Avion Issue 3 Fall 2017

| Issue 3 | Volume 148 | Tuesday, September 26, 2017 | theavion.com |

Photo Courtesy: NASA &DLR

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a Mobile Infrared Observatory!

NASA’s SOFIA Boeing 747SP is Heading to ERAU’s Daytona Beach Campus

Collin Anderson News Editor Last week, Embry-Riddle announced that NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) aircraft is coming to Daytona Beach International Airport, and more specifically Embry-Riddle, next week and will be here

from Oct. 2 until Oct. 6.

The SOFIA aircraft is a modified Boeing 747SP with a 2.5-meter telescope in the rear of the aircraft weighing in at 17 tons alone. It is based at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California. According to their website, the SOFIA Program Office is at NASA

Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. SOFIA is currently a joint project of NASA and DLR, the German Aerospace Center.

SOFIA is visiting as part of its first scientific mission to be flown over the Atlantic Ocean. SOFIA will be observing Neptune's largest moon, Triton. Tri-

What’s Inside

A NASA and DLR diagram showing the interior layout and Telescope of the SOFIA Boeing 747SP

Fun and Winnings at Casino Night

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ton is about 1,700 miles in diameter making it larger than Pluto. According to Embry-Riddle, Triton’s surface is comprised of mostly frozen nitrogen that has been sculpted by winds and “cryogeysers” that spew material onto the surface.

Triton will pass by and conceal a star called UCAC4 410-143659. The optimal way to capture this event is with a mobile research facility such as SOFIA. SOFIA is unique not solely due to its mobility, but it is also able to fly above the Earth's layer of water vapor between 39,000 and 45,000 feet. This is an important attribute because water vapor in the atmosphere shields the Earth from most of the infrared light from celestial bodies.

Adding to SOFIA’s unique history, it has captured infrared images of Jupiter, the 2014J supernova, rings of gas and dust that measure seven lightyears in diameter around a supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s center.

Can China and Russia Break the Duopoly?

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SOFIA will not be open to tours for the general public. However, the Embry-Riddle community will have an exclusive opportunity to tour SOFIA on Wednesday, Oct. 4 between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Motor coaches will transport students and fac-

ulty from the ICI Center to SOFIA and back.

The exact time of landing is unknown as of yet, but SOFIA can be tracked on FlightAware or FlightRadar24 under the tail number N747NA. SOFIA should arrive at KDAB on the 2nd of October.

Photo Courtesy: NASA & DLR The port door on the 747SP open in flight showing the infrared telescope observatory inside the aircraft’s fuselage

Kingsman: The Golden Circle Review

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26 Campus Students Demonstrate Passions at Activities Fair September

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The Avion

Executive Board Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Business Manager Photography Editor Advertising Manager

Henry Neiberlien Andrew Bronshteyn Collin Anderson Jaclyn Wiley Sariah Adviento Payton Muglia

Page Editors Front Editor Campus Editors Irma Relief Editor Casino Night Editor Aviation Editor Space Editors Sports Editor Comics Editor On-Site Copy Editor

Henry Neiberlien Keenan Thungtrakul & Chaz Pokracki Xi Wang Zachary Fedewa Madeline Eitniear Emily Rickel, Nick Hernandez, & Sergio Taleinsik Victoria Jordan Samantha Stirmel Vipul Telang

Staff Contributors Reporters Photographers

Victoria Jordan Correspondent

On Thursday, Sept.

21, Embry-Riddle held its annual Activities Fair.

At the activities fair, all student clubs and organizations presented themselves for new recruitment reaching out to all incoming and returning students. Students had the opportunity to rack up lots of club swag and come in contact a wide variety of groups that they can participate in during the current school year such as: • The Avion Newspaper • White Hat Eagles

Cybersecurity Club • Caribbean Students Association • Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity • Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority • Fellowship of Christian Athletes • Unmanned Aircraft Systems • American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics • STEM Outreach Club ... and many more!

From attending the Activities Fair, you could see the passion that the current members have for their organization as they explained what

they do, why they do it, and how they do it. You could not help but feel as though you were joining a new family of individuals that have similar interests and level of dedication as yourself.

As attending the activities fair was a requirement for all students in University 101, all freshman joining a club can add these new activities to their resume in preparation for the upcoming Career Industry Expo on October 12th.

In an interview with Freshman Bailey Porter, she exclaimed, “I was very impressed by how much

enthusiasm was shown at each booth. I felt very welcomed and am looking forward to joining a few organizations.”

“The activities fair is a fun and innovative way to learn what clubs are available here at school.

