MATERIALS 14 ASTRONAUT’S VIEW 20 CYBERSECURITY 42 Sensing strain with light The case for nuclear fi ssion in space Safer aircraft tracking DIGGING MARSWhat penetrating 5 meters could tell us about the history of the red planet and habitable worlds. PAGE 26 MARCH 2019 | A publication of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics | aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org 201917–21 JUNE DALLAS, TX SHAPING THE FUTURE OF FLIGHT EARLY MEMBER REGISTRATION OPEN The 2019 AIAA AVIATION Forum will explore how rapidly changing technology, new entrants, and emerging trends are shaping a future of flight that promises to be strikingly different from the modern, global transportation built by our pioneers. Save money on registration and take advantage of these early member rates! STANDARD EARLY MEMBER RATE MEMBER RATE 28 MAY–21 JUNE 4 FEB–27 MAY Full Conference with Online Proceedings $1,205 $855 Full-Time Graduate or PhD Student $200 $170 Full-Time Undergraduate Student $95 $65 Full-Time Retired Member $95 $65 PREMIER SPONSOR REGISTER NOW aviation.aiaa.org/register FEATURES | March 2019 MORE AT aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org 14 34 42 26 Glowing under Managing trash Improving the the strain in space security of FAA’s Uncovering air traffi c plan Researchers are Two companies are Martian mysteries testing a composite developing competing As the aviation that indicates through systems to compress industry works to meet The instruments on the InSight lander light and direct and melt garbage a mandate to install (seen in a selfi e above) are beginning current when an generated by NASA ADS-B Out by 2020, to take the measure of Mars. Scientists aircraft part might astronauts working in cybersecurity is a are hoping the data will help them fail. space. worry. learn how the planet and others were By Keith Button By Adam Hadhazy By Jan Tegler formed. By Amanda Miller aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org | MARCH 2019 | 1 7–97–9 MAYMAY 20192019 LAUREL,LAUREL, MDMD ExpandingExpanding DecisiveDecisive andand SustainedSustained AdvantageAdvantage ThroughThrough InnovationInnovation TheThe 20192019 forumforum willwill useuse thethe 20182018 NationalNational DefenseDefense StrategyStrategy asas aa frameworkframework toto discussdiscuss thethe strategic,strategic, programmatic,programmatic, andand technicaltechnical topicstopics andand policypolicy issuesissues pertainingpertaining toto thethe aerospaceaerospace andand defensedefense community.community. ThisThis Secret/NoFornSecret/NoForn eventevent providesprovides aa venuevenue forfor leadersleaders fromfrom government,government, military,military, industryindustry andand academiaacademia toto exploreexplore aerospaceaerospace technologiestechnologies andand theirtheir applicationapplication toto complexcomplex nationalnational securitysecurity challenges.challenges. ProgramProgram SessionsSessions Include:Include: ConfirmedConfirmed SpeakersSpeakers Include:Include: › › DepartmentDepartment ofof DefenseDefense ResearchResearch andand › › Maj.Maj. Gen.Gen. WilliamWilliam T.T. Cooley,Cooley, USAFUSAF,, EngineeringEngineering EnterpriseEnterprise TechnicalTechnical Priorities:Priorities: Commander,Commander, AirAir ForceForce ResearchResearch LaboratoryLaboratory UpdateUpdate onon StatusStatus andand NeedsNeeds › › AndrewAndrew GerberGerber,, ViceVice PresidentPresident forfor InnovationInnovation › › MaintainingMaintaining TechnologicalTechnological Advantage:Advantage: andand StrategicStrategic Pursuits,Pursuits, RaytheonRaytheon IntegratedIntegrated TheThe RoleRole ofof DepartmentDepartment ofof DefenseDefense LabsLabs DefenseDefense SystemsSystems › › MissileMissile DefenseDefense inin thethe NewNew WorldWorld OrderOrder › › MichaelMichael GriffinGriffin,, UnderUnder SecretarySecretary ofof DefenseDefense › › AcquisitionAcquisition andand SustainmentSustainment atat thethe SpeedSpeed forfor ResearchResearch && EngineeringEngineering ofof RelevanceRelevance › › JamieJamie MorinMorin,, ExecutiveExecutive Director,Director, › › KeyKey IssuesIssues inin HypersonicsHypersonics CenterCenter forfor SpaceSpace PolicyPolicy andand Strategy,Strategy, TheThe AerospaceAerospace CorporationCorporation › › HypersonicsHypersonics InformationInformation ExchangeExchange —— › › AttendeesAttendees DialogueDialogue withwith thethe ExpertsExperts onon MichaelMichael WhiteWhite,, AssistantAssistant DirectorDirector forfor Hypersonics,Hypersonics, ChallengesChallenges andand SolutionsSolutions DoDDoD ResearchResearch andand EngineeringEngineering EnterpriseEnterprise CHECKCHECK OUTOUT THETHE FULLFULL PROGRAMPROGRAM ANDAND REGISTER:REGISTER: defense.aiaa.org/registerdefense.aiaa.org/register IN THIS ISSUE AEROSPACE★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ AMERICA MARCH 2019, VOL. 57, NO. 3 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Keith Button Ben Iannotta Keith has written for C4ISR Journal and Hedge Fund Alert, where he broke [email protected] news of the 2007 Bear Stearns scandal that kicked off the global credit crisis. ASSOCIATE EDITOR PAGE 14 Karen Small [email protected] EDITOR, AIAA BULLETIN Christine Williams [email protected] Adam Hadhazy EDITOR EMERITUS Jerry Grey Adam reports on astrophysics and technology. His work has appeared in Discover and New Scientist magazines. