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Government agencies 11 September 2001 : The Response This is the full text pdf House of Commons Research Paper, published on the 3rd October 2001 by the International Affairs and Defence Section of the House of Commons Library. It examines the response by America, Britain and the rest of the world to the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001. It contains background information on the Al-Qaeda network, the Taliban, and Osama Bin Laden; and a detailed insight into the issues and previous conflicts of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the wider region. 2001 Mars Odyssey 2001 Mars Odyssey is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet. The spacecraft was launched on April 7, 2001, and arrived at Mars on October 24, 2001. Odyssey's primary science mission will take place February 2002 through August 2004. For the first time, the mission will map the amount and distribution of chemical elements and minerals that make up the Martian surface. The spacecraft will especially look for hydrogen, most likely in the form of water ice, in the shallow subsurface of Mars. It will also record the radiation environment in low Mars orbit. The site brings together a wealth of information on the mission including a description of its scientific objectives, its instrument packages, a mission summary (status, timeline, launcher and spacecraft descriptions), mission team members, images and video clips. 2005 Commercial Space Transportation Forecasts This report on the forecast of the global demands for commercial space launch services for the period from 2005 to 2014 is produced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) in May, 2005. The report includes the COMSTAC 2005 Commercial Geosynchronous Orbit Launch Demand Model which projects demand for commercial satellites that operate in geosynchronous orbit (GSO) and the resulting commercial launch demand to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO); and the FAA�s 2005 Commercial Space Transportation Forecast for Non-Geosynchronous Orbits, which projects commercial launch demand for satellites to non-geosynchronous orbits (NGSO), such as low Earth orbit, medium Earth orbit, elliptical orbits, and external orbits beyond Earth. Together, the COMSTAC and FAA forecasts project an average annual demand of 22.8 commercial space launches worldwide from 2005 to 2014. The forecast projects a demand for up to 25 launches during 2005, including some missions delayed from 2004. The report is available in PDF. A National Protocol for UK Route Development Funds This is the UK Department for Transport (DfT) Consultation Ducument. This document provides consultation seeking comments on proposed changes to existing administrative procedures for applications by UK airlines to lease foreign registered aircraft. The closing date is 8th September 2006. The document has been archived and is available in PDF format. A Strategy for Research in Space Biology and Medicine into the Next Century This is a full text book available from National Academies Press and produced by Committee on Space Biology and Medicine, National Research Council in the year 1998. This book addresses two major aspects connected with the construction of international space station. These include the use of low gravity as an experimental parameter to study fundamental biological processes and the study of the serious physiological changes that occur in astronauts as they remain in space for increasingly longer missions. The book provides a comprehensive review of ground-based and space research in eleven disciplines, ranging from bone physiology to plant biology. It also offers detailed, prioritized recommendations for research during the next decade, which are expected to have a considerable impact on the direction of NASA's research program. The volume is also a valuable reference tool for space and life scientists. The text is available in open book PDF form. Accident Investigation Board of Finland This site provides background details about the Accident Investigation Board of Finland which investigates all major accidents regardless of their nature as well as all aviation, maritime and rail accidents and their incidents. Accident reports are written in Finnish with English summaries. An English version is prepared from important reports, for example, the MV Estonia (available in full-text). Reports are available in PDF format. Adult Learning Inspectorate : Ministry of Defence Survey In May 2004, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces appointed the Adult Learning Inspectorate to carry out an independent inspection of the training establishments of the UK Armed Forces. In October 2004, the inspections began and focused on the welfare and duty of care of recruits and trainees in initial training and whether new welfare provisions that came about due to the deaths of recruits at Deepcut training barracks have been sufficient. This site provides full text documents relating to the survey including the letter of appointment of the ALI; opening statement from David Sherlock, Chief Inspector of Adult Learning to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee; memorandum of understanding between the MoD and ALI; terms of reference of the survey; scope of the survey; and the final report published in March 2005, Safer Training, Managing Risks to the Welfare of Recruits in the British Armed Services, along with the accompanying press release, ministerial foreword, and statement made by David Sherlock. Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) ACE is a NASA Space Science Mission which was launched in August 1997. The mission's objective is to sample and study low-energy solar particles and high-energy galactic particles in order to gain a better understanding of the formation and evolution of the solar system as well as the astrophysical processes involved. The web site brings together a variety of information resources including: mission overview; a browsable and searchable listing of publications; online acess to mission data; image gallery; and descriptions of the various ACE instruments. Advanced Materials, Manufacturing, and Testing Information Analysis Center (AMMTIAC) Formed from three pre-existing information analysis centres (AMPTIAC, MTIAC and NTIAC), AMNTIAC's mission is to support the warfighter in all environments. The site provides a library catalogue search, the National Materials Information System (NAMIS - needs a log in), links, and publications, including AMNTIAC Quarterly. AePortal This service has been produced at the recommendation of the the United Kingdom Department of Trade and Industry's Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team (AeGIT) by the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC). This information portal is designed to help UK aerospace companies find their way around the plethora of business support initiatives. New initiatives from organisations which provide direct or indirect business support are tracked along with specific sources of funding. The service is aimed at members of the UK aerospace industry and Government and it is necessary to submit an online form in order to register. Aerospace and Defence KTN (knowledge Transfer Network) The KTN is an independent body with the aim of ensuring that the UK retains its leadership in current technologies whilst expanding its understanding in new, emerging areas of innovation to retain and advance its world-class capabilities. To achieve this, national strategies for aerospace and defence have been developed. The KTN relies on advice from National Advisory Committees (NACs), specialists in different technologies from institutions around the UK, to make the right decisions on where to focus. The Aerospace and Defence KTN, is a steering committee representing industry, academia, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Defence it coordinates activity of the NACs. The site provides further information about the work of the KTN, including the NACs, events and links to related information. Some parts of the site require registration. Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team The AeIGT has been set up by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to identify the key issues that face the Aerospace industry in the UK and make recommendations on how the UK can best respond to competitive challenges over the next 20 years. These pages provide programme news, updates, events, links and reports. Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo (ANSV) The Italian Air Safety Board is a public institution, with an autonomous decision making authority and is an independent body within the Civil Aviation System. The ANSV has two main tasks: to conduct technical investigations for civil aviation aircraft accidents and incidents and to issue safety recommendations as appropriate (with the exclusion of accidents and incidents to State aircraft); and, to conduct studies and surveys aimed at increasing flight safety. The site describes the ANSV's role, responsibilities and organisation and provides access to the text of the legislative decree by which it was instituted. There are featured news stories, press releases, and copies of the annual report. The site also provides access to the text of accident and incident reports and there is a small collection of links to sites of related interest. Air Accident Investigation Institute This is the independent authority responsible for air accident investigation in the Czech Republic. The site provides access to the founding legislation and statutes, an organisational chart and several presentational overviews of the Institute. Information resources available for downloading include copies of annual reports as well as recent accident and incident reports. Other sections describe the history of air accident investigation in the Czech Republic and present an overview of civil aviation development in that country. Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) is part of the Department of Transport, and is responsible for the investigation of aircraft accidents and serious incidents within Ireland. The web site provides access to a variety of information resources. Several Formal accident and incident reports issued by the Air Accident Investigation Unit are available online. The site also provides access to the text of accident reports published since 1998. The site describes the procedures for the reporting of accidents and serious incidents, and contains the full text of a Statutory Instrument (S.I. No. 205 of 1997), The Air Navigation (Notification and Investigating of Accidents and Incidents) Regulations, 1997. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) The United Kingdom Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is part of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR), and is responsible for the investigation of civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the United Kingdom. The home page provides information on the procedures for reporting accidents, the full text of the Civil Aviation (Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents) Regulations 1996, and the full text of the bulletin reports and formal reports in HTML format and links to various associations. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) This is the home page of the US AFOSR, whose mission is to manage all basic research conducted by the US Air Force. The site provides information on the role, function, and organisation of the AFOSR. Information about doing business with the AFOSR, its education and research assistance programmes, news and a calendar of events are also provided. A particularly useful resource is the link to AFOSR Accomplishments, which includes a summary of research highlights and annual research technology area plans. Air Force Research Laboratory : Space Vehicles Directorate
The Space Vehicles Directorate is comprised of three distinct divisions located at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M: Air Traffic Control System Command Center : Real-Time Airport Status Page This site from the US Federal Aviation Administration provides information on real-time US airport statuses. An active map or drop-down menu allows each airport to be selected and general delay information is given, this includes departure and arrival delays as well as delay by destination. Delays for specific flights are not given. The site also contains a glossary of air traffic management terms, an advisories database which includes a 15 day archive, arrival demand metrics for selected airports, the National Airspace System Status which is refreshed every 5 minutes and Coded Departure Routes. Air Travel Greener by Design This website is dedicated to sustainable aviation. Greener by Design was set up in the UK in 1999 by Airport Operators Association (AOA), British Air Transport Association (BATA), Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) and Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) to bring together experts from every part of the aviation industry with Government bodies and research institutions to seek practical, environmental and economically sustainable solutions to the challenge posed by aviation's impact on the environment. Full-text publications are available in PDF format and there are links to related sites and a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page as well as publicity of books and an archive - for which you need to register to use. Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) The Rannsóknarnefnd flugslysa (RNF), translated as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board, is responsible for aircraft accidents, aircraft incidents and air traffic incidents investigations in Iceland. The site contains a copy of the act which defines the legal framework in which the Board operates, and provides access to the appropriate reporting and notification forms. There is also a very lengthy set of links to other aviation related sites. Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)have been pronounced by the Swiss Parliament in 1960. It is integrated into the General Secretariat of the Federal Department for the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications. The development of civil aviation has shown that it is necessary to draw up international regulations which guarantee that civil aviation and the air traffic infrastructure comply with the same Standards. This website provides useful information regarding accidents reports which are provided in PDF format, statistics in relations with aircraft accidents and links to other investigation boards and aeronautical organizations. Aircraft Accidents and Railway Investigation Commission The Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission was established to investigate the causes of aircraft and railway accidents from the viewpoint of a fair and impartial stance, and help to prevent accidents. The commission assembled on October 1,2001 from the previous Aircraft Accidents Investigation Commission. It is part of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Japan. The major duties of the commission are to conduct investigation to ascertain the cause of aircraft and railway accidents. The commission has to investigate into aircraft and railway serious incidents(situations which are recognized to carry the risk of an accident),from the point of view of preventing accidents. Also to make recommendations and proposals for measures to prevent aircraft and railway accidents on the based of the results of the investigation. Finally, to conduct the research and studies necessary in order to carry out these duties. Aircraft Noise and Sleep Disturbance This site from the UK's Department for Transport brings together resources about the effect of aircraft noise on sleep. The site provides a Summary of Government Sponsored Research, the executive summary from the Report of a Field Study of Aircraft Noise and Sleep disturbance (1992) and the executive study from a report published in 2001 entitled Adverse Effects of Night-Time Aircraft Noise. Aircraft Turbine Engine Cost Model Provided by the Johnson Space Center, this cost model is intended to aid the estimation of the development, production costs and time of arrival of aircraft turbine engines. The model is written in JavaScript. The site also links to the full text of a handbook entitled 'Parametric cost estimating handbook' and links to other cost models. Airline Restructuring - the impact This set of web pages are provided by Transport Canada. They bring together a range of information resources relating to airline restructuring in Canada. This includes various full text documents including the Airline Restructuring in Canada, Final Report, Prepared by Debra Ward, Independent Transition Observer on Airline Restructuring, dated September 2002. The site also contains other relating statements, responses, and news releases. Airport Air Traffic Services : Consultation on Proposed Charging Methods This consultation paper was produced by the Civil Aviation Authority, at the request of the Department of Transport, to review the way in which airport air traffic services are charged, and to advise whether direct charging of airlines should be an option at all airports or should be discontinued. This is a PDF file. Airport Capital Improvement Plan The US National Airport Capital Improvement Plan (ACIP) is a planning tool for identifying critical development and associated capital needs for the National Airspace System. It also serves as the basis for the distribution of grant funds under the Airport Improvement Program. It is available in full text in PDF format. Airport Cost Allocation : Report for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) by Europe Economics This report is intended to help assess the cost allocation issues which would be involved in a possible move to a "dual till" system of regulation. It describes current regulation, and sets out the principles of the "dual till" system, in which airport activities are divided into aeronautical and non-aeronautical activities, and only the costs and revenues from the aeronautical activities are taken into account when setting charges for the airport. The document is in PDF format. America Responds to Terrorism Part of the White House's Department of Homeland Security, this site provides information on America's response to terrorism since September 11th. It contains information on presidential action, homeland security strategy, diplomatic, investigative, financial and humanitarian action. There is also a military section which provides an update on the war on terrorism in America and abroad. The site also links to the Department of Homeland Security which gives access to legislation such as the Homeland Security Act. An Assessment of Space Shuttle Flight Software Development Processes This is a full text book available from National Academies Press and produced by Committee for Review of Oversight Mechanisms for Space Shuttle Flight Software Processes, Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, National Research Council in 1993. The book evaluates the safety, oversight, and management functions that are implemented currently in the Space Shuttle program to ensure that the software is of the highest quality possible. Numerous recommendations are made regarding safety and management procedures, and a rationale is offered for continuing the Independent Verification and Validation effort that was instituted after the Challenger Accident. The text is available in open book PDF form. An Independent Report on the Future of the UK Aerospace Industry : Overview Report (Vol B) A joint DTI / Industry Aerospace Innovation & Growth Team (AeIGT) report published in June 2003 is available in full-text via a zip file. The report recommends how the UK Aerospace Industry can best respond to the global competitive challenges it will face over the next 20 years. The report is the most comprehensive review of the UK aerospace industry for over 40 years. This AeIGT report details five areas for action: Research & Technology; Productivity; Workforce; Policy Support and Safety, Security and the Environment. The text of the report is available in a compressed (zipped) PDF (1338 Kb) file, and n Executive Summary in PDF (473 Kb) format is also available from the AeIGT web site. Annual Report to the President and the Congress 1998 Report by the Secretary of State of Defense, W.S. Cohen, on future US defense strategy, readiness, conventional and nuclear forces, information superiority, total force integration, the revolution in military affairs, acquisition reform and defense infrastructure. Annual Reports to the President and Congress Also known as the Annual Defense Report, this is the report by Secretary of Defense which details the Department's capabilities, and present and future US defence strategy. Full text annual reports are available from 1995 to the present year online. There are also details on how to order hard copies of the reports. Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program (AVIP) This American site provides information on anthrax and its use as a biological weapon. The site contains information about the disease, images, a library of full text journal articles, and related links. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) Site of the United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), which is responsible for training, mobilising, deploying and supporting forces capable of rapid response to military conflict, natural disasters and civil emergencies world-wide. The site also provides information about Atlanta,where FORSCOM is situated. Arnold Engineering Development Center The Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) is an aerospace ground test and evaluation/simulation centre. The site provides a description of the AEDC testing facilities and competencies in the following: aerodynamics/wind tunnels, propulsion systems, hypersonics, rockets, space systems, computational modelling and instrumentation. Each section includes a test highlights fact sheet. Assessment of Directions in Microgravity and Physical Sciences Research at NASA This is a full text book made available by National Academies Press and produced by the Committee on Microgravity Research, National Research Council. The book assesses the past impact and current status of microgravity research programs in combustion, fluid dynamics, fundamental physics, and materials science and gives recommendations for promising topics of future research in each discipline. Guidance is given for setting priorities across disciplines by assessing each recommended topic in terms of the probability of its success and the magnitude of its potential impact on scientific knowledge and understanding; terrestrial applications and industry technology needs; and NASA technology needs. At NASA s request, the book also contains an examination of emerging research fields such as nanotechnology and biophysics, and makes recommendations regarding topics that might be suitable for integration into NASA s microgravity program. The text is available in open book PDF form. Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope : Final Report This is a full text book available from National Academies Press and produced by the Committee on the Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope, National Research Council. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has operated continuously since 1990. During that time, four space shuttle-based service missions were launched, three of which added major observational capabilities. A fifth SM-4 was intended to replace key telescope systems and install two new instruments. The loss of the space shuttle Columbia, however, resulted in a decision by NASA not to pursue the SM-4 mission leading to a likely end of Hubble s useful life in 2007-2008. This situation resulted in an unprecedented outcry from scientists and the public. As a result, NASA began to explore and develop a robotic servicing mission; and Congress directed NASA to request a study from the National Research Council (NRC) of the robotic and shuttle servicing options for extending the life of Hubble. This report presents an assessment of those two options. It provides an examination of the contributions made by Hubble and those likely as the result of a servicing mission, and a comparative analysis of the potential risk of the two options for servicing Hubble. The study concludes that the Shuttle option would be the most effective one for prolonging Hubble s productive life. ASTRA : Australian Strategic Air Traffic Management Group This is Australia's whole of industry Air Traffic Management (ATM) planning body. ASTRA stakeholders include Airlines, Airports, Regional Aviation, Pilots, GA and various government organisations. It is responsible for defining and implementing the strategic plan for the future development of ATM in Australia. The site provides an overview of Astra, and its organisation and structure. There are implementation and working groups covering activity areas such as GNSS, ADS-B, strategy development, operational strategy, capacity and service improvement, marketing, security and performance management. Other sections of the site cover projects and programmes and publications. The site provides online access to the ASTRA newsletter and to the Australian Air Traffic Management Strategic Plan. This is presented in three volumes: Optimising Safety, Efficiency, Capacity and the Environment; ATM Operational Futures; and, Communication, Navigation and Surveillance. An executive summary of each volume is available in HTML and the full text can be dowloaded in PDF format. Australian Air Power Development Centre The Australian Air Power Development Centre [formerly the Australian Aerospace Center and Air Power Studies Centre (APSC)] was established by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in August 1989 at the direction of the then Chief of the Air Staff (now Chief of Air Force). The function of the Aerospace Centre is to promote a greater understanding of the proper application of air power within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and in the wider community. The web site provides access to a variety of information resources including: listings of publications (including some working papers in full text, and the condensed version of the Australian Air Power Manual), events, and links to related defence sites. The site also features image and video galleries. Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) : Aviation Safety The ATSB is Australia's prime agency for the independent investigation of civil aviation accidents, incidents and safety deficiencies. In addition to investigating accidents and incidents, the ATSB investigates safety deficiencies based on occurrence trends that could lead to a future accident. The ATSB also participates as an accredited representative on investigations of accidents and serious incidents involving Australian-registered aircraft overseas. The ATSB's Aviation Safety web site provides access to a range of information resources including sections on statistics, investigation procedures, aviation safety investigation reports, accident and incident notification and reporting, legislation and regulations, weekly summaries of accidents and incidents; a large collection of ATSB publications, and information on the Aviation Safety Research Grants Programme. Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is an independent Division-level unit within the Department of Transport and Regional Services that deals with the non-regulatory aspects of air, sea, rail and road safety. ATSB investigates accidents, incidents and safety deficiencies, and analyses safety data to prevent repeat occurrences and to minimise the effects of those that do eventuate. The web site contains a range of information resources including: ATSB Strategic Business Plan and a media archive. The site provides links to the ATSB Aviation Safety Web Site; ATSB Rail Safety; ATSB Road Safety, as well as the Marine Incident Investigation Unit. Aviation Accident Statistics - National Transportation Safety Board This web site provides access to a set of aviation accident statistics produced by the United States National Transportation Safety Board. These include: Summary of Air Carrier and General Aviation Accidents; U.S. Airline Accidents by NTSB Severity Classification; U.S. Airline Passenger Injuries and Injury Rates; U.S. Airline Aircraft Destroyed; U.S. Air Carriers Operating under 14 CFR 121, Scheduled and Nonscheduled Service (Airlines); U.S. Air Carriers Operating under 14 CFR 121, Scheduled Service (Airlines); U.S. Air Carriers Operating under 14 CFR 121, Nonscheduled Service (Airlines); U.S. Air Carriers Operating under 14 CFR 135, Scheduled Service (Commuter Air Carriers); U.S. Air Carriers Operating under 14 CFR 135, Nonscheduled Service (On Demand Air Taxis); U.S. General Aviation; and, Fatal Accidents Involving U.S. Air Carriers. Most of these tables include figures back to 1982. There are also listings of Accidents Involving Passenger Fatalities, 1983 - Present; Most Recent Monthly Statistics; Year-to-date chart; and Statistical Reports. Aviation and the Environment : FAA's Role in Major Airport Noise Programs This web site provides access to a United States General Accounting Office report titled: Aviation and the Environment: FAA's Role in Major Airport Noise Programs, GAO/RCED-00-98, April 2000. In response to concerns about airport related noise, the GAO was asked to investigate a number of related issues including; types of projects that are eligible for federally authorized funding to reduce airport-related noise or mitigate its effects; differences in the major methods for measuring the impact of airport-related noise; Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) noise standards for civil subsonic turbojets and the reasons some of those aircraft are not required to comply with these or earlier standards; and status of FAA's Land Use Planning Initiative and the major issues the initiative has raised about how best to address airport-related noise. The full text of the report is available online in PDF format. Aviation Medicine Orders and Directives The Office of Aviation Medicine is part of the US Federal Aviation Administration and deals with activities such as accident investigation and aeromedical certification. This site provides the full text of orders and directives in HTML format. Aviation Safety : Fourteenth Report This full text report from the UK Select Committe on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs examines the impact of the deregulation of the UK air transport industry on aviation safety. The report finds that the industry has an excellent safety record, but does highlight some areas of concern. The current regulatory regime is discussed, as are training and recent aviation accidents. The report was ordered to be printed on 14th July 1999 and is available in HTML format. Aviation Safety : The Government's Response to the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee's Report This site contains the full text of The Government's Response to the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee's Report: Aviation Safety. This was published by the Department for Transport in November 1999, Command Paper Cm 4539. This is an HTML document, published 8 December 1999. A PDF (146 Kb) version of the text is also available for downloading. Aviation Safety Foundation Australia (ASFA) Based in Victoria, Aviation Safety Foundation Australia was launched in February 1997 as an independent, non political organisation. Its aims are to promote air safety, coordinate and facilitate independent air safety resources in Australia and establish standards of practice within the industry. It is supported by the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau, Airservices Australia, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Defence Force. The Web site provides details of its current activities, news, products and services, and forthcoming seminars. Bloody Sunday Inquiry This is the official website of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, which was set up in 1998 and is chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate. On 30th January 1972, thirteen people were killed by the British Army whilst on a civil rights march in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. There are conflicting claims that shots were fired at the British Army and they were retaliating and that soldiers and snipers opened fire on unarmed civilians without provocation. There was an initial investigation shortly after the incident which is known as the Widgery Report. However, it was decided that new eye-witness accounts, interpretation of ballistic material and medical evidence should be used in a new investigation into the incident. This site provides information on the remit of the inquiry, the tribunal members and witnesses. It contains the latest press releases on the progress of the case, as well as transcripts of the hearing, rulings and reports and statements. Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project This is a NASA project aiming to seek the ultimate breakthroughs in space transportation. Specifically, propelling a vehicle without propellant mass, attaining the maximum transit speeds physically possible and creating new energy production methods to power such devices. The site provides background information to the project, the full text of several publications related to the project and a listing of related conference papers. Brigade Combat Team Modernization
