13 February 2000

Satcoms

Comsat Receives US$ 5.5 Million for Aircraft Modems
Comsat Laboratories has announced the signing of a US$ 5.5 million contract with Matra Marconi Space UK Limited in which COMSAT will design and build satellite communications modem platforms.

The specialised modem platforms will utilise Comsat's own Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) technology and will be specifically designed for use in on board aircraft to send and receive voice and data speeds up to 2 Mb/s. Matra Marconi Space UK Limited and Comsat will jointly develop hardware, software and firmware for customised aircraft applications.

COMSAT plans to start shipping the modem platforms in late May 2000 and complete the contract by the end of 2001.

DTV Plus and Microspace Demonstrate Broadcast of IP Over Satellite and HDTV
DTV Plus, provider of datacasting via digital television and satellite-based technologies; and Microspace Communications Corporation, provider of satellite-based video and high-speed data networks for businesses, demonstrated a breakthrough in datacasting technology. In a historical first, an IP Multicast stream containing both video and web sites was sent over a combination of satellite and digital television signals.

DTV Plus is one of the first vendors to showcase its ability to multicast IP content, using satellite and DTV signals via Microspace and the Center for Datacasting Innovation (CDI), which was formed by Intel and KICU-TV in Silicon Valley, California.

IP Multicast is an open, IETF standard that enables efficient bandwidth usage for applications that distribute data to multiple recipients. Unlike traditional bandwidth-hungry "unicast," which creates a separate, point-to-point data stream between the sender and each receiver, multicast sends a single stream of data that can be accessed by any recipient desiring the information.

EBU - 50 Years Old
Based in Geneva, and now grouping 69 national broadcasters from every country in the European broadcasting area, the EBU celebrates its 50th anniversary on 12 February.

The EBU operates the Eurovision and Euroradio networks, organises the exchange of news items and sports programming, co-ordinates co-productions (including the Eurovision Song Contest and cartoon series for children), pursues technical development and standardisation, provides legal advice, training and strategic information for its members, and defends public service broadcasting.

The Eurovision network, using up to 30 digital channels on Eutelsat's W3 satellite, handled more than 100,000 TV transmissions in 1999 for EBU members and non-members. Most foreign TV news pictures seen in Europe reach viewers' TV screens after being offered by EBU members to each other free of copyright through 12 news exchanges every day. The network also has permanent links to North America and Asia.

The Euroradio network, which uses two satellite channels, carries around 2,000 concerts and operas, 400 sports events, and 120 major news events each year. In 1998 the EBU launched Euroclassic-Notturno, the first inter-broadcaster European music channel scheduling only classical music, and a new unit called Eurosonic aims to become a major player in popular contemporary music.

The EBU Presidency will mark the 50th anniversary with a meeting at the hotel in Torquay, England, where the Union was founded at a conference hosted by the BBC.

FAA Extends Comsat Contract
Comsat Corporation has announced that its mobile communications business unit received a five-year extension for satellite services supporting the Federal Aviation Administration's space-based aircraft navigation system.

With this extension, Comsat Mobile Communications will continue to provide satellite capacity and communications for the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). This agreement expands the previously announced US$ 57 million contract between Comsat and the FAA and has an estimated additional value of up to US$ 24 million.

WAAS operates in conjunction with the Global Positioning System. WAAS Reference Station Facilities collect data from the GPS network, which is then processed and transmitted directly to the aircraft through Comsat's ground stations and satellite service. The system allows aircraft to receive these highly accurate positioning signals during all phases of flight - from take off to landing. Aircraft operating in US airspace use WAAS to enhance navigation capabilities. The system improves aircraft position accuracy resulting in more direct routing of aircraft, savings of time, fuel and money, and improvement of approach and landing safety.

Comsat provides capacity through specialised transponders on the Inmarsat-3 satellites in the Atlantic Ocean Region-West and Pacific Ocean Region. Five earth stations, built specifically for WAAS and operated by Comsat, support this service. Long term testing of WAAS with the Inmarsat satellites is currently underway.

First Successful Live Multicast to the Desktop and Wireless LAN Laptop
American Multiplexer Corporation (AMC) has announced that it has successfully delivered live multicast programming, including customer content, utilising the Internet and satellite over its fully integrated terrestrial and satellite network.

The company is finalising the details to roll out its new multicast services to hundreds of thousands of potential sites in the US, which is a major breakthrough in the industry for the delivery of IP broadband services.

