Gen. Bruce A. Carlson, the head of Air Force Materiel Command, predicts a new dawn for small space systems. He told AFA’s Los Angeles Symposium last week that he sees “significant opportunities” in development of micro satellite programs as exemplified by the XSS-11 Minotaur (launched earlier this year). He added that Air Force Research Laboratory is working to decrease the size and weight of on-board electronics found in key satellite systems. The shift has been accelerated by the Global War on Terrorism, with its heavy demands on GPS satellites and on bandwidth in general, said Carlson.
Retired Col. Carlyle "Smitty" Harris, known for introducing the "tap code" by which American POWs in North Vietnam could surreptitiously communicate with one another, died July 6. Harris was brutalized by the North Vietnamese over almost eight years of captivity.