As satellites and astronauts travel further out in space, the more communication challenges they face. NASA launched the InSight Mission on May 5, 2018 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. InSight was designed to collect data on Mars quakes and the processes that shaped the rocky planet to help us better understand how it formed. Getting the information back to the scientists here on Earth required a variety of antennas on the spacecraft.

The objective of this research was to hydraulically pressurize the internal diameter of one 102mm Polymer Matrix Composite (PMC) over-wrapped cylinder up to 25,000 pounds per square inch (psi) and during pressurization, in real time, collect and store pressure and strain data simultaneously. Strain data must be captured from the inside diameter of the oil filled metallic cylinder and from the outside diameter of the composite over-wrap material.

Stratasys Ltd.
Eden Prairie, MN
952-937-3000
www.stratasys.com/aerospace

Phoenix Analysis and Design
Technologies (PADT) Tempe, AZ
1-800-293-PADT
www.padtinc.com

Stratasys Ltd., a company that specializes in applied additive technology solutions, and Phoenix Analysis & Design Technologies, Inc. (PADT) have teamed up with Lockheed Martin Space to deliver next-generation 3D printed parts for NASA's Orion deep-space spacecraft. Key to the project are Stratasys advanced materials – including an ESD variant of the new Antero™ 800NA, a PEKK-based thermoplastic offering high performance mechanical, chemical, and thermal properties.

Barometric Pressure Sensor

Bosch Sensortec (Reutlingen, Germany) has introduced a new high performance barometric pressure MEMS sensor, the BMP388. The BMP388 delivers outstanding altitude stabilization in drones, where accurate measurement of barometric pressure provides the essential altitude data for improving flight stability and landing accuracy. The new barometric pressure sensor is part of Bosch Sensortec's comprehensive sensor solution for drones, which includes the BMI088 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for accurate steering and the BMM150 geomagnetic sensor for the provision of heading data.

Drone aircraft and their uses have been evolving quickly, supported by a great deal of ongoing research. One area of increasing interest is the decoy drone, designed to mimic the radar and heat signature of an actual aircraft. These drones are intended to confuse or mislead anti-aircraft defense systems. If operating as designed, one or more drones are launched from an actual aircraft as it enters airspace monitored by anti-aircraft systems. The system picks up the signature of the drones and attacks them while the actual aircraft can be hidden with the swarm of drones.

Turbine flow meters have long been a preferred technology for obtaining precise measurements of fluid flow in the aerospace industry. In addition to their high accuracy, they are recognized for exceptional turndown, repeatability and speed of response.

Avionics is a very restricting domain for obvious safety reasons. Along with miniaturization comes the idea of integration. More functionality on one spot requires a good management of privacy and congestion on shared platforms. This is why determinism is one of the keywords of avionics works. This led to protocols like ARINC653^[1] assuring that multitask embedded programs respect a predictable policy applied by the operating system (OS). Another key protocol is ARINC664, which guarantees that multiple communicating systems efficiently share the network. These two protocols are pillars of the Integrated Modular Architecture (IMA) concept^[2].

Fairbanks Morse
Beloit, WI
1-800-356-6955
www.fairbanksmorse.com

Fairbanks Morse - an EnPro Industries company - has been awarded a contract to deliver eight FM | Colt-Pielstick diesel engines to power four frigates for the Royal Saudi Navy. The purchase is a part of the Saudi Naval Expansion Program II which has been in the works for over a decade with a cost of about $20 billion.

A new research project announced recently as a collaboration between the Georgia Institute of Technology and satellite communications provider Xenesis could help open the bottleneck that now limits the flow of data from Earth-orbiting satellites to ground stations.

BAE Systems
Nashua, NH
603-885-4321
www.baesystems.com

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), through the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, has awarded BAE Systems a $13.1 million contract to demonstrate a new, cost-effective optical seeker for precision-guided munitions. The seeker is designed to improve navigation, as well as automate target location and homing, for different types of munitions that are used in GPS-denied and other contested environments.