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Leaders from government, industry, and academia gathered at the AIAA SPACE 2013 Conference & Exposition, 10–12 September, in San Diego, CA, for a very productive and well-attended event. The Institute thanks its sponsors, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, and all those who participated. If you were not able to attend, a number of the keynote addresses and panel discussions were video recorded and are available for viewing on the AIAA website or via AIAA's YouTube channel.

The conference, with a theme of “Sparking Ingenuity and Collaboration to Enable Mission Success,” kicked off Tuesday, 10 September, with opening remarks by AIAA President Michael D. Griffin, followed by a number of panel discussions. In his introduction, Griffin expressed his congratulations to the LCROSS Team for receiving the AIAA Space Systems Award, and to Lt Gen Eugene Tattini, USAF (Ret), and recently retired Deputy Director of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for receiving the AIAA von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management. Both awards were presented during SPACE 2013.

Visit www.aiaa.org/SPACE2013Recap for the full story, or visit www.aiaa.org/SPACE2013Videos to watch the recorded sessions.

A delegation of AIAA senior volunteer and staff leadership attended the 64th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), 23–27 September, in Beijing, China. Those attending included Vigor Yang, Vice President – Publications; Susan Ying, Vice President, International Activities; Sandy Magnus, Executive Director; Klaus Dannenberg, Deputy Executive Director; and Megan Scheidt, Managing Director, Technical Activities. The trip allowed AIAA to not only take an active role in the IAC proceedings, but also afforded many opportunities for AIAA’s representatives to meet with Chinese societies and organizations that the Institute collaborates with.

When asked about the trip, Magnus stated, “Participating in this year’s IAC in Beijing allowed AIAA’s leadership to engage in dialogues which will strengthen the Institute’s presence in the global aerospace community. Not only was our delegation able to take an active role in this year’s conference, and its panels and ancillary discussions; we were able to meet with our Chinese colleagues to discuss further cooperation on a number of fronts; and we were able to spend time gaining a better understanding of how other U.S.-based societies operate in China, giving us much food for thought about how AIAA can work to better meet the needs of our members based in China”

(Pictured: Sandy Magnus chats with Chinese Astronaut Liu Yang, Beijing, China, September 2013)
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Initially distributed 30 September 2013 – “We were asked to share the attached correspondence from Frank Kendall, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. It contains information about the potential government shutdown for those of you who work with the Department of Defense. Feel free to share it with your coworkers or whoever you feel would benefit from reading it.

As you know, the environment remains uncertain. Here we are, on the eve of a new fiscal year, without a federal budget and with no clear indication of when we may have one – let alone what it might contain.”

(Pictured: AIAA Executive Director Sandy Magnus)
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AIAA is pleased to announce that Ben Iannotta has been appointed the new editor-in-chief of Aerospace America magazine. Iannotta succeeds Elaine Camhi, who retired from AIAA in August. “We are happy to welcome Ben as Aerospace America’s new editor-in-chief. We are confident that he will continue the tradition of strong oversight and leadership of our flagship magazine, and that his more than 20 years of experience as a writer and editor puts him in an excellent position to guide the publication as it evolves to better serve the aerospace community in the years ahead,” said AIAA Executive Director Sandy Magnus. “The staff and I are excited to start working with Ben as we move Aerospace America and AIAA forward.”

(Pictured: Ben Iannotta)

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October 2013 marks the tenth anniversary of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security in cooperation with the National Cyber Security Alliance and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center. Through a series of events and initiatives across the country, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month engages public and private sector partners to raise awareness and educate Americans about cybersecurity, and increase the resiliency of the nation and its cyber infrastructure. AIAA recognizes the importance of cybersecurity and supports this initiative.

Learn more about AIAA's Cybersecurity efforts.

AIAA salutes the remarkable benefits that space exploration, science, and technology have provided to people everywhere, in celebration of World Space Week, 4–10 October 2013. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Exploring Mars, Discovering Earth.”