AMC has created and is presently rolling out an interactive, multimedia communications network that utilises IP data and video multicast technology over a fully integrated terrestrial and satellite network.

The company specialises in content delivery, dedicated Web-based application hosting and caching services. AMC services include VPN solutions that enable an organisation to securely and reliably communicate with its offices, mobile sales force, business partners, vendors and customers.

Globalstar Opens Twelfth Gateway
Globalstar Northern Europe has officially opened a new gateway in Karkkila, Finland, now extending the range of Globalstar's mobile satellite telephone service across Scandinavia and the Baltic nations. As part of the opening ceremonies, the first official phone call handled by the new gateway was made by Mr. Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Finland's Minister of Transportation and Communication.

The Karkkila installation becomes the twelfth gateway to initiate operations in the continuing roll-out of Globalstar service around the world. It joins existing gateways in France and Italy to provide coverage across virtually all of Europe. The new gateway will continue to be used to support friendly user trials over the next several weeks. Full commercial service from this gateway will be introduced, initially in Finland, in early April.

Globalstar Northern Europe, which is the provider of Globalstar service in seven northern European nations, is a joint venture between Radiolinja Group of Finland and Elsacom of Italy. Radiolinja Group includes some of the leading mobile telephone services in northern Europe. Oy Radiolinja Ab, the group's Finland division, is the leading cellular service provider in Finland and was the first company in the world to offer commercial GSM cellular service. Elsacom, based in Rome, is a Finmeccanica company specializing in the provision of fixed and mobile satellite telecommunication services and will provide Globalstar service in 27 countries.

Hauppauge and Europe Online Work Together on Internet Services
Hauppauge Digital Inc has signed an agreement to co-market Europe Online's broadband satellite Internet service, "Internet via the Sky", with its WinTV-DVB boards.

Europe Online Networks SA, based in Luxembourg, operates a broadband Internet via satellite network. Using the Astra satellite system and standard telephone back channels, Europe Online offers download speeds of up to 2 Mbits/second to personal computers equipped with Hauppauge's WinTV-DVB boards.

Hauppauge and Europe Online will jointly market the "Internet via the Sky" service to consumers through Hauppauge's European sales channel of personal computer dealers.

"Internet via the Sky" affords European consumers the ability to get broadband Internet via satellite, including video and audio streams and digital downloads, without requiring a cable TV connection.

To encourage consumers to sign up for the Europe Online service, Hauppauge and Europe Online will offer two months of free service to purchasers of the Hauppauge WinTV-DVB board. After the initial free trial period, subscribers will pay EUR15 per month for the Europe Online service.

For the return channel, the subscriber has to use a conventional Internet Service Provider.

Earth Observation

Herley Receives SPOT Contract From Matra Marconi
Herley Industries Inc has, announced that it has been awarded a contract from Matra Marconi Space of France to design and manufacture a transponder for the SPOT 5 satellite.

Herley will be providing technology that will allow various SPOT ground facilities to monitor the exact location of the satellite as it maintains a sun-synchronous orbit at an attitude of more than 830 km.

The SPOT (Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre) Earth observation satellite system was designed by CNES (French National Space Centre, Toulouse, France), in co-operation with Belgium and Sweden, to provide geographic information about regions of interest anywhere on earth. The image information will be used to generate and update topographical maps, urban planning, rural development and telecommunications.

Herley Industries Inc is a microwave technology company, providing sophisticated components and systems for the
defence/aerospace, satellite launch and commercial markets world-wide.

Science

Listening for Mars Polar Lander
After two sessions of observations by radio telescopes in the Netherland, the United Kingdom, Italy and California there is no confirmation of contact with the lost Mars Polar Lander.

The radio telescopes used were at Westerbork in the Netherlands, Jodrell Bank in the United Kingdom, Bologna in Italy and at Stanford University in California.

Observations were made on Friday February 4 and on Tuesday February 8. Although the data collected during the observations has been analysed extensively there is no indication of any transmissions from the spacecraft on Mars. Analysis is continuing with a final report due next week.

Kompsat Starts Returning Science Data
Eight weeks after its launch on December 20 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Korean Multipurpose Satellite (KOMPSAT) has started sending science data to its ground station in Taejon, Korea.

KOMPSAT, known in Korea as Arrirang I, is in a 685 kilometer, sun-synchronous orbit at 98 degrees to the Earth's equatorial plane.

