READY for prime time

After years of planning, development, flight-testing and training, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is now facing the ultimate test—combat.

The Super Hornet is the U.S. Navy's first new fighter in nearly two decades. It has survived political opposition, funding cuts and aeronautical design challenges, and now stands poised to make its mark in the war on terrorism.

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The Six Shooters: Always ready

When U.S. Army Apache Longbows cranked their engines in Antwerp, Belgium, on July 18, the message the whirring blades sent around the world was clear: Apache Longbows were in Europe.

Four days later, all 22 Apache Longbows from 11th Aviation Regiment's 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry, arrived in formation at their new home in Illesheim, Germany. This is the first time the U.S. Army's latest version of the Apache—the Longbow—has been based in Europe.

On hand for the Apache Longbows' arrival in Germany were dozens of relatives of soldiers from the 6-6th who are stationed in Germany. And it was clear from the emotional reunions on the airfield that everyone was glad to be reunited at "home."

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Space shuttle fleet to soar again

The space shuttle fleet is preparing to resume flight next month after temporarily being grounded because of tiny cracks found inside the hydrogen flowliners of the four orbiters.

Technicians at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., completed a welding process to smooth cracks inside the metal liners that are used to prevent the flow of hydrogen and oxygen into the engines during a vehicle's launch and climb to orbit. Additionally, the microscopic rough edges of the liner holes were polished to reduce the chance of more cracks developing in the future.

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Partners in time

When speaking of the impact educators should have in a society, Plutarch, a Greek writer and philosopher who lived 2,000 years ago, may have put it best when he said: "The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be lighted."

To help spark the minds of youths, Boeing has sponsored a program called Boeing Educators to Space Camp. Launched in 1992 at a division of Boeing that was then North American Rockwell, the program has strived to interest young people in space by first stoking a passion for the sciences in those whom they work with every day: their teachers.

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Back in Command

It wasn't exactly lost in space, but when the International Space Station's Command and Control computers malfunctioned in April 2001—and all communications were lost—there were serious flight concerns.

Brad Cothran, Boeing's director of Avionics and Consolidated Labs for the ISS program, was in a staff meeting when he received word there was a problem on station.

According to Cothran, the most frustrating aspect was not being able to acquire any data in order to find out how the orbiting outpost was doing.

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The BEST in the business

What do you call a program where high school juniors pair with Boeing mentors to complete meaningful 15-week projects that bring lasting benefits to all involved? At Boeing Satellite Systems, it's called the Boeing El Segundo High School Team, and it's been operating since 1997.

The partnership's annual cycle begins in December, with Boeing Satellite Systems' El Segundo, Calif., High School Day. About 40 prospective BEST participants and their teachers visit the company and learn about the value of space systems in society, the rudiments of designing such systems, and the basics of the BEST program. In January, BEST founder and sponsor Steve Archer, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites Program Director, asks for mentor volunteers. They devise projects that offer real value to the enterprise.

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