“World Space Week prompts each of us to consider just how different our world is due to humanity’s continuing development, understanding, and utilization of our space frontier,” said AIAA President Mike Griffin. “From the satellites which bring the world closer together, to the scientific breakthroughs we hope will emerge from research on the International Space Station, to the innovative technologies that migrate from the space community into our living rooms – space makes a difference in our lives.”

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The AIAA New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Graduate Chapter, in conjunction with the Northern New Jersey AIAA Section hosted a two-day glider building event and competition at NJIT. The first event of this kind held on the NJIT campus, it sought to stimulate the creative skills and ingenuity of graduate and undergraduate students. Participants were required to register online for the event, after which they received a glider building manual and rules of the competition prepared by the AIAA NJIT Graduate Chapter’s executive board. The major limitation imposed was on the wing span of the gliders with the maximum allowable length of 18 inches. Teams consisting of a maximum of two people were allowed to enter the competition for two top prizes. Prizes were awarded for the best glider design and for the glider traveling the longest distance.

(Pictured: NJIT Executive Board (top), and students at work during the building session.)

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AIAA designated Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport, formerly Bridgeport Municipal Airport, and the former Vought–Sikorsky Aircraft Plant site, adjacent to the airport, as an aerospace historic site. A historic marker was unveiled 27 September 2013, at an afternoon ceremony at the Volo Aviation Hanger, 900 Great Meadows Road, Stratford, CT.

For more information on AIAA’s Historic Aerospace Sites program, contact Emily Springer at emilys@aiaa.org.

(Pictured: Sikorsky Plant, 1930)
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One hundred local San Diego students participated in the inaugural AIAA Educator Academy Mars Rover Demonstration at the recently concluded AIAA SPACE 2013 Conference & Exposition. Students performed a scientific inquiry into simulated Mars soil samples, led by Dr. Edgar Bering; heard news from the JPL team about the Curiosity Mars Rover; and concluded their visit with a trip to the Exhibit Hall, led by the San Diego Section and Spawar mentors. The teachers were thrilled that their students came up with new ideas for science fair projects, which was an unexpected outcome of the visit. Kelly Pecorella, a teacher from Maryland Avenue Elementary said, “Many of my students heard from exhibitors how they were once like my students. I think more of my students may consider going into related fields later in life.”

(Pictured: San Diego students participating in the inaugural AIAA Educator Academy Mars Rover Demonstration. Click Image for larger version.)

The AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition (SciTech), set for 13–17 January 2014 in National Harbor, MD, gives you extensive access to a wide range of the latest research and development, not just in your own areas of expertise, but across technological boundaries. AIAA has consolidated more than 10 individual technical events into one – all for a single registration fee – making it more dynamic, more broadly relevant, and more consistent with the requirements of travel policies. Nowhere else will you find the breadth and depth of aerospace research, analysis, and foresight at a single location.

Featuring:

• 52nd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting
• 22nd AIAA/ASME/AHS Adaptive Structures Conference
• AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference
• AIAA Spacecraft Structures Conference (formerly the AIAA Gossamer Systems Forum)
• AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference
• AIAA Modeling and Simulation Technologies Conference
• 10th AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Specialist Conference
• 16th AIAA Non-Deterministic Approaches Conference
• 55th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference
• 7th Symposium on Space Resource Utilization
• 32nd ASME Wind Energy Symposium

Watch our SciTech promotional video. Visit www.aiaa.org/scitech2014 for more information or to view the full detailed program. What will you miss if you’re not there?

AIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition (AVIATION 2014), set for 16–20 June 2014, in Atlanta, GA, is now accepting submissions in over 125 technical topics in the following focused areas:

• Environmental Impact of Aerospace Systems
• Measuring, Testing, and Validation of Aerospace Systems
• Aerodynamic, Fluids, and Thermal Sciences
• Design and Optimization of Aerospace Vehicles
• Aerospace Systems, Operations, and Life Cycle

Why AIAA AVIATION 2014?