Developed by Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and Korean industry jointly with TRW Inc, KOMPSAT carries three science instruments. These include two instruments built by TRW for remote sensing applications and a space physics instrument package built by the Korean Advanced Institute of Space & Technology for characterising the space environment.

KOMPSAT's primary payload instrument is an electro-optical camera (EOC), which has started to provide images for the production of digital elevation models of the Korean peninsula. The models will be used for topographical disciplines, such as land development planning, monitoring floods, avalanches and landslides, archaeological surveys and hydrological studies. The EOC is a pan-chromatic camera with 6.6 meter resolution.

The second instrument is an ocean scanning multispectral imager (OSMI). OSMI data will be applied to biological oceanography, such as the detection of red tides, producing a fish finding map and tracking global changes resulting from pollution, studying land vegetation and monitoring sea fog and yellow sand in the Yellow Sea around Korea. OSMI has six spectral bands and one kilometer resolution.

In addition, KOMPSAT is carrying a space physics sensor that includes a high-energy particle detector and an ionosphere measurement sensor. These instruments will enhance the understanding of how the space environment affects microelectronics and spacecraft.

SOHO Discovers 100th Comet
Calculations completed today confirm that a comet spotted by a Lithuanian astronomer on 4 February is a previously unknown object, making it the 100th comet discovered with the SOHO spacecraft.

Launched four years ago as a project of international co-operation between the European Space Agency and NASA, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has revolutionised the science of the Sun. It has also revealed an amazing number of kamikaze comets plunging into the solar atmosphere, which help to make SOHO the most prolific comet finder in the history of astronomy. But SOHO-100 is an ordinary comet, and so are two others that have appeared in the past few days.

Like nearly all of SOHO's discoveries, the 100th comet showed up in images from the LASCO instrument. This is a set of coronagraphs that view the space around the Sun out to 20 million kilometres, while blotting out the bright solar disk with masks. Developed for SOHO by a multinational team led by the US Naval Research Laboratory, LASCO watches for mass ejections from the Sun that threaten to disturb the Earth's space environment. Comet discoveries are a bonus.

SOHO's experts spot many of the comets as soon as the images come in. But still pictures and movies from LASCO are freely available on the Internet to astronomers around the world, who can discover less obvious comets without leaving their desks. This was the case when Kazimieras Cernis of the Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy in Vilnius, Lithuania, found SOHO-100.

The Smallest Satellites Ever
Engineers from The Aerospace Corp. have established two-way communications with the smallest satellites ever released into orbit.

The two picosatellites (MEMS-1 and MEMS-2) measure 10 x 7.5 x 2.5 cm, weigh about 0.23 kg each and are attached together by a tether. In passes over the ground station at Menlo Park, California, on Monday evening and Tuesday morning, the engineers received data and transmitted commands.

It was confirmed that the tethered satellites were released Sunday evening from their "mother" satellite, OPAL (Orbiting Picosat Automated Launcher), which was built by Stanford University students. OPAL was launched, along with JAWSAT, from a Minotaur converted ICBM on 27 January.

As part of a series of unique experiments, the picosatellites communicated via a low power RF link to each other and with a ground station to exchange information obtained from a series of simple on-board circuits. The circuits, which were developed with DARPA funding, were used to test the reliability of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) in space as well as probe the low-earth orbit environment. The satellite networking was accomplished using extremely low cost digital cordless telephone technology modified for data communications and networking by Rockwell Science Center technical staff.

The mission ended on Friday when the tiny satellites ran out of battery power.

The picosatellites were designed and built by The Aerospace Corp, El Segundo, California, under funding from DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The Aerospace Corp tested and integrated the satellite components and conceived the mission. The picosatellites are considered a link toward slightly larger and more sophisticated nanosatellites envisioned as tiny space workhorses of the future.

The Aerospace Corp. is an independent, non-profit company that provides objective technical analyses and assessments for national security space programs and other space programs in the national interest.

Launch Vehicles

Proton Launch Ban Lifted
Kazakhstan has lifted its ban on Proton launches from the Baikonur cosmodrome, permitting the February 12 launch of an Indonesian Garuda satellite.

Proton flights were suspended last October following the break up of a Proton-K booster just after launch which scattered debris over a wide area of sparsely inhabited country. Launches of other vehicles were allowed to continue.

Russia will now be able to continue profitable commercial launches and to launch the controversial Zvezda module for the International Space Station. The launch of Zvezda is now planned for mid July.