The role of the US Brigade Combat Team (BCT) is to ensure that US forces adapt to match any opponent it will face in the 21st century. Britain and the Fight Against International Terrorism (2000) This is one of the 'Focus International' series of briefings from the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). It is freely available to download from the Web site as an 11 page Adobe Acrobat PDF file. This briefing outlines the main principles underpinning Britains counter terrorism policy. It discusses topics such as hostage-taking, kidnapping, Lockerbie, Northern Ireland and the changing international face of terrorism. The purpose and progress of the Terrorism Bill 1999 are also briefly summarised and a list of United Nations and European conventions addressing terrorism is included. This briefing is an update of an earlier FCO document, Combating International Terrorism (1998). Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL) The Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL), is part of the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). BFRL interests include building materials; computer-integrated construction practices; fire science and fire safety engineering; and structural, mechanical, and environmental engineering. It is involved in a number of broad research areas including enhanced building performance, fire loss reduction, high performance construction materials and systems, and homeland security. BFRL web site provides access to a number of information resources related fire safety and aviation including: BFRL Publications Online, a collection of recent publications (since 1993) available for free download and FIREDOC, a web searchable database of publications in the Fire Research Information Service at BFRL. The Laboratory's Fire Research Division has also brought to together a collection of resources including fire related software, experimental fire data and mpeg/quick time movies of fire tests that can be downloaded and/or viewed with a Web browser. Bureau Enquetes Accidents (BEA) The BEA is the official French organisation responsible for technical investigations of civil aviation accidents and incidents. The site provides a brief introduction to the Bureau and also includes press releases and other news items. There is a searchable database of accident reports. Most of the reports are in French, although some are also in English. The reports are available in HTML and PDF formats. There is a link to reports recently released in English on the homepage. Bureau of Arms Control The US State Department Bureau of Arms Control provides a collection of links to the full texts of arms control treaties and agreements. These include; the Ballistic Missile Launch Notification Agreement, Biological Weapons Convention, Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) and the Geneva Protocol. The site also provides texts of the Hot Line Agreement, Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) Guidelines, Outer Space Treaty, Prevention of Nuclear War Agreement and the Threshold Test Ban Treaty. There are also sections providing information on the Biological Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention, Missile Defence and the Weapons of Mass Destruction Threat. Cadets Canada The site provides information about the Sea Cadets, Air Cadets and Army Cadets, plus news and details about joining the cadets. There are also details about regional headquarters, governmental sites, plus the Cadet Harassment and Abuse Prevention Programme. There are links to Annual Reports, handbooks and manuals in PDF format through the staff resources link. Information is also provided about the Cadets' partners: the Navy League of Canada, the Army Cadet League of Canada and the Air Cadet League of Canada. Details are available on the various awards and medals given to Canadian Cadets, and also other cadet forces around Canada and the world. There is also a guest book for comments, and information about the Cadet Instructors Cadre. The site is also available in French. Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) The Centre is responsible for the provision of a national service for the reception, processing, archiving and dissemination of remotely sensed data for Canada and, in conjunction with the private sector, for the development of remote sensing technology and applications. The information about CCRS which presented on the site includes an extensive history section. The main themes being addressed by the work of the CCRS are described, and these include: climate change; hyperspectral techniques; natural hazards; nothern development; and The Canadian Spatial Reference System. CCRS publications are made available via the GEOSCAN database, which comprises more than 50,000 records of publications released by CCRS or Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) authors. GEOSCAN is the repository for all Earth Sciences Sector (ESS)bibliographic information. There is also a large learning resources section containing a number of tutorials covering topics such as Digital Images and Digital Analysis Techniques, Fundamentals of Remote Sensing, Radar Polarimetry, and Radar Remote Sensing. Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (CASIS) Established in 1985, the purpose of this voluntary association is to provide and encourage informed debate on Canadian intelligence and security issues. The web site provides information on CASIS including its constitution, board of directors, and events details including the conference and annual general meeting. The site also provides a bibliography of recommended reading and a listing of online research resources. Canadian Centre for Mine Action Technologies (CCMAT) This web site describes the history of the centre and why it was set up and why it is needed. The mission of the centre is to carry out research and development to develop economic technologies to detect and neutralise mines and to protect personnel from landmines and also alternatives to replace the use of landmines. The organisation functions in conjunction with Canadian Industry who provide funding and expertise. CCMAT also aims to collaborate internationally, sharing technology and information with other countries. The site includes a page on research programmes and technological reports, there are also links and FAQs. Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute The Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute (CDFAI)is an independent research institute which aims to promote greater public awareness of Canada's foreign policy and role in international affairs. The web site provides information on the aims of the organisation and its current activities. It also includes access to the full text to a number of its recent publications, these include journal articles and full text reports. Topics covered include: Canadian security and defence in the post 9/11 world, Canadian foreign policy, relations with the United States and role in international peacekeeping. Many of the files are in pdf format and therefore require access to an Adobe Acrobat Reader for use. Canadian Space Agency The site provides mainly descriptive information about the Agency, including performance reports and reports on planning and priorities, action plans and strategies. Expertise and areas of interest within the Agency are also provided, as are features on the Canadian space science programme and its contribution to the International Space Station. A slide presentation is included to give an overview of the activities of the CSA and the field in which it operates. In addition, there are links to Soyuz mission details and various space-science based articles. CAP 737 : Crew Resource Management (CRM) Training This provides access to A UK Civil Aviation Authority Publication Civil Aviation Paper CAP 737, prepared by the Safety Regulation Group (SRG), Issue 2 incorporating amendments up to and including 1/2006, 29 November 2006. CAP 737 is out of date and will be amended in due course. It is available here for archive purposes only. For up-to-date information please see Standards Document No. 29 The purpose of this publication is to provide a comprehensive guidance document on Crew Resource Management (CRM), from a UK perspective. This document should contain, or reference, all the information which flight deck crew, CRM Instructors, or CRM Instructor-examiners need to know concerning CRM. It will also be relevant to cabin crew CRM and, to some extent, human factors training in other aviation contexts (such as military aviation, maintenance, and air traffic control). The secondary purpose of the document is to explain the procedures involved for the issue and revalidation of Crew Resource Management Instructor (CRMI) and CRM Instructor Examiner (CRMIE), to indicate the requirements to be met by applicants in respect of their experience, training and other matters affecting their ability to be CRMIs or CRMIEs. The text is available in PDF format (1.6 mb) from the CAA's publications web site Casualty Areas from Impacting Inert Debris for People in Open This report was prepared by Robert M. Montgomery and James A. Ward, Jr. in April, 1995. The report presents methods and procedures for estimating the casualty areas from falling inert debris from a typical missile or space vehicle, for people in the open, but not for people in house, office building and other structures. Detailed methods are provided for evaluating the basic casualty area for an impacting piece. This area depends on the cross-sectional area of the piece, the assumed dimension of the person in the open, and the path angle of the velocity vector at the impact. Other augmenting effects like slide or skid, bounce or ricochet, and splattering or cratering, can cause the casualty area of an impacting piece to be considerably larger than the basic casualty area of the piece itself, are also discussed. Finally a procedure for arriving at a composite casualty area is provided. The report is available in PDF. Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely Piloted Aircraft Studies
The Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) is a research center at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention : CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response Provided by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, this site contains information on agents, diseases and other threats with a focus on bioterrorism, chemical emergencies, radiation emergencies, mass casualties, natural disasters and severe weather, and recent outbreaks and incidents such as avian flu. The sections contain information, factsheets and full text documents for the general public and health professionals. The bioterrorism and chemical emergency sections contain alphabetical listings of agents including anthrax, plague, nerve gases, ricin and sarin. This site is also available in Spanish. Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) The site provides information about one of the key Russian state aerospace research centers. Information on the site is arranged under a number of activity areas including; aerodynamics, flight dynamics, strength, hydrodynamics, measuements, and non-aerospace activities. The site provides general information about the Institute including a brief history and image gallery. The Institute's test facilities are described, a list of staff publications and news and contacts sections. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) The United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) coordinates US intelligence activities and correlates, evaluates and disseminates intelligence which affects national security. This site provides news, publications, reports, speeches and testimony from the CIA. Information is also available about employment with the Agency. Links are also given to the following: Directorate of Intelligence, Directorate of Science & Technology, Center for the Study of Intelligence, CIA Electronic Document Release Center (FOIA), CIA's Homepage for Kids, Office of General Counsel, Office of Public Affairs, Office of Military Affairs, Director of Central Intelligence and the Intelligence Community. CFD Zone
This site has been created by NASA Langley in order to introduce the ways that NASA uses computers to simulate aerodynamic problems (computational fluid dynamics). Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provides information on Chiefs of State and cabinet members of foreign governments, alphabetically by country. This includes the names of ministers, ambassadors, heads of state, prime ministers and UN representatives. It is also possible to reach the other CIA publications from this site. CIA Publications The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provides links to reports and publications concerning intelligence and security. These include factbooks, information on US and foreign government members, annual reports, maps and historical documents. Unclassified reports are available on areas such as weapons of mass destruction, diseases,the Cold War, the Gulf War and drugs. Links are also available to other CIA and US governmental pages. Civil Aviation (Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents) Regulations 1996 The site provides access to the full text of the The Civil Aviation (Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents) Regulations 1996. The regulations were published as Civil Aviation Statutory Instrument 1996 No. 2798. The SI came into force on 21st November 1996. The text is available online in HTML format. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Statement of Policies on Route and Air Transport Licensing This short policy document issued by the United Kingdom Civial Aviation Authority covers areas relevant to the licencing of air transport in the UK, including allocation of scarce capacity, abuse of a dominant position, and leasing of foreign-registered aircraft. The document came into force on 1st December 2006. This is a PDF file. Civil Aviation Authority : Directorate of Airspace Policy
The Directorate of Airspace Policy (DAP) is responsible for the planning and regulation of all UK airspace including the navigation and communications infrastructure to support safe and efficient operations. Civil Aviation Authority : Environmental Research and Consultancy Department The Environmental Research and Consultancy Department (ERCD) carries out a range of activities in the field of aviation and the environment, including noise monitoring, noise contour modelling and research into the health effects of noise. The site provides access to further information about its noise monitoring activities, noise contour maps, the effects of aircraft noise on people, and gives details about publications available for purchase. The site provides the full text of ERCD reports. In addition, the full text of the ERCD's newsletter 'ERCD news' is available in PDF format and there is also an archive of news items since 2000. In addition there is a noise-related FAQ and links to related web sites. Civil Aviation Authority : Safety Regulation Group This is the home page of the UK Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA) Safety Regulation Group. The Group's role is to set safety standards and ensure that they are adhered to. The site provides news updates, background information on the activities of the Group, and information on personnel licensing in particular. This provides customers with information about flight crew licences, aircraft maintenance engineer licenses and medical certificates. It is possible to view the full text of documentation relating to these licences and certificates. Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand establishes civil aviation safety and security standards and carries out accident and incident investigations. The site makes a large amount of full text information available including advisory circulars, emergency rules, airworthiness directives, accident briefs, safety trends, air navigation register, aircraft register, aircraft class statistics, and aircraft model statistics. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) The CAAS is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport. It is responsible for airport operations, and regulates and promotes the development of air transport in Singapore. The CAAS represents the government in the negotiation of air services agreements as well as advises on matters related to civil aviation. The site provides background information on the CAAS' mission, history, organisational structure, operations and services. There is a large regualtions and guidelines section which contains many documents such as standards, Aviation Information Circulars, Airworthiness Requirements, Advisory Cirulars, manuals and legislation. Other sections of the site cover electronic services, media and career opportunities. Civil Aviation Authority This is the home page of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Its main responsibilities are in the areas of air safety, economic regulation and consumer protection. The site provides an overview of the CAA's activities, statistics and a selection of full text documents in PDF format. There are links to the home pages of the main groups within the CAA which provide detailed information about their own roles. There is also information about the impact of air transport on the environment, including noise and air pollution. Civil Aviation Authority: Aviation Health Unit The Aviation Health Unit (AHU) is concered with passenger and crew health. It was formed on 1 December 2003. Based at Gatwick within the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA’s) Medical Department, its main role is to advise government, through the Aviation Health Working Group* (AHWG), on passenger and crew health issues. As this is a different requirement from the safety regulation role of the CAA, the Department for Transport (DfT) retains responsibility for any policy changes arising from health recommendations. From 1 April 2007 the Unit's funding has been provided by industry in common with the other functions of the CAA. The subject ‘aviation health’ encompasses a wide range of individual topics, such as deep venous thrombosis, cabin air quality, transmission of infection, cosmic radiation and the provision of information. A responsibility of the AHU will therefore be to review research and other relevant information on aviation health and to ensure timely communication on relevant issues. Civil Aviation Department Hong Kong (CAD) The CAD is responsible for the safe operation and regulation of the air transport system in Hong Kong. The site provides background information on the CAD's mission, values, and organisational structure, and includes a corporate video (requires RealPlayer 8 or above). Information on the site is arranged under a series of headings: topical issues, such as security, aircraft noise management, air traffic control safety, aircraft registration and licence and certificates; publications and press releases; which includes Airworthiness Requirement and Aircraft Accident Reports; Facts and Statistics, including air traffic statistics; Public Services; Recruitment; Tender Notices; FAQ; Links and Photo Gallery. The Hong Kong Aeronautical Publication is available online with amendments, and there are also descriptions of the various courses offered by the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Training Center. Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) CASA is responsible for establishing civil aviation safety and security standards and for monitoring compliance to those standards in the Republic of Korea. The site provides an introduction including a description of key activities, history, organisation, location and contact details. The activities section provides links to information by the various CASA divisions responsible for planning and coordination, flight standards, personnel licensing, aircraft engineering, aviation security, aviation safety oversight, air traffic services planning, airway facilities, airport planning and standards, airport development, airport environment, and the International Programs office. There is a general infomation section which describes flight services, the Korean airport system, airways technology and facilities, safety and security activities and programmes, air traffic control, and a range of statistics relating to domestic and international passengers, cargo, flights, operators and maintenance organisations, aircraft registrations, and licensed employees. A Library section provides access to guidance documents and there are also links to sites of related interest. Civil Aviation Safety Authority Australia (CASA) The main functions of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) are: Development and implementation of aviation safety policy and regulating civil aviation safety. The site provides access to a wealth of safety related information including the following: Civil Aviation Act and Regulations, Civil Aviation Orders, Civil Aviation Advisory Publications (CAAPs), Approved Advisory Circulars, Recent Changes, Exemptions register, Foreign legislation, Airworthiness Directives, Airworthiness Advisory Circulars, Drafts of the new CASR, Discussion Papers, Notices of Proposed Rule Making and Summary of Responses, Aircraft Defect Reporting, and Reference documents supporting the regulatory change process. The site also provides access to the Australian Aircraft Register, information for pilots and operators, and online issues of "Flight Safety Australia", CASA's safety magazine. CASA forms amd manuals are also available online. The media section contains an extensive collection of news releases and other full text CASA documents. Columbia Accident Investigation Board The web site brings together a range of information sources relating to the investigation into the loss of the space shuttle Columbia on 1st February 2003. The site contains the text of the Board's charter, a list of members together with brief biographies, news, press briefings, minutes of public meetings, an accident time line, working scenarios, and recommendations. The site also provides access to volumes I-VI of the CAIB's final Report. Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) COMSTAC provides information, advice, and recommendations to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) within the Department of Transportation (DOT) on matters concerning the U.S. commercial space transportation industry. Commercial Space Transportation Developments and Concepts : Vehicles, Technologies, and Spaceports This report the 2009 U.S. Commercial Space Transportation Developments and Concepts: Vehicles, Technologies, and Spaceports, reviews the major events relating to U.S. commercial space transportation in the past year and showcases current and planned U.S. commercial and commercially-oriented activities. The report is produced by the Federal Aviation Administration�s Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST) and addresses reusable launch vehicles (RLV) as well as expendable launch vehicles (ELV), propulsion technologies, and launch and reentry sites � commonly referred to as �spaceports�� to provide a complete picture of the U.S. commercial space transportation industry. This report reviews space transportation programs and projects as well as launch and reentry sites that will impact and support the development of commercial space activities and applications. The private sector plays a prominent role in the management, development, and funding of these activities; the federal government and several state governments substantially contribute to or provide leadership for many of the technologies and facilities described herein. With the exception of a few X Prize vehicle concepts, all activities and developments described in this report are being led by U.S. entities. The report is available in PDF. Competition Commission Report : BAA PLC : a Report on the Economic Regulation of Airports Companies (Heathrow Airport Ltd, Gatwick Airport Ltd and Stansted Airport) This consultation paper sets out the Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA) proprosals for the caps on revenues derived from airport charges over 2003-2008 at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Airports. The paper also presents the Civil Aviation Authority's proposed conditions to remedy two public interest findings made by the Competition Commission in relation to service quality at Heathrow and Gatwick, and in relation to charges of taxis at Heathrow. This is a pdf file. Conflict in the Cosmos : Hoyle Biography This is biography of Fred Hoyle, who hosted one of the first radio programs that focused on science and then moved his show to the new medium of television. Fred Hoyle had a prolific career of 60 years with major contributions in astronomy including subjects like origins of stars; origins of chemnical elements; the nature of gravitational forces; and the origin of life on Earth. The book has been published by National Academis Press in 2005 and written by Simon Mitton. The book has each chapter structured around an intellectual puzzle and the science is framed within the context of the knowledge available to Hoyle at the time. Drawing on his personal knowledge of Fred Hoyle, Mitton vividly recreates the many public clashes between Hoyle and his critics, and at the same time he clearly explains the science underlying the conflict. Cooperative Problem-Solving in the Interactions of Airline Operations Control Centers with the National Aviation System
The goal of this Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) project is to study the interactions of airline operations control centres (AOCs) with other "players" in the national aviation system. Cost Analyses of Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan Provided by the US Congressional Budget Office, this site provides full text documents which analyse the long term implications of defence plans and costs of military operations and other activities associated with the global war on terrorism. The documents provided cover subjects such as appropriations and the budget and economic outlook for the War on Terrorism; estimated costs of continuing operations in Iraq; the cost of post war reconstruction in Iraq; and estimated costs of continued operations in and around Afghanistan. Critical Issues in the History of Spaceflight At a May 1981 a Proseminar in Space History held at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Washington,DC, historians came together to consider the state of the discipline of space history. Twenty-four years after the 1981 proseminar, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters History Division and NASM's Division of Space History brought together another group of scholars - including historians, political scientists, sociologists, public administration scholars, and engineers - to reconsider the state of the discipline. This volume is a collection of essays based on this workshop on Critical Issues in the History of Spaceflight, held at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum on 15-16 March 2005.All these documents placed the new vision in the context of the importance of exploration and discovery to the American experience. Danish Aircraft Accident Investigation Board The AIB investigates accidents and serious incidents of civilian aircraft in Denmark, including Greenland and the Faero Islands. The site makes some information available in English too, including reports and bulletins back to 1999. DARPA Tactical Technology Office : Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) System Demonstration Program The Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) program is a joint DARPA/Air Force/Navy effort to demonstrate the technical feasibility, military utility and operational value for a networked system of high performance, weaponized unmanned air vehicles to effectively and affordably prosecute 21st century combat missions, including Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD), surveillance, and precision strike within the emerging global command and control architecture. The website contains details of recent programme accomplishments and a programme overview, as well as briefings and presentations. Descriptions are provided of the Boeing X-45 and the Northrop Grumman X-47. Please note on November 1, 2005, management of the J-UCAS program transitioned to the new Joint Program Office headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. This is the archived website developed by the DARPA J-UCAS office during its management of the programme. Dassault Aviation-Defense Activities The website provides publications relating to the Dassault Aviation Defense Activities. Thease publications are mainly related to the Rafale and Mirage 2000 aircrafts. Links are also available to the Dasault UCAV activities and Falcon multirole aircraft through this website. Defence Analytical Services Agency for National Statistics Provided by the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) and National Statistics, this site provides official statistics on armed forces personnel, civilian personnel, aircraft air accidents, search and rescue, war pensions, and historical national statistics including the annual publications UK Defence Statistics to 2004. It is also possible to link to further full text publications on this site including Defence Statistics Bulletins, Working Patterns Surveys, UK Gulf Veterans Mortality Data, Service and Civilian Personnel Statistics, Entente Cordial, and the Armed Forces Suicide Report. Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) Formerly part of DERA, on its inauguration on July 2nd 2001, the DSTL became an integral part of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence. DSTL's role within the MOD is to be an impartial source of advice and specialist research, providing high level assessment and integration of research programmes, including international research collaboration. The web site provides a description of DSTL's capababilities in areas such as environmental sciences, chemical and biomedical sciences, countermeasures, detection, sensors and systems, protection science, dispersion physics, material science and armour physics, energetics, electronics, naval systems, land battlespace systems, air and weapons systems, and policy and capability studies. The site provides corporate information; including reports and planning documents; careers information; news and event announcements, technology transfer opportunities, and a description of the DSTL Knowledge Store services. The publications section of the site staff includes a publications list and search facility. Documents are available for downloading in PDF format but please note you are requested to enter your contact details so that downloads can be recorded. Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) This is an organisation of the Australian Department of Defence covering aeronatical and maritime research, and electronics and surveillance. The Research and Development and Conferences section include a searchable database of reports, journal articles and conference papers with abstract or executive summary. Defence Statistics 1999 This is a read- only Adobe pdf document giving UK defence statistics for 1999. These statistics cover details of the defence budget and defence expenditure, plus defence personnel. This information shows the current size of the armed forces, their salaries and formation, in a comparison with previous years. The appendix covers tri- service and civilian personnel information, published by DASA. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) : Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) The MTO is one of eight technical offices in DARPA. It is concerned with the development, demonstration and transition of key solid state technologies. The web site lists contacts, describes MTO programmes, and provides links to the text of open and closed solicitations. The publications section provides access to the report of a Chemical and Biological Sensor Standards Study. The archives section contains details of past programmes, solicitations, workshops and publications. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) : Strategic Technology Office The STO researches, demonstrates, develops, and transitions technologies and systems that enable strategic military operations throughout the spectrum of conflict. Investments range from the development of enabling technologies to the demonstration of integrated prototypes, with the goal of superior cost-effective assets the military can use to respond to present and emerging threats. The site provides details of its R&D projects, according to theme (thrust area) and listed by name in the programme index. It also includes a personnel list as well as an open closed listing of solicitations and announcements. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Information Processing Techniques Office (DARPA IPTO) This is the web site for an American organisation which carries out research into information processing technologies and systems for the defence industry in the areas of cognitive systems, command and control,language processing, high productivity computing, sensors and processing, and emerging technologies. The site includes details of current and completed research programmes and solicitations and staff details. There is also a link to the DARPA newsroom. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is the central research and development organisation for the US Department of Defense (DoD). The site describes its mission and organisation, and gives background information including a history. Resources available also include a news release archive back to 1995, budget information, the full text of solicitations, information on doing business with DARPA, papers presented at DARPATech from '00 to 2004 and the full text of the Technology Transition study in PDF format. Departamento de Aviação Civil (DAC) The Civil Aviation Department (DAC) of Brazil is part of the Aeronautical Command of the Ministry of Defense. DAC's mission is to study, guide, plan, control, stimulate and support the activities of public and private civil aviation in Brazil. Within the DAC structure there are four Sub-departments responsible for Planning, Infrastructure, Operations and Technical. DAC also includes the Civil Aviation Institute (IAC) and the seven Regional Services of Civil Aviation (SERAC), which are spread throughout the country. There are sections of the covering SERAC, the Civil Aviation Institute, and DAC Services, (including the aircraft registration database RAB-Online), travelling tips for passengers and a News Room. The information section contains background information and a history of the Department, an overview evolution of air transport policy in Brazil, and DAC rules and regulations (feely available for downloading) The information section can be browsed under a number of headings. The Aircraft sub-section describes procedures for registration, importation and exportation of aircraft and their components and provides access to various data analyses including aircraft accident statitistics. Other sub-sections cover airports, airlines, air cargo agencies, career and training (includes course manuals), economic data, air transport statistics, and flight safety. There is also an extensive publications section which provides access to statistical year books, and a number of studies (in Portuguese) on topics such as passenger flows, air cargo, and air traffic and airport demand. Department for Transport : Aviation This is the home page of the U.K. Department for Transport (DFT) Aviation section. The site brings together resources to many full text papers in the areas of aviation environmental issues, air traffic forecasts, air traffic control, aviation safety, health and consumer issues, airports, and domestic and international issues. The site also provides access to current and archived consultation papers. Department for Transport : Transport Security The aim of the Transport Security Division (TRANSEC) is to ensure the protection of the travelling public, those employed by the transport industries and transport facilities from acts of violence, unlawful interference and retain public confidence in transport security. This site brings together a number of information resources relating to aviation security issues and the work of TRANSEC. There are documents which describe TRANSEC's mission, aims and objectives, changes to the UK Air Cargo security regime, TRANSEC's response to the terrorist attacks in the USA on September 11th 2001, suppliers of security equipment and training, and security incidents involving civil aviation. These can be viewed on line in HTML format or downloaded as PDF or Word files. Department for Transport: Air Traffic Forecasts for the United Kingdom 2000 This document sets out the Department for Transport (DFT) 2000 forecasts of air passenger traffic at UK airports, up to the year 2020. The report is structured as follows: Chapter 2: guidance on the interpretation of the forecasts; Chapter 3: presents a summary of the main forecasts, with a more detailed breakdown of international traffic in Chapter 4 and domestic traffic in Chapter 5; Chapter 6: discusses the forecasts of scheduled low cost airline traffic; Chapter 7: sets out and discusses a number of sensitivity tests which were conducted; and Chapter 8: considers the accuracy of previous DFT (DOT) forecasts compared with observed demand. The annexes contain details of the methodology used to produce the forecasts and the assumptions about key variables as well as a summary of the forecasts. Department for Transport: Aviation Consultation Papers This section of the DFT site provides the full text of a number of consultation papers related to airports and air transport, dating from 1998 onwards. The site contains current as well as archived consultation documents. Subjects covered include: increased passenger movement at Stansted, airports in South East England, economic regulation of airports, Galileo, satellite navigation services, the 'Single European Sky', access to regional airports, night restrictions at UK airports, National Air Traffic Ltd, and public safety zones. The text of the consulation papers can be accessed in HTML, PDF and Word formats. Department of Defense Web Site Registration System This site provides links to information sources available from the US Department of Defense offices and agencies. It is the central registration point for official US DoD web sites. It covers the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force as well as other DoD web sites and information sources. There is also a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) electronic reading room which contains links to documents and information on sources for further reading. The listings can be browsed or searched. Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia This site provides basic information about Indonesia, and recent developments in their foreign affairs. Information is provided about Indonesia'a foreign policy, their international relations and visas. Details are also given on diplomatic and consular missions, and the history and structure of the department is explained. There is an archive, plus links to related sites. There are also links to higher education, business, media and tourism in Indonesia. The site is also available in Indonesian. Department of State International Information Programs : Europe-Eurasia Issues This site provides information concerning conflict in Europe and Eurasia. It provides the latest news by region, information on Macedonia, and the Northern Europe Initiative. There are links to NATO's terrorism web site, war crimes tribunals, and KFOR. There is also information about human rights in the area, and a section covering Afghanistan. It also links to electronic journal articles available in Arabic, French, English, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian. The whole site is also available in Russian. Department of Trade and Industry : Industries and Sectors : Aerospace and Defence This site describes the activities of the aerospace and defence sector team in the DTI's Business Group, which is split into 5 teams - airframes, engines and equipment, defence, technology, regional and supply chain issues and scheme delivery. It also gives information on Technology Partnerships in Aeronautics, the SBAC (Society of British Aerospace Companies) Masters Engineers Programme, the SBAC Competitiveness Challenge, launch investment for civil programmes and the Export Opportunities Service. Department of Transport : Online Digital Special Collections A digital preservation archive of special collections of interest to US Department of Transportation (DoT) researchers which includes: Civil Aeronautic Manuals, Civil Air Regulations, Historical Aircraft Accident Reports (1934-1965), FAA and CAA Research Reports amongst others. Department of Transport and Regional Services : Aviation and Airports Policy The primary role of the Aviation and Airports Policy Division is to advise the Australian Government on the policy and regulatory framework for the aviation and airports industries. The Division manages the continuing relationship between the Government and the Civil Aviation Authority (CASA), Airservices Australia (Airservices) and Australia's airlines. It also manages Australia's participation in the work of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and provides the secretariat for the International Air Services Commission (IASC). The site provides information on legislation, regulations and guidelines. A number of discussion papers are avilable in full text. These include: Restricting Operations by Marginally Compliant Chapter 3 Aircraft a proposed airport by airport approach; Expanding Ways to Describe and Assess Aircraft Noise; Going Beyond Noise Contours, Local Approaches to Land Use Planning around Smaller Australian Airports, and Guidance Material for Selecting and Providing Aircraft Noise Information. The site also provides access to a selection of relevant legislation, regulations and guidelines including: Air Navigation Act 1920; Air Navigation Regulations 1947; Air Navigation (Checked Baggage) Regulations 2000, and Smoking on Aircraft. Directorate General of Civil Aviation : The Netherlands The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGL) develops civil aviation policy. The organisation, which was established on 1 July 2001, consists of the Aviation Policy Directorate (DLB) and the National Airport Development Directorate (ONL). The site provides background information and details of policy themes, principle aims, the Aviation Division and contact details.