We should keep this tradition as it is a way to remain involved with the campus,” stated Freshman Keira Mosely.

Our organizations here at Embry-Riddle will continue to flourish as these new faces from the Activities Fair create endless possibilities for new ideas and innovation to improve student life.

Collin Anderson Henry Neiberlien Michael Weinhoffer Zachary Fedewa Xi Wang Samantha Stirmel Sariah Adviento

Correspondents Samantha Stirmel, Victoria Jordan, Kylie Aio, Michael Pierce, and Abigail Johnson

Staff Advisor Ginny-Beth Joiner, Avion Advisor

Contact Information Main Phone: (386) 226-6049 Ad Manager: (386) 226-7697 Fax Number: (386) 226-6016 Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Business Manager Photography Editor Advertising Manager

editor@theavion.com managing@theavion.com news@theavion.com business@theavion.com photo@theavion.com advertising@theavion.com

Website: theavion.com

The Avion is produced weekly during the fall and spring term, and bi-weekly during summer terms. The Avion is produced by a volunteer student staff. Student editors make all content, business and editorial decisions. The editorial opinions expressed in The Avion are solely the opinion of the undersigned writer(s), and not those of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Student Government Association, The Avion, or the student body. Letters appearing in The Avion are those of the writer, identified at the end of the letter. Opinions expressed in the “Student Government” and “Student Life” sections are those of the identified writer. Letters may be submitted to The Avion for publication, provided they are not lewd, obscene or libelous. Letter writers must confine themselves to less than 800 words. Letters may be edited for brevity and formatted to newspaper guidelines. All letters must be signed. Names may be withheld at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.

The Avion is an open forum for student expression. The Avion is a division of the Student Government Association. The Avion is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press. The costs of this publication are paid by the Student Government Association and through advertising fees.

The Avion distributes one free copy per person. Additional copies are $0.75. Theft of newspapers is a crime, and is subject to prosecution and Embry-Riddle judicial action. This newspaper and its contents are protected by United States copyright law. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, in print or electronically, without the expressed written consent of The Avion. Correspondence may be addressed to: The Avion Newspaper, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, Florida 32114. Physical office: John Paul Riddle Student Center, Room 110. Phone: (386) 226-6049. Fax: (386) 226-6727.

Xi Wang/The Avion Newspaper The Activities Fair had a large turnout of students seeking to advertise their clubs to those looking to get involved on campus.

Samantha Stirmel/The Avion Newspaper A club representative explains the functions of a drone to an interested student during the Activities Fair.

USAF Celebrates 70 Years of Tradition and Excellence

C/Capt. Kylie Aio Correspondent

September is not just for Pumpkin Spice Lattes and wearing flannel – it is also for cake and wearing red, white, and especially blue in celebration of the world’s greatest Air Force!

The Air Force was officially established on Sept. 18, 1947 when President Truman signed the National Security Act. In addition to this year being the Air

Force’s 70th birthday, it is also the 45-year anniversary of Detachment 157 joining Embry-Riddle.

Earlier this month, on Friday, Sept. 15, Detachment 157 joined together with Dr. P Barry Butler and Major General (retired) Gregory Power to mark the momentous occasion. From these gentlemen’s words of wisdom, the cadets of Detachment 157 and their guests heard just how important

Samantha Stirmel/The Avion Newspaper The U.S. Air Force Academy, with its historic chapel, rises from the hills of Colorado Springs, CO, symbolizing the resilience of the U.S. Air Force.

the Air Force is to Embry-Riddle as well as how minor disappointments in life can turn out to be part of a greater plan in the future. After the speeches, it was time for the celebratory cake; it is tradition for the oldest and youngest airman to cut the cake. The oldest airman, Colonel Robert Owen, passed a piece of cake to the youngest airman, cadet Christian Junio, which signifies the knowl-

edge and skills being passed on to the younger generations of Airmen.

Before the event, the members of the cadet wing were encouraged to show their morale by dressing up. The younger cadets even had the option of attempting to embarrass their upperclassmen by dressing them up.

This year, we had many teddy bears, a few unicorns, Marilyn Monroe and a leprechaun.

Eugene DeNezza/AFROTC Pictured from left to right: David Brickey, Justin Treinish, Alex Lardinois, and Branden Hamilton dressed in Care Bear costumes.

Irma Relief

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Helping Care for Others During and After Hurricane Irma Embry-Riddle students put the needs of others above their own

Deborah Circelli ERAU Marketing When Hurricane Irma started barreling toward Florida, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University senior Hayley Lewis had the option to go home to Lake City, but she wanted to stay to help other students evacuate.

