podem formar-se e sobreviver inclusive no caótico meio ao redor de uma estrela binária. Mais 

Astrônomos descobrem ingrediente essencial à vida ao redor de estrela 

 Imagem da Nasa mostra o complexo estelar Rho Ophiuchi e destaca a estrela IRAS 16293-2422, onde cientistas encontraram uma forma de açúcar  ((NASA/JPL))

Grupo de astrônomos detectou pela primeira vez açúcar ao redor de uma estrela similar ao Sol. Descoberta pode dar uma ideia a respeito da forma como a vida pode se originar em outros lugares do universo. Mais