• MORE THAN 2,500 PARTICIPANTS from across all facets of the aviation enterprise who are shaping the future of flight.
• MORE THAN 6,000 SQUARE FEET OF EXPOSITION space displaying the latest in technological innovation.
• MORE THAN 18 TECHNICAL CONFERENCES in one location addressing the broad spectrum of applied science and aviation technologies:

• 20th AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference
• 30th AIAA Aerodynamic Measurement Technology and Ground Testing Conference
• AIAA/3AF Aircraft Noise and Emissions Reduction Symposium
• 32nd AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference
• AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference
• 6th AIAA Atmospheric and Space Environments Conference
• 14th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Conference
• AIAA Balloon Systems Conference
• AIAA Flight Testing Conference
• 7th AIAA Flow Control Conference
• 44th AIAA Fluid Dynamics Conference
• 20th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference
• 11th AIAA/ASME Joint Thermophysics and Heat Transfer Conference
• 21st AIAA Lighter-Than-Air Systems Technology Conference
• 15th AIAA/ISSMO Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization Conference
• AIAA Modeling and Simulation Technologies Conference
• 45th AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Conference
• 7th AIAA Theoretical Fluid Mechanics Conference

Submit Today! Submission site closes 14 November 2013.

You’ll find highlights, summaries, and videos at www.aiaa.org/aviation2013Recap.

11 January 2014
Sonic Boom Workshop
Low Reynolds Number Workshop
National Harbor, MD (near Washington, DC)

11-12 January 2014
Decision Analysis Course
National Harbor, MD (near Washington, DC)

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AIAA is pleased to announce the availability of a new standard intended to provide requirements and associated best practices for design applications; it can be used as a requirements-specification instrument by system designers, who need a standard to show them how to mitigate the spacecraft-charging effects of using high voltages in low earth orbit (LEO), as well as by project managers, solar array designers, system engineers, etc. The document provides design requirements for high-voltage space power systems that operate in the plasma environment associated with LEO. Such power systems, particularly solar arrays, are the proximate cause of unwanted spacecraft charging in LEO, and these systems can interact with this environment in a number of ways that are potentially destructive to themselves and to the platform or vehicle that has deployed them. This document is also applicable to satellites during the lower latitude portion of polar orbits and to GEO satellites during the initial low altitude portion of their geostationary transfer orbit.
Standards are free to AIAA members; download a copy today!

The Mass Properties Committee on Standards is revising the Mass Properties Control for Space Systems (AIAA S-120-2006) for ANSI accreditation. Mass is a critical resource within the Space Systems community, fungible with cost and schedule resources. As new contributors enter into space system community, this revision will unify the AIAA standard and Society of Allied Weight Engineers (SAWE) Recommended Practices, add relevant content, and elevate the standard. This standard contains mass control requirements for space system development and refers to recommended practices in a partner document SAWE RP-11. Included are requirements for mass control terminology, dry mass estimating factors, mass properties reporting and monitoring, mass properties testing, verification and validation. If you are interested in participating, please contact the MP CoS Chair, Geoff Beech, at Geoff.beech@nasa.gov.

The AIAA Foundation Board of Trustees invites you to nominate your colleagues, teams, programs, or organization for the highest award presented by the AIAA Foundation Board of Trustees to recognize excellence within the aerospace community. The 2014 award will be presented 30 April 2014 during the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala.

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AIAA has announced its 2012–2013 Section Award winners. The Section Awards annually honor particularly notable achievements made by member sections in a range of activities that help fulfill the Institute’s mission. The Institute believes that vital, active sections are essential to its success.

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Raphel Klein, TU Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands, has won first prize in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation’s annual Undergraduate Individual Aircraft Design Competition, for his design “H.E.L.P. – High Endurance Lightweight Program.” Klein was advised by Dr. Roelof Vos and Dr. Ron Barrett.