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS PAGE 34 Keith Button, Adam Hadhazy, Tom Jones, Robert van der Linden, Amanda Miller, Jan Tegler, Debra Werner, Frank H. Winter Tom Jones John Langford AIAA PRESIDENT Tom fl ew on four space shuttle missions. On his last fl ight, STS-98, he led Daniel L. Dumbacher PUBLISHER three spacewalks to install the U.S. Destiny Laboratory on the International Rodger S. Williams DEPUTY PUBLISHER Space Station. He has a doctorate in planetary sciences. ADVERTISING PAGE 20 [email protected] ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN THOR Design Studio | thor.design Amanda Miller MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION Amanda is a freelance reporter and editor based near Denver with 20 years Association Vision | associationvision.com of experience at weekly and daily publications. PAGE 26 LETTERS AND CORRESPONDENCE Ben Iannotta, [email protected] Jan Tegler Jan covers a variety of subjects, including defense, for publications internationally. He’s a frequent contributor to Defense Media Network/Faircount Media Group and is the author of the book “B-47 Stratojet: Boeing’s Brilliant Bomber.” PAGE 42 Aerospace America (ISSN 0740-722X) is published monthly except in August by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., at 12700 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 200 Reston, VA 20191-5807 [703-264-7500]. Subscription rate is 50% of dues for AIAA members (and is not deductible therefrom). Nonmember subscription price: U.S., $200; Debra Werner foreign, $220. Single copies $20 each. Postmaster: Send A frequent contributor to Aerospace America, Debra is also a West Coast address changes and subscription orders to Aerospace America, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, correspondent for Space News. at 12700 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA, 20191-5807, PAGE 64 Attn: A.I.A.A. Customer Service. Periodical postage paid at Reston, Virginia, and at additional mailing offi ces. Copyright 2019 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., all rights reserved. The name Aerospace America is registered by the AIAA DEPARTMENTS in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offi ce. 4 Editor’s Notebook 8 AeroPuzzler 62 Looking Back 7 Flight Path 49 AIAA Bulletin 64 Trajectories aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org | MARCH 2019 | 3 EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK INNOVATION For innovators, a balancing act rogress in matters of aerospace requires a sometimes uncomfortable dance between patience Engineers practice and impatience. deploying a mockup of the InSight lander’s Too patient, and your innovations can’t get out the door in time to impact the market. Act seismometer at the precipitously, and you set yourself up for missteps such as production of faulty parts or, in the NASA-funded Jet extreme case, an accident or other failure that sets your innovation back by years or worse. Propulsion Laboratory PConsider Tesla, Elon Musk’s electric car company. Tesla is rolling ahead well with production of its under lighting that electric cars, despite much reported upheaval and tension between an impatient Musk and the produc- simulates sunlight on Mars. tion team. I have to wonder how sustainable quality production can be in that kind of environment, if NASA indeed the reports are accurate. Such an environment in the production of rockets or aircraft would be untenable, given that one can’t coast to the side of the road when things go wrong. Hopefully, the environment is more positive at Musk’s SpaceX company. Looking to space exploration, development of the Mole, the bullet-ended titanium spear that’s about to plunge into Mars, could turn out to be a case of patience and impatience balancing out just right. As anxious as the developers must have been, they tested the device rigorously on the ground and worked for years to get it into space. Let me not jinx them though. No one has dug so deeply into Mars, so the outcome is far from certain. Then there are the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out radios that airline companies and general aviation enthusiasts are installing on their aircraft to meet the FAA and European 2020 mandates. Let’s suppose someone had sprung from a boardroom chair years ago and made the case that radars will always be needed as a backup to ADS-B, because of the network’s reliance on GPS for tracking aircraft. As our story shows, this need for a radar backup is now widely accepted, but I have to wonder if a patient debate at the outset