The Russian government has agreed to pay US$ 370,000 compensation for the damage and clean up operation following the October Proton failure.

Range Safety by Satellite
A Lockheed Martin-led team has successfully demonstrated the tracking and terminating of the flight of space launch vehicles from a central site and through the use of satellites.

The intention is to eliminate the costs associated with the network of flight termination system antennas and personnel that operate them to ensure range safety during launches. Eliminating down range equipment could save millions of dollars annually in operations and maintenance costs. Currently, range safety officers use the network to command the destruction of rockets that stray outside the safe area avoiding endangerment to property or the public.

Lockheed Martin's space-based Flight Termination System (FTS) can track just-launched booster rockets from a central location and send destruct commands to them if necessary, eliminating the need for a costly network of ground-based tracking antennas at sites far down range of the rocket's path. The FTS concept can replace the existing 20-year-old, UHF-based flight termination system with a high frequency, digital signal processing operation, and has the potential to save millions of dollars in costs.

Using the signals transmitted from a launch vehicle, a reliable and safe two-way communications link is established through a tracking satellite, such as NASA's Tracking Data Relay Satellite System, enabling ground operators to monitor the vehicle throughout the space launch, and terminate the vehicle if it strays off course. The FTS experiment demonstrated that a reliable communications link with a space vehicle can be maintained from a centralised command and control site, through the use of satellites.

Russia Sets Zvezda Launch Date
The Russian Aviation and Space Agency has announced that the next component of the International Space Station to be launched will be lofted between July 8 and 14 from Baikonur by a Proton launcher.

The 19,000 kg Zvezda will provide the living quarters for the crew, life support systems, electrical power distribution, data processing systems, flight control and propulsion.

Zvezda has a solar-array wingspan of 30 m and a length of 13 m. It contains three pressurised compartments and four docking ports.

Launches

Globalstar

Launched: 8 February 2000
Site: Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, USA
Launcher: Boeing Delta II (Delta 7420)
Orbit: LEO, apogee: 915 km, perigee: 900 km: inclination: 52°
International Number: 2000-008A/B/C/D
Name: Globalstar (4 satellites)
Owner: Globalstar
Contractor: Space Systems/Loral

Globalstar has successfully launched four low-earth-orbiting (LEO) satellites, providing on-orbit back-up capacity for the company's global mobile telephone system. The company's space segment is now complete with 48 operating satellites supported by four spares.

Fregat/Dumsat

Launched: 8 February 2000
Site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Soyuz-Fregat (SL-04)
Orbit: LEO, altitude: 600 km

International Number: 2000-009A
Name: DUMSAT

International Number: 2000-009B
Name: FREGAT

This launch is a test flight for the FREGAT upper stage which can carry a payload of up to 3,810 kg to a 1,410 km orbit. After five orbits FREGAT was returned to Earth using the innovative Inflatable Re-Entry and Descent Technology (IRDT) developed by Dasa and Lavochkin. FREGAT carried an 110 kg instrumentation package, DUMSAT, (developed by Dasa) which was deployed shortly before re-entry; this package was also equipped with an IRDT unit.

The FREGAT IRDT packs into a 1 cubic metre unit when stowed which is inflated using helium to a diameter of about 8 m just before re-entry to protect the upper stage. Once through the main heating phase of re-entry, the heat shield is inflated further to about twice its earlier diameter (14 m) to act as a parachute and an impact cushion. Landing speed is estimated to be 50 km/hr without a parachute. The IRDT concept was originally conceived as an effective way to land a probe on Mars in a 1996 Russian mission.

Unfortunately, after an apparently successful re-entry and descent, it proved difficult to locate either the vehicle or the instrumentation package. This was due to the failure of the positioning beacons and bad weather in the search area in the Russian steppes south of the city of Orenburg in the southern Ural Mountains. Early reports indicate that the instrumentation package has been recovered.

Astro-E

The M-V-4 rocket failed to place the Astro-E Japanese/US X-ray spacecraft in orbit on Thursday, falling to earth before it had completed even one orbit, destroying the satellite in the process.

The main instrument on the US$ 105 million satellite was the X-ray Spectrometer (XRS), developed jointly by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). The XRS was intended to measure the heat created by individual X-ray photons, enabling a precision approximately 10 times greater than with previous X-ray sensors. The XRS would have been cooled to only 0.060 degrees Kelvin to achieve this accuracy.