Having grown up in Florida, she had been through other hurricanes before and knew how scary it could be for someone new to the area.

She was one of five volunteer shelter captainsv

who went with 37 students to three shelters in the community.

They were just some of the Embry-Riddle students from the Daytona Beach Campus who volunteered during the storm or helped people prepare for the storm.

She also checked on students in the residence halls to ensure they had a place to go, prepared and evacuated students, and assisted them when they returned.

Along with a few other students, she checked rooms and hallways after

Photo Courtesy: ERAU Marketing Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University senior Hayley Lewis

Photo Courtesy: ERAU Marketing Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University seniors Kirsten Fawcett and Nick Kluting aided in the Irma relief efforts.

the storm for weatherrelated issues.

“For someone who is here from out-of-state, it can be terrifying if you are not sure what you are going to go through. I liked being there to be a calming person who can say, ‘Hey, we have this.

Don’t freak out. We will be fine,’” said the 22-yearold spaceflight operations major, who also works as a Hall Tour Ambassador and in the front office for Housing and Residence Life.

Lewis and another shelter captain were with seven other Embry-Riddle students at David C. Hinson Middle School in Daytona Beach from Saturday morning to Monday morning.

While she studied and did some homework, she also played cards and board games with fellow students, including a board game about astronauts and space missions.

Embry-Riddle seniors Kirsten Fawcett and Nick Kluting also helped with ensuring students had an evacuation plan as well as helping students when they returned. Lewis, Fawcett, Kluting and Carlin Hausmann, 19, a sophomore from Brookfield, Connecticut, stayed with students from Embry-Riddle’s Student Village in the campus’ new

residence hall Monday night coordinating games and other activities until they could return to their rooms on Tuesday when power was restored.

“Their service to our students and campus community was invaluable and helped ensure a smooth departure and arrival back to campus for residential students,” said Steve Logan, executive director of Housing and Residence Life.

After helping students evacuate, Fawcett and Kluting, who are also Hall Tour Ambassadors in the residence halls, spent the actual duration of the storm volunteering at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

They helped hospital staff with various tasks throughout the day and night, including collecting patients’ food orders, delivering meals and helping with minor maintenance needs.

At times when he was deep in the hospital, Kluting, 22, of Longview, Texas, said he did not even know there was a storm outside.

“It was the best way to pass time during the storm, and we were helping people out,” said Kluting, who stayed in a shelter during last year’s Hurricane Matthew along with Fawcett.

Fawcett, 22, a civil engineering major who grew up near Tampa and has family in Jacksonville, said she was bored last year in the shelter and wanted to help out more in the community.

“It was a really cool opportunity being able to do something different and meet patients and families and different hospital departments,” she said.

“It was nice to be useful and helpful during the storm. I’m not good at sitting still and not doing anything.”

Fawcett said they barely slept because they were excited and did not want to miss a call from staff needing help. “We were always ready for the next task,” she said.

Another senior, Mike Shekari, 21, a homeland security major, was volunteering at the Volusia County Emergency Operations Center helping the Salvation Army of Daytona Beach, where he is a soldier and volunteer.

He not only stayed at the EOC during the storm but also helped to deliver about 1,200 meals to various shelters and the Pierson area.

He has been volunteering for disasters with the Salvation Army since he was eight years old when he first helped

out with his mom, who works at the Salvation Army in Sarasota.

“I try to help out with the Salvation Army whenever possible,” Shekari said. “The reason it is important to me is because I have a sense of duty. It’s something we as citizens should do to help our fellow man and countrymen.”

Other Embry-Riddle students were also involved in their hometowns helping neighbors prepare for the storm.

Khi Franse, 20, an engineering physics junior, and his friends, Sam Rachelson, Mark Barry, Otto Legon and Brennan McCann helped prep Franse’s parents’ house in Pomona Park as well as the homes of three family friends in Crescent City and Palatka.

They boarded up houses, and in one case, moved a piano away from a glass window of an older couple’s home and returned it after the storm.

“It was the right thing to do. They needed help, so we went around and helped them,” Franse said. He was especially grateful to his fellow students. “They didn’t know the people who we were helping, and it was nice that they chose to help out,” he said.

Photo Courtesy: ERAU Marketing ERAU students helping around in the neighborhood by creating plywood coverings to cover over windows. These coverings helped to ensure that windows would not be broken by debris and wind.

26 SGA Gambling Without The Dollar: Touch-N-Go Hosts Casino Night

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Samantha Stirmel Correspondent

Embry-Riddle Casino Night was finally upon the student body once again this past week! The noise of colored chips clicking together filled the air with voices either shout-

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ing in victory or in defeat.