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The AIAA Foundation is pleased to announce that the team from the University of Kansas has won first prize in the AIAA Foundation’s annual Graduate Team Aircraft Design Competition. The 2012–2013 competition required teams to design a high altitude long endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial system (UAS), carrying a direct energy laser weapon for use in missile defense.

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The AIAA Member Spotlight for October 2013 shines on Pamela Burke, AIAA Associate Fellow, and Deputy Director of Public Policy for AIAA Region V. Burke is employed at Red Canyon Engineering & Software, a subcontractor supporting the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, where she is currently assigned to the Orion Program.

Burke has degrees in Aeronautical Engineering and Aviation Management, as well as an MBA with a concentration in Quantative Methods with university education certification. She started in the industry in airport management and moved into airport and aviation systems design, followed by a stint in transportation planning and statistics. She moved into the Aerospace side of the industry working in a variety of Systems Engineering disciplines including Economic Analysis and LCC/DTC, Functional Analysis and Mission Scenario Development, Requirements and Integration, and engineering specialties; and both Technical Management roles for Systems Engineering and Specialties and support of Program Management including award fee implementation, contract technical implementation, and metrics development and interpretation.

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As a scientific platform, a construction vehicle, a cargo and logistics carrier, and for a host of other activities, NASA’s Space Shuttle was remarkable. From its first flight in 1981, it became an important example of the technological capability of the United States, universally recognized as such by the American people and also by the larger international community. Even in retirement, the Space Shuttle remains one of the most positive and tangible symbols of American excellence worldwide.

Global Aeronautical Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS): Volume 2—Applications expands on aeronautical CNS communications, space technology, and antenna technology, and focuses in particular on its use in air traffic control (ATC) and air traffic management (ATM) systems, describing CNS applications and methodology during takeoff, en-route flight, and landing.

This unique book presents first-hand histories, case studies, and lessons learned from many of the pioneers who built the satellite industry. They share the experiences, technologies, and business challenges that led to the successful development of an industry that is woven into the very core of our everyday lives. Historically important photographs throughout the book help to illuminate these compelling narratives.

On 16 October 1975, NASA launches the first satellite of its kind into orbit.

Trivia Question: What kind of satellite was is it? And, what was its purpose?

Bonus Trivia Question: What type of rocket was used to launch this satellite into orbit?

Trivia Answers >

The October 2013 issue of Aerospace America is now available online for AIAA members. Don’t miss this month's feature article, “China’s Growing Military Might,” by James W. Canan, discussing China’s increasing capabilities for waging war, both conventional and nuclear, at growing distances from its own shores. Canan discusses how China’s defense plans emphasize new and expanding domains, including cyberspace, which is now an area of major activity, and even aggression. As Canan writes, “China’s efforts to overcome remaining vulnerabilities in its defenses show no signs of abating.”



To access the October issue of Aerospace America visit www.aiaa.org/myaiaa, log in, and navigate to “Access Publications & Materials” to select “Aerospace America.”

The AIAA Career Center has the most comprehensive career and recruiting tools for the aerospace industry. Set up an account today and gain access to a variety of aerospace job postings, salary information, professional career timelines and much more! Also, Career Resources for job seekers is now available via the AIAA Career Center.

View the full suite of career resources on the AIAA website!

8 October 2013
DARPA Still Pursing X Vehicle as Announced at AIAA SPACE 2013
The Space Review – The Return of the X Vehicle

4 October 2013
AIAA Executive Director Sandy Magnus Chats About the Movie Gravity
Examiner.com – Astronaut Sandra H. Magnus Talks Gravity

30 September 2013
NASA Asteroid Mission Discussed in Depth at AIAA SPACE 2013 Continues to Make Headlines
The Huffington Post – NASA Asteroid Mission May End With Space Rock Being Slammed Into Moon

More AIAA in the News >

Contact the Editor of AIAA Momentum – News to Accelerate the Aerospace Profession.
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