On the eve of President Bush's expected announcement about a new initiative with NASA, the Coalition for Freedom of Information (CFi) with support from SCI FI Channel, has announced the filing of a lawsuit against the space agency in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The filing comes as a result of the government agency's refusal to release its records concerning the 1965 UFO incident near Kecksburg, PA. Today is the 38th anniversary of the incident. "Our lawsuit is aimed at getting NASA to tell the public what it knew and when it knew it," said Ed Rothschild, Executive Director of CFi. The lawsuit against NASA is the first of several against government agencies, including the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense, which have been stonewalli

The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) reported in its annual state-of-the-industry address that commercial aircraft sales and employment had fared better than expected in 2003 and it predicted a return to growth in 2005-2006. AIA also presented the industry's election year issues for 2004. AIA President and CEO John W. Douglass called on the presidential candidates to support the development of a national aerospace policy to promote aerospace careers, accelerate basic research in future technologies, and lower barriers to trade for aerospace manufacturers. He said AIA is preparing an investment plan that will be released early next year calling for an increase in federal R&D spending between 2004 and 2008. Speaking to 350 representatives of the media, industry and g