Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, commander of 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., and retired Air Force Col. Karol Bobko are the newest members of the US Astronaut Hall of Fame at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Helms spent a total of 211 days in space. On her final trip to the International Space Station in 2001, her fifth time into space, she and a fellow astronaut set a record for the longest space walk: eight hours and 56 minutes. Bobko flew on three space shuttle missions, logging more than 386 hours in space. He piloted the first flight of the Challenger in 1983 and successfully used a robotic arm to activate a malfunctioned satellite during a 1985 flight on Discovery. Their induction ceremony was May 7. There are now 79 space explorers enshrined in the hall. (Kennedy release by Brad A. Swezey)
Navy CCA Program’s Shape Coming into Focus
Oct. 17, 2025
In announcing its Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft contract, General Atomics has provided some clues as to where the service is heading with its version of an armed, autonomous fighter escort. It will likely be quite different from the Air Force version.