no title available no description supplied Draft Guidelines for Commercial Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicle Operations with Space Flight Participants This report was presented by the Federal Aviations Administration (FAA), Office of Commercial Transportation in February, 2005. The report addresses the guidelines which fulfill the Department of Transport (DOT)/FAA's requirement to issue guidance on the implementation of the CSLAA (Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act for 2004) prior to the issuance of regulations related to space flight participants. These guidelines address what the DOT/FAA may expect to review and evaluate in an applications for a license or permit for a launch of any space flight participant. The report is available in PDF. DSTO Publications The Defence Science and Technology Organisation forms part of the Australian Department of Defence, which is involved in aeronautical, maritime, electronics and surveillance research. The DSTO publications - technical reports and journal articles - may be discovered both by browsing and searching. Dutch Safety Board The Board performs independent, comprehensive investigations into the causes or probable causes of individual – or categories of – ‘incidents’. An incident is not only defined as the term ‘incidents’ to include not only disasters and accidents but also ‘incidents that could have turned out badly’. The Dutch Safety Board is an autonomous administrative body set up under a Kingdom Act The Board is authorised to investigate incidents in any conceivable field but in practice is currently active in the following sectors: aviation, shipping, rail transport, road transport, defence, healthcare (human and animal welfare), industry and networks, pipelines, construction and services, water, and crisis management and aid provision. The site includes a section which describes its powers, procedures and investigative methods. The activities section provides access to the full text of accident and incident reports, including aviation reports from 1999 to the present. The text of these is presented in PDF format. The site also contains press releases and news items. Earth Science at NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducts a program of breakthrough research to advance fundamental knowledge on the most important scientific questions about the global integrated Earth system. Effective Global Transportation in the Twenty-First Century : A Vision Document This web site provides access to the text of a vision document prepared by the US Department of Transportation's "ONE DOT" Working Group on Enabling Research, dated September 1999. It presents a vision of what a future transportation system might look like in the period around 2020; and suggests some possible directions that transportation might take in the 10-20 years thereafter. The text is available online in HTML format. The resource is part of the web site of the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. Effects of Aviation Noise on Awakenings from Sleep This report was produced in June 1997 by the Federal Interagency Committee on Aviation Noise (FICAN). Related to the impact of noise on people, it concentrates on the effect of aviation noise on sleep. In 1992, the Federal Interagency Committee on Noise (FICON) recommended an interim dose-response curve to predict the percentage of the exposed population expected to be awakened by noise levels. This report includes new research findings and recommends the adoption of a new method of measurement that develops the original. Engineering Challenges to the Long-Term Operation of the International Space Station This is a full text book made available by National Academies Press and produced by Committee on the Engineering Challenges to the Long-Term Operation of the International Space Station, Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, National Research Council. This study of the engineering challenges posed by longterm operation of the ISS shows that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the ISS developers have focused almost totally on completing the design and development of the station and completing its assembly in orbit. After ISS Assembly Complete, the primary work on orbit will shift to scientific and engineering research, ISS operations, and the maintenance of ISS systems and experiments. The committee found no major engineering problems with the design of the ISS that would adversely affect long-term operations. Most of the deficiencies can be corrected with procedural changes and equipment or software upgrades in time for incorporation at ISS Assembly Complete. The fundamental improvements cited in this report are well within the state of the art of current technology and should be introduced into the ISS Program as soon as possible. In the areas of communications and robotics, in fact, they have already been developed. With farsighted management and timely increases in funding, these upgrades and enhancements would ensure that the ISS remains at the leading edge of long-term space research. The text is available in open book PDF form. Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology The Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) Programme is concerned with developing the potential of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for use in Earth and atmospheric science research and miniaturization of instruments and sensors that can be carried by the aircrafts. There are descriptions of various vehicles used in the programme including Altus, Centurion, D-2, Helios, Pathfinder, Perseus A, Perseus B and Proteus.There are also links to current and past research projects. This web site is the product of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. EOS : Earth Observing System The Earth Observing System (EOS) Program Office is the designated program management office for Earth Science Enterprise flight, ground, and science performed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. It is responsible for the management and coordination of all projects and mission offices within EOS as well as external coordination and support to NASA's Office of Earth Science (OES) Program Office. The site describes the various EOS projects and missions including Aqua, Aura, ESDIS, ESMO, GLORY, GPM, ICESat, Landsat, LDCM, LPP, Sorce and Terra. It also contains a launch schedule, organisation chart, contact details, links to other EOS related resources and news room. There is also an Earth Science Education section which includes information on Planet Earth, land and vegetation, oceans, glaciers and ice, storms, atmosphere, pollution and forest fires. Estonian Embassy in Stockholm : Defence This site describes the national defence of Estonia, and is a part of the Estonian embassy in Sweden's website (www.estemb.se/). The site links to Estonia Today, the Foreign Ministry's information fact sheets. There are basic facts on Estonian defence forces, Estoniain participation in peace support operations, Estonia and NATO, and Baltic defence cooperation. Each of these have further links on the subjects and to the Estonian Ministry of Defence. The site also provides further information on Estonia, its language, culture and government. Eurocontrol Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation comprises 39 Member States. The site includes a number of full-text publications including annual reports, and links to other Eurocontrol sites such as Eurocontrol Experimental Centre. Links are also provided to the Performance Review Commission (PRC) and Performance Review Unit (PRU) and many other organisations. A number of performance review reports are included in full-text. The site also contains information relating to current Eurocontrol projects, with links to separate project web pages. European Commission : Research and Technology Development Beyond 2002 : Aeronautics and Space These web pages are provided as part of the Commission's Community Research and development Information Service (CORDIS). They provide information and support for the Framework 6 RTD funding programme. This site will provide details, as they become available, of the various papers and positions emerging from the main stakeholders on the aeronautics and space activities proposed for the Sixth Framework programme. European Space Agency: Science and Technology The European Space Agency (ESA) is an international organisation composed of 14 member states. The main focus of the site is the Agency's core business and activities and these are accessed from the ESA Programmes link. These include ESA launchers, human spaceflight, science and applications. A number of the mission and programme pages include details of relevant ESA reports, some of which are available online. The site also includes details about jobs and training at ESA, links to full text publications, an image gallery, details of forthcoming conferences and press releases. Evaluation of the National Aerospace Initiative This is a full text book from National Academies Press and produced by Committee on the National Aerospace Initiative, National Research Council. The National Aerospace Initiative (NAI) was conceived as a joint effort between the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to sustain the aerospace leadership of the United States through the acceleration of selected aerospace technologies: hypersonic flight, access to space, and space technologies. The Air Force became concerned about the NAI s possible consequences on Air Force programs and budget if NAI program decisions differed from Air Force priorities. To examine this issue, it asked the NRC for an independent review of the NAI. This report presents the results of that assessment. It focuses on three questions asked by the Air Force: is NAI technically feasible in the time frame laid out; is it financially feasible over that period; and is it operationally relevant. The report is available in open book format. FAA Aerospace Medicine Online Library The site provides access to information produced by the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI). This is a special library primarily committed to serving the unique information needs of research staff. Although the primary focus of the collection is on aviation medicine, materials on human factors, engineering, management, and general reference are available. There are links to the full-text of Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports which lists aviation research reports from 1961 available in PDF format and indexes are available by subject and author. FAA Fire Safety Section The Fire Safety Section conducts research programs to improve fire safety in commercial transport aircraft. There are two research programmes - fire and cabin safety and fire resistant materials. Resources available from the site include full text reports produced by section staff, the proceedings of the International Aircraft Fire And Cabin Safety Research Conference, a description of the Fire Research Program and links to the Fire & Cabin Safety Group, Material Group and Halon Group. FAA Human Factors Division This Web site gives information about human factors research and applications as part of the National Plan for Civil Aviation Human Factors. The aim of the site is to provide information on human factors programs, products, and activities within government, academia, and industry. Information on STARS (Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System), the National Plan for Civil Aviation Human Factors and Human Performance Integrity are amongst the resources available FAA National Aviation Research Plan
The National Aviation Research Plan (NARP) provides the R&D strategy and explains how the R&D program supports the near-term goals of the Flight Plan with the long-term goals of the NextGen Implementation Plan and Joint Program Development Office (JPDO). FAA Office of Airports : Part 139 Certification The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has statutory authority to issue operating certificates to airports. The certification process is intended to ensure the safety of the flying public by requiring airports to meet certain standards for airport design, construction, maintenance, and operations as well as firefighting and rescue equipment, runway and taxiway guidance signs, control of vehicles, management of wildlife hazards, and recordkeeping. Federal airport certification requirements were revised on June 9, 2004. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 139 (14 CFR Part 139), requires the FAA to issue airport operating certificates to airports that serve scheduled and unscheduled air carrier aircraft with more than 30 seats, and scheduled air carrier operations in aircraft with more than 9 seats but less than 31 seats. The site includes an overview of the Part 139 certification process and provides access to a variety of resources, guidance documents, forms and notes. These include the Airport Certification Status Table (MS Excel, 102 KB), Advisory Circulars, Sample Airport Certification Manual (PDF, 213 KB), CertAlerts, and a Part 139 Presentation (MS PowerPoint, 838 KB). It also provides access to an airport data and contact information database, as well as a complilation of Airport Master Record Data. Fatigue Resource Directory (FReDi) This resource is provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is intended to provide access to information on resources which address the issue of fatigue in transportation. The site consists of a database of projects which is searchable by title, keyword and organisation or browseable by research, products or services. There are links to fatigue-related sites and also from within the FReDi database. Please note that this particular web site is maintained by NASA, rather than the DOT version. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the element of the U.S. government with primary responsibility for the safety of civil aviation. The FAA was originally designated the Federal Aviation Agency when established by the Federal Aviation Act of 1958. The present name was adopted in 1967 when the FAA became a component of the Department of Transportation. The FAA's major functions include: regulating civil aviation to promote safety and fulfilling the requirements of national defense; encouraging and developing civil aeronautics, including new aviation technology; developing and operating a common system of air traffic control and navigation for both civil and military aircraft; research and development with respect to the National Airspace System and civil aeronautics; developing and implementing programs to control aircraft noise and other environmental effects of civil aviation; and regulating U.S. commercial space transportation. The site provides access to a range of information resources. These are grouped under the following functions: Aviation Support and Regulation and Safety, Security, and System Efficiency. There are links to constituent FAA organizations. The Newsroom contains press releases and fact sheets. There is a section on careers and education opportunities. There is also a 'More' section, which includes information for and about Airline Operators; Airport Operators; Designees and Delegations; General Avaition; and Mechnanics and Repairmen. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airports Home Page The FAA regulates the air transport industry in the United States and is the equivalent of the UK Civil Aviation Authority. It maintains an extensive web site which provides a wealth of full text information regarding aviation support and regulation, information for passengers, press releases and news, and safety and security. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Designee and Delegation Information This Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) website is a resource for FAA delegates who can examine aircraft designs, production quality and airworthiness on behalf of the FAA prior to certification. A background and history of the FAA designee program is available along with types of designees and their roles and responsibilities. A number of handbooks, application forms, instructions, guidance manuals, regulations are available in pdf full-text. Also available is information on training courses and seminars, news, frequently asked questions and statistics. Federal Aviation Administration : Airport Safety The FAA's Airport Safety Programme ensures that airports are operated in a safe and efficient manner. It comprises general aviation airport safety, runway safety, and the certification of air carrier airports under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 139. Part 139 includes requirements and recommendations dealing with wildlife hazards on and around airports; airfield signing, marking, and lighting; aircraft rescue and fire fighting; fueling; snow and ice control; and pedestrian and ground vehicle controland their restoration after attack or a natural disaster. This site brings together a range of information resources covering for example Part 139 Certification, runway safety (including the annual runway safety report), airport wildlife hazard mitigation, as well as relevant advisory circulars and regulations. Federal Aviation Administration : Airport Technology R & D Branch The information on the site is arranged under topic headings including Advanced Pavement Design; Airport Planning Technology; Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Technology; Airport Wildlife Hazard Abatement; National Airport Pavement Test Facility; Nondestructive Pavement Testing; Recyclable Paving Materials; Runway Surface Technology; and Visual Guidance and Runway Incursion Reduction. Under each heading there is information on research projects and supporting resources. These describe for example, work on the impact of new large aircraft; airport pavement roughness criteria (includes ProFAA, the Federal Aviation Administration's computer programme for computing pavement elevation profile roughness indexes); alternative methods to de-icing runways; and taxiway guidance and centreline deviation. The site also includes event information, news, and links are provided for downloads of published documents, FAA Technical Notes and other reports relevant to the FAA's Airport Safety Technology programme. Federal Aviation Administration : Aviation Policy, Planning and Environment (AEP) Within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the AEP is responsible for national aviation policies and strategies in the environment and energy arenas, including aviation activity forecasts, economic analyses, aircraft noise and emissions research and policy, environmental policy, aviation insurance and employee safety and health. The Office of Aviation Policy and Plans develops policies, goals and priorities, forecasts future aviation technology and demand and analyzes the economic impact of regulations; and the Office of Environment and Energy develops, recommends, and coordinates national aviation policy relating to environmental and energy matters, which includes noise and emissions. The site provides access to regulatory documents relating to noise levels for U.S. certificated and foreign aircraft, to estimated aircraft noise levels in a-weighted decibels; and to the Airport Noise Compatibility Planning Toolkit. The site includes links to information on environmental issues and to related policy and guidance documents covering contrails, emissions, air pollutants, and noise abatement. One section of the site is specifically devoted to supersonic aircraft noise including presentations from the 2003 Civil Supersonic Aircraft Technical Workshop. Other sections of the site provide information on key officials, partnership programmes, noise and emissions models, and the The Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF). Federal Aviation Administration : Environmental Policy and Guidance : This Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) site provides access to a range of online documents and other information resources relating to aircraft emissions and environmental impact. The publications available online include: Aircraft Contrails Fact Sheet, Aircraft Engine Emissions, Airport Noise and Compatibility Planning, Air Quality Handbook, Aviation and Emissions - A Primer, Aviation Noise Abatement Policy,Consideration of Air Quality Impacts by Airplane Operations at or Above 3000ft, Fuel Venting and Exhaust Emission Requirements for Turbine Engine Powered Airplanes, Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) Associated with Aircraft, Airports, and Aviation - Select Resource Materials and Annotated Bibliography, and the IPCC Special Report on Aviation and the Global Atmosphere - Summary for Policy Makers Federal Aviation Administration : Flight Standards Service The FAA's Flight Standards Service promotes safe air transportation by setting the standards for certification and oversight of airmen, air operators, air agencies, and designees. It also promote safety of flight of civil aircraft and air commerce by accomplishing certification, inspection, surveillance, investigation, and enforcement; Setting regulations and standards; and managing the system for registration of civil aircraft and all airmen records. The site provides links to various flight standards programmes including: Air Transportation Oversight System (ATOS), Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP), Aviation Safety and Health Program (ASHP), Cabin Safety, FAA Safety Program, International Aviation Assessments Program National Simulator Program, System Approach for Safety Oversight (SASO), and the Whistleblower Protection Program. The site also provides links to the component divisions: Air Transportation; Aircraft Maintenance; Flight Technologies and Procedures; General Aviation and Commercial; and Regulatory Support. A link is alsol provided to the Civil Aviation Registry which is responsible for developing, maintaining, and operating national programmes for the registration of United States civil aircraft and certification of airmen. Federal Aviation Administration : Office of Rulemaking The FAA's Office of Rulemaking is responsible for a range of tasks including: the project management of all FAA rulemaking projects; development of national policies on rulemaking procedures; administrative adequacy of all safety and security regulatory material; ensuring that existing rules, regulations, standards, policies, procedures, and program performance are consistent with FAA goals and objectives; development of rulemaking documents; and, issuance of guidelines on Department of Transportation (DOT) regulatory procedures. The web site provides access to a range of information. There is an online resource guide which contains Final Rules & Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRMs). These documents are available in MS word and PDF formats. The web site also provides access to a Bulletin Board. Federal Aviation Administration : Office of System Capacity The mission of the Office of System Capacity is to identify, develop and implement initiatives that have the potential to increase the capacity of the (US) national aviation system. The site provides reports and studies created by the Capacity Office over the last five years. These include annual Aviation Capacity Enhancement plans back to 1992 in PDF format and Airport Capacity Enhancement plans for specific airports. Many of these full text reports are now out of print and so are only available electronically. There is also a link through to the FAA's New Large Aircraft (NLA) issues site. Federal Aviation Administration : Safety This site brings together a number of key aviation safety information sources grouped under several headings. These include top Requests like: Administrator�s Fact Book; Aerospace Medicine; Global Aviation Information Network (GAIN); and National Aviation Safety Data and Analysis Center International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Federal Aviation Administration : Satellite Navigation Product Teams This site provides access to information on the FAA's satellite navigation programmes and describes the efforts of the product teams to develop and implement these technologies. The site provides access to a variety of information resources. There is a basic introduction to GPS technology. The site describes key programme areas including: international GPS implementation support activities; Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS), and the adaptation of the National Airspace System (NAS) infrastructure to accept Satellite Navigation (SatNav) technology. The web site provides online access to SatNav News, the GPS Product Team's quarterly newsletter. There is also an extensive document library containing press releases and related documents including: FAA Specification and Statement for Wide Area Augmentaion System (WAAS); Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) Specification, Technical Description, Requirements Document, and Cost Benefit Analysis. There are also copies of briefings given at various events and conferences. The site also includes several Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), a site map, and a section that provides links to web sites of related interest. Federal Aviation Administration : Strategic and Business Plans This page on the FAA website provides links to the full-text (in PDF format) of the Strategic and Business Plans of the FAA. These include the 2011 Business Plans, Economic Impact Reports, Performance and accountability reports ranging from 1998 to 2010, DOT IG Top Management Challenges for 2010/2011 and Strategic Plans and Reports. Federal Aviation Administration : Suspected Unapproved Parts (SUP) Program The Program coordinates the Administration's efforts to educate its inspectors and the public regarding the potential safety threat posed by aeronautical parts that do not meet applicable design, manufacturing, and maintenance requirements. The site brings together a number of information resources and provides a Standard Parts overview. The site also links to a number of documents and forms. These include the full text of the following: Advisory Circular (AC) 00-56, Voluntary Industry Distributor Accreditation Program, that describes FAA-acceptable quality systems that may be adopted by civil aircraft parts distributors; FAA Unapproved Parts Notifications (UPN); and Foreign Civil Aviation Authority Unapproved Parts. Federal Aviation Administration : William J. Hughes Technical Center The William J. Hughes Technical Center is the national scientific test base for the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) research, development and acquisition programmes. Its activities involve test and evaluation in air traffic control, communications, navigation, airports, and aircraft safety and security. The web site provides access to a range of information resources. There is a video entitled Technology of Transformation which gives an overview of the Center's interests and activities. The Center's Newsletter, Intercom, is available online in PDF format. There are also links to the web sites of the individual Technical Programme areas. These include the Airport and Aircraft Safety Research and Development Division, which manages and coordinates the Airport and Aircraft Safety and Continued Airworthiness Research and Development programmes; the Office of Security and Hazardous Materials; and the Real and Virtual Environment Division, which is comprised of seven Groups that operate and administer the multi-use laboratories, the National Airspace System (NAS) development and test laboratories and other technical facilities at the William J. Hughes Technical Center. Federal Aviation Administration Office of Office of Airport Planning and Programming (APP) The Office serves as the principal organization of the FAA responsible for all Airports programme matters pertaining to national airport planning, environmental and social requirements, airport grants, property transfers, passenger facility charges, and ensuring adequacy of the substantive aspects of FAA rulemaking actions relating to these programmes. The site provides links to the three operating divisions of National Planning (APP-400), Financial Assistance (APP-500) and Community and Environmental Needs (APP-600). The site also links to related FAA web pages covering amongst others Airport Resouces, Airport Planning, Certification, Airport Design Engineering and Construction, as well as the Airport Compliance and Airport Envionmental Programs. Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team The Mission of the FAA's FAASTeam is to reduce accident rates by conveying safety principles and practices through training, outreach, and education; while establishing partnerships and encouraging the continual growth of a positive safety culture within the aviation community. The site provides acces to a range of resources. The Aviation Learning Center lists a number courses as well as a searchable Online Library, which includes a large number of full text documents. The documents are arranged under a number of browse headings such as Aircraft, Airmen, Airports, Airspace, Airworthiness, Guidance, Standards and Regulations, Human Factors, Reference Materials, and Videos and Interactive Content. The site also provides a link to the Safety Program Airmen Notification System (SPANS), an online event notification facility; to a number of saftey award schemes, safety notices, and FAASteam news stories. Registration for FAASafety.gov is free. Once registered users are able to customize event notification preferences, and receive automatic notification of new events. Federal Interagency Committee on Aviation Noise (FICAN)
The Federal Interagency Committee on Aviation Noise (FICAN) was formed in 1993 to provide forums for debate over future research needs to better understand, predict and control the effects of aviation noise, and to encourage new technical development efforts in these areas. Federal Organization Against Airport and Aircraft Noise (Germany) The site provides links to the Web sites of communities and neighbourhoods which are situated near airports in Germany and are therefore against airport and aircraft noise. They are arranged by location. News items and links links to related publications and Internet sites are also provided. FedStats This gateway provides a wide range of official Government statistics, but those specifically related to aviation and air transport cover air fares, international passenger and freight statistics, on-time flight statistics, safety, and transportation indicators. These can be found under the alphabetical listing of subjects. Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Fermi (formerly called GLAST) is a next generation high-energy gamma-ray observatory designed for making observations of celestial gamma-ray sources in the energy band extending from 10 MeV to more than 100 GeV. Fermi was launched on 11 June 2008 and is part of NASA's Structure and Evolution of the Universe space science theme. The web site provides overviews of the mission, instruments such as the GLAST Burst Monitor, the Large Area Telescope and its key components, and the science objectives. There is a resouces section which contains images, video clips, and presentations. FIDO (Field Integrated Design and Operations) Science Server
FIDO is prototype rover which provides a test bed for rover operation scenarios and instrumentation. Since FIDO is a prototype, it will only be tested on Earth to rehearse complex rover traverses and science operations. FIDO has instruments similar to those included in the Athena Payload which may be used on future missions to Mars. Foreign Affairs Committee Ninth Report : The Decision to go to War in Iraq Published in July 2003, this is the full text of the House of Commons report, together with Proceedings of the Committee which includes minutes of evidence and written evidence. The aim of the report was to establish whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office presented accurate and complete information to Parliament during the lead up to the military action in Iraq, with particular reference to weapons of mass destruction. It contains information on the Government's September 2002 dossier, Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Assessment of the British Government, the process of compiling the dossier and the claims made in it. It investigates the claim in the dossier that Iraq could launch its weapons of mass destruction within forty-five minutes and the accusation made by BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan that this intelligence was inserted a week before publication under the instruction of the government and against advice from the intelligence community who felt that it was unreliable evidence. The site also contains links to further Foreign Affairs Committee publications which include the uncorrected evidence presented by Andrew Gilligan and Dr David Kelly during the investigation on the Decision to go to War in Iraq. Foreign Affairs Division for Pakistan The Foreign Affairs Division is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The site provides information about Pakistani foreign policy and foreign relations. There are details concerning Kashmir, Pakistan missions, consular matters and diplomatic missions in Pakistan. The site also gives a country profile,press releases and the latest news. Links are also available to information about Pakistan foreign affairs. Foreign Affairs First Special Report: Implications for the Work of the House and its Committees of the Governments Lack of Co-operation with the Foreign Affairs Committees Inquiry Into the Decision to go to War in Iraq This sites gives access to the full text of the report which was published by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee as HC 440 session 2003-4 in March 2004. It highlights evidence of the way in which the British Labour government attempted to obstruct its enquiries into the circumstances surrounding Britain's decision to go to war with Iraq. It compares this with the more helpful attitude of the government towards the work of the Hutton Inquiry and the Inquiry by the Intelligence Select Committee. The report then discusses more generally the role and powers of parliamentary select committees and their ability to call witnesses and access intelligence information. Recommendations for future action are made. Foreign Terrorist Organizations : U.S. Department of State Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism A current list of designated foreign terrorist organizations n accordance with section 219 of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended. FTO designations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective means of curtailing support for terrorist activities and pressuring groups to get out of the terrorism business. [Originator's description] Foresight – Department for Business Innovation and skills
Our aim is help the UK government think systematically about the future. The Programme helps to improve how we use science and technology within government and society. Our work achieves this by drawing on well tested scientifically valid techniques to inform those responsible for developing policy and strategy in government. From Earth to Orbit : An Assessment of Transportation Options This is a full text book made available by National Academies Press and produced by Committee on Earth-to-Orbit Transportation Options, Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems, National Research Council. The study provides strategies to reduce launch costs while increasing the reliability and resilency of vehicles. It also recommends continued improvements for the Space Shuttle Orbiter and its subsystems and the development of a Space Transportation Main Engine (STME). The text is available in open book PDF form. Full-sky Astrometric Mapping Explorer (FAME) Launched in 2004, FAME is designed with a lifetime of 5 years and aimed at precisely measuring the positions, distances, and motions of some 40 million stars. It is a collaborative project involving amongst others the U.S. Naval Observatory and NASA. The web site provides access to a range of information resources including: news items, press releases, overviews of the mission goals and science objectives, presentations and publications. The presentations include a number of meeting contributions and cover topics such as the precision of spinning spacecraft and radiation torques. The publications include a variety of papers on the mission as well as the Fame Concept Study Report. Future Biotechnology Research on the International Space Station This is a full text book available from National Academies Press and produced by Task Group for the Evaluation of NASA's Biotechnology Facility for the International Space Station, National Research Council in the year 2000. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) manages research programs in two areas of the rapidly expanding field of biotechnology: protein crystal growth and cell science. The protein crystal growth work focuses on using microgravity to produce higher quality macromolecular crystals for structure determination and on improving understanding of the crystal growth process. The cell science work focuses on basic research that contributes to understanding how the microgravity environment affects the fundamental behavior of cells, particularly in relation to tissue formation and the effects of space exploration on living organisms. The National Research Council's Task Group was formed to examine and evaluate the use of the International Space Station (ISS) as a platform for research in these two areas. In this report, the task group offers a variety of recommendations and suggestions for improving the NASA biotechnology research program. It believes these changes are necessary if the NASA program is to fulfill the potential for scientific discovery and impact that is also outlined in this report. General Aviation in the European Community This report is published through the European Commission (EC) Transport website dated 1st of January 2007. The aim of this paper is to identify certain issues for the sole purpose of discussion with the interested stakeholders. It does not prejudge on any decision that the European Commission may take in the future. Presents the current state of General Aviation in the European Community along with recent developments in this sector. Analyses the role that General Aviation plays in economic and social life of European Citizens as well as interactions between General Aviation and commercial public air transport sector.Analyses the impact of General Aviation on the capacity of the European air transportation system and environment as well as specific needs of this sector as far as access to airports and airspace is concerned. Finally, presents an overview of the Community aviation regulatory environment relevant to the General Aviation and indicates issues that may need to be addressed in more detail in the future. Particular attention is given in this respect to the specific issue of definitions and new business models that raise questions as to their legal nature. Geotail This is a NASA web site that brings together a range of information regarding the Geotail mission. This is a collaborative project undertaken by the institute of space and astronautical science (ISAS) and NASA. The objective is to study the dynamics of the earth magnetotail over a wide range of distance extending from extending from the near-Earth region (8 Earth radii (Re) from the Earth) to the distant tail (about 200 Re). The spacecraft was designed and manufactured by ISAS and first launched on July 24, 1992. Its mission is divided into two phases. During the initial two-year phase, the orbit apogee was kept on the night side of the Earth by using the Moon's gravity in a series of double-lunar-swing-by maneuvers that resulted in the spacecraft spending most of its time in the distant magnetotail (maximum apogee about 200 Re) with a period varying from one to four months. In February 1995, phase two was commenced as the apogee was reduced to 30 Re to study the near-Earth magneto-tail processes. The website provides an overview of the project and access to data, as well as links to principal investigators and instrumentation. German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation (BFU) The task of the BFU is to investigate accidents and serious incidents to civil aircraft in Germany and to determine the causes of the occurrences. The site provides background information on the BFU including the legal framework in which it operates and its organisational structure. The text of recent accident and incident investigation reports can be accessed on the site. These can be browsed by date or by various category headings including airplanes, helicopters, powered gliders, glider and balloons. There is also a page of links to related sites of interest. Global Aviation Safety Network (GAIN) The driving idea behind GAIN is that government, industry and labour can cooperate to make the system safer. GAIN originally was proposed by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to learn about causal factors in accident chains by bringing together diverse groups in a voluntary, privately owned and operated global network of data collection and exchange systems. GAIN provided information on tools and processes to help safety decision makers identify, promote and support existing tools and processes. When FAA in 2007 ended its support for GAIN, Flight Safety Foundation stepped in to support distribution of the wide range of fine products developed by GAIN. These documents are available in PDF format. Global Monitoring Division
NOAA/ESRL's Global Monitoring Division (formerly CMDL) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, conducts sustained observations and research related to source and sink strengths, trends and global distributions of atmospheric constituents that are capable of forcing change in the climate of Earth through modification of the atmospheric radiative environment, those that may cause depletion of the global ozone layer, and those that affect baseline air quality. Global War on Terrorism: The First 100 Days This website provides access to the full text of a statement issued by the US government in December 2001. It outlines the American response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This includes information on statistics on the number of casualties; the case against Osama Bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda Network; the stage of progress of the military campaign Operation Enduring Freedom and the war against terrorism; the organisation of the humanitarian aid programme to Afghanistan; the legal basis of the military campaign and anti-terrorist legislative measures in the USA. A copy can be downloaded in pdf. Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) GCHQ is a civil service department which reports to the Foreign Secretary and works with the UK's other intelligence agencies, the MI5 and MI6. Its mission is to provide signals intelligence (sigint) information to support the government's decision making in national security, military operations and law enforcement, and to provide information insurance to keep government communication and information systems safe. The site provides information on GCHQ including FAQs, press releases and publications. There is a history of the organisation, including information on Bletchley Park and sigint heroes. The site also contains a section on codebreaking which provides a summary of codebreaking history from Elizabethan times to the interwar period and cipher puzzles. Government Response to the Intelligence and Security Committee Report on Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction : Intelligence and Assessments, 11 September 2003 This is Command Paper 6118 (CM 6118), presented by Tony Blair to Parliament on 3rd February 2004. The paper is the response to CM 5972, Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction : Intelligence and Assessments, by the Intelligence and Security Committee. CM 5972 was an investigation into whether the intelligence which informed the invasion of Iraq was correct and accurately reflected in UK Government publications.
