INDUSTRY NEWS NASA to Hire More Artemis Generation Astronauts — As NASA prepares to launch American astronauts this year on American rockets from American soil to the International Space Station – with an eye toward the Moon and Mars – the agency is announcing it will accept applications March 2 to 31 for the next class of Artemis Generation astronauts. Since the 1960s, NASA has selected 350 people to train as astronaut candidates for its increasingly challenging missions to explore space. With 48 astronauts in the active astronaut corps, more will be needed to crew spacecraft bound for multiple destinations and propel exploration forward as part of Artemis missions and beyond. After completing training, the new astronauts could launch on American rockets and spacecraft developed for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to live and work aboard the International Space Station, 250 miles above Earth, where they will take part in experiments that benefit life at home and prepare us for more distant exploration. They may also launch on NASA’s powerful new Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, docking the spacecraft at the Gateway in lunar orbit before taking a new human landing system to the Moon’s surface. After returning humans to the Moon in 2024, NASA plans to establish sustainable lunar exploration by 2028. Gaining new experiences on and around the Moon will prepare NASA to send the first humans to Mars in the mid-2030s. NASA expects to select the new class of astronaut candidates in mid-2021 to begin training as the next class of Artemis Generation astronauts. Collins Aerospace Unveils New Landing Systems Facility in Texas — United Technologies Corp unit Collins Aerospace has opened a new 110,000 square-foot landing systems facility near Fort Worth in Haltom City, Texas. The new site will serve as the company’s wheel and brake maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) hub. It will cater to airline customers in the North Texas region. In addition to the MRO services, the new facility will expand the company’s landing gear capability. As Collins Aerospace’s Center of Excellence for military landing gear, the facility will support the company’s increased demand, meanwhile the facility’s procurement, supply chain, engineering, program management, and operations teams will support customers. The company expects the new facility to achieve full capability in the coming months. Earlier this month, Collins Aerospace announced plans to expand its carbon brake manufacturing facilities in Spokane, Washington, and Pueblo, Colorado. The company intends to invest $145 million in its Spokane facility to expand its existing carbon brake manufacturing capacity by more than 50 percent. Back to 2020-02-26 issue of C.E. Weekly Back to Members Base Camp Back to CJHunter Home Page