Lambda Chi Alpha dealers looked across their tables at all the participants wondering how much they would risk to bet and how much they would lose or potentially win.

The assortment of games played included blackjack,

Texas hold’em, craps, roulette, and bingo. Students were given $5,000 in poker chips to begin and could use them to bet during the event at the various tables.

In the end, players traded their chips in for raffle tickets to win prizes. The most popular prizes up

for grabs were a 32’ TV, a Keurig, and a two terabyte external hard drive. Other assorted prizes helped their winners avoid trips to Publix for toilet paper, cookware, and laundry detergent. Thanks to Touch-N-Go Productions, the night was filled with

lights coming from all angles in a colorful array that set the mood for a fun night. WIKD provided some solid background noise while cards flew and balls rolled around roulette wheels.

Free pizza and drinks were provided at this open

event that allowed even the youngest to try their hand at some classic casino games without actually having to have anything at stake. At the end of the night, some lost it all, others played it smart, and a few even won big; but all had a great time!

Sariah Adviento/The Avion Newspaper Students try their luck playing Roulette. Many students consistently increased their stock pile of chips, while others were less fortunate.

Sariah Adviento/The Avion Newspaper Many students found the most luck playing Craps. The student pictured to the right is challenging the dealer, Ben Caples, Sr.

Photo Courtesy: US Navy

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Airshow Center San Francisco Fleet Week San Francisco, CA October 3-4, 2017

• Airport: OAK Performers include the Blue Angels, Canadian Forces Snowbirds, and the A-10 West Heritage Flight Team. _________

Wings over North Georgia Kennesaw, GA October 21-22, 2017

• Airport: RMG Performers include the Blue Angels, Quick Silver P-51 Airshows, SOCOM, and the Ladies for Liberty, LLC. _________

Warbirds over Monroe Monroe, NC November 10-12, 2017

• Airport: EQY Performers include the Commemorative Air Force, Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, and the Military Aviation Museum. _________

Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show NAS Pensacola, FL November 10-11, 2017

•Airport: NPA Performers include the Blue Angels, GEICO Skytypers, and SHOCKWAVE & Flash Fire Jet Trucks.

This Week in Aviation History

September 26, 2008

Yves Rossy, Swiss airline pilot and former fighter pilot, crosses the English Channel with his homemade jet-powered wing strapped on his back.

September 27, 1990

United Air Lines is the first airline to introduce satellite communications for its aircraft.

September 28, 2007 First flight of the Kawasaki P-1.

September 29, 1964

The first take-off and landing of the LTV-Hiller-Ryan XC142 A vertical take-off transport is made in Dallas, Texas.

The aircraft has four 2,850-hp General Electric turboprops mounted on the wings that can pivot 90 degrees to allow for a vertical take-off.

September 30, 1975

First flight of the Boeing AH64 Apache.

October 1, 1969

The Concorde supersonic transport plane breaks the sound barrier for the first time.

26 Aviation China and Russia are Trying to Break the Boeing-Airbus Duopoly September

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Henry Neiberlien Editor-In-Chief For almost thirty years the commercial airline industry has been completely dominated by two main companies, Airbus and Boeing.

Once upon a time, there were many different companies all manufacturing airliners in a crowded market.

One by one, companies like McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed were either bought by their competitors or decided to leave the market entirely.

In a world dominated by a single American and a single European manufacturer, new players are trying to enter the game both for better and for worse.

At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union was a major manufacturer of airliners for the Eastern Bloc and Aeroflot, the Russian state-owned airline.

Nowadays, Aeroflot only flies Boeing and Airbus aircraft for revenue flights and only operates domes-

tically-made aircraft for government work.

Russia is now re-entering the airline industry, and for the first time, they have broken out of the eastern world and into the west.

Airbus and Boeing do not have aircraft that compete for the regional 100-seat airline market, and this has left room for companies like Embraer, Mitsubishi and Bombardier to enter. Russia has already entered this market with the Sukhoi Superjet-100.

This aircraft can be seen in the British Isles flying for the Irish airline CityJet. Russia is not stopping at the regional jet and is trying to compete against the A320 with their new MC-21 which is slated to enter service in 2019 with Aeroflot. This marks the return of domestically-produced aircraft to the fleet. With the current geopolitical climate and the lack of support structure outside of Russia, support for this aircraft in the western world is nonexistent.

China is trying its hand in the airliner market, and they have been less than successful.

Russia has had a strong aircraft industry since the early twentieth century, but China is still building one in a desperate attempt to be globally competitive.