The M-V-4 rocket and its payload was launched from the Kogoshima Space Centre on the southern tip of the Japanese island of Kyushu on February 10.

The first stage suffered a malfunction causing an out of tolerance attitude error which the second and third stages could not correct. Japanese officials are blaming a crack in the first stage engine nozzle for the failure.

Shuttle Radar Mapping Mission

Launched: 11 February 2000
Site: Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Launcher: Space Shuttle Endeavour, STS-99
Orbit: altitude: 233 km: inclination: 57°
International Number: 2000-010A
Name: Space Shuttle Endeavour with Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) payload
Owner: NASA
Contractor: see below

The current shuttle flight will make a map of the Earth using the onboard radar system. It is supposed to make the most accurate maps of the entire Earth to date. Endeavour will spend 11 days in orbit making elevation measurements of the Earth's surface. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) will use a measurement technique called interferometry to gather 3-D images of approximately 70% of the Earth's landmass (between 60° N and 56° S). The primary customer for this information is the US Department of Defense. Other applications include: flood control, soil conservation, reforestation, volcano monitoring, earthquake research, glacier movement monitoring, improved understanding of water drainage, more realistic landscapes for flight simulators, prime locations for cell phone towers, navigation safety and even improved maps for backpackers.

In order to gather these images, two antenna have been extended: one in the orbiter's payload bay and the other from the end of a mast extended 60 meters out from the Shuttle. This 60 m carbon fibre reinforced plastic mast, which took 17 minutes to crank out on Friday evening is the largest rigid structure ever flown in space. The resulting three-dimensional images will generate the most complete topographic map of the Earth's land surface ever produced.

SRTM is a joint project between NASA, the United States National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) developed the C-band Spaceborne Imaging Radar and DLR developed the X-band Synthetic Aperture radar (X-SAR). Dornier Satellitensysteme GmbH, a corporate unit of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Dasa), is the prime contractor for the X-SAR system.

Endeavour's crew consists of Commander Kevin Kregel; Pilot Dom Gorie; and Mission Specialists: Janet Kavandi, Janice Voss, Mamoru Mohri (NASDA) and Gerhard Thiele (ESA).

Garuda 1

Launched: February 2000
Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Proton/Blok DM
Orbit: GEO via LEO parking orbit
International Number: 2000-011A
Name: Garuda 1
Owner: Asia Cellular Satellite System
Contractor: Lockheed Martin

Garuda 1 is a mobile communications satellite. It is also known as ACeS-1 (Asia Cellular Satellite System). It will provide mobile telephony services to South East Asia, China and India from GEO at 118 E.

Business

ICO Begins to See the Light, Iridium Sees a Glimmer
ICO Global Communications has announced that Craig McCaw's Eagle River Investments LLC has started the second round of investment in the satellite company.

ICO can now access US$ 275 million in funding. This follows on from the first round funding of US$ 225 million which was released in December. A further US$ 700 million in exit financing will probably be completed by the middle of the year.

Following this second round of financing, ICO has signed memoranda of understanding with Hughes Space and Communications and NEC, which would modify the existing agreements with these vendors

ICO is in the process of being rebranded as a global Internet service provider and is dropping its ambitions to be just a mobile telephony service. The new plan would still require the launch of six satellites which will deliver a range of Internet and IP-based services to a variety of fixed and mobile terminals, and not just the mobile voice services that ICO was originally designed to provide.

Opinion is divided on whether ICO will need to make major modifications to its fleet of satellites, the first of which is due for launch mid March. It has been reported that the ground stations will require modifications to handle packet-switched as well as circuit-switched traffic.

The refocusing of ICO appears to be part of greater strategy by McCaw to make ICO a pre-Teledesic, allowing Teledesic more time to develop into a second generation broadband service provider.

Loral Space and Communications Sells Stock
Loral Space and Communications announced today that it plans to sell US$ 400 million of convertible redeemable preferred stock due 2007 in an offering exempt from registration.

Loral intends to apply the proceeds from the sale of the preferred stock for general corporate purposes, including investment in our broadband strategy and expansion of the Loral Global Alliance, by acquisition of additional satellites and orbital slots.

The preferred stock will be offered only to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A and to certain persons in
offshore transactions pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933. The preferred stock has not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.