no title available no description supplied Guidance to the Civil Aviation Authority on Environmental Objectives Relating to the Exercise of its Air Navigation Functions These guidance notes have been issued by the Secretary of State under section 70(2)(d) of the Transport Act 2000, and published by the then Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, January 2002. The guidance sets out a clear framework within which the Director of Airspace Policy (DAP) will operate in discharging the CAA's air navigation functions. It includes advice on the Government's strategy for sustainable development, information about the guidance given to local planning authorities where this is relevant to DAP's functions, and guidance on particular environmental objectives. The text is available in PDF format (369 KB). Guide to Commercial Reusable Launch Vehicle Operations and Maintenance - Version 1.0 This report has been prepared and published by the Federal Aviation Administration in March, 2005. The guide is developed to provide industry with insight into what the DOT (Department of Transport)/FAA views as important considerations for operations and maintenance of RLV. It also addresses what the FAA/AST (Associate Administrator of Commercial Space Transportation) may expect to review and evaluate in an application for license or permit concerning RLV operations and maintenance. It addresses maintenance and operations for both suborbital and orbital RLV, including flights with and without humans onboard. The report is available in PDF. Guide to Reusable Launch and Reentry Vehicle Reliability Analysis This report was presented in April, 2005 by the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) which is responsible for regulating commercial space transportation only to the extent necessary to ensure public health and safety. The AST also issues licenses for expendable launch vehicles (ELV), RLV and RV launch and reentry activities. This guide is designed to help reusable launch vehicle (RLV) and reentry vehicle (RV) operators conduct reliability analyses. The guide provides acceptable methods and approaches for analyses to assist applicants in developing valid reliability estimates that demonstrate compliance with RLV and RV regulatory requirements. Examples of the methods are provided where practicable. The guide is not intended to cover all reliability methods or all aspects of the methods identified here. For example, testing to demonstrate reliability or analysis of historical reliability data is not addressed. To demonstrate compliance with the FAA RLV and RV regulations, an applicant may use either the methods described here or other methods with approval from AST. Guide to the Identification of Safety-Critical Hardware Items for Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Developers This report has been prepared and published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in May 2005. This document provides guidelines for the identification of the potentially safety-critical hardware items in RLV design. Possible risk mitigating design strategies that may be incorporated into designs are also included. Such risk reduction measures may be necessary if vehicle operation poses risk to the uninvolved public beyond established threshold of acceptibility. The report is available in PDF. Guidelines for Compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and Related Environmental Review Statutes for the Licensing of Commercial Launches and Launch Sites These guidelines were revised by the Associate Administrator of Commercial Space Transportation in February, 2001. The guidelines are intended to provide useful information and non-regulatory guidance on the type of NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) analysis used by FAA in the commercial launch licensing process. In addition, Appendix E provides brief descriptions of potentially relevant federal environmental statutes and regulations that may be applicable to, or run concurrently with, NEPA compliance. The report is available in PDF. Guidelines for Experimental Permits for Reusable Suborbital Rockets - May, 2005 This report was presented by the Office of Commercial Space Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in May, 2005. The report addresses the guidelines to fulfill the FAA's requirement to provide direction on the implementation of the CSLAA (Commercial Space Launch of Amendment Act for 2004) with respect to experimental permits before issuing regulations. The guidelines address what the FAA may expect to review and evaluate in an application for an experimental permit. These guidelines also identify the safety measures that the FAA would expect a permittee to comply with while conducting permitted activities. The report is available in PDF. Guidelines on Probability of Failure Analysis for New Expendable Launch Vehicles : Version 1.0 This is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Commercial Space Transportation document, dated November 2005. It provides definitions of key terms and performance standards for new expendable launch vehicle (ELV) failure probability analyses. A performance standard permits a launch operator to continue to employ alternative, potentially innovative methodologies if the results satisfy the performance standard. Current practice at the Federal launch ranges includes multiple methodologies for determining the probability of failure for new ELVs. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) here presents an acceptable method, but not necessarily the only method, to demonstrate compliance with the performance standard. The method suggested here is also intended to illustrate an acceptable level of fidelity for new ELV probability of failure analyses The document is available in PDF. Hazard Analysis of Commercial Space Transportation This report is devoted to the review and discussion of generic hazards associated with the ground, launch, orbital and re-entry phases of space operations.This report was sponsored by OCST (Office of Commercial Space Transportation)in 1995 to identify and assess prospective safety hazards associated with commercial launch activities, the involved equipment, facilities, personnel, public property, people and environment. The report presents, organizes and evaluates the technical information available in the public domain, pertaining to the nature, severity and control of prospective hazards and public risk exposure levels arising from commercial space launch activities. The US Government space operational experience and risk control practices established at its National Ranges serve as the basis for this review and analysis. The report consists of three self-contained, but complementary, volumes focusing on Space Transportation: I. Operations; II. Hazards; and III. Risk Analysis. The report is available in PDF. Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Airports' Price Caps, 2003-2008 : Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)'s Recommendations to the Competition Commission (February 2002)Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Airports' Price Caps, 2003-2008 The Civil Aviation Authority has referred these three airports, along with Manchester Airport, to the Competition Commission for price caps for the five year period beginning in April 2003. This document comprises: summary, capital expenditure annes, cost of capital annex, Heathrow demand valuation survey annex, financial modelling annex, Heathrow incremental costs annex, RRCB allocations annex, traffic forecasts annex. The document is in PDF forat. Home Office : Office of the National Coordinator of Terrorist Investigations This organisation publishes statistics on terrorism arrests and outcomes in the United Kingdom. Statistical details include: people arrested and charged the age group and ethnicity of suspects time from arrest to charge/release convictions for terrorist-related offences numbers of extremist/terrorist prisoners stops and searches under terrorism legislation police cordons and port examinations These data are published under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and other legislation, including the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. They are based on information provided by the ACPO Counter Terrorism Coordination Centre. House of Commons : Defence Reports This site provides the full text of publications of the Defence Select Committee for the current session. The site provides a few reports; The Ministry of Defence Police: Changes in Jurisdiction Proposed Under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Bill 2001, The MOD's Annual Report and the Strategic Defence Review. It is also possble to order publications from this site, link to other parliamentary pages and further parliamentary publications available on the internet. HubbleSite (HST) This is a NASA website that brings together a range of information regarding related to Hubble’s technology. HubbleSite is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach. There is a great deal of work to explain the once-unimaginable celestial phenomena which now are made visible using the Hubble’s cutting-edge technology. Therefore, this site provides information regarding the exploration of space and astronomy. There is a wealth of information aimed at the general public, teachers, learners of all ages, as well as members of the scientific and engineering community. A suite of educational resources is also provided for the use of both teachers and students along with links of galleries, discoveries, telescopes and museums. Human Systems Information Analysis Center (HSIAC) This is the Web site of the Human Systems Information Analysis Center (HSIAC), previously called the Crew System Ergonomics Information Analysis Center (CSERIAC). The Centre is a US Government venture located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and is concerned with crew system ergonomics and human systems technology. The site provides background information about its mission, services and products. Full text access to 'Gateway Newsletter' is available free of charge. This is a quarterly publication which deals with issues in the area of human factors and ergonomics. The site also contains links to related Web pages. Hutton Inquiry This is the official website of the Hutton Inquiry. It provides general information about the public investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly, chaired by the Right Honourable Lord Hutton. It contains a full list of witnesses, which included BBC reporters, Alistair Campbell the Prime Minister's Director of Communications, newspaper journalists, the Kelly family, Geoffrey Hoon MP Secretary of State for Defence, Martin Howard Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence MoD and Andrew Gilligan a reporter for the BBC. The site also contains the hearing transcripts including statements made by all witnesses during the inquiry. There is the full documentary evidence that can be made available to the public including evidence submitted by the BBC, the Cabinet Office, Dr Kelly's family, the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, files retrieved from Dr Kelly's home computer, the Ministry of Defence and the Intelligence and Security Committee. There are also details of Lord Hutton's rulings and biographical details of Lord Hutton, the counsels and secretary to the inquiry. Ice, Clouds, and Land Elevation Satellite (IceSAT) IceSAT (Ice, Clouds, and Land Elevation Satellite) is an approved satellite mission being developed by NASA. It is part of the Earth Observing System and was launched in January 2003. The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) on ICESat will measure ice sheet elevations, changes in elevation through time, height profiles of clouds and aerosols, land elevations and vegetation cover, and approximate sea ice thickness. Future ICESat missions will extend and improve assessments from the first mission, as well as monitor ongoing changes. Together with other aspects of NASA Earth science and current and planned EOS satellites, ICESat will enable scientists to study the Earth' climate and, ultimately, predict how ice sheets and sea level will respond to future climate change. Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs This site for the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs provides information concerning the Icelandic government, ministries and embassies. Details are also given on the Minister for Foreign Affairs, treaties, organisations and policies. Information is available concerning Icelandic businesses, culture and tourism and parliament. Links are provided to related sites, the site is searchable and is also available in Icelandic. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) The main objective of the Indian space programme is to develop satellites, launch vehicles, remote sensing applications, sounding rockets and supported ground systems in order to improve existing technologies. This site provides details of past and future space missions are outlined, with brief information on ISRO satellites and systems. An overview of the work of the geographically dispersed ISRO research centres is also included, but is primarily descriptive. Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) By May 1998, at the end of its two and a half year operational lifetime, ESA's Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) had made nearly 30,000 scientific observations, employing its four sophisticated and versatile scientific instruments to provide astronomers with diverse data of unprecedented sensitivity at infrared wavelengths from 2.5 to 240 microns. The launch date for the mission was November 1995. By covering this wavelength range ISO was able to explore regions of the Universe obscured in visible light. Infrared light penetrates the obscuring dust which hides much of the Universe from inspection at visible wavelengths. Light at these wavelengths originates from bodies and material which are cool and distinct from the energetic sources of visible light like the stars. But these cool sources are of fundamental importance. A rich variety of atomic, ionic, molecular and solid-state spectral features trace the chemistry and evolution of the cold gas and dust from which the stars form, and which they in turn enrich with the heavy elements produced during their nuclear burning and terminal phases. New generations of stars and planets form from the enriched interstellar medium, revealing their presence first through the infrared emission associated with proto-stellar and proto-planetary sources. Most of the star formation which has occurred in the history of the Universe is revealed through the infrared emission of the heated dust clouds which would otherwise hide it from our view. Innovation in Flight This document presents the research of the NASA Langley research center on revolutionary advanced concepts for aeronautics. It is intended to be a companion to previous books by the author: NASA SP-2000-4519, Partners in Freedom and NASA SP-2003-4529, Concept to Reality that are both written by the same author, Joseph R. Chambers. The objective of this publication is to discuss the importance of innovation and the role of revolutionary advanced concepts within the aeronautics research community, and to provide information on typical advanced research projects conducted by Langley and its partners on topics that have not yet been applied by the military or civil aviation industry to production aircraft. This document is provided in pdf format in 189 pages. Interim Assessment of Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Office of Space Science This is the full text of a report published by the US National Academy of Sciences Space Studies Board in 2000. It takes the form of a letter report which can be viewed in HTML format. It is possible to select which section to view from the table of contents page. The text is also searchable. International Aviation Developments : Transatlantic Deregulation : the Alliance Network Effect This report, produced in October 2000 by the Department of Transportation,updates and expands on the DOT's first report on transatlantic deregulation, produced the year before, and entitled Global Deregulation Takes Off. It focuses on strategic alliances and code-sharing in the context of the evolution of international deregulation in the air transport industry. The file is in PDF format. International Civil Aviation Organisation Safety Oversight Programme : Report of Assessment of United Kingdom This site contains the full text of the ICAO Safety Oversight Programme: Report of Assessment of United Kingdom, published by the UK Department for Transport on the 10th December 1998. The ICAO assessment focused on three areas: personnel licensing, flight operations, and airworthiness of aircraft. The objective was to assess the implementation of the safety-related Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and associated procedures for these areas, as laid down in three of the eighteen Annexes to the Chicago Convention: Annex 1 (Personnel Licensing), Annex 6 (Operation of Aircraft), Annex 8 (Airworthiness of Aircraft). The text of the document can be viewed online in HTML format, and PDF (445 Kb) and Word (368 Kb) versions are available for downloading. International Institute for Counter-Terrorism The International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) is the leading academic institute and independent think-tank for counter-terrorism which aims to facilitate international cooperation against terrorism. Expertise includes terrorism, counter-terrorism, homeland security, threat vulnerability and risk assessment, intelligence analysis and national security and defense policy. The website includes news and commentaries, jihadi website monitoring, reports, wikileaks series and an Islamic Radicalization Index to analyse world trends. International X-Ray Observatory The International X-ray Observatory (IXO) is a new X-ray telescope with joint participation from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). This project supersedes both NASA's Constellation-X and ESA's XEUS mission concepts.. It will place an array of X-ray telescopes in orbit which will study a range of phenomena including black holes; the formation of galaxy clusters; and theoretical missing matter (baryons) created by the Big Bang. The web site brings together information resources aimed both at a general audience as well as the scientific community. There are overviews of the science goals; mission design; and the main technology elements. The resources section contains papers, articles and other documentation including: Baseline Technical Requirements and Assumptions for Mission Architecture Study; Baseline Constellation-X Reference Mission Description Document; and HTXS Spacecraft and Mission Concept Study Report. Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) This website provides information for NASA missions achieved with a small, lightweight spacecraft, launched on a Pegasus rocket that is dropped from an airplane, into a high altitude orbit that reaches 150 thousand miles above the Earth. The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft is a sun-pointed spinner with 2 narrow angle FOV sensors (IBEX-Hi and IBEX-Lo) that view perpendicular to the spin axis. The payload consists of two devices specialized to detect neutral atoms from the solar system's outer boundaries and galactic medium. The Sun and solar system move through a part of the galaxy referred to as the local interstellar medium. It is built up from material released from the stars of our galaxy through stellar winds, novae, and supernovae. Images taken from Interstellar Boundary Explorer's (IBEX) mission reveal global properties of the interstellar boundaries that separate our heliosphere from the local interstellar medium. IBEX's objective is to discover the global interaction between the solar wind and the interstellar medium. IBEX achieves this objective by taking a set of global energetic neutral atom (ENA) images that answer four fundamental science questions which are: What is the global strength and structure of the termination shock? How are energetic protons accelerated at the termination shock? What are the global properties of the solar wind flow beyond the termination shock and in the heliotail? How does the interstellar flow interact with the heliosphere beyond the heliopause? This website provides useful information and links to other institutions that collaborate with the particular project. Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction : The Assessment of the British Government Dossier produced by the British Government and published on the 24 September 2002, this paper assesses Iraq's chemical, biological, nuclear and ballistic missile programmes from 1971-1998 and from 1998-2002. It also provides a history of UN weapons inspections and UN resolutions relating to weapons of mass destruction, as well as providing information on weapons inspections carried out by UNSCOM between 1991 and 1998 and the establishment of UNMOVIC. There is also a profile of Saddam Hussein's political regime in Iraq and human rights abuses. Iraq, Its Infrastructure of Concealment, Deception and Intimidation This report was published by the UK Government in February 2003 prior to the War in Iraq. It draws on intelligence sources to illustrate how Iraq and Saddam Hussein's regime is constructed to have weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and is obstructing UN weapons inspectors. Part one focuses on the effect on UNMOVIC (United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission) of Iraqi security organisations concealing evidence of WMD. Part two is titled The Security Apparatus and provides details of Iraq's networks of security and intelligence organisations. Part three looks at the effect of security and intelligence operations on the people of Iraq. Irish Aviation Authority The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) regulates the safety standards of Irish civil aviation and provides air traffic management in Irish controlled air space. The web site provides access to a range of information resources. The corporate information section contains a mission statement, annual report, corporate profile and structure, policy documents, route charges and flight statistics. A substantial number of safety related documents are available online (PDF format) covering operating standards, airworthiness, air traffic control, aerodromes and air navigation, legislation, aeronautical notices and aeronautical information circulars. Other sections of the web site cover licencing, air traffic services and technology, and training and consultancy. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs This site provides news and facts from Israel, including the latest on the Middle East peace process. Information is provded about Israeli foreign affairs, the Israeli government and law, and personalities in the Israeli government. Details are given of Israeli culture, economy and religion. There is also an archive of documents and news items. Italian Aerospace Research Centre This is the homepage of the Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA), a non-profit making research consortium which carries out the Italian National Aerospace Research Programme (PRORA). The site gives an introduction to the organisation and the scientific and the educational areas covered. It describes CIRA's aerospace activities (which include fluid dynamics, air structures, flight systems and computer science) and testing facilities (which include a plasma wind tunnel, an icing wind tunnel, a transonic research wind tunnel and an aerospace structures impact facility. The projects area of the site describes work being carried out on unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned space vehicles. The educational area covers topics such as flight safety, pssengers comfort, air transportation and access to space. The general support area provides access to the Library Catalogue. The CIRA Newsletter is also available. Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs This site for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides details of the Farnesina (ministry), its structure and diplomatic missions. Information is available concerning Italian foreign policy, including the EU and other organisations. Details are given on the Ministry's services, public relations, consular services and travel tips. Careers information is available, plus various documents, including archives, papers and texts of international agreements. The site also provides the latest news and press releases. This site is available in Italian and English. James Webb Space Telescope- the first light machine The goal of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is to observe the first stars and galaxies in the Universe. This grand effort is embedded in fundamental questions that have been posed to NASA's Space Science program. There is a link to the JWST Deployment video. JANNAF Interagency Propulsion Committee The JANNAF Interagency Propulsion Committee is composed of representatives from the DoD and NASA, and consists of an Executive Committee, technical subcommittees, and ad hoc committees. JANNAF exists to promote and facilitate exchange of technical information; establish standards; effect coordination of research, exploratory development, and advanced development programs in the areas of missile, gun, and space propulsion; and accomplish problem solving in areas of joint agency interest. The JANNAF scope includes propulsion systems based upon chemical or electrical energy release, intended for use in missiles,rockets, boosters, spacecraft, satellites, or guns. The site includes information about JANNAF, including its mission, scope, history and committee structure. There is also a news section; bulletin board; and links to JANNAF Agency web sites. Brief details of JANNAF handbooks and manuals are provided, and there is a brochure available for downloading. Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs This site provides information concerning Japanese foreign policy, regional affairs and news. Details are given about the Japanese economy, culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and visas. Links are also provided to related sites, including the Japanese Information Network. The site is also available in Japanese. JAXA Digital Archives Since October 1 2003 the three principal Japanese aerospace organisations (ISAS, NAL, NASDA) have been merged into one independent administrative institution; the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The JAXA Digital Archives provides access to a collection of online images and photos. These include launch vehicles and space transportation systems, International Space Station (ISS) and human space exploration, earth observation, communication, positioning and satellites, space science and space engineering research projects. Image types contained in the archives include computer graphics, illustrations, drawings, satellite images and monochrome and colour photos. The JAXA web site also contains an archive of The NASDA Report, a monthly news journal produced by the National Space Development Agency of Japan. Jet Propulsion Laboratory : Robotics Research
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) robotics research is concerned with developing and integrating new and improved robotics and automation technologies to support NASA missions and addressing other problems of national importance. Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) The Joint Strike Fighter Programme, formerly the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST), is intended to produce an affordable and highly common family of next generation multi-role strike fighter aircraft. The web site brings together a range of information resources including: the organisation of the programme, descriptions of the work being conducted by the integrated product teams (IPTs); and various media sources, and other programme related documents. These documents include a Joint Strike Fighter Program Office Brief, by Major General Michael A. Hough (pdf 2,035 KB). There is also an image gallery containing pictures of the competing Boeing and Lockheed Martin projects. Kashmir Affairs Division This is the official department of the Pakistani government which is responsible for policy administration in the Kashmir Region. The web site provides access to information on the structure and function of the division and its current work. It includes access to some recent press releases and Pakistan government policy documents relating to the government of the region. This has relevance for research about the dispute between India and Pakistan. Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies Under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan This is an independent policy research institute based in Kazakhstan which specialises in issues relating to the domestic and foreign policy of Kazakhstan and security in the Central Asian republics. It provides access to information on the purpose of the body and its current activities. It includes access to some full text confernece papers and articles which it has published. This includes coverage of the political system, political parties, foreign policy, political economy and security in the Central Asia area. The web site is available in English or Russian. Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) For over twenty years, the KAO was operated as the world's only airborne telescope devoted exclusively to astronomical research. A converted C-141 military cargo plane carrying a 36-inch reflecting telescope, the KAO was the scene of many major discoveries , including the first sightings of the rings of Uranus and a definitive identification of an atmosphere on Pluto. Named after astronomer Gerard P. Kuiper, the KAO ended its long service to astronomy in October, 1995, so that work could begin on its successor, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Landsat 7 Gateway Landsat 7 is a U.S. satellite used to acquire remotely sensed images of the Earth's land surface and surrounding coastal regions. The web site provides access to a variety of information resources. The Project section contains background information relating to the program's history, organization, and funding. There is a data section which describes the searching and ordering of Landsat 7 data. Sample browse data and images are available. There is an extensive documentation and tools section which includes general information about the Landsat Program, as well as scientific guides, processing algorithms, documentation and tools necessary for the practical use of Landsat 7 digital data. The systems engineering section contains technical information related to each Landsat 7 system element. The international ground stations section includes a directory of contact information and world coverage maps for the U.S. and international Landsat ground stations. The site also includes: a news section containing announcements and official press releases, conference and meeting schedules, recent publications; a people and organizations section which has links to all of the organizations involved in the Landsat Project, a section containing educational resources; and a links to related sites section. Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) LISA is intended to observe gravitational waves, including those generated in the vicinity of supermassive black holes that appear to lie at the center of galaxies. It is jointly sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA), as a Cornerstone mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision Programme, and NASA's Astronomy and Astrophysics Division, as part of the Structure and Evolution of the Universe 2003 roadmap, "Beyond Einstein: From the Big Bang to Black Holes." This program studies the building blocks of our own existence at the most basic level: the matter, energy, space, and time that make up the Universe. The site contains an image gallery, quick facts, news, mission status and mission strategy. Other sections of the site explain how LISA will work and describes the mission's science goals. Le site du Gouvernement du Grande-Duche de Luxembourg The website for the Government of Luxembourg provides details about the government itself, news, the Prime Minister, politics, the economy, statistics, the Luxembourg army and research. There is also information about other governments and related sites. The site will also soon be available in English. Leonid Multi-instrument Aircraft Campaign In November of 1998 and 1999, Earth crossed the fresh ejecta of comet Tempel -Tuttle, resulting in large numbers of meteors. This offered an opportunity to study that comet by using the Earth's atmosphere as a giant detector in a low-cost comet mission. Leonid MAC is NASA's first Astrobiology mission. Its mission is to learn how extraterrestrial materials may have been brought to Earth at the time of the origin of life. In addition, the interaction of meteoroids with the atmosphere generates molecules that may have played a role in the origin of life on Earth. The science objectives were to: * determine fate of organic matter during ablation * differential ablation (117 km) * conditions in meteor wake plasma * atmospheric chemistry * formation of solid debris containing organic matter * aerothermochemistry, synthesis of molecules Further missions in 2000 up to 2010 were conducted. The next outburst is not predicted until 2028. Lessons of Iraq : Government Response to the Committee's Third Report of Session 2003-04 Produced by the House of Commons Defence Committee, this is a full text pdf file of HC635 published on 8 June 2004. It is the First Special Report of 2003-04 and is the government's response to the Defence Committee's Lessons of Iraq, HC57-I, published in March 2004. It discusses the conclusions of the earlier report which examined the lessons learned during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the performance of British Armed Forces during Operation Telic. Living With a Star The web site describes a NASA initiative which is concerned with the development of a scientific understanding of the aspects of the coupled Sun-Earth system that directly impact on life and society. Living With a Star (LWS) forms a part of the Sun-Earth Connection Theme (SEC) of Nasa's Office of Space Science, and is based at the Goddard Sapce Flight Center. The web site provides an overview of the programme's goals and objectives; scientific focus; and mission spacecraft. There are links to further information on individual mission including: the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO); Sentinels; Radiation Belt Mappers (RBM); and Ionospheric Mappers (IM). The full text of the programme plan is available online (pdf files). Other sections of the site include a series of presentation (MS Powerpoint); image gallery; and news updates. Long Range Science Rover This is a Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) site covering the Long Range Science Rover research task. Building on previous rover models, the research task is to produce new or improved methods of ensuring the mobility, manipulation, sensing, computation and control of rovers used for planetary surface exploration. The site includes information about the technology, operations and planning, field test and progress reports, photographic images and video clips. A publications section contains a number of full text journal articles; conference papers and presentations. Low-Cost Innovation in Spaceflight : The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) Shoemaker Mission This monograph tells the story of the NEAR mission from the point of view of the management challenges involved in conducting low-cost missions while daily confronting the possibility of defeat. It has been written by Howard E. McCurdy is a professor of public administration at the American University in Washington, DC. The history is divided into four sections. The first section recounts the origins of the expedition and the struggle to get the mission funded and approved. It explains how a small group of people came to believe that an asteroid rendezvous could be conducted as a low-cost mission, a revolutionary proposition at the time. Section two concentrates on the methods employed to translate the low-cost philosophy into a robotic spacecraft that actually worked. Attention is given to the teambuilding techniques that allowed the people organizing the mission to simultaneously restrain cost, meet the launch schedule, and reduce risk. In section three, the management challenges involved in flying the NEAR spacecraft over the five-year flight regime are described. The difficulties involved the guidance of a low-cost robotic spacecraft and the coordination of mission teams at three different locations. On the first rendezvous attempt with Eros, the little spacecraft missed its target, thus requiring another trip around the solar system and significant changes in organizational protocols. Finally, section four assesses the �faster, better, cheaper� initiative and the NEAR mission�s contribution to it. Lunar Prospector Home Page This NASA Ames Research Center web site provides comprehensive coverage of news and supporting information on the Lunar Prospector mission. The information resources include: mission design and trajectory support; mission status report; and an overview and end of mission press kit. The site also describes the scientific results obtained from the mission, including the final impacting of the Lunar Prospector into a south polar crater. Manchester Airport's Price Cap, 2003-2008 : Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Recommendations to the Competition Commission (February 2002) This document comprises: summary, cost of capital annex, RRCB allocations annex, traffic forecasts annex, benchmarking annex (appendix - NERA report). It is in PDF format and is 2.4mb long. Marine Safety and Environmental Protection This site provides safety and environmental protection information for the maritime community. A link is provided to the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) website. It is also possible to reach the National Maritime Center and information about navigation rules. Licensing, regulations, vessel documentation and waterways management are also covered. Links are provided to the Coast Guard homepage, and the US Department of Transportation. Mars Exploration Program This is a NASA web site that brings together a range of information related to Mars exploration. There is a wealth of information aimed at the general public, teachers, learners of all ages, as well as members of the scientific and engineering community. The site provides information on past, present and future Mars missions, (Mars Exploration Rover, Global Surveyor, Odyssey, Mars Express, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Phoenix - "Scout missions"), archive data, image sources and links to related sites. A suite of educational resources is also provided for the use of both teachers and students. The site also contains an image gallery and news section. Mars Express This is an ESA (European Space Agency) web site that brings together a range of information related to Mars Express mission. There is a wealth of information aimed at the general public, teachers, learners of all ages, as well as members of the scientific and engineering community. The site provides information on instrumentation used, spacecraft facts, archive data, image sources and links to related sites. A suite of educational resources is also provided for the use of both teachers and students through the ESA science. The site also contains an image gallery. Mars Global Surveyor This Nasa/Jet Propulsion Laboratory web site brings together a range of information resources relating to the MGS mission. The site contains overviews of the mission, spacecraft, and scientific activities. There are real-time images which show the position of the spacecraft in relation to Mars as well as up to date orbit and telemetry data. The site provides access to many images of Mars that have beed recorded in the course of the mapping exercise. A link is provided to a collection of over 57,000 images contained in the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera Image Gallery. Mars Pathfinder Mission This Jet Propulsion Laboratory web page provides access to two versions of the Mars Pathfinder web site. One of these provides information on the mission up to the time of landing in July 1997. The other provides a compilation of information, images and data as at the end of the Mission. There is also a link to the Pathfinder Web Site CD-ROM archive which contains a list of links to all pages of the combined site. Mars Science Laboratory The Mars Science Laboratory is being designed to assess whether Mars ever had an environment capable of supporting microbial life. Determining past habitability on Mars gives NASA and the scientific community a better understanding of whether life could have existed on the red planet. Mars Science Laboratory is part of a series of expeditions to the red planet that help meet the main science goals of the Mars Exploration Program to determine whether life ever arose on Mars, to characterize the geology and climate of Mars and finally to prepare for human exploration. This website is part of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and provides useful links to events, features, mission, people, technology, and science of Mars Exploration Program. Marshall Space Flight Center Home Page This page provides detailed background information to the Marshall Space Flight Center, including explanations of how it is organised and the activities that it is involved in - primarily space propulsion and transport systems. The News Centre is aimed at the media but is of value to anybody who wishes to keep up to date with the latest developments at the Centre. Information about research and educational opportunities is provided. The site also links to highlights including X-planes, the Space Shuttle and the Space Station. A site search facility is provided. MESSENGER Home Page This is the home page of NASA's MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) mission. Introductory information is given, including detailed mission objectives and information on Mercury itself. Mission and spacecraft design, trajectories, planning and instrumentation are also described. Several animations are available for viewing using Quicktime. MI5 : The Security Service Website of the UK's defensive security intelligence agency, the MI5 security service. The MI5's purpose is to protect national security and support law enforcement agencies in preventing serious crime through assessing threats, and collecting and disseminating intelligence. The site contains information about the service including a statement of purpose and values, an outline of responsibilities and work areas and a history of the service. It also contains answers to many misconceptions about what the MI5 does, links to the Security Service Act 1989, and provides details on job vacancies and careers within the security service. Military Action in Iraq Provided by the United Kingdom Houses of Parliament, this site provides links to the UK Government's reaction to the conflict with Iraq and its aftermath. It links to the full text of the Foreign Affairs Committee report HC 813-I 02/03, published in July 2003, The Decision to go to War in Iraq; the International Development Committee report, Preparing for the Humanitarian Consequences of Possible Military Action Against Iraq, published March 2003; Iraq : Law of Occupation, a paper discussing the legal issues surrounding the occupation of Iraq during and after Operation Iraqi Freedom; and a report, The Conflict in Iraq, which provides a summary of events in the build up to the conflict, the military campaign and an initial post-conflict assessment of operations. The site also links to House of Commons and House of Lords debates on the legality of the war. Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland This site provides details of current affairs, news, press releases, speeches and documents from the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. There is also information concerning foreign policy, the ministry and embassies - their goals, values and departments. There are also links to both Virtual Finland (giving general information about Finland), and Global Finland (portraying Finland in an international context). The site is also available in Finnish and Swedish. Ministry of Defence : Combat Identification : Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office Report, HC661, March 2002. This report looks at the need for the Ministry of Defence to enhance its combat identification capability. This is in order to reduce the risk of allied casualties during military operations and thus increasing combat effectiveness through the reduction of 'friendly fire' incidents. This report looks at the problems facing combat identification, particularly during joint and coalition operations, the initiatives in place to deliver combat identification, and future needs. Ministry of Defence : Exercise Saif Sareea II National Audit Office report published in August 2002 on the military exercise in Oman in 2001 which involved the largest deployment of British troops since the Gulf War. The exercise was designed to test the capabilities of the Joint Rapid Reaction Forces and the UK's ability to conduct expeditionary warfare in the desert. The report examines the successes, problems encountered and lessons to be learned from the exercise. Ministry of Defence : Major Projects Report 2003 Report by the National Audit Office which examines Ministry of Defence progress in procuring major defence equipment. The report covers a twelve month period to 31 March 2003, and provides cost, time and technical performance data for thirty projects split, according to Smart Acquisition principles, between the twenty largest projects in the demonstration and manufacture phase, and the ten largest in the assessment phase. The major finding is that costs are over approval by �3.0 billion. Difficulties on four projects that predate Smart Acquisition have been the prime cause of cost and time slippage (the Astute Submarine, Nimrod aircraft, Eurofighter Typhoon and Advanced Air-Launched Anti-Armour Weapon). Ministry of Defence : The Joint Services and Staff College : Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office Report, HC537. This report reviews the management of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract for the construction of the Joint Services Command and Staff College which began in 1998. This was an initiative to build a purpose built facility to provide a joint college for command and staff training in order to address the increased demand for joint military operations. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China This site provides information concerning Chinese foreign policy, diplomacy, foreign relations, international affairs and economy & trade. There are also links to press releases and the latest news. Details are available about the ministry of Foreign Affairs itself, its structure and ministers. There are also links to consular affairs and Taiwan headlines. The site is also available in Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish and Arabic. Missile Defense Agency Within the U.S Department of Defense, the Missile Defense Agency is responsible for managing, directing, and executing the Missile Defense (BMD) Program. Its mission is to develop, test and prepare for deployment a missile defense system. The site provides an extensive number of resources such as a glossary, library, budget information and reports in addition to news and an overview of the Program itself. MITRE : Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence (C3I) : Department of Defense C3I FFRDC MITRE is a not-for-profit organisation that provides research support to the United States government. It operates Federally Funded Research and Development Centers for the DOD, FAA and IRS. This site focuses on research in cooperation with the Department of Defense. It provides substantial articles about research projects within the Center for Air Force Command and Control Systems (CAFC2S), the Center for Integrated Intelligence Systems (CIIS) and the Washington C3 Center (WC3C). MITRE Technical Papers This web site provides recent technical and conference papers presented by MITRE staff. There is also an archive of abstracts available back to 1997. MITRE is a non profit making organisation that operates research projects for the DOD, FAA and the IRS. It is also possible to access the MITRE homepage and other publications such as The Edge, MITRE's technology newsletter. NASA : Hypersonic X-43A Takes Flight The X-43A is a hypersonic, scramjet-powered research aircraft designed to fly at speeds up to Mach 10. This is a NASA mission web site which brings together the latest news, features and supporting resources. There are a number of high resolution images, as well as video clips, including that of the historic flight of November 16 2004 during which the X-43A's scramjet air breathing engine pushed the aircraft to nearly Mach 9.8, or 7,000 mph, as it flew at about 110,000 feet. The site also provides access to a PDF format X-43A Fact Sheet. NASA : New Millennium Program This is one of a number of NASA programmes which are intended to lead to the develoment of advanced technologies and mission concepts for future incorporation into NASA missions. Amongst the new technologies being explored under the New Millennium Program (NMP) are solar electric (ion) propulsion and spacecraft flying in formation. The programme web site brings together a variety of information resources including descriptions and links to individual NMP missions - Deep Space 1; Deep Space 2; Earth Observing 1; Earth Observing 3; Space Technology 5; Space Technology 6; Space Technology 7 and Space Technology 8. The site also contains descriptive overviews of the technology, the program; the science objectives; an educational outreach area; and news archive. NMP is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. NASA Advanced Air Transportation Technologies (AATT) The project web site provides an introduction and overview to this NASA project whose lead centre is NASA Ames. The project aims to explore the possibilities of the concept of 'free flight'. The objectives of the project are covered, as is the organisation behind it, current research being undertaken, support contractors and links to related projects. NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division
The NAS Division is part of the Exploration Technology Directorate at Ames Research Centre. The Directorate's mission is to create innovative and reliable technologies for NASA missions. NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) The ARMD at NASA Headquarters is responsible for guiding and managing NASA's aeronautics research, and defining the investments that NASA makes on behalf of the nation. NASA's 2003 Strategic Plan categorises the funding for is major research areas in topics designated as "Themes." The ARMD is responsible for the "Aeronautics Technology Theme" which consists of three integrated programmes: the Aviation Safety and Security Program; the Airspace Systems Program; and the Vehicle Systems Program. The programs are responsible for the research, development, and transfer of advanced concepts and technologies that are critical to the future of aeronautics in areas that are beyond the risk level or capability of other organisations. The enterprise team is represented by 5 NASA field centers, Ames Research Center, Dryden Flight Research Center, John H. Glenn Research Center, Langley Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center. The web site provides descriptions of the ARMD's three programmes areas, and make available a range of strategy, planning and report documents. Other sections of the site provide access to information on current events; exhibits and traveling programmes; educational activities including publications and software, web-based learning, distance learning, and student competitions, and multimedia collections. Links are provided to the ARMD Library which contains current documents and archives document and images, and links to the NASA centres which support the ARMD's programmes. NASA Airbreathing Systems Analysis Office The Airbreathing Systems Analysis Office (ASAO) is part of NASA Glenn's Aeronautics Directorate. The Office makes analytical predictions of the thermodynamic cycle performance of a variety of airbreathing engines. Aeromechanical engine design, aircraft trajectory calculations, economic assessments and environmental analyses in support of NASA programs are also undertaken. The site includes a brief overview of projects, descriptions of the analysis methodologies used, a small online library of references to ASAO reports and a directory of current engines and aircraft for modeling by the ASAO. NASA Airspace Systems Projects This site provides details of NASA's projects in this area. These include the Advanced Air Transportation Technologies (AATT) project the objective of which is to fully explore the possibilities of the "Free Flight" concept. The Small Air Transportation System (SATS) project is an effort to utilize the nation's 5400 small airports to improve mobility in suburban and rural areas. The Virtual Airspace Modeling and Simulation Project (VAMS) is focused upon building advanced concepts and research tools for the National Airspace System, and the Airspace Operations Systems (AOS) which is concerned with research on interactions between human operators and ground, satellite, and vehicle systems to enable new aircraft technology that will enhance and extend the operational capacity and mobility of the US's air transportation system. The other projects relate to Human Measures and Performance; Efficient Aricraft Spacing; Efficient Flight Path Management; Strategic Airspace Usage; and Space based Technologies. There are also information links dedicated for pilots, controllers and researchers. NASA and the Environment : The Case of Ozone Depletion This is a monograph, a comprehensive study Ozone Depletion, which represents an important case study in the history of NASA and environmental sciences. It has been written by W. Henry Lambright who is professor of public administration and political science and director at the Center for Environmental Policy and Administration, the Maxwell School, Syracuse University. The report deals with the problem chronologically beginning from the time when ozone depletion became an issue (in late 1960s) and the subsequent steps taken and missions launched to eradicate the problem. The whole process of problems solving and decision making can be divided into 8 stages which include : Awareness, Trigger, Establishing Program, Early Implementation, Evaluation/Reorientation, Amplification, Later Implementation and Institutionalization. The decision-making model has a linear structure that does not exist in reality. However, it conveys, in a general way, the overall course of the decisions being made over time. The report deals with each of these steps in detail. NASA Aviation Human Factors: Recent Reports This site makes available a series of online full-text papers produced by NASA staff from the Aviation Operations Branch. The papers are grouped according to research branch: human automation integration, human information processing, and systems safety. The site also contains information about the mission of the division, its history and organisation and current projects. NASA Aviation Safety Program The objective of the Aviation Safety Program (AvSP) is to develop and demonstrate technologies and strategies to improve aviation safety by reducing both aircraft accident and fatality rates by a factor of 5 by year 2007 and by a factor of 10 by year 2022. The site provides an overview of the project and describes the individual Program Projects including: System-Wide Accident Prevention (SWAP); Single Aircraft Accident Prevention (SAAP); Weather Accident Prevention (WxAP); Synthetic Vision Technology Development; Accident Mitigation (AM); and Aviation Systems Monitoring and Modeling. Links to partner sites, an image gallery (animated GIFs and QuickTime 4.0 video clips) and a site map are also provided. NASA Earth Observatory The Earth Observatory site is intended to provide a repository for satellite imagery and scientific information about planet Earth. The emphasis of the site is on Earth's climate and environmental change. The site provides access to data, images, feature articles and reference papers relating to the atmosphere, oceans, land, life on Earth, and heat and energy. It includes the spectacular blue marble? which is one of the most detailed true-colour images of the entire Earth to date. There are also sections on news headlines, EOS missions, and experiments. NASA Glenn Research Center
The Research Centre was founded in 1941 by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which was the precursor to NASA. Glenn was initially called the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory. After several name changes, in 1999 it received its current name, the NASA John H. Glenn Research Centre. NASA Headquarters The page provides convenient access to NASA HQ, the individual NASA research centres, and the Scientific and Technical Information Program. There are links to the following NASA centers: Ames Research Center, Dryden Flight Research Center, John H. Glenn Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Independent Validation & Verification Facility, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Langley Research Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Moffett Federal Airfield, Stennis Space Center, Wallops Flight Facility, and White Sands Test Facility. NASA History Division The NASA History Program was first established in 1959, and its responsible for documenting and preserving the agency's history and development. The web site provides a brief historical outline and has a Hot History Topics/Frequently Asked Questions section. The site has separate sections devoted to the history of aeronautics and astronautics at NASA. The site contains technical diagrams and drawings covering: Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, and Space Shuttle. The various information resources on the site can be accessed using an alphabetic topic index or by keyword search. NASA Human Exploration and Operations
The Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate provides the Agency with leadership and management of NASA space operations related to human exploration in and beyond low Earth orbit. HEO also oversees low-level requirements development, policy, and programmatic oversight. The International Space Station, currently orbiting the Earth with a crew of six, represents the NASA exploration activities in low Earth orbit. There are also resources covering programs on: NASA Langley Research Center This is the home page of the NASA Langley Research Center. Its primary concerns are airframe systems, atmospheric sciences and structures and materials research. The site describes the research that the Center carries out, information on doing business with it, and provides access to LISAR, the Langley Image Scanning Archival and Retrieval system which contains a database of photographs of NASA and NACA research undertaken at Langley. The site also features the Langley Factsheet Server which provides full text details about many of Langley's research programmes, the Langley Technical Report Server (LTRS) for searching and browsing technical reports, some of which are available in full in PDF format, and latest news. NASA Near-Earth Object Program Office The Program Office was established at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in mid-1998 to help coordinate, and provide a focal point for, the study of comets and asteroids that can approach the Earth's orbit. The web site provides an introduction to the Program, an overview of near-earth objects, news items, an FAQ, a collection of images, and links to related sites, search programmes and spacecraft missions. A variety of statistical and tabular information resources are also available including number of NEOs, a 3D java tool for visualising NEO orbits, and a table of J2000 heliocentric ecliptic orbital elements for NEAs (Near-Earth Asteroids) sorted by object number/name. Tables (updated daily) showing future and past NEO close-approach data, including uncertainties, as well as lists of potential future Earth impact events are also included. NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract (NSROC) The NASA SOUNDing Rocket Program (for Sub-Orbital, UNmanneD launch vehicles) has provided important and often critical contributions to knowledge on galactic astronomy, solar physics, planetary atmospheres, and high-energy physics. The site provides information on NSRP missions and capabilities, launchers, payloads, launch schedules and team members. There are currently a number of different sounding rockets, and information on each is provided, with regard to their specifications, trajectories and uses. The site also provides access to the The Sounding Rocket Program Handbook. This details every aspect of Sounding Rocket Operations, from requirements analysis and design through fabrication, testing, launch, data retrieval and payload recovery. It is available in PDF format. NASA Space Science Enterprise NASA's Space Science Enterprise is responsible for all of NASA's programs relating to astronomy, the solar system and the sun and its interaction with Earth. Currently there are four programmes under which the various science missions are grouped as follows: Origins; Structure and Evolution; Solar System Exploration; and the Sun-Earth Connection. Space Science is one of NASA's five Strategic Enterprises. Resources available from the site include: images from space; mission descriptions, and a variety of documents and reports, including the current strategic plan. NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) This website is the NASA Technical Report Server (NTRS), containing 14,457 NACA reports of which nearly 12,000 are in PDF format available online. It also contains publicly available NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) many that are available in PDF format. NASA's Aeronautics Test Program NASA has restructured its aeronautics programs, returning to long-term investment in cutting-edge fundamental research in traditional aeronautics disciplines. The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate is responsible for the stewardship of NASA's many aeronautics test facilities, some of which are considered national assets. The Aeronautics Test Program ensures that wind tunnels and air-breathing propulsion test facilities at NASA are available to meet our research requirements and those of other national partners. Strategic utilization, operations, maintenance, and investment decisions are made for facilities at Ames Research Center, Glenn Research Center, and Langley Research Center. Aeronautics Test Program (ATP) Web Site . ATP Program Overview (Video 21.3MB) . Overview of the program is available in pdf format. NASA's Airspace Systems Program (ASP) The Airspace Systems Program (ASP) performs foundational research to enable the development of revolutionary improvements to, and modernization of, the National Airspace System. This research allows existing aircraft to reduce their environmental impacts and the introduction of new systems for vehicles whose operation can take advantage of the improved, modern air traffic management system. ASP research is focused to achieve the vision of Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) by developing capabilities that accommodate projected growth in air traffic while preserving and enhancing safety. There is also focus on providing all airspace system users more flexibility and efficiency in the use of airports, airspace and aircraft. There are plans to meet our civil aviation, national defense and homeland security needs as a national priority. Other aspects to are to maintain pace with a continually evolving scientific and technical environment. Additional program information is available in pdf format including Airspace Systems Program Quarterly Newsletter and Airspace Systems Program Fact Sheet. Document containing technical plans and milestones for the Airspace Systems Project Plans like; Concepts and Technology Development Project and Systems Analysis, Integration & Evaluation are also available in pdf format. NASA's Aviation Safety Program NASA has restructured its aeronautics programs, returning to long-term investment in cutting-edge fundamental research in traditional aeronautics disciplines. NASA's unique capabilities in aviation safety research are dedicated to improving the safety of current and future aircraft operating in the National Airspace System. The research focus is on the way vehicles are designed, built, operated, and maintained. Scientists and engineers in this program develop principles, guidelines, concepts, tools, methods, and technologies to address four areas: Aircraft Aging and Durability, Integrated Intelligent Flight Deck Technologies, Integrated Vehicle Health Management, and Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control.Overview of the program and reference documents for each project in Aviation Safety like; Integrated Vehicle Health Management and Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control Project are also available in pdf format. NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) Project Science Office The Earth Observing System (EOS) is the centerpiece of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE). It consists of a science component and a data system supporting a coordinated series of polar-orbiting and low inclination satellites for long-term global observations of the land surface, biosphere, solid Earth, atmosphere, and oceans. The web site brings together a variety of EOS related information sources. These include a public information and education section; details of the various EOS science programmes; and links to data sets and data sources (EOS Data and Information System - EOSDIS; EOSDIS Data Gateway; Global Change Master Directory; NASA/NOAA Pathfinder Program; Distributed Active Archive Centers). The site also provides access to the EOS Directory, which contains the most up-to-date information available to the EOS Project Science Office. There is also a publications section, which includes the full text of EOS documents including: EOS Reference Handbook; EOS Science Plan; EOS Data Products Handbook; Earth Science Enterprise Fact Book; and Report On The POST-2002 Mission Planning Workshop. NASA's Fundamental Aeronautics Program NASA has restructured its aeronautics programs, returning to long-term investment in cutting-edge fundamental research in traditional aeronautics disciplines. The top-level goal of the fundamental aeronautics program is the development of system-level, multi-disciplinary capabilities for both civilian and military applications. This program provides long-term investment in research to support and sustain expert competency in critical core areas of aeronautics technology. The work in fundamental aeronautics produces knowledge, data, capabilities, and design tools to benefit a variety of air vehicles. Fundamental Aeronautics concentrates research in four areas: Subsonic Fixed Wing, Subsonic Rotary Wing, Supersonics, and Hypersonics. National Academies: Air Force Studies Board (AFSB) The Air Force Studies Board (AFSB) serves as a convening authority for the discussion of a diversity of subjects of importance to the Air Force. In collaboration with Air Force leadership, the board develops studies related to the development and application of science and technology to be carried out by the National Research Council. Recently, these in-depth studies have addressed critical issues such as fuel efficiency, acquisition processes, and assuring the future scientific and technical qualification of Air Force personnel. The site provides links to full text reports published by the AFSB since 2001 in both HTML and PDF format. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Home Page The NASA home page is the starting point for exploring NASA's many web sites. It contains a search box that enables you to search the whole site as well as links to NASA's Strategic Enterprises - Aerospace technology, Human exploration and the development of space, Biological and physical research, Earth Science and Space Science. There is a lot of information about the organisation such as a newsroom containing press releases, status reports, fact sheets, launch schedules and NASA biographies. National Air Traffic Services (NATS) This UK Department for Transport site brings together a number of documents relating to the creation of NATS. The site contains a number of documents including the Governments response to the 10 January 2001 Transport Sub Committee report on developments at NATS, 13 June 2001; A Public Private Partnership for National Air Traffic Services Ltd, brochure providing preliminary information on the Public Private Partnership for National Air Traffic Services Ltd, 3 May 2001; A Public Private Partnership for National Air Traffic Services Ltd Government report to Parliament following 3-month deferral that ended on 28 February 2001, dated 2 April 2001; and A Public Private Partnership for National Air Traffic Services Ltd Memorandum (CM4702), providing the Governments response following the third report by the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee, published 20 April 2000. The documents are available in a variety of formats for viewing online and for downloading, including HTML, PDF and Word. National Audit Office : Defence Value for Money This is the web site of the NAO Defence Value for Money Team, whose aim is to gain a better understanding of the key performance drivers of major defence projects and to gather information on best practice from overseas ministries and UK commercial organisations in tracking the progress of major projects. The web site outlines the phases of the project, which will result in a publication of a report on good practice, lessons and improvement for the Ministry of Defence's management of major projects in December 2004. The site also contains a link to the full text of the consultation document Driving Successful Delivery of Major Defence Projects; a causal map of key factors influencing project performance; and a questionnaire for project directors which will form the consultation to learn lessons from outside practice. National Aviation Safety Data Analysis Center (NASDAC) The purpose of this web site is to provide the public with access to several of the principal aviation safety data and information sources the Federal Government uses for various purposes. Subjects covered by this site include aviation accident information, aircraft information, statistical data and voluntary reporting systems. Several databases are available for interrogation, including the Air Registry, the Aviation Safety Reporting System, Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the FAA Incident/Accident Data System, amongst others. There are reports available on studies like Aviation Safety Data Accessibility; NTSB Weather Related Accidents; Review of Aviation Accidents occuring in the State of Alaska, 1992-2001; and Turbulence Study. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States Also known as the 9-11 Commission, the Commission was created in 2002 by congressional legislation to investigate the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. The site provides information on the Commission and its remit; details of public hearings including full transcripts and video footage of the hearings; staff statements and press releases. The complete 9/11 Commision Report is available in PDF format (7.5 MB) and also available in smaller PDF sections at the website. The subjects of hearings have included intelligence and the War on Terrorism, emergency preparedness, counter-terrorism policy, and law enforcment and the intelligence community which included a detailed investigation into the terrorist threat in 2001 and what the intelligence services were doing to address the threat. