NASA Administrator James Bridenstine is confident that astronauts will again fly from U.S. soil next year, but sees the agency's relationship with Roscosmos continuing for several years.
Bridenstine said "Without question, by the middle of next year, we'll be flying American astronauts on American rockets from American soil." Since the end of the shuttle program in 2011, U.S. taxpayers have been paying up to $82 million per seat to send U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The sun set Sunday on Kazan, Russia after a second place podium finish for American pilot Michael Goulian… Facing off against Christian Bolton in the 6th heat of Round of 14, the American pilot kept his composure and clocked 52.437 in the track, 3.107 seconds less than his Chilean competitor. Goulian proceeded onto the next stage along with Yoshi Muroya, Ben Murphy, Matt Hall, Martin Sonka, Francois LeVot, and fellow American and reigning Kazan champion Kirby Chambliss. The Final 4 pilots battled it out for champagne showers: Chambliss, Goulian, Velarde, and Sonka each flew error-free and put respectable times on the board, within 0.563 seconds of each other.
Airbus Perlan Mission II, the world’s first initiative to pilot an engineless aircraft to the edge of space, made history again this week in El Calafate, Argentina, by soaring in the stratosphere to a pressure altitude of over 62,000 feet (60,669 feet GPS altitude). This set a new gliding altitude world record, pending official validation. The pressurized Perlan 2 glider, which is designed to soar up to 90,000 feet, passed the Armstrong Line, the point in the atmosphere above which an unprotected human’s blood will boil if an aircraft loses pressurization. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Airborne 08.29.18 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Wednesday, August 29th, 2018... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Laura Hutson, Brianne Cross, and Christopher Odom, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, and Aero-Journalist Tom Patton, this episode covers:
- Bridenstine: Astronauts Will Launch From U.S. Soil In 2019
- Goulian Takes Second Place At Kazan Red Bull Air Race
- Airbus Perlan Mission II Soars To Over 62,000 Feet
- Japan Names First Female Fighter PIlot
- NBAA Annual Compensation Survey Shows Business Aviation Salaries Are Up
- USAF's First Advanced GPS III Satellite Shipped To Cape Canaveral For Launch
- SEA-TAC Runway 16L/34R Closed For Maintenance
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