Author Archives: Sean Gallagher

Space

As Discovery launches, word shuttle program may be extended

The space shuttle Discovery launched August 28,  to deliver, among other things, a new room for the International Space Station and a humorously-named treadmill.   As the shuttle prepared to launch, it was getting a boost from a report commissioned by the president, The Observer reports:

The US space shuttle, scheduled to be scrapped next year, could be thrown a last-minute lifeline this week. A reprieve is to be included as an option for rejuvenating America’s beleaguered space programme in a report commissioned by President Barack Obama.

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Contractors & Vendors, Lockheed Martin, Sensors

Lockheed Flying Intel Lab gets cleared for takeoff

Lockheed Martin's Airborne Multi-Intelligence Laboratory

Lockheed Martin's AML

Lockheed Martin’s Airborne Intelligence Test Bed has completed its maiden flight, getting an air-worthiness certificate from the FAA.  The Airborn Multi-Intelligence Laboratory (AML – a name clearly sculpted to avoid the AIL label) is a reconfigured Gulfstream III business jet loaded with sensors and computing equipment.

The AML has an ample radome on the bottom of the aircraft that can be crammed with various sensors and data links. “We’ve designed the AML so that we can easily test a myriad of sensors to advance the science and art of correlating diverse types of intelligence – with the goal of rapidly providing high-quality data,” said Jim Quinn, Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services-Defense’s vice president of C4ISR Systems, in a company statement.

Because of its reconfigurable, “plug and play” architecture for sensors and computing systems, the AML can be used for a variety of evaluations at the same time. The aircraft is currently slated to participate in the C4ISR On-The-Move exercise at Ft. Dix in New Jersey at the end of August.

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