Netherlands Twitter: Aerospace Companies

Showing posts with label Aerospace Companies. Show all posts

Friday, January 1, 2010

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Monday, December 28, 2009

Laura Dekker, 13, must wait before trying to sail around the world alone

As expected, a court in The Netherlands has decided that Laura Dekker, 13, is too young to try to sail around the world by herself. She can continue living with her father, who supported a controversial journey she had planned to begin next week, but under the scrutiny of a social services agency pending another hearing in two months.

Most people probably would agree that the court ruled properly. Dekker, despite her vast sailing background, has not fully developed physically or mentally; she cannot be suitably prepared for the types of situations she'd likely face.

Or so the thinking goes. Her planned voyage has been criticized by the media from the outset. Dekker was not present during the ruling but in a television interview she said, “All the media are horrible."

This isn't over yet. There is a mandated psychological review, and the next hearing. Dekker believes she can do this; it has been her dream since she was 6. She and her father have planned a two-year voyage that would not have her at sea for longer than three weeks at a time.

Dekker, in all likelihood, will ultimately embark on her quest to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world, and with plenty of time to spare.

That record belongs to British sailor Mike Perham, 17, who this week replaced Thousand Oaks sailor Zac Sunderland, also 17, in the record book.

Australia's Jessica Watson, 16, plans to leave in a few weeks on what she hopes will be a nonstop journey; and Zac's sister Abby Sunderland, who will turn 16 in October, is planning to set sail in November for a nonstop odyssey.

Sunderland and Perham, who both left when they were 16, proved up to the task, but both sailors overcame several harrowing situations.

Can the girls do what they did, only faster? That will be for Mother Nature to decide.

-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Laura Dekker and her father (left) are seen at the court house in Utrecht, The Netherlands, before a second hearing determined she cannot tackle the world in a sailboat by herself--just yet. Credit: EPA/Valerie Kuypers

Source:latimesblogs

Airports step up security

'The extra measures will apply throughout the world on all flights to the United States for an unlimited duration,' the office of the Dutch national coordinator against terrorism (NCTB) said. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

PARIS - WORLD airports stepped up security on Saturday in the wake of an attempt to blow up a US airliner on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, authorities said.

'The extra measures will apply throughout the world on all flights to the United States for an unlimited duration,' the office of the Dutch national coordinator against terrorism (NCTB) said.

The NCTB said in a statement that US authorities had asked airlines to take extra security measures. 'It will involve, for example, frisking passengers and extra checks on hand baggage,' NCTB spokesman Judith Sluiter told AFP. The extra measures came into force on Saturday morning in the Netherlands, which received a formal request from the US authorities during the night, she said.

A Nigerian who reportedly claimed to have links with Al-Qaeda tried to detonate an explosive device aboard the plane as started its descent to Detroit on Friday before being overpowered by fellow passengers and crew.

The European Commission in Brussels said on Saturday it was investigating if proper security measures had been followed in Amsterdam, as checks were tightened in other major airports, including Paris, Rome and London.

In London a British Airways spokesman said, 'The United States government has revised its security arrangements for all passengers travelling into the US. 'This includes additional screening of all US-bound passengers and hand luggage before they board their flights. This applies to all carriers. Passengers travelling to the US will only be allowed to carry one item of hand luggage. -- AFP

Source:straitstimes

Suspect passed through Dutch airport

Luggage is transported at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands,
Saturday Dec. 26, 2009.(AP Photo/Evert Elzinga)

Dutch authorities said on Saturday that the man who tried to blow up the intercontinental flight had passed through airport security in Lagos, Nigeria, before boarding a connecting route from the Netherlands.

The Dutch counter-terrorism agency says the suspect, Abdul Mutallab, first got on a KLM plane from Lagos to Amsterdam. He then connected with Northwest Flight 253, owned by Delta Airlines, to Detroit.

In Amsterdam, the would be bomber went through a security checkpoint at Schiphol Airport without a hitch.

The agency says it can't completely rule out the potential for dangerous items to be brought on board. Some objects remain difficult to detect with current security technology, such as metal detectors.

Source:cctv

Spacefleet Project - Consortium of Aerospace Companies

The Spacefleet Project have recently posted some updates, Ray Wright (Company CEO) recently spoke with the Space Fellowship and discussed some of the progress the organisation have been making.

Back in November 2009 the Spacefleet Project posted an update “Spacefleet Ltd is joining in an international consortium of aerospace companies, based in Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, Czech Republic and The Netherlands to bid for funding from the European Union Framework Programme, for a project to develop a novel rocket motor with wide-ranging applications. We will build it into a small, lifting-body vehicle, much like the SF-01 vehicle featured on this site, but unmanned“.

“The small demonstrator will be able to fly up to around 6km above the ground and then be guided remotely back to a runway landing. In this way, the key features of the SF-01 will be demonstrated, without having to build the full-size vehicle. Following this, we hope further developments to lead up to the building of the SF-01“.

SF-01
The team have now posted an update on their progress “Spacefleet Ltd joined an international consortium of aerospace companies, with members in Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, Czech Republic and The Netherlands, to bid for funding from the European Union Framework Programme Number 7, for a project to develop a novel rocket motor with wide-ranging applications. We will build it into a small, lifting-body vehicle, much like the SF-01 vehicle featured on this site, but unmanned and remotely controlled“.

“The considerable volume of electronic “paperwork” was, I’m happy to tell you, completed before the deadline of December 5th, even though we had to change our application from one FP7 “call” to another, because of unacceptable restrictions on the way the consortium could be funded. The application was acknowledged as technically complete, so not rejected automatically. Now, we must wait until February next year to discover whether our application was successful“.

About the SF-01
The SF-01 will cost around €260M to develop and build three vehicles, over three years, after which it will be ready for passenger service. The important feature of the SF-01 is its liquid-fuelled rocket propulsion system, which is specially-designed for long life, high reliability and high safety.

The craft will operate routinely, like a conventional aircraft, and could fly as often as once every day. The cost of a seat will be around €120,000, to begin with, but the price will come down over the following years.

Source:spacefellowship.com