NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and her Expedition 52 crew are scheduled to return to Earth Saturday, Sept. 2. NASA TV and website will provide complete coverage.
The complete schedule of return (all times EDT):
2:15 p.m. – farewell and hatch closure (hatch closure at 2:40 p.m.)
5:30 p.m. – undocking (undocking at 5:58 p.m.)
8 p.m. – deorbit burn and landing (deorbit burn at 8:29 p.m. and landing at 9:22 p.m.)
11 p.m. – replay of hatch closure, undocking and landing activities
Although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can’t yet definitively answer those questions, studies by a consortium of leading universities have made a start toward better understanding the risks of allowing small unmanned aircraft – or drones – to fly over people.
The consortium that conducted the research includes the University of Alabama-Huntsville; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Mississippi State University; and the University of Kansas, through the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE). ASSURE represents 23 of the world’s leading research institutions and 100 leading industry and government partners. It began the research in September 2015.
The research team reviewed techniques used to assess blunt force trauma, penetration injuries and lacerations – the most significant threats to people on the ground. The team classified collision severity by identifying hazardous drone features, such as unprotected rotors.
The group also reviewed more than 300 publications from the automotive industry and consumer battery market, as well as toy standards and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) database. Finally, the team conducted crash tests, dynamic modeling, and analyses related to kinetic energy, energy transfer, and crash dynamics.
When the studies were complete, personnel from NASA, the Department of Defense, FAA chief scientists, and other subject matter experts conducted a strenuous peer review of the findings.
The studies identified three dominant injury types applicable to small drones:
The research showed multi-rotor drones fall more slowly than the same mass of metal due to higher drag on the drone. Unlike most drones, wood and metal debris do not deform and transfer most of their energy to whatever they hit. Also, the lithium batteries that power many small drones need a unique standard to ensure safety.
The team recommended continued research to refine the metrics developed. The team members suggested developing a simplified test method to characterize potential injury, and validating a proposed standard and models using potential injury severity test data.
The second phase of ASSURE’s research is set to begin in June 2017, and will examine the risks of collisions with aircraft.
src=”https://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=87950″
The report on the ASSURE research and two video files are available here:
http://pr.cirlot.com/faa-and-assure-announce-results-of-ground-collision-study/
Update:
In the shooting incident at LAX, one fatality has been reported and six others were injured.
The shooter, identified as 23 year old Paul Ciancia, was wearing fatigues and carrying anti government literature saying that “he wanted to kill TSA and pigs.”
Some victims were hospitalized at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. According to a tweet, “Three male patients were transported to Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center. One is in critical condition and two are in fair condition.”
Witnesses said the young gunman asked around looking for TSA agents. Witnesses heard up to 20 shots.
Investigators are still working to determine the problem why the landing gear of Southwest Airlines Flight 345 collapsed while the plane was landing in New York on Monday.
Input and coverage continues below:
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FLIGHT 345 BOEING 737 AIRCRAFT LANDED AND THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED, PASSENGERS EVACUTED VIA CHUTES ONTO THE RUNWAY AND WERE BUSSED TO THE TERMINAL. 8 PERSONS ON BOARD SUSTAINED UNKNOWN INJURIES, LAGUARDIA AIRPORT, NEW YORK, NY
Date: 22-JUL-13
Time: 21:45:00Z
Regis#: N753SW/SWA345
Aircraft Make: BOEING
Aircraft Model: 737
Event Type: Incident
Highest Injury: Unknown
Aircraft Missing:
Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
City: NEW YORK
State: New York
What: Beechcraft plane owned by Air Serv which provides air transport for international aid agencies. The plane was being flown by South Africa’s Cem Air.
Where: eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Plane fragments scattered over a forested mountain area, 9 miles NW of the Bukavu air strip.
When: Inital reports that the crashed into a mountain near Bukavu were changed; apparently the plane broke up across the mountain. The plane was last contacted in heavy rain 10 minutes from Bukavu
Who: 15 passengers and two crew members. Most of the passengers were Canadian, Indian, French and Congolese aid and relief workers employed by Medicins Sans Frontieres and Handicap International. Seven aid workers were employed by the UN.
Why: The weather is considered a factor but no cause is listed as yet. UN rescue teams are “securing the site and searching for and recovering victims’ bodies.” No survivors. The black box flight recorder has been recovered