Radyne Comstream's Public Offering
Radyne ComStream Inc has announced the effectiveness of its registration statement covering 2.4 million units, each unit consisting of one share of common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock at a price of US$ 7.00 per unit.

The company's common stock and warrants now trade on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market under the symbols RADN and RADNW, respectively. The units will not trade as such.

Radyne ComStream is selling all units being offered.

Radyne ComStream designs, manufactures, and markets satellite internet-infrastructure equipment as well as satellite broadband modems, multicasting receivers, converters and ancillary products for digital TV, data and telephone services.

TriPoint Acquires Vertex
TriPoint Global Communications has announced that it hascompleted its acquisition of Vertex Communications Corporation.

Vertex Communications' business units and facilities will be incorporated into TriPoint Global's RSI satellite communications businesses forming a new Group called Vertex RSI. The combined business underscore TriPoint Global's position as a leading international supplier of satellite communications earth stations and gateways, antennas and electronic components used to support global television, radio, telephony and data communications.

TriPoint Global Communications Inc consists of three groups: CSA Wireless Communications, Prodelin and Vertex RSI. The company is a leading global supplier of satellite and wireless communications products and services.

Products and Services

Tracking Antenna Makes Two Way Internet Access a Reality for Mobiles
TracVision G4, the new KVH Industries Inc, system for identifying and tracking Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) satellite signals, represents an important milestone in the company's drive to provide both global television access and mobile two-way Internet capabilities.

TracVision G4 is the first single-antenna system designed to receive and decode signals from a range of DVB-compatible and DSS satellites and transponders, and then automatically identify, acquire and track the one selected by a mobile user. At the push of a button, TracVision G4 can automatically acquire and track a user's new selection.

One commercial customer reports that two-way Internet through the new Astra Europe Online system `works perfectly' and showed `excellent performance' with the TracVision G4, successfully downloading 10MB files in 3.2 minutes.

Stabilization is critical to maintaining satellite contact in marine applications where the platform often is subjected to continual pitch, roll and yaw. KVH's TracVision products have demonstrated the ability to provide continual reception even in rough seas, which makes the TracVision G4 ideal for a wide range of vessels, from high-speed powerboats to large luxury yachts and commercial vessels. The TracVision G4 radome is 50 cm high and 49 cm in diameter.

The new high-end TracVision G4 also includes the award-winning KVH GyroTrac sensor, which provides earth-referenced heading data for faster satellite acquisition and reacquisition. GyroTrac's patented three-axis gyro sensor delivers stabilised heading output that can be integrated with all onboard electronics to enhance autopilot and radar performance. A universal interface allows GyroTrac to provide precision heading data to other onboard navigation systems.

People

Mark Shahriary Joins STM Board
STM Wireless Inc has announced that Mark Shahriary has been elected to its Board of Directors.

Dr Shahriary replaces Lawrence D. Lenihan Jr, who resigned from the Board to make a position available for Dr. Shahriary.

Venneri to Head NASA's Merged Technology, Aerospace Office
NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin has announced that the Agency would merge the Chief Technologist's office with the Office of Aero-Space Technology to better focus the Agency's strategy for maintaining its long-term technology base.

Chief Technologist Samuel Venneri will retain that position while becoming Associate Administrator for Aero-Space Technology. He will succeed Lt. Gen. Spence (Sam) Armstrong, USAF (Ret.), who will become Senior Advisor to the Administrator.

In the combined position, Venneri will be the Administrator's principal advisor on Agency-wide technology issues. Under Venneri, the Office of Aero-Space Technology will be charged with developing integrated, long-term, innovative Agency-level technology for aeronautics and space. Venneri will also be responsible for developing new commercial partnerships that exploit technology breakthroughs, and for establishing and maintaining technology core competencies at the NASA Centers.

Gen. Armstrong will spearhead a new initiative that will allow the Agency to create new synergies with universities, industry and other scientific and technical agencies. He will work with academia and industry -- both aerospace and non-aerospace -- to identify new opportunities for NASA partnerships. He will also co-ordinate NASA's plans with the Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies to ensure that NASA's activities are integrated with other agencies' and that NASA establishes government-wide partnerships where appropriate.

Goldin also announced the following personnel appointments:

• W. Brian Keegan has been appointed Chief Engineer
• Orlando Figueroa has been appointed Deputy Chief Engineer for Systems Engineering
• Dr. Mary Cleave has been appointed Deputy Associate Administrator (Advanced Planning) for the Office of Earth Science.

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