Members of the 317th Recruiting Squadron in Oxon Hill, Md., are launching a year-long campaign to generate interest among students in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. “Throughout the year, our airmen will be connecting with schools all across the region to discuss the importance of STEM, and the impact it has on the future of innovation in America,” said MSgt. Buffy Brown, 317th RCS senior marketing noncommissioned officer. The unit is sponsoring the STEM 2020 Challenge by hosting an essay contest for grades six through 12. The winners will have the opportunity to visit the Pentagon and the top scorers will also have the chance to participate in the Fighter Pilot for a Day program. “STEM is in the DNA of every airman, and we look forward to partnering across the National Capital region to inspire interest in STEM for our nation’s next greatest generation,” said Lt. Col. Ravi Chaudhary, 317th RCS commander. (Washington, D.C., report by MSgt. Buffy Brown)
The long-standing method for communicating data down from space via radio frequencies has the potential to create deadly data bottlenecks that could slow and stymie future operations, according to a new report from AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. The report makes the case for combining RF with optical communications…