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration : Space Environment Center The Space Environment Center (SEC) provides real-time monitoring and forecasting of solar and geophysical events. Their site provides space weather data for the sun, interplanetary space, geomagnetism and near-earth. It is organised by space weather environment, by sensor, by program and format or by user group (such as navigation and electric power). Some of the data is real-time or near-real-time. National Park Service : Wright Brothers National Memorial The Wright Brothers National Memorial is located in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina and this site provides information on how to visit it. It includes travel basics (such as how to get there and the Park's opening times), possible activities, available facilities and details of entrance fees. The site also contains a lesson plan for teachers and provides access to the full text of a historic resource study National Response Framework : U.S. Department of Homeland Security This web-site details the U.S. National Response Framework (NRF) guiding principles which nationalresponse partners can use to prepare for and provide a unified national response to disasters and emergencies. There are documents, annexes, references and briefings in the linked NRF Resource Center. The world food situation: new driving forces and required actions The world food situation is changing rapidly due to income growth, climate changeand high energy prices. Factors such as globalisation, and urbanisation are transforming food consumption, production, and markets. This paper looks at the key drivers for these developments discusses the considers what policies required to address these issues. National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) provides access to information on a number of subjects including astrophysics, space physics, solar physics, lunar and planetary sciences and earth sciences. Data from NASA space flight missions, models and software are included, as are annual reports, archive plans and the newsletter of the NSSDC. The site also provides information and support relating to data management standards and technologies.Also NSSDC provides online information bases about NASA and non-NASA data as well as the spacecraft and experiments that have or will provide public access data. National Transportation Library (NTL) In 2008 a new NTL was created through a merger with the US Department of Transportation Library. The National Transportation Library (NTL) is to maintain and facilitate access to statistical and other information needed for transportation decision-making at the Federal, State, and local levels and to coordinate with public and private transportation libraries and information providers to improve information sharing among the transportation community. The NTL networks with other transportation libraries, agencies, and organizations to increase access to information and expand opportunities for the professional development of transportation librarians. These include NTL Integrated Search System, TLCat, Transportation Knowledge Networks and Transportation Librarians Roundtable. A link to an 'online digital special collection' is available which provides access to: bridge construction and maintenance, driver studies, engineering, highways and highway safety, history of transportation, land utilization, marine engineering, mass transit, merchant marine, navigation, oceanography, pipelines, railroads, ships and shipbuilding, statistics, traffic engineering, traffic surveys and forecasts, urban transportation, and waterways Also available are links to the US DoTs Law Library giving access to: the Law Library Newsletter, a Legislative Look at Aviation Safety and Security and the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Although some areas are for DoT employees only a link also exits to transportation bibliographies which cover a range of transportation issues (policy, planning, environment, law and aviation safety and security). National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) : Safety Recommendations This is part of the National Transportation Safety Board web site. Safety Recommendations are issued as a result of the investigation of transportation accidents and other safety problems. They identify specific problems uncovered during a safety investigation and indicate how problems and deficiencies should be rectified. Letters containing the recommendations are directed to the organisation best able to act on the problem. The web site provides access to a most wanted list of transportation safety improvements. This includes recommendation numbers, status, and coverage of current and past items. The Most Wanted List is browsable by mode of transport. The site also provides statistical information on safety recommendations. These include acceptance rates (eg by mode of transportation and comparisons by year), as well as numbers of safety recommendations issued (by mode and by year). There is a searchable archive of Safety Recommendation Letters, and it is possible to subscribe to an NTSB mailing list in order to receive copies of Safety Recommendations. National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent Federal agency that investigates every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant accidents in the other modes of transportation, conducts special investigations and safety studies, and issues safety recommendations to prevent future accidents. The web site provides access to a wealth of information resources. An "About" section includes the NTSB's mission, history, strategic plan, Board members, organisation chart, and a description of NTSB data and information products. These include Safety Recommendations, Accident Reports, Accident Synopses, Accident Studies, Statistical Analyses, Public Hearings, and News and Events, such as major investigations, press releases and forums and symposia. National Transportation Strategic Research Plan This web site provides access to the text of the plan prepared by the US National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Transport Research and Development, dated May 2000. The purpose of the report is to help the establishment of national transport research and technology priorities and to provide a coordinated framework for government, industry and academia. It identifies "breakthrough"research directions including: nanotechnology, biofuels, and complex systems and high-confidence software. The plan looks at areas of enabling research in human performance and behaviour; advanced materials and structures, computing; communications and information technology; energypropulsion and environmental engineering; sensing and measurement; analysis, modeling, design and construction tools; as well as social and economic policy issues. A selection of these are identified as future priority focus areas. The full text of the report is available online in PDF format. National Transportation Technology Plan The plan has been developed by the US National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Transportation Research and Development, dated May 2000. It presents updated implementation strategies for a number private-public technologypartnerships which include amongst others: Aviation Safety Research Alliance; Next Generation Global Air Transportation; and Next Generation Space Technology Transportation Technology. The text of the plan is available online in HTML format, and includes an executive summary, appendices and links to supporting documents. The web site is hosted by the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory The Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (NAMRL) undertakes research and development in aviation medicine and allied sciences. Research areas include spatial orientation, human performance, aeromedical standards, and aviation medicine. Abstracts of current research projects are available and links to individual research group web sites where appropriate. Naval Air Warfare Center : Aircraft Division The Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) Aircraft Division is the US Navy's research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E), engineering and fleet support centre. The site features sections concerned with news, employment, and business related information. The main focus of the site is on the Division's products, services, capabilities and facilities. The product areas include air vehicles, avionics and electronics, carrier suitability and support equipment, crew systems, propulsion and power, systems engineering, test and evaluation, training systems, and weapons. Naval Aviation History Office : Publications Established in 1942, the Office is concerned with US naval aviation history from 1911 to the present. This site provides full text access to a large collection of full text materials in HTML format. Of particular note, monographs entitled 'Naval aviation in World War 1' and 'US naval aviation in the Pacfic' are made available. Other material of interest includes 'The first flight across the Atlantic', 'Evolution of aircraft carriers', 'Space and the United States Navy', 'Pistons to jets', 'US Marine Corps aviation' and 'Naval aviation 1911-1986 a pictorial study'. Naval Historical Center : Naval Aviation History Office Established in 1942, the Office is concerned with US naval aviation history from 1911 to the present. The web site provides access to a wealth of information including: a chronology of significant events; naval aviation involvement by conflict; historical data on US aircraft carriers; data on current aircraft in the US Navy inventory; data on historical aircraft; squadron histories and details of publications, records, special collections and repositories. The site provides on-line access to the full text of many publications including monographs and articles. Naval Safety Center The Naval Safety Center provides information about safety issues while afloat and ashore, and those concerning aviation. Safety checklists are also provided, plus the latest news and safety publications. Statistics and surveys are available, and there is a link to the statistics division containing briefs, narratives and reports. There are links to other safety sites and the Navy and Marine Corps Operational Risk Management site. Navy Department Library The Naval Historical Center's department library contains collections of literature concerning the United States Navy. This site provides information about the physical library, its location, opening hours and contact information. It also provides a link to the virtual library, which has collections, publications and information on naval signals. It is also possible to search the library's online catalogue from this site. Near Earth Objects Information Centre The NEO Information Centre is part of the UK Government's response to the Report of the Task Force on Potentially Hazardous Near Earth Objects. The site provides information about the nature of NEOs and the hazard they pose, what efforts are being made to detect NEOs and what could be done to avert a collision. Materials for educators, information and contact services for the media, and support for NEO scientists in communicating and conducting their work are also provided. There is an exhibition which includes interactive movies and simulations along with a screen saver of the craters of the world. The PDF full-text OECD report on the NEO hazard is also available. Updates on the newly discovered asteroid, 2003 QQ47 which has a potential impact on 21 March 2014 will be available. New Zealand Aviation Security Service This service is involved in several activities, such as the screening of international departing passengers and their baggage for dangerous items, access controls and searching international aircraft for security purposes. The site provides information about its role and history, structure and legislation, goals and performance, external relations, airport security news and links to related sites and frequently asked questions (FAQ). Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) NextGen is an umbrella term for the ongoing, wide-ranging transformation of the United States’ national airspace system (NAS). At its most basic level, NextGen represents an evolution from a ground-based system of air traffic control to a satellite-based system of air traffic management. These web pages provide a full overview of the initiative, including the implementation plan. Next Generation Air Transportation System : Joint Planning and Development Office The US authorities have concluded that today's air transportation system cannot meet the demands of the 21st century. The Vision 100 - Century of Aviation Authorization Act became law and calls for an integrated, multi-agency plan to transform the US's air transportation system to meet the needs of the year 2025 while providing substantial near-term benefits. This Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) Initiative will address critical safety and economic needs in civil aviation while fully integrating US defence and homeland security improvements into this future system. The site is a reference point for progress made by providing current news of projects being undertaken and describes the integrated project teams which are taking the 8 identified strategies further forward. Noise Exposure Contours 1997 This site provides access to reports on noise exposure contours for three London airports: Heathrow, Stanstead and Gatwick. The amount of aircraft noise experienced by people living around these airports during the summer of each year is estimated by the Department of Operational Research and Analysis (DORA) on behalf of the Department for Transport (DFT). The noise exposure measure is the Equivalent Continuous Sound Level, Leq (16-hour) in dBA. Each document contains small scale (1:200,000) 1997 Leq contours. Published 26 May 1999. Noise Exposure Contours 1998 The site provides access to reports on noise exposure contours for three London airports: Heathrow, Stanstead and Gatwick. The amount of aircraft noise experienced by people living around these airports during the summer of each year is estimated by the Department of Operational Research and Analysis (DORA) on behalf of the Department for Transport (DFT). The noise exposure measure is the Equivalent Continuous Sound Level, Leq (16-hour) in dBA. Each document contains small scale (1:200,000) diagrams of the 1998 Leq contours. Published 29 February 2000. Noise from Arriving Aircraft : Final Report of the Aircraft Noise Monitoring Advisory Committee (ANMAC) Technical Working Group This summary report was published by the UK Department for Transport (DFT) on 13 March 2000. The purpose of the report is to describe the sources of operational noise for arriving aircraft, and to consider possible means of noise amelioration. The contents of the report include the regulatory framework, airport, airspace, and capacity constraints, aircraft operation, air traffic control procedures, empirical evidence, approach noise monitoring/regulation at other airports, feasibility of noise limits for arriving aircraft, and other possible operational measures. The text of the report can be viewed in HTML format, and PDF (244 Kb) and Word (155 Kb) versions are available for downloading. Non-Traditional Flight Safety Systems and Integrated Vehicle Health Management Systems This is a final report produced by Michael Fudge, Thomas Stagliano and Sunny Tsiao of IIT Industries, Advanced Engineering and Sciences Division, Virginia for the Office of Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation, FAA in August, 2003. The report describes present and future flight safety systems (FSS) and Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) systems relevant to reusable launch vehicle (RLV) design and operation. The evolution towards a more autonomous 'space-based' range is the most significant issue within the RLV launch phase flight safety paradigm, and the ability to confidently use global positioning system receivers on both RLVs and ELVs(Expendable Launch Vehicles) to conduct real-time vehicle tracking and trajectory assessment is the key enabling technology towards this vision. The emphasis in this report is placed upon flight safety for uncrewed RLVs; however pertinent post-reentry flight safety issues and possible systems operations crewed RLVs are also addressed. The document is available in PDF. NPARC Alliance Home Page The NPARC Alliance is a partnership between the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) dedicated to the establishment of a national, applications-oriented computational fluid dynamics (CFD) capability centered on the Wind-US computer program. The NPARC Alliance was established in 1993. The site provides general background information on the NPARC Alliance, an overview of flow simulation tools, including the WIND flow solver, and links to supporting resources such as the NPARC technical report server. Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM) This website provides information regarding the Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM), which is a cooperative effort between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the Center National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the space agency of France. OSTM is a follow-on to Jason-1 and will provide continuity of ocean topography measurements beyond Jason-1 and TOPEX/Poseidon. OSTM will measure sea surface height to an accuracy of < 4 cm every ten days. Sea surface topography measured by satellite altimeters has numerous applications important to global environmental monitoring including predicting hurricane intensification, improving tide models, mapping deep ocean bathymetry, monitoring and forecasting El Niño Southern Oscillation, measuring the rate of global sea level rise, and charting surface currents. Other applications include coastal zone management and disaster management. Office of Anti-Terrorism Assistance The US government runs the Office of Anti-Terrorism Assistance and offers training to foreign law enforcement professionals in techniques relating to counter-terrorism. Its web site provides information on its purpose and recent activities. It includes access to recent press releases and annual reports. These reports provide details of US foreign aid programmes and international assistance in counter- terrorism training. Some parts of the site require registration to access training information. Office of Security and Hazardous Materials This US FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) site on security aims to promote aviation safety in support of national security and the national aerospace system. There is information for passengers and air carriers on hazardous materials and prohibited items. The Office of Security and Hazardous Materials are responsible for ensuring the integrity of those individuals who work in or support the NAS (National Aerospace System) and protecting FAA employees and facilities from criminal and terrorist acts. The Office of Security and Hazardous Materials continue to have a direct aviation safety mission due which is to enforce hazardous materials regulations. There are three major program areas, which are Internal Security, Investigations, and Hazardous Materials. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs : Airline Quarterly Financial Review - Major Group Carriers Part of the US Department of Transport, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs is concerned with liberalising air services, encouraging a deregulated, competitive domestic airline industry and expanding trade opportunities for US companies worldwide. This site makes available quarterly financial reviews of major carriers back to the second quarter of 1995 in PDF format. The data is presented by individual carrier and by group and includes operating and net profit, passenger revenues, available seat-miles and other statistics. From the fourth quarter of 2000 the report was consolidated to include a narrative for the Total Majors, Total Passenger Majors, and Total All-Cargo Majors only. Offsets in Defense Trade : An Annual Report to Congress Provided by the US Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security, this site provides full text access to the Offsets in Defense Trade annual reports from 2003 to the present. Each report gives the background to offsets including regulations and legislation; a statistical overview; analysis of the impact of offsets on the US defence industrial base; looks at offset agreement and transaction activity; and discusses aerospace and other US government offset issues. On Continuing Assessment of Technology Development in NASA's Office of Space Science This is the full text of a letter dated 15th March 2000 and sent to the associate administrator for NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Office of Space Science (OSS) by the Space Studies Board Chair and the Task Group on Technology Development in NASA's Office of Space Science. The letter provides an external review of the Office of Space Science technology development process and concentrates on planning, implementation, infrastructure and performance measurement. Operation Enduring Freedom and the Conflict in Afghanistan : An Update This paper follows on from the House of Commons Research Paper, 11 September 2001 : The Response, and is available in pdf format. The paper provides an examination of the military objectives and campaigns of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. It examines the situation in Afghanistan, looking at developments on the ground and future political options for Afghanistan and the humanitarian situtation. It also illustrates international views and developments in America and Britain. Opportunities to Improve Airport Passenger Screening with Mass Spectrometry This is an e-book published by National Academies Press and produced by Committee on Assessment of Security Technologies for Transportation, National Research Council in 2004. The book is first in the series of investigation of the technologies and opportunites to protect the travelling public from terrorsit threats involving explosives. It presents an assessment of mass spectrometry for enhanced trace detection (ETD) of chemicals contained in explosives. The report describes limitations of trace detection in general and the current technologies in particular. It also presents a discussion of the potential for mass spectrometry to improve EDT including challenges faced by such a system, recommendations for starting a program to take advantage of mass spectrometry, and recommendations for a phased implementation plan. Oversight of Foreign Code-Share Safety Program Should Be Strengthened This technical report (GAO-05-930) was published by the United States General Accounting Office in August 2005. U.S. airlines are increasingly relying on code-share partnerships with foreign carriers to provide additional sources of revenue. Code-sharing is a marketing arrangement in which an airline places its designator code on a flight operated by another airline and sells and issues tickets for that flight. To determine whether the foreign code-share partners of U.S.airlines meet an acceptable level of safety, in 2000, the Department of Transportation (DOT) established the Code-Share Safety Program, which requires U.S. airlines to conduct safety audits of their foreign code-share partners as a condition of code-share authorization. GAO's objective was to assess the federal government's efforts to provide reasonable assurance of safety and security on foreign code-share flights. GAO reviewed (1) the extent to which DOT's code-share authorization process is designed to consider safety and security, (2) the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) management of the Code-Share Safety Program, and (3) the implementation of the program by airlines and the results. [Taken from abstract]. This is in PDF format so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it. Pentagon Library The Pentagon Library site provides information about the physical building, plus online services. These include the library catalogue, online databases and reference sources. Certain databases are only available to Pentagon employees, but others include the periodical holdings list of the Pentagon Library, DTIC (Defense Technical Information Center), AUL (Index to Military Periodicals), GPO access (Government Printing Office), GAO reports (Government Accounting Office), Rand reports and ERIC. Details can also be found from bibliographies, briefing guides, pathfinders & quick lists. It is also possible to reach information about the US Army, Headquarters Department of the Army (HQDA) and the Information Management Support Center (IMCEN). Performance Reports of BAA London Airports and Manchester Airport (August 2001) This paper provides a factual review of performance at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted for the period 1997/8 to 2000/01, and for Manchester Airport from 1998/99 to 2000/01. The document is in PDF format. Phoenix Mars Mission This is a NASA web site that brings together a range of information regarding the Phoenix Mars mission. Phoenix is the first in NASA’s Scout program that launched in August 2007 and was designed to study the history of water and habitability potential in the Martian arctic’s ice-rich soil. This mission is led by principal investigator Peter H. Smith of the University of Arizona supported by a science team of CO-Is, with project management at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. There is also collaboration with Lockheed Martin Space Systems and other international contributions provided by Canadian Space Agency, the University of Neuchatel (Switzerland), the University of Copenhagen, and the Max Planck Institute in Germany. The website contains all the relevant information about the mission, information regarding tours within the science operation centre, science instrumentation used aboard the spacecraft and finally links to education, news and photo gallery. Polar Mission: Unlocking the Secrets of Earth's Magnetosphere This is a NASA web site that brings together a range of information regarding the Polar mission. The Polar satellite, launched on February 24, 1996, is in a highly elliptical, 86 deg inclination orbit with a period of about 17.5 hours. The team responsible for this spacecraft expects to measure and learn how the solar wind plasma energy enters into the magnetosphere through the polar cusp on the dayside of the magnetosphere. They are aiming to determine the mechanisms that cause the ionospheric plasma outflow. The scientist will distinguish the importance and characteristics of the various processes that accelerate the aurora-producing particles. They will also investigate the many ways in which energy and momentum are exchanged between the collosionless plasmas and with the electromagnetic fields accessible to the Polar spacecraft. Images will be produced in order to determine the rate of energy input into the atmosphere from auroral particles and their effects on the atmosphere. The website contains an overview of the mission, links to data products and publications, information on various other orbits, archives and finally description on the instrumentation used. Post-Challenger Assessment of Space Shuttle Flight Rates and Utilization This is a full text book made available by National Academies Press and produced by Committee on NASA Scientific and Technological Program Reviews, Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems, National Research Council. The report was created following the Challenger loss and few months before the US President's statement announcing to build a fourth space shuttle and to end NASA's launching of commercial satellites. The report highlights the key assumption regarding whether the nation intended to have further manned space-flights or not, made for the assessment. The key issues identified and dealt with in the report include flight rates; fleet concept; launch demand; and payload partioning. The book is available in open book PDF form. Post-Challenger Evaluation of Space Shuttle Risk Assessment and Management This is a full text book available from National Academies Press and produced by Committee on Shuttle Criticality Review and Hazard Analysis Audit, Space Applications Board, Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems, National Research Council. Following the Challenger accident, NASA initiated a wide range of actions designed to ensure greater safety in various aspects of the Shuttle system and improved focus on safety throughput the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) Program. NASA reviewed the certain safety critical items on the shuttle as well as the existing analyses of hazards that could affect shuttle operations and identified the needed improvements in the shuttle program. The specific features on which the study was focussed were: the Critical Items List; the Failure Modes and Effect Analysis (FMEA); and the Hazards Analysis and their Review. The report is available in open book PDF form. Practicalities of Implementing a Dual Till This report, commissioned by the Civil Aviation Authority fom Europe Economics, and published in December 2000, concludes that moving to a dual till approach should be feasible in practice, with some modification in the airports' accounting frameworks. The document is in PDF format. Preliminary Considerations Regarding NASA's Bioastronautics Critical Path Roadmap : Interim Report This is a full text book produced by the Committee on Review of NASA s Bioastronautics Critical Path Roadmap and is published by National Academies Press in 2005. The NASA�s Bioastronautics Critical Path Roadmap (BCPR) defines risk as �the conditional probability of an adverse event occurring, or a system performance-related inefficiency.� Potential hazards include exposure of the crew to space radiation, degraded crew performance related to human behavioral and other health changes, failure of life support systems, and the adverse effects of space flight on human biological systems including the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, neurovestibular, endocrine, neuropsychiatric, and immune systems. Human factors are critically important in risk assessment and countermeasure development, including engineering design for human space flight. The BCPR is designed to provide summary assessments of the importance of each risk, and the current state of science and technology with respect to minimizing them. This is the interim report of the IOM (Institute of Medicine) committee�s review of NASA�s BCPR. The purpose of this report is to provide NASA with preliminary conclusions regarding the strengths and weakness of the BCPR. The committee�s final report, due in August 2005, will elaborate on these preliminary conclusions and provide NASA with recommendations about how to address the issues that are identified by the committee. Presidencia de la Nacion - Republica Argentina This site provides information concerning the Argentinian government, including a biography of the President and details of official activity. There are also pictures from the presidential inauguration, plus information about the cabinet hierarchy and authorities. Information is also given on Argentine presidents over the years in the Presidents' Chronology, and links are provided to other related sites. This is the Spanish version of the site, some areas are available in English on request. Project Apollo : The Tough Decisions This is a link to a monograph, a comprehensive report to the Apollo Manned Landing Lunar Program from 1 September 1960 to 5 January 1968 and outlines chronologically and in detail, the steps taken from the early Mercury and Gemini missions towards Apollo program. It has been written by Dr. Roberts C. Seamans Jr., who was the Deputy Administrator at NASA at the time. The report also describes the major and often complex deliberations that encouraged inputs from the broad range of informed internal Agency individuals in order to arrive at the resulting actions taken; it recognizes differences among their various views, including even sensitivities within the leadership of the Agency, and it acknowledges NASA�s relationships with the President and key executive branch personnel, as well as the very important and often complex relationships with members of Congress. Proposed changes to the procedures for leasing foreign registered aircraft This is a UK Department for Transport (DfT) Consultation Document, published in June 2006. The purpose of the consultation was to obtain views on proposed changes to existing administrative procedures for applications by UK airlines to lease foreign registered aircraft. The closing date for the consultation process was 8th September 2006. The site also provides access to a document, published in November 2006, which summarises the responses received. Protecting the Space Shuttle from Meteoroids and Orbital Debris This is a full text book, available from National Academies Press and produced by Committee on Space Shuttle Meteoroid/Debris Risk Management, National Research Council. The space shuttle orbiter has already been struck many times by small meteoroids and orbital debris, but it has not been damaged severely. There is a real risk, however, that a meteoroid or debris impact could one day force the crew to abort a mission or might result in loss of life or loss of the shuttle itself. The present study assesses the magnitude of the problem and suggests changes that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration can make to reduce the risk to the shuttle and its crew. The text is available in open book format. Protection of Air Crew from Cosmic Radiation : Guidance Material This guidance material is provided by the UK Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. It was drawn up as a response to EU Directive 96/29 which was implemented in 13 May 1996. It addresses the issue of cosmic radiation, considering topics such as harmful effects, dosages, occupational exposure by air crew, high flying aircraft, pregnant women, means of compliance and monitoring compliance. The text can be viewed in HTML format and is available for downloading. Re-Living the Wright Way This site is produced by NASA and describes the invention process undertaken by the Wright Brothers in creating the flyer used in the first manned flight. It includes their intital investigations into how things flew, theory testing, the development of flight control systems, propulsion systems and test pilot skills, the first flight and subsequent flight development. There is also a summary of the Wright Brothers' main discoveries. Simulations, webcasts, presentations, video clips and activities are provided as well, as are lesson plans for teachers. This site was created to celebrate the centennial of flight in 2003. Readiness Issues Related to Research in the Biological and Physical Sciences on the International Space Station This is a full text book made available by National Academies Press and produced by Task Group on Research on the International Space Station, Space Studies Board, National Research Council in the year 2001. The International Space Station has been officially under development by NASA since the late 1980s. Numerous changes in schedule and cost projections throughout the 1990s have prompted reevaluations of the number and scale of the major facilities that would eventually be placed on board; the schedule for developing, deploying, and utilizing those facilities; and the critical resources such as crew time and power needed to support ISS science research. As a result, specific concerns over schedule delays and potential downgrading of the ISS research capabilities have been growing for several years in the scientific community. In the fall of 2000, Congress directed the National Research Council (NRC) and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) to organize a joint study of the status of microgravity research in the life and physical sciences as it relates to the International Space Station (ISS). The study is being conducted in two phases. This phase-1 report addresses the question of the scientific communitys readiness to use the ISS for life and physical sciences and assesses the relative costs and benefits of dedicating an annual space shuttle mission to research versus simply maintaining the current schedule for assembly of the ISS. The text is available in open book PDF form. Realizing the Dream of Flight These essays in celebration of the Wright brothers’ first flight 100 years ago grew out of presentations by a group of prominent scholars in 2003 at a conference sponsored by the NASA History Division and held at the Great Lakes Sience Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The volume focuses on the careers of some of the many men and women who helped to realize the dream of flight both through the atmosphere and beyond. Reducing Air Traffic Delays : Civil and Military Management of Airspace in Europe The UK Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR), [now Department For transport (DFT)], has published the Government's response to the Report by the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union, dated 8 May 2001. It includes material produced by DTLR itself, the Ministry of Defence, and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and deals with the specific recommendations in the report. The document was published on 7 January 2002.The link takes below is directed to a search page including 2 documents. The text can be viewed in HTML format, and PDF (113 Kb) version is available for downloading. Regulatory Review of General Aviation in the UK This web site provides access to a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Final Report dated July 2006. On 15 June 2005 the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Chairman invited, inter alia, the UK General Aviation (GA) community and the Department for Transport (DfT) to join the CAA in carrying out a Strategic and Regulatory Review of GA in the United Kingdom (UK). In making the proposal the Chairman considered: (1) The concerns expressed by the GA community, following the CAA/Industry Joint Review Team study on Future Costs and Charges.(2) The need to re-engage with the GA community and to revitalise and enhance the relationship.(3) The need to demonstrate to the GA community that the CAA is fully committed to the principles of better regulation.(4) This was an essential element in the CAA’s programme of continuous improvement. The objectives of the review were to agree and record: a) A description and definition of GA in the UK. b) The history of regulation within the UK, the existing UK policy on GA regulation and best practice guidelines. c) Sectoral trends and major and future developments which are likely to affect UK GA. d) The accident rate for UK GA over the past 10 years compared with the rates in selected other European States and the USA. Appropriate safety targets for GA were to be considered. e) Other regulatory models used within Europe and elsewhere. f) The effects of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) (through Regulation (EC) 1592/2002) upon future UK regulation of GA. g) Methods and effectiveness of consultation and dialogue between GA interests and CAA/Government/regional bodies. h) Proposed options for future UK regulation of GA including details of: Possible legal changes. Costs of administration. Costs to industry. Advantages and disadvantages of each proposal. Cost effectiveness and risk analysis. The scope of the review excluded the following items: a) Fractional ownership. b) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). c) Foreign-registered aircraft resident in the UK. [Taken from summary]. The full text is available in PDF format so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it. Reusable Launch Vehicle Operations : Safety Approval Process This document is one of several products identified in the Safety Review and Assessment Section of the Commercial Space Transportation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program Plan and was published in 2001. The document describes a top-level process sufficiently broad to be applicable to the development and operation of all of the various reusable launch vehicle concepts. While the focus of this process is on the approval of RLV operations, the scope may include early system and concept testing using aircraft, approaches that use aircraft as part of the launch concept, and proposals that utilize aircraft- like systems as part of the launch vehicle design. The intent is to work with the applicant in a manner, that presents an integrated corporate process leading to the ultimate goal of conducting safe RLV operations. The report is available in PDF. Reusable Launch Vehicle Operations and Maintenance Guideline Inputs and Technical Evaluation Report : Training - Volume 4 This is a final report prepared by J. Timothy Middendorf, Janice Mendonca of Research Triangle Institute (RTI) in November, 2004. This report is intended to capture an initial set of Guideline Inputs (GIs) and Guideline Input Considerations (GICs) ordered around the various subsystems that are likely to be used reusable launch vehicle (RLV) operations and maintenance (O&M). The RLV O&M have the potential to affect the public safety as the commercial RLV companies plan to use both existing and new technologies in the design and development of the vehicle and its subsystems and hence this issue is addressed in this report. A total of of four function within approval domain have been identified for development of approval guideline inputs. Each of these functions relate to a unique set of subfunction for the maintenance of RLV. This volume is the fifth of five such volumes. The first volume addressed RLV subsystems, the second RLV operations , the third, RLV operation, the fourth volume, training functions. The GIs in this volumes and associated volumes are intended to serve as input to a common set of criteria by which the FAA and industry can assess public safety aspects of RLV O&M proceses. The report is available in PDF. Reusable Launch Vehicles Operations and Maintenance Guideline Inputs and Technical Evaluation Report : Approval - Volume 5 This is a final report prepared by J. Timothy Middendorf, Janice Mendonca of Research Triangle Institute (RTI) in November, 2004. This report is intended to capture an initial set of Guideline Inputs (GIs) and Guideline Input Considerations (GICs) specific to the various functions associated with RLV approval for any RLV concept, large or small, orbital or suborbital. The first volume addressed RLV subsystems, the second RLV operations, the third, maintenance and the fouth volume addresses RLV training functions functions. The GIs in this volumes and associated volumes are intended to serve as input to a common set of criteria by which the FAA and industry can assess public safety aspects of RLV O&M proceses. The report is available in PDF. Reusable Launch Vehicles Operations and Maintenance Guideline Inputs and Technical Evaluation Report : Maintenance - Volume 3 This is a final report prepared by J. Timothy Middendorf, Janice Mendonca of Research Triangle Institute (RTI) in November, 2004. This report is intended to capture an initial set of Guideline Inputs (GIs) and Guideline Input Considerations (GICs) specific to the various functions associated withRLV maintenance, for any RLV concept, large or small, orbital or sub-orbital. The RLV O&M have the potential to affect the public safety as the commercial RLV companies plan to use both existing and new technologies in the design and development of the vehicle and its subsystems and hence this issue is addressed in this report. A total of three functions within the maintenance domain have been identified for development of maintenance guideline inputs. Each of these functions relate to a unique set of subfunction for the maintenance of RLV. This volume is the third of the five such volumes. The first volume addressed RLV subsystems, the second RLV operations and the remaining two volumes address Training and Approval functions. The GIs in this volumes and associated volumes are intended to serve as input to a common set of criteria by which the FAA and industry can assess public safety aspects of RLV O&M proceses. The report is available in PDF. Reusable Launch Vehicles Operations and Maintenance Guideline Inputs and Technical Evaluation Report : Operations - Volume 2 This is a final report prepared by J. Timothy Middendorf, Janice Mendonca of Research Triangle Institute (RTI) in February, 2004. This report is intended to capture an initial set of Guideline Inputs (GIs) and Guideline Input Considerations (GICs) ordered around the various subsystems that are likely to be used reusable launch vehicle (RLV) operations and maintenance (O&M). The RLV O&M have the potential to affect the public safety as the commercial RLV companies plan to use both existing and new technologies in the design and development of the vehicle and its subsystems and hence this issue is addressed in this report. A total of 10 functions within 2 operational domains (Ground and Flight Operations) have been identified. Each of these functions relate to one or more specific flight phases and includes subfunctions/tasks ranging from traditional aircraft like operations to those more associated with space operations. This volume is second of the five such volumes. The first volume addressed RLV subsystems, the remaining three volumes address Maintenance, Training and Approval functions. The GIs in this volumes and associated volumes are intended to serve as input to a common set of criteria by which the FAA and industry can assess public safety aspects of RLV O&M proceses. The report is available in PDF. Reusable Launch Vehicles Operations and Maintenance Guideline Inputs and Technical Evaluation Report : Subsystems - Volume 1 This is a final report prepared by J. Timothy Middendorf, Janice Mendonca of Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and Uma Ferrell, Tom Ferrell of Ferrell and Associates Consulting, Inc., in January, 2004. This report is intended to capture an initial set of Guideline Inputs (GIs) and Guideline Input Considerations (GICs) ordered around the various subsystems that are likely to be used reusable launch vehicle (RLV) operations and maintenance (O&M). The RLV O&M have the potential to affect the public safety as the commercial RLV companies plan to use both existing and new technologies in the design and development of the vehicle and its subsystems and hence this issue is addressed in this report. A total of 21 subsystems (19 on-board systems and 2 ground-based supporting systems) have been identified for the development of guideline inputs. These subsystems include traditional fixed wing aircraft types, such as flight controls, avionics and navigation, to those more often associated with space operations such as thermal protection and flight safety systems. This volume is first of the five volumes. While this volume is expressly focused subsystems, the subsequent four volumes are function based: Operations, Maitenance, Training and Approval. The GIs in this volumes and associated volumes are intended to serve as input to a common set of criteria by which the FAA and industry can assess public safety aspects of RLV O&M proceses. The report is available in PDF. Review of Federal Programs for Wire System Safety : Final Report This web site provides access to a report prepared by the US National Science and Technology Council's Wire Systems Safety Interagency Working Group, dated November 2000. The report presents an assessment of wire safety issues; describes the current practices of federal agencies in managing the aging of wire systems, and outlines specific S&T initiatives. The report makes a number of recommendations to improve wire system safety. The full text of the report is available online in PDF format. Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction This is the official site of the committee of Privy Counsellors headed by Lord Butler, also known as the Butler Committee, which was set up in February 2004 by Jack Straw to investigate intelligence on Iraq prior to the 2003 Iraq War including information on its weapons of mass destruction, how the intelligence was gathered and analysed, and to make recommendations for future intelligence gathering. The site contains the full text final report of the Committee, information on the procedures of the Committee including terms of reference and the timetable, and biographies of the review team. Review of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise Research Strategy for 2000-2010 This is the full text of a report produced by the Committee to Review NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) ESE (Earth Science Enterprise) science plan. The report assesses the primary science issues, detailed science questions and NASA's responsibility for answering these questions. The report is published by the National Academy Press. Risk Sensitive Assessment of Flight Termination System on Reentry Vehicles This paper summarises the work conducted by the Office of Commercial Space Transportation (OCST) to analyse the effects and public risk sensitivities to destruct or flight termination actions taken on ballistic reentries, and was published in August, 1994. Flight termination systems have been used to effectively limit vehicle deviations during powered flight regimes but are not commonly employed risk control with un-powered reentering vehicles. This memorandum provides an overview of the capabilities, limitations and effectiveness of using destruct systems to control or minimise public risks from such reentry vehicles. The document is available in PDF. Robotics at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego This web site describes robot and robotics activities at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego. SSC San Diego, and its predecessor organisations have been involved in various aspects of robotics since the early 1960's. There are currently two groups involved in robotics research: Advanced Systems Division (Code D37): land and air robots; and The Ocean Systems Division (Code D74): underwater robots. The site contains information on UAV programmes including: Multipurpose Surveillance and Security Mission Platform (MSSMP) (formerly the Air Mobile Ground Security and Surveillance System (AMGSSS)) and Airborne Remotely Operated Device (AROD). The MSSMP description provides links to a number of full text papers, which are available online. Rome Research Site The Rome Research Site is part of the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). It houses the AFRL Information (IF) Directorate and a portion of the AFRL Sensors (SN) Directorate. This page provides a tour of the site, plus details of its history, technical library and shipping office. There is also a link to the Information Institute - a virtual IS research environment. Information can also be reached concerning the AFRL mission, headquarters and directorate. Rotorcraft Aeromechanics Branch The Branch is part of the US Army/NASA Rotorcraft Division of the Ames Research Centre, and is responsible for aeromechanics research activities that directly support the Department of Defense and the U.S. rotorcraft industry. The web site includes an introduction to the Branch, quarterly highlights of its work, and a list of products and services. The sections on research facilities and research programmes contain useful technical overviews with links to some supporting papers. There is also a section which provides links to computational methods research programmes. Technical publications produced by Branch staff are listed, and many of the recent items are available in full text (PDF format). Russian Space Agency (RKA) The site provides information on Russian space activities provided by the NASA Human Space Flight Center. The site includes information on launch vehicles and launch facilities, the MIR space station and the shortlived Russian Buran space shuttle. There is also a gallery of images and video clips. Scientific and Technical Information Network (STINET) This web site provides access to citations, as well as unclassified unlimited documents that have been entered into the Technical Reports Collection of the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) from late December 1974 to present. The resource has been significantly enhanced with the addition of a growing full text collection. This includes all recently added unclassified, unlimited (September 1998 to Present) and unclassified, limited full text reports (December 1999 to Present). The site offers individual and multiple database searching. As well as DTIC's own databases, the multiple database searching functionality offers access to other US federal servers, including NASA, DOE etc. It is possible to "cut & paste" terms from the DTIC thesaurus to enhance retrieval from the reports database. The site now also provides access to the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (NAMRL) database. This contains technical report citations added by DTIC since late December 1974 and full text documents available since September 1998. The content covers a wide range of aviation medicine, allied sciences research, and development projects conducted at NAMRL, NAS Pensacola, Florida. SeaWiFS Project This is a NASA web site that brings together a range of information regarding the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) Project. The purpose of this work is to provide quantitative data on global ocean bio-optical properties to the Earth science community. The slight changes in the ocean colour indicate various types and quantities marine phytoplankton (microscopic marine plants), the knowledge of which has both scientific and practical applications. The SeaWiFS Project will develop and operate a research data system that will process, calibrate, validate, archive and distribute data received from an Earth-orbiting ocean color sensor. A detailed description of the objectives, organization and operations as well as the current status of the SeaWiFS Project is available via the website given below: http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaWiFS/ Selected Current Aerospace Notices Provided by NASA, this service is an electronic current awareness journal which is published twice a month. The aim of the service is to alert users to recently published report and journal literature about aeronautics and aerospace research. It is divided into broad topic areas (aeronautics, astronautics, chemistry and materials, engineering, geosciences, life sciences, mathematical and computer sciences, physics, social sciences and space sciences) which are further subdivided into 191 specific subject topics to aid browsing and identification of relevant publications. The service is also searchable. Serbian Government This site provides information and news from the Serbian Office of Communication. Through the news section details are available of current issues, politics, Kosovo & Metohia, the economy, culture & religion, and sport. As well as news from the foreign press, and statements of Government and Ministries. The site also provides sections with facts about Serbia, the Serbian government and the transition of the country. The site is also available in Serbo-Croatian. SIM Lite Astrometric Observatory This mission, formerly called Space Interferometry Mission, will determine the positions and distances of stars several hundred times more accurately than any previous program. The launch date for the mission set at early 2015. This accuracy will allow SIM to determine the distances to stars throughout the galaxy and to probe nearby stars for Earth-sized planets. The web site provides overviews of the mission and its scietific objectives; There is a section which covers aspects of spacecraft and instrumentation technology, including interferometry, planet imaging, and formation flying. There is an area of the site aimed specifically at engineers and scientists, which includes details of the science team, provides access to electronic Newsletter, technical resources such as a bibliography and a SIM PlanetQuest Whitepaper, announcements, research opportunities, and project schedules. There is also a multimedia gallery of games, simulations and film clips. Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) This website brings together information regarding the SOHO (solar and Heliospheric Observatory) which is a project of international collaboration between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA. The objective of SOHO spacecraft is to study the Sun from its deep core to the outer corona and the solar wind. The SOHO was built in Europe by an industry team led by Matra Marconi Space (now EADS Astrium) under overall management by ESA and officially launched on December 2, 1992. There are twelve instruments on board this spacecraft which provided by European and American scientists. NASA was responsible for the launch and the mission operation which is based on Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. There were large radio dishes around the world which form NASA’s Deep Space Network are used for data downlink and commanding. The website provides useful link for publications, archives gallery and many more. Solar Terrestrial Probes Program The STP programme is part of NASA's Sun-Earth Connection space science theme. The web site provides an overview of the programme objectives, mission schedules, and research opportunities. There are links to further information on each of the STP missions including: TIMED; STEREO; SOLAR-B; and MMS (Magnetospheric Multiscale). The site also contains sections devoted to news information, Education and Public Outreach activities and multimedia, which is under construction as of April 2005. Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) This NASA's website provides information regarding the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission and objecives, multimedia, spacecrafts and instrumentation. Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) provides a unique and revolutionary view of the Sun-Earth system. The satellites will trace the flow of energy and matter from the Sun to Earth as well as reveal the 3-D structure of coronal mass ejections and help us understand why they happen. STEREO will also provide alerts for Earth-directed solar ejections, from its unique side-viewing perspective adding it to the fleet of Space Weather detection satellites. STEREO has various capabilities such as the first stereo viewing of the Sun from out-of-Earth-orbit vantage points, the first imaging and tracking of space weather disturbances from the Sun to the Earth, the first continuous determination of interplanetary shock positions by radio triangulation, and the first simultaneous imaging of solar activity with in-situ measurement of energetic particles at 1 AU. South Eastern Europe Regional Documentation Network(SEEDON) The South Eastern Europe Regional Documentation Network is a network of research institutions creating a wealth of resources relating to all matters of civil-military relations in South Eastern Europe. The following areas are covered Black Sea, Balkans, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Yugoslavia, Romania, Slovenia and Macedonia. Background information to SEEDON is included. The site has government publications, statistics, military expenditure, surveys, and links to other internet sites. Space Applications of Radioactive Materials This report was prepared by SRS Technolgies for the Office of Commercial Space Transportation (OCST) in June, 1990. Applicants for a license to conduct commercial launch activities involving radioactive materials must comply with regulatory requirements conerning their use. This document acts as an aid to the OCST, which has been assigned the responsibility for ensuring public safety from hazards associated with US commercial space launch activites, in assessing and preparing a detailed oversight to its role. The document addresses: technical and terminology review; typical applications relevant to space or space launches; classification of radioactive sources; agenicies involved in nuclear safety process; public concerns and issues raised regarding past launches of payloads using radioactive materials; and key safety issues as perceived by the National Ranges. The document is available in PDF. Space Science Enterprise 2000 Strategic Plan This is the most recent version of NASA's strategic plan and it was published in 2000. The plan outlines the goals and objectives of the Program with regard to missions, education/outreach and technological development. Potential collaborations and partnerships are also discussed. The plan is available in PDF format and can be downloaded complete as a single document, or in sections. Space Technology 6 (ST6) This is a NASA web site part of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory that brings together a range of information regarding the Space Technology 6 (ST6) project. This project has developed two advanced experimental technologies for use on spacecraft of the future. The names of these technologies are Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment and the Initial Stellar Compass. Sciencecraft enables a spacecraft to decide what science observations to make, and then process and return data. Compass enables a spacecraft to continuously sense its position and recover after a temporary malfunction or power loss. Many features of these two technology systems are "firsts" that have never before been used in space. The aim is first to improve a spacecraft’s ability to make intelligent decisions on what information to gather and what to send back to the ground, and second to determine its own attitude and adjust it pointing. The website provides a detail overview of the ST6 project with links to archives, benefits, education, partners and many more. Space Telescope Science Institute The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)is the astronomical research centre responsible for operating the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) as an international observatory. The Web site has six major sections. Astronomy Resources provides a wide range of information services and software tools to astronomers and the public. The Multi-Mission Archive at Space Telescope (MAST) supports a variety of astronomical data archives, with the primary focus on scientifically related data sets in the optical, ultraviolet, and near-infrared parts of the spectrum derived from the HST, the Digitized Sky Survey, the Guide Star Catalog, and many other NASA missions. The HST section contains instrumentation descriptions, instructions for writing and submitting observing proposals, how to retrieve and analyze HST data, and images from the telescope. The resources section contains links to datasets, software descriptions, and publications, including a newsletter, searchable HST bibliography and a collection of online conference papers. A section of the site is concerned with another of the STScI's major projects, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The site also provides background information on the Institute including its governance, contact details, and employment opportunities SPUTNIK Home Page This site is a joint project between the Russian Committee for Hydrometeorology and the Space Research Institute. The main aim of the site is to provide information about Russian and NOAA (US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather satellites. Information made available includes technical information, an operational archive and data search for each satellite. Statistical Software Engineering This is a full text book made available by National Academies Press and produced by Panel on Statistical Methods in Software Engineering, National Research Council. The book identifies challenges and opportunities in the development and implementation of software that contain significant statistical content. While emphasizing the relevance of using rigorous statistical and probabilistic techniques in software engineering contexts, it presents opportunities for further research in the statistical sciences and their applications to software engineering. It is intended to motivate and attract new researchers from statistics and the mathematical sciences to attack relevant and pressing problems in the software engineering setting. It describes the "big picture," as this approach provides the context in which statistical methods must be developed. The book's survey nature is directed at the mathematical sciences audience, but software engineers should also find the statistical emphasis refreshing and stimulating. The text is available in open book PDF form. Steps taken by Space Agencies for Reducing the Growth or Damage Potential of Space Debris Produced by the Secretariat of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, this report contains sections concerning debris mitigation techniques used in launch vehicles, the prevention of accidental debris creation, the environmental protection of the geostationary orbit, the debris protection of active spacecraft and the recommendations of the International Academy of Astronautics. The report is available in PDF format. Study on the Possible Effects on Health of Aircraft Cabin Environments : Stage 1 Published on the 2nd March 2001, this final report was prepared by the Institute for Environment and Health for the UK Department for Transport (DFT). The primary objectives of the exercise were to establish potential concerns about adverse effects of aircraft cabin environments, identify those who could contribute to understanding and to report on areas requiring further study. The report describes the methodology used, summarises workshop discussions and provides a summary of the conclusions reached. The three most pressing areas of concern were deep vein thrombosis (DVT), air quality and provision of advice to travellers. It is available in HTML, PDF (272 Kb) and Word (214 Kb) formats. Survey of Reentry Vehicles This study of Reentry Vehicle (RV) systems and their associated operations was conducted for the Department of Transportation/Office of Commercial Space Transportation in April, 1991. The purpose of the study was to investigate and present an overview of reentry vehicle systems and to identify differences in mission requirements and operations. This includes reentry vehicle system background, system design considerations, description of past/present/future reentry systems, and hazards associated with reentry vehicles that attain orbit are recovered. A reference page is provided at the end of this report. A history of early manned reentry vehicle launches is shown in Appendix I. A listing of some of the agencies and companies found to be most knowledgeable in the reentry vehicle area is provided in Appendix II. The report is available in PDF. Suspicious Indicators and Security Countermeasures for Foreign Collection Activities Directed Against the U.S. Defense Industry This document was produced by the United States Defense Security Service in May 1997 and is intended to help security professionals and others identify threats from suspicious contacts and to take appropriate action. Headings include: suspicious work offers, inappropriate conduct during visits, targeting cultural commanalities. Suzaku (Astro-E2) This is a NASA web site part of the Goddard Space Flight Centre that brings together a range of information regarding the Suzaku (formerly known as Astro-E2) mission. This mission is Japan’s fifth X-ray astronomy developed at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (ISAS/JAXA), Japan, in collaboration with U.S (NASA/GSFC, MIT) and Japanese institutions. The spacecraft launched on 2005 July 10, and is the recovery mission for ASTRO-E, which did not achieve orbit during launch in February 2000. Suzaku has three major instruments that covers the energy range 0.2 – 700 keV. The instruments are X-ray micro-calorimeter (X-ray Spectrometer, or XRS), four X-ray CCDs (the X-ray Imaging Spectrometers, or XISs), and a hard X-ray detector, or HXD. However, XRS prematurely lost all its liquid helium cryogen and is no longer necessary. The spacecraft has four foil X-ray telescopes (XRTs) focusing X-rays onto each of the four XISs, along with a fifth XRT used with the XRS. The US has contributed to the XRTs, the XRS, and the XISs. The Suzaku Guest Observer Facility (GOF) is located at Goddard Space Flight Centre, Maryland, and its primary responsibility is to enable astronomers to get the best out of this mission by performing activities such as supporting the U.S. side of the Suzaku proposal selection process, distributing usable data to U.S. Guest Observers, helping Guest Observers to analyze their data, and creating the mission archive. Additionally, the website provides useful links to data processing, gallery and many more. Swedish Defence Research Agency The Agency (Totalfarets forskningsinstitut - FOI) was formed on 1 January 2001 through an amalgamation of the Swedish Defence Research Establishment (FOA) and the Aeronautical Research Institute (FFA). The site provides an overview of the organisational structure, including the Division of Aeronautics, FFA, which is made up of the core of the former Aeronautical Research Institute. There is a searchable and browsable database of FOI reports. For browsing purposes the reports are sorted by department. The text of the reports are avialable in PDF format. Swedish Space Corporation (SSC)
The Group is a worldwide provider of satellite management services. We develop subsystems for aerospace applications and provide launch services for rockets and balloons. They provide: Swiss Air Accident Investigation Bureau This is the website of the Swiss Air Accident Investigation Bureau. It provides a database of full text investigation reports which is searchable by aircraft model and category, flight category, date and location. In addition yearly statistics are available since 2002 and cover all accidents reported by Swiss-registered civilian aircraft at home and abroad, as well as foreign aircraft in Switzerland. Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs This site provides news and recent developments in Swiss foreign relations. There is information concerning embassies, consulates and other foreign missions, plus a link to the Swiss Federal Administration. Information is given on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) itself. Details are also available about the Directorate of International Law, Swiss agengy for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the International Conference of Federalism and the Integration Office (DFA/DEA). Through the publications section, full text reports are available on the Balkans, neutrality and Switzerland's policy on peace. The site is also available in French, German and Italian. System Reliability Center (SRC) Alion Science and Technology Corporation operates SRC as a technical focal point for information, data, analysis, training and technical assistance in the engineering fields of Reliability, Maintainability, Supportability, and Quality (RMSQ). The web site describes the SRC's products and services which include publications, databases, training, distance lerarning, consultancy and software. The information resources section includes the R&M Library, a searchable database containing references to relevant articles and other documents. Other information resources include several directories that provide details of software tools, a catalogue of government and industry Reliability, Maintainability, Supportability, and Quality (RMSQ) standards, and information on the various Standards Developing Organizations (SDO's), and a listing of links to sites of related interest. Other resources available from the site include an events calendar, the SRC's quarterly technical journal, and START, a current awareness publication. Technology Collection Trends in the U.S. Defense Industry Volume IV 1998 This document describes the most likely areas in U.S. defence industry to be targeted by foreign entities collecting information to enhance their own military capabilities or to attack those of the U.S. Terra (EOS AM-1) This NASA web site is devoted to the space science aspects of Terra, the primary satellite in the Earth Observing System (EOS). Launched on December 18, 1999, the satellite began operations in February 2000. The web site provides access to a range of information resources. The "About Terra" section describes the Terra spacecraft, as well as the various instrument packages including: Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER); Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES); Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MISR); Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and, Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT). These sections include Quicktime animation clips. Other parts of the site explain how data from Terra can be accessed and there is a link to NASA's Visible Earth a searchable collection of images, visualisations, and animations. The site also provides a link to NASA's Earth Observatory, which provides satellite imagery and scientific information about planet Earth. Other sections of the the site provide access to publications and details of fortcoming events. Terrorism Legislation This is part of the United Kingdom Government's Home Office Web service describing the main UK legislation enacted to aid in combating terrorism. The site links to the full text of the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT) and the Anti- Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 (ATCSA) and provides explanatory notes on certain measures. There is also a note on the scrutiny mechanism provided by Independent Parliamentary Oversight. Background information on issues such as border control and targeting terrorist funds is presented, supported by press releases, reports and details of relevant government publications. The Armed Forces Bill : Bill 94 of Session 2005-2006 This is the full text PDF of Research Paper 05/86 published by the International Affairs and Defence Section of the House of Commons Library on 7 December 2005. The Bill is intended to consolidate and modernise the three Service Discipline Acts: the Army Act 1955, the Air Force Act 1955 and the Naval Discipline Act 1957. It is recommended that this paper be read in conjunction with House of Commons Library Research Paper RP 05/75 entitled 'Background to the Armed Forces Bill, 11 November 2005'. The latter provides an overview of the present disciplinary system and includes some comments and the issues which may be discussed as this Bill progresses. The Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) : Implications of a Potential Descope This is a full text report produced by the Committee to Review the Science Requirements for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, National Research Council and has been published by National Academies Press in 2005. The committee conducted a study to evaluate the consequences of a descope of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), which is intended to be the major, ground based observational facilityfor millimeter and submillimeter astronomy for the next three decades. The committee was asked to consider the scientific consequences of reducing the number of active antennas from 60 to either 50 or 40. The report presents the conclusions and recommendations of the study led by the committee. The Birth of NASA This is the diary of T. Keith Glennan, when he was appointed as the first Administrator of the newly authorized National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on 19 August 1958. Glennan's move from CIT to NASA came about because of the Soviet Union's successful launch of Sputnik I on 4 October 1957, as part of the scientific activities associated with the International Geophysical Year (IGY). Glennan headed NASA from its inception until the change of presidential administrations in 1961. This document is available in HTML format. The Campaign Against International Terrorism : Prospects After the Fall of the Taliban House of Commons Reasearch Paper which examines developments in the war on terrorism from the end of October 2001 to 10th December 2001. It examines the military campaign and the administration and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan following the fall of the Taliban. The Civil Aviation Authority (Air Navigation) Directions 2001 This is an electronic version of Official Record Series (OR7 - 01), The Civil Aviation Authority (Air Navigation) Directions 2001, commencing 1st April 2001. The Directions have been conferred to the CAA by the Secretary of State under Section 66(1) of the Transport Act 2000. The Directions define and describe the duty of the CAA to develop, promulgate, monitor and enforce a policy for the sustainable use of UK airspace and for the provision of necessary supporting infrastructure for air navigation. The text of the document is available in PDF format (56 Kb). The Economic Impact of Commercial Space Transportation on the U.S. Economy This report was presented by the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation in 2008. The Economic Impact of Commercial Space Transportation on the U.S. Economy is the latest study by the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST) of the commercial launch industry’s influence on the nation’s economy. It quantifies how commercial space transportation is responsible for supporting space- and non-spacerelated industries. The associated industries that commercial space transportation enables include launch vehicle manufacturing, satellite manufacturing, ground equipment manufacturing, satellite services, remote sensing, and distribution industries. Together these industries contribute to production activity, create earnings, and support jobs throughout the United States. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s RIMS II economic model is combined with Satellite Industry Association revenue inputs to calculate how the industries influence the three impact metrics in all major U.S. industry groups. In 2006, commercial space transportation and enabled industries generated a total of $139.3 billion in economic activity, $35.7 billion in earnings, and supported over 729,000 jobs throughout the U.S. economy.1 These results show that the economic impact of commercial space transportation on the U.S. economy has grown. Figure E1 compares these results with three similar studies published in 2001, 2004, and 2006. These studies measured the economic impact of the same industries in 1999, 2002, and 2004, respectively. All three of the impact measures increased in 2006 relative to 2004. The increase is primarily caused by growth in enabled industry activity, particularly satellite services. The detailed report is available in PDF. The Fire Safety Hazard of the Use of Flameless Ration Heaters Onboard Commercial Aircraft This is a technical note that examines the potential hazard associated with the use of Ready-to-Eat Meals and flameless ration heaters that are used for the flameless heating of these Meals. Meals, Ready-to-Eat are used extensively in the military as a method of providing meals to soldiers while in the field. They are also finding their way into use by others, such as campers, boaters, and disaster response teams. This technical note is provided in pdf format and in 18 pages. The Future of National Air Traffic Services : Third Report This full text report from the UK Department of the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs is concerned with the future of the Civil Aviation Authority and air traffic control. Its contents include discussion regarding the Swanwick Centre and public-private partnership and National Air Traffic Services. It was ordered to be printed on 12th January 1999 and is available in HTML format. The House of Commons : Armed Forces Reports This site provides the full text of publications of the Armed Forces Select Committee for the current session. The site covers the Armed Forces Bill, providing the report, proceedings of the committee, minutes of evidence and appendices. It is also possible to order publications from this site, link to other parliamentary pages and other parliamentary publications on the internet. The Human Exploration of Space This is a full text book available from National Academies Press and was produced by Committee on Human Exploration, National Research Council in the year 1997. The Space Studies Board (SSB) constituted the Committee on Human Exploration (CHEX) in 1989 to examine the general question of the space science component of a future human exploration program. Earlier two reports were produced addressing issues like the the need for scientific knowledge to enable prolonged human space missions and scientific opportunities that might be derived from prolonged human space missions. During the development of these first two reports, it became evident to the committee that the mode of interaction between space science and human exploration has varied over the years, as evidenced by a succession of different NASA organizational structures. The committee reviewed the history of this interaction with the objective of developing a 'lessons-learned' set of principles and recommendations for the future. The principles and recommendations thus evolved for managing the science component of a Moon/Mars program, whenever and however it is pursued, transcend political and administrative changes. While this report is not intended to dictate precise organizational models, application of these principles and recommendations should facilitate a productive integration of science into a program of human exploration. The National Plan for Civil Aviation Human Factors : An Initiative for Research and Application This is a national agenda for the United States produced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and The Department of Defense (DoD). The report outlines methods through which the increasing number of human factors related aviation accidents can be reduced. The first section of the document describes the five research thrusts necessary to progress towards air safety - human centred automation, selection and training, human performance assessment, information management and display and bioaeronautics. The second section deals with means of improving the application of research results to future and ongoing programs. This is a downloadable Word file [41 pages, 400KB]. The Prevention of Terrorism Bill : Bill 61 of 2004-05 This is the full text PDF of Research Paper 05/14 published by the Home Affairs Section of the House of Commons Library on 22nd February 2005 concerning the Prevention of Terrorism Bill which is published the same day. The Bill would enable the Secretary of State to make control orders to restrict the movements or behaviour of suspected terrorists who cannot be otherwise prosecuted or deported. The control orders would be subject to some judicial oversight. The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer Mission This is a NASA web site that brings together a range of information regarding the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) mission. This is a satellite with main objective to observe the fast moving, high energy worlds of black holes, neutron stars, X-ray pulsars and bursts of X-rays that light up the sky and then disappear forever. The satellite was lanched into low-Earth orbit on December 30, 1995 and is still operating making contributions in order to improve the understanding of cosmic objects, such as stars and galaxies. The trick to observe these objects is all in the timing i.e. an ability to observe changes in the X-ray brightness that occur in a mere thousandths of a second, or over several years. The website is part of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and contains various links to related sites, RXTE results, images, videos and tales from the world of extremes. The Strategic Defence Review: Policy for People This is the House of Commons Select Committee on Defence's second report on the Strategic Defence Review. Published on 23rd February, 2001, it contains information on proposals for addressing recruiting and retention issues within the armed forces. It covers such issues as overstretch, manning shortages, accomodation, and families and welfare. The Terrorism Bill 2005-06 : Bill 55 of 2005-06 This is the full text PDF of Research Paper 05/66 published by the Home Affairs Section of the House of Commons Library which discusses the Terrorism Bill introduced in the House of Commons on 12th October 2005. The Bill is aimed to amend and extend previous counter-terrorist legislation. It creates several new offences,including an offence of encouragement of terrorism and to extend the maximum period during which suspected terrorists can be detained. The Bill was introduced after the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the London bombings of 2005. The UK counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST) The UK counter-terrorism strategy, known as CONTEST, focuses on the most significant security threat to the people of the UK today – the threat from international terrorism. The strategy is currently under review and the website includes a link to the review documents. The Very Latest on the London Bombings Provided by the newsroom of the UK Prime Minister's web site, 10 Downing Street, this site provides the latest information and links to the full text of government speeches and statements in response to the terrorist attacks on the London underground trains and bus on the 7th July 2005. There are transcripts from the speeches made by Prime Minister Tony Blair, Home Secretary Charles Clarke, the Mayor of London Ken Livingston and the Queen. There are also links to related governmental web sites such as the HM Government's Preparing for Emergencies, and the UK Resilience Civil Contingencies Secretariat. Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) was established by Act of New Zealand's Parliament on 1 September 1990. The commission investigates all aviation, rail or marine accidents and incidents within New Zealand. They also consider the circumstances of which have or are likely to have significant implications for transport safety. The investigation is known as a safety investigation (some other agencies refer to a safety investigation as a technical investigation). As the sole purpose of every TAIC investigation is to determine the causes and circumstances of the accident or incident with a view to avoiding similar occurrences in future, rather than to ascribe blame to any person, other agencies in New Zealand (for example the transport regulatory authorities: Maritime Safety Authority, Land Transport Safety Authority, and Civil Aviation Authority) and the Police may also investigate the same accidents for blame or law enforcement purposes. Enforcement investigations may also be called judicial investigations. The commission is independent of all organisations and has an arm's-length relationship with the Police, transport operators, transport regulatory authorities, unions, insurers and any other organisations that may have some involvement in the investigation or in the occurrence under investigation. The website provides useful links to annual reports since 2000 in PDF format, reports on accident investigations , as well as career services. Transport Canada : Aerodrome Safety Circulars Transport Canada's Aerodrome Safety Circulars is responsible for inspecting and certifying airports and airfields. The site brings together a range of information resources relating to bird strikes and aerodrome wildlife control, airport noise and land use, and Safety Advisory Circulars. Some of the specific resources of interest available include bird strike summary reports, the Aerodrome Wildlife Control Procedures Manual, Canadian Aviation Regulations relating to noise and Land Use in the Vicinity of Airports(TP 1247 E). A number of downloadable computer programs are also available. The Noise Exposure Forecast (NEF) computer program calculates forecast noise exposure levels in units of NEF in the vicinity of airports. (nefp.exe: 184 k in size, approx. 3 min to download at 1kbyte/sec). The Noise Exposure Area (NEA) program estimates the area contained within a defined NEF contour level. (neap.exe: 44 k in size, approx. 1 min to download at 1 kbyte/sec). The AIRDIST program calculates the great circle distance and the stage length of a flight between an originating airport and a few thousand airports in Canada, the United States and around the world. (airdistp.exe: 103 k in size, approx 2 min to download at 1kbyte/sec). Transport Canada : Aerodromes and Air Navigation Branch The Branch is responsible for the regulatory programme for aerodromes and air navigation services in Canada. It is organised into five divisions: Administration; Program Management; Audits, Inspections and Monitoring; Regulatory Coordination and Issues Management; and Standards. The site contains information arranged under these division headings and includes aerodrome and airspace standards, noise management and land use, and wildlife control. Transport Canada : Air Transport Transport Canada is responsible for the development of transport policy in Canada, and for the regulation of air, marine, rail and road transport. The information on the air transport site is aimed at a number of target groups including passengers, pilots, flight instructors and maintenance technicians. The information presented describes Transport Canada's role in relation to commercial airlines, security, and, the transport of dangerous goods. There are a selection of quick links to news releases, backgrounders (programmes and initiatives), acts and regulations, policy, Civil Aviation Publications, Research and Development, and statistics and forecasts. The site provides provides access to a wide range of resources including: Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs), Aviation Safety Publications and Videos, Airworthiness Notices, Airworthiness Directives, Guidance and Advisory Materials, Service Difficulty Advisories, and Service Difficulty Alerts. The commercial airlines section includes information on aircraft certification, airline restructuring, cabin safety standards, and Aviation Occupational Health and Safety. The site also provides links to the Civil Aviation Headquarters Directorate, Transport Canada's online publications storefront for civil aviation publications, Transport Canada's Research and Development organisation, the Transportation Development Centre (TDC), and the T-FACTS Information System for statistics and forecasts. Transport Canada : Aircraft Maintenance and Manufacturing This branch of Transport Canada is responsible for ensuring that all aircraft built or operated in Canada meet the required national or international airworthiness standards. The site includes information on the various Branch sections and groups including AME Licensing and Training; Policy Development; Aircraft Evaluation; Standards and Procedures; Technical and National Programs Division; and, the Recreational Aircraft Division. The site also provides access to a range of supporting databases and publications. These include: Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs); CARs Standards; Approved Organization Database; Airworthiness Directives; Type Certificates; and the Canadian Civil Aircraft Register. Transport Canada : Civil Aviation Directorate The Civil Aviation headquarters directorate determines program contents, policy and standards, while the regions deliver the Civil Aviation Program. The site links to information on the Directorate's various areas of responsibility including aerodrome safety, aircraft certification, aircraft maintenance and manufacturing, air navigation services and airspace, aviation learning services, commercial and business aviation, civil aviation medicine, General Aviation, international aviation and technical programmes, quality assurance, regulatory services, strategic issues and communication, and system safey. Specific resources of note include databases of air operators, airworthiness directives applicable in Canada, approved maintenance, manufacturing and distributor organisations, the Canadian Civil Aircraft Register, Master Minimum Equipment Lists, and an index of Canadian Type Certificates. Other related full text documents include: Flight 2010 which is a safety planning framework for the future. Transport Canada : Civil Aviation Medicine Division (CAM) The Civil Aviation Medicine Branch (CAM) is responsible the performance of medical assessments required for the certification of Licensed Aviation Personnel. The web site provides access to the full text of Canadian Guidelines for the Fitness Assessment of Pilots, Flight Engineers and Air Traffic Controllers. These include guides covering cardiovascular fitness, diabetes mellitus, neurological fitness, and the Civil Aviation Handbook for Medical Examiners. The site also links to relevant Canadian Aviation Regulations and Standards(CARs). Transport Canada : Commercial and Business Aviation This branch of Transport Canada is responsible for the safety regulation, inspection and monitoring of all Canadian business and commercial air operators, as well as foreign air operators who operate in Canadian airspace. The site links to information on the Directorate's various areas of responsibility including Airline Inspection; Aviation Occupational Health and Safety, Cabin Safety Standards; Certification Standards; Dangerous Goods Standards; and Operational Standards. There are sections of the site which describe Branch programmes such as the Approved Check Pilot Program, the Generated Minimum Equipment List (GMEL) Program, and the National Simulator Evaluation Program. The site also contains a copy of the Branch business plan and provides access to a number of databases including: Air Operators; Approved Aircraft Simulators and Flight Training Devices; and Minimum Equipment Lists (MMEL and GMEL. A range of full text documents and publications are also available including Commercial and Business Aviation Manuals Policy Letters and Advisory Circulars. Transport Canada : Transportation Development Centre (TDC) As Transport Canada's Research and Development branch, the TDC manages a multimodal R&D program aimed at improving the safety, security, energy efficiency, and accessibility of the Canadian transportation system, while protecting the environment. The site contains background information, descriptions of active and completed programmes and projects, news and event information, and provides access to TDC technical reports and other publications. The results of TDC research are published in the form of technical reports and most are available in electronic format at no charge. There is an index which provides a comprehensive listing of documents published since 1995. Transportation Board of Canada (TSB) The Canadian Transportation Investigation and Safety Board Act provides the legal framework governing the TSB's activities. Basically, the TSB has a mandate to advance safety in the marine, pipeline, rail, and aviation modes of transportation by: conducting independent investigations and, if necessary, public inquiries into transportation occurrences in order to make findings as to their causes and contributing factors; reporting publicly on its investigations and public inquiries and on the related findings; identifying safety deficiencies as evidenced by transportation occurrences; making recommendations designed to eliminate or reduce any such safety deficiencies; and conducting special studies and special investigations on transportation safety matters. The site provides access to the full-text of Aviation Occurrence Reports. These are HTML format documents. Transportation Safety Institute : Aviation Safety Division Supporting the national program efforts and initiatives of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the Aircraft Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety training programs promote aviation safety by training accident investigators and aviation safety professionals. A course catalogue is available. The Aviation Safety Division was created within the Transportation Safety Institute in 1963. The Institute supports FAA, Department of Defence, International countries, and the Interagency Committee for Aviation Policy's efforts to reduce death, injury, and property damage caused by aircraft accidents and incidents. Training includes classroom lectures, workshops, field activities, individual studies, review of FAA policies, dealing with the news media, and accident report writing. Students have a wide variety of wreckage and aircraft/rotorcraft parts to examine, which greatly enhance the practical aspects of the training. Transportation Security Administration The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) aims to protect transportation systems in the United States to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce. This website offers advice on travel preparation, new security procedures at airports, permitted and prohibited items, the law, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), travel tips and press releases. There is a comprehensive travel guide for the public which includes new airport security measures. There is a list of time saving tips, information on assistance for special needs, the latest list of prohibited and permitted items, and other information that will help guide you smoothly through the security process. There is also a section pertaining to security and law enforcement operations at passenger airports U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) provides a link between the Air Force and the U.S. scientific community. The Board promotes the exchange of the latest scientific and technical information that may enhance the accomplishment of the Air Force mission. In addition, it may consider management challenges that affect Air Force use of scientific knowledge and technological advances. This site contains studies and reports produced by the Board. These are either in the form of summaries or full text. Full text reports include: A Space Roadmap for the 21st Century Aerospace Force (1998); Global Air Navigation Systems Study Volumes 1 and 2 (1997) and a UAV study (1996). These are PDF format reports. U.S. Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute The United States PSKOI studies the strategic and operational implications of peace and stability operations, in support of the senior leadership of the Army, the Army War College, and the combatant commanders. The Institute uses studies, conferences, simulations, operational support, instruction, exercises and gaming to achieve this. This site provides details of political, military and humanitarian operations. There are sections covering published works including After Action Reviews, Department of Defense Publications, bibliographies and recommended reading. Links are also provided to US Department of Defence and government, allied military and NATO, international organisations, NGOs and Institutes, academic journals and the media. U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) PEO STRI is a United States Government agency with a science and technology objective. It is involved in interoperable training, testing, instrumentation, simulation and military procurement. Specialisms include acquisition, research and engineering and resource management. The site contains information on the vision and mission of PEO STRI, its organisation, products and services and business and employment opportunities. U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission : Celebrating a Century of Wings The Centennial of Flight Commission has been established in order to promote awareness of the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first powered flight which took place in December 1903. The site provides a calendar of celebratory events in addition to the historical background of flight and the Wright Brothers themselves. Movies, images and sound files are also provided. U.S. Counter Terrorism Advisory Team The U.S. Counterterrorism Advisory Team is an initiative of the Family Security Foundation, Inc. (FSFI), a national security non-profit organisation. The team is affiliated with the American Public Policy Alliance (a branch of the Center for Security Policy). The mission of the organisation is to educate and inform the public on topics related to United States homeland defense and terrorism threats worldwide. U.S. Department of Commerce : Office of Aerospace and Automotive Industries : Aerospace Team The Aerospace Team is part of the International Trade Administration, a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce. It's role is to monitor the implementation of trade agreements that are specific to the aerospace industry; identify constraints on the trade performance of the U.S. aerospace industry and recommend ways to neutralise such constraints; monitor and describe the economic and technological health of the aerospace industry in the U.S. as well as worldwide; and provide advice, counsel and support for the international marketing efforts of aerospace firms. The site contains brings together information relating to and provides links to the following: aerospace trade associations, U.S. aerospace industry statistics, aerospace industry publications, and U.S. aerospace company websites. The site also includes news stories, and links to several studies on different aspects of the US aerospace industry. The site also provides access to Aerospace and Defense e-Market Express, an alerting service for market research, trade leads and event information that the U.S. Department of Commerce receives from U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world. Through the Aerospace and Defense e-Market Express, U.S. firms can electronically submit requests for aerospace and defense market research. There is no fee to receive these reports. The only requirement is that requesters must be providers of products or services that involve at least 51% US originated content. UAVS Project Office The mission statement of the Tactical UAV Project Office is to: "Acquire for Operational and Tactical Commanders a near-real time, highly accurate, sustainable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) capability for 'over the horizon/hill' Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) and Battle Damage Assessment (BDA)." The TUAV web site provides access to a range of information resources including: contact details, vision, mission statement, links to related sites, and press releases. Ueberlingen Accident Investigation Report This page makes available the full text in PDF format of the investigation report of the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation on the accident near Ueberlingen on 1 July 2002. Appendices 1 and 3 and Appendices 2-10 are also included. UK Airprox Board (UKAB) The agreed definition of an Airprox is a situation in which, in the opinion of a pilot or a controller, the distance between aircraft as well as their relative positions and speed have been such that the safety of the aircraft involved was or may have been compromised. The role of the UKAB is to provide a start point for an investigation process into each incident, to analyse what happened and determine the main causal factors, to assess the risk levels involved, and to publish and distribute full reports twice a year. The site describes the UKAB's activities, and provides access to news items and the published reports. Other sections of the site describe the process which is followed on receipt of an Airprox report, causal factors and risk ratings, lessons identified, safety recommendations and statistics. UK Defence Forum The UK Defence Forum provides a meeting point for politicians, industrialists, members of the armed forces and academics, where they can discuss defence and security, and exchange information and opinions. The Forum meets once a month and looks at where and why future wars may break out, how the UK should react and how industry would be affected. This site also provides the UK Defence Forum publications archive, which gives Milibriefs, fact sheets, Grey Papers, Cream Papers, regional studies and themed studies, relating to defence and security. UK Intelligence Community Online This is a UK government website whose aim is to explain the United Kingdom national intelligence machinery. It provides an overview of intelligence provision in support of Government and law enforcement; how the various intelligence and security agencies work together such as GCHQ (Government Headquarters), MI5, SIS (Secret Intelligence Service), MoD Defence Intelligence Staff, JTAC (Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre), the Cabinet and the Home Office and access to their web sites; and provides details of the threat levels system which outlines the national security threat from international terrorism. It also provides access to full text publications; information on how to access intelligence records; and access to UK legislation. UK Prime Minister's speech on foreign policy given at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet on Monday 16 November 2009. The UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave his annual speech at the Lord Mayor's Banquet in London, during which he spoke about the necessity of UK operations in Afghanistan. UK Resilience : Civil Contingencies Provided by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat, this site provides links to information on a broad variety of incidents which could affect the public. The CCS was established in July 2001 and is part of the Cabinet Office. Its aim is to improve the resilience of the UK and Central Government through working on anticipation, preparation and resolution of disasters. Its objectives are to identify threats to UK national security, critical networks and infrastructure, to ensure the Goverment can function during crises, and to improve the development of doctrine in this field. The site provides information on the CCS, briefings, news and guidance on how to respond to emergencies. There is also the Draft Civil Contingencies Bill, Dealing with Disatser Publication and travel advice. Sections cover aviation, chemical biological radiological or nuclear disasters and terrorism. UK Space Agency
The UK Space Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and at the heart of UK efforts to explore and benefit from space. The Agency is responsible for all strategic decisions on the UK civil space programme and provides a clear, single voice for UK space ambitions. The UK Space Agency: UK Terrorism Act 2000 (Remedial) Order 2011 The UK Home Secretary announced on 26 January 2011 the findings from the review of counter-terrorism and security powers. One of the recommendations of the review was that stop and search powers under sections 44-47 of the Terrorism Act 2000 should be repealed and replaced with a much more limited power. This recommendation was based on the Government’s commitments to introduce safeguards against the misuse of terrorism legislation, and in order to bring the powers into line with the European Convention of Human Rights, following the European Court of Human Rights ruling in the case of Gillan and Quinton v United Kingdom. [Originator's description] Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) The UEET programme is led by the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field. The aim of the programme is to promote environmentally friendly, clean burning engines by developing innovative technologies to enable intelligent turbine engines that significantly reduce harmful emissions while maintaining high performance and increasing reliability. The programme began on October 1, 1999, includes participation from three other NASA centers (Ames, Goddard, and Langley), as well as five engine companies (GE Aircraft Engines, Pratt and Whitney, Honeywell, Allison/Rolls Royce, and Williams International) and two airplane manufacturers (Boeing and Lockheed Martin, The web site provides information on the seven technology areas covered by the programme: Propulsion System Integration and Assessment; Emissions Reduction; Highly-Loaded Turbomachinery; Materials and Structures for High Performance; Propulsion-Airframe Integration; Intelligent Propulsion Controls; and, Integrated Component Technology Demonstrations. The site also includes a programme overview; an image galley, which also contains a bibliography and engine glossary; news/status updates; and a links to many other engine and propulsion related web sites ('Engines 101' section). United States Air Force (USAF) Museum This site provides information about forthcoming events that will take place at the USAF museum, based at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. It also provides aircraft and special galleries which contain images and videos of aviation and Air Force history. Examples of the themes used are air power, space flight, presidential aircraft, people, weapons, engines and uniforms. United States Census Bureau (Transportation Statistics) A wide range of aviation-related statistics from 1980 to 2000 is provided by this site as the transportation section of the electronic version of the Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2001. United States Department of Transportation : Office of the Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs The Office has a broad range of responsibilities covering domestic and international aviation, international trade, and a range of other international cooperation and facilitation issues. The web site provides access to a range of information resources including policy and programmes relating to domestic and international aviation. The site contains an alphabetic listing of aviation and air tranport programmes, and each entry includes a brief descriptions and embedded links to further information. The site also provides access to a number of reports, studies and other publications. These include domestic and international agreements, rules, plans, procedures, and guidelines, statistics and fares reports, as well as specialist studies, reports and statements. United States Navy : Navy Fact File This site provides descriptions of US Navy weapon systems including fixed wing aircraft, rotary wing aircraft, missiles, surface ships and submarines. Each entry includes a brief description, specifications and an image. Aircraft types described include the V-22A Osprey tilt rotor aircraft, F-14 Tomcat, F/A-18 Hornet, and RQ-2A Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). United States Navy and Marine Corps School of Aviation Safety The site of the US Navy and Marine Corps School of Aviation Safety provides access to a variety of information resources including its mission statement, class schedules and course descriptions. It also provides access to aviation safety related information including aircraft engine cost data, human factors tools and various safety checklists and instructions. A number of full text papers are available covering topics such as stresses and strains on aircraft, helicopter dynamic rollover, and a series of visual examples of various structural failure modes. Current research areas are described and there are many links to other aviation safety related sites. United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is a parliamentary committee which oversees and reports on intelligence programmes and services funded by the US government. The web site provides information on the function and jurisdiction of the committee, its membership and activities. It includes access to recent press releases, transcripts of hearings and full text reports and documents. Topics covered by these include: the work of the CIA, American intelligence services, homeland security, national security, espionage and international surveillance, defence policy, intelligence information and the war against terrorism and the intelligence available about Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction prior to the 2003 Gulf War. The site also includes links to the full text of key legislation relating to national security United States Transportation Command This organisation unites the Air Mobility Command, Military Sealift Command and the Military Traffic Management Command. The site gives details about USTRANSCOM's organisation, mission and history and links to the individual sites of each command. It also provides a photo archive; top stories which include news, annual reports, Congressional testimonies and a news and video archive; and biographies of people involved in the command. It is also possible to access full text publications produced by USTRANSCOM and the Department of Defense relating to transportation command and mobility. United States Transportation Security Administration : Transportation Security Research and Development The Transportation Security Research and Development Division is the lead organization within the TSA responsible for R&D programs related to civil transportation security. The site, which is hosted by the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) William J. Hughes Technical Center, describes the work of the Transportation Security Laboratory and the structure of the R&D programme. The programme covers Explosives And Weapons Detection, Systems Integration, Mitigation and Technology Outreach, and Facility Infrastructure. US Coast Guard Navigation Center The U.S. Coastguard Navigation Center (NAVCEN) provides a range of navigation services aimed at promoting safe transportation and supporting US commerce. The site provides access to the text of the Federal Radionavigation Plan (MS Word and PDF formats). Information relating to the Civil GPS Interface Committee, which is managed and coordinated by NAVCEN, is also provided. The site brings together a range of information on GPS, DGPS, and Loran-C. This includes notes on status, issues and policy notes. US Department of State : Counter Terrorism Office The Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism (S/CT) coordinates and supports the development and implementation of all U.S. Government policies and programs aimed at countering terrorism overseas. The site provides access to a range of resources including the 'Patterns of global terrorism' report, press releases, fact sheets on aspects of terrorism and reactions to current terrorist incidents. US Naval Observatory The role the US Naval Observatory is to determine the position and motions of the Sun, Earth, Moon, planets, stars and other celestial objects, provide astronomical data, determine precise time, measure the Earth's rotation and maintain the US Master Clock. The site provides an FAQ, and some astronomical data is available online. This includes the sun/moon rise/set table and sun and moon data for one day. Utenriksdepartementet This is the web site of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which provides information about Norwegian foreign and development policies. The latest news is given, plus details of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Development. Publications are available from this site, including reports, handbooks and programmes. There is information concerning human rights and international development, bilateral relations, trade policy, and security policy. The site is available in English and Norwegian language versions. War on Iraq Information Portal Provided by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) based at Whitehall, London, this site provides information on the conflict in Iraq and its aftermath. It provides the full text of articles in the RUSI Journal and RUSI Newsbrief, breaking news and commentary. Other resources include information on the weapons inspectors UNMOVIC (in 2002) and UNSCOM (1991-1999), UN Resolutions, the UN Report on Human Rights in Iraq 2002, and information on the positions of the US, UK, France, Spain, Russia and Iraq. There is also a chronology of events in Iraq since 1991, and it is possible to register with the website to receive media updates on when additions are made to the website. War on Terrorism : CIA This site was established by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to provide coverage of the CIA's efforts in combatting terrorist activity in the post September 11, 2001 period. It includes access to press releases, written statements, testimony to Congress, reports and fact sheets on all aspects of activity. Topics covered include: homeland security; intelligence action against terrorist groups; chemical,biological and nuclear weapon threats and incidents. Warp Drive When? The site is aimed principally at the general public and is concerned with the feasibility of instellar travel. Contents include a discussion on the problems and challenges, a brief description of past proposals, and some explanation of the physics behind possible future technologies. The site also contains links to other related web sites, plus an annotated bibliography of publications on interstellar travel and frequently asked questions. Last major update on 11-30-2004. Wind mission (Understanding Interplanetary Dynamics) This is a NASA website that brings together a range of information regarding related to Wind mission. Wind was launched on November 1, 1994 and is the first of two NASA spacecraft in the Global Geospace Science initiative and part of the ISTP Project. The objectives of the mission are to provide complete plasma, energetic particle, and magnetic field input for magnetospheric and ionospheric studies. Its mission also aims to determine the magnetospheric output to interplanetary space in the up-stream region and investigate basic plasma processes occurring in the near Earth solar wind. Finally, another objective is to offer the baseline ecliptic plane observations to be used in the helliospheric latitudes from ULYSSES. The website offers useful links to data, instrumentation, educational links, orbits and many more. World Factbook The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provides the world factbook, containing country listings (geographical, economical, governmental information) and reference maps. There are also notes and definitions, explaining any changes to the factbook. The site provides a history of the CIA's World Factbook, plus information about its contributors and purchasing. There are links to the CIA homepage and the Directorate of Intelligence homepage from this site. World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers This site has the full text of the World Military and Arms Transfer publication produced annually by the US Department of State. It provides statistical tables on military expenditure and arms sales for a large number of worldwide nations. These are compared to other socio-economic factors. The information is provided by United Nations and other US government sources. X-33 History Home Page The X-33 is a half-scale prototype of a Single-Stage-to-Orbit (SSTO) Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV). The goal of NASA's X-33 program is to demonstrate certain technologies and to reduce business and technical risks so that, by the end of the decade, private industry can build, operate, and maintain a fleet of commercial RLVs. The Lockheed Martin Skunk Works' X-33 design uses a lifting body shape coupled with an aerospike rocket engine to propel it to speeds in excess of Mach 15. The web site provides access to a variety of information resources. These include a project description; fact sheets; and a time line of key X-33 events. There are links to web site of related interest including: X-34; DC-X and DC-XA (Data Clipper); and future X Pages. The web site also contains: "The X-33 on the Internet: An Annotated Arachniography", a guide to X-33 sites and pages found by using several search engines. Owing to the termination of the program, the site was last updated in April 2001. X-43 Hyper-X : Hypersonic Experimental Research Aircraft NASA's X-43 Hyper-X programme is intended to achieve air-breathing hypersonic flight. The web site provides access to a range of information relating to the project. There is a three-view diagram of the X-43A vehicle, there is a description of the project objectives, including the demonstration of a ramjet/scramjet engine, an outline of current developments and flight testing. The site provides links to related sites including: Hyper-X images on Dryden's research aircraft photo server; Hyper-X images on NASA Langley's LISAR server; and Hyper-X launch and flight animations (QuickTime format). XMM-Newton Mission This is an ESA (European Space Agency) web site that brings together a range of information regarding the XMM-Newton mission. XMM-Newton is ESA's second 'Cornerstone' mission. Development and construction of the spacecraft has overcome major technological hurdles. The spacecraft was first launched in December 10, 1999 and carries three very advanced X-ray telescopes. They each contain 58 high-precision concentric mirrors. These Mirror Modules allow XMM-Newton to detect millions of sources, far more than any previous X-ray mission. Main achievements were X-rays from accretion onto black holes, properties of exploding stars, nature of exotic matter, observations of GRB. The mission is still operating with an estimated completion date being March 31, 2010. There is a wealth of information aimed at the general public, teachers, learners of all ages, as well as members of the scientific and engineering community. The site provides information on instrumentation used, spacecraft facts, archive data, image sources and links to related sites. A suite of educational resources is also provided for the use of both teachers and students through the ESA science. Additonal information about this mission can be found on the ESA web page: http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=23 |
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