While China builds almost everything, commercial aircraft has been a major struggle for them. Their first attempt was a regional jet called the ARJ21, a copy of the MD-90.

The ARJ21 program started in 2002 and did not achieve its first flight until 2008, and today they are still struggling to manufacture the aircraft as only four have been built and delivered to customers.

This has been due to the poor reliability of the aircraft and the fact that China still does not manufacture a reliable and powerful turbine engine, forcing Chinese manufacturers to rely on Russian and American built engines.

China’s most recent attempt at an airlin-

er, the C919, has had problems of its own.

The C919 is China’s version of Bombardier’s CS100 mixed with the Airbus A320neo.

Launched in 2008, it did not achieve its first flight until this past May. Only two aircraft have been built, and they also are powered by the CFM International LEAP engine, which has had its share of problems on the A320neo.

While deliveries of the C919 have been pushed into 2020, China and Russia have started a joint wide-body airliner project called the C929.

However, given how unsuccessful the C919 has been in meeting its milestones and delivery dates and how the expected wide-scale delivery date for the aircraft is in early 2033, the project is still in the concept stage. There are currently no firm orders by any airline.

Deliveries were initially expected in 2015 and have been pushed back half a decade.

Research into the programs by Russian and

Chinese companies to break into international airline market have revealed that they might be more political than commercial in nature.

Russia and China are both eager to stop relying on the west for a majority of their aircraft fleets and to develop industries of their own.

Unfortunately for both countries, the international airline community is comfortable ordering from reliable manufacturers, and major airlines are not willing to take a risk by ordering from an unknown and unproven Chinese or Russian manufacturer.

That does not mean these aircraft will be unsuccessful, as government owned airlines from both China and Russia will be “encouraged” to order them.

The western market will probably continue as the support structure, with leasing options and spare parts. The used aircraft market is filled with Boeing and Airbus aircraft that are both economical and trusted by the rest of the world.

Legal Strife Between Boeing and Bombardier Deepens Enrique Ayala Correspondent Bombardier Inc. of Canada and The Boeing Company of the U.S. are caught amid a legal battle that could have serious financial implications for either company.

Bombardier’s newest family of aircraft products, the CSeries, has become a subject of financial and political debate over the past few months.

Boeing is petitioning the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate Bombardier and the Canadian government for ‘dumping’ the CSeries aircraft in the American aviation market at unfairly low prices.

In Boeing’s 100-page complaint, the company accuses the latter of

selling their aircraft at a lower sales price than in that company’s country of origin, or at a price that is lower than the cost of production.

Bombardier has received subsidies from the Canadian and British governments since 2005 due to the CSeries program’s staggering development costs, which rose to $4.4 billion.

This put Bombardier under the risk of bankruptcy without the help of subsidy funding, which totaled $5 billion in 2015.

The company’s saving grace came in 2016 when Delta announced its intention of adding 75 CS100s to its fleet.

The aircraft sold at a price of $19.6 million a unit, which Boeing criticized as being an “absurdly low” selling price for a product that cost $33.2

million to produce.

If Bombardier is found guilty of dumping, the company will face a series of tariffs from the U.S. Commerce Department and International Trade Commission.

In recent weeks, the dispute between the aircraft manufactures has been gaining the attention of world leaders. Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and Theresa May of Canada and Great Britain have recently expressed their disapproval for Boeing’s behavior in trying to impose a trade complaint against the Canadian aerospace manufacturer.

In a demonstration of retaliation, Trudeau is now debating whether Canada should carry through an agreement they had made with Boeing to purchase 18 F/A-

18 Super Hornet fighters for the Royal Canadian Air Force. “We won’t do business with a company that’s busy trying to sue us and put our aerospace workers out of business.”

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“We won’t do business with a company that’s busy trying to sue us and put our aerospace workers out of business.”

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Bombardier is also a major employer in Northern Ireland. May stressed during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump that if the company were to face the legal penalties, it could put the stability of approximately 4,500 jobs in the U.K. at risk.

The Bombardier

CSeries is a line of regional airliners that was first launched in 2013 with the aim of developing a competitive airliner that would put a stake for Bombardier in the world market.

The aircraft employ the use of advanced composite materials for the wings, empennage, and control surfaces as well as an aluminum-lithium alloy for the fuselage.

In addition, the use of geared turbofans makes the aircraft quiet.

The aircraft has five abreast seating with a cabin that gives passengers unprecedented levels of ergonomics by offering oversized luggage compartments and windows and 19 inch wide seats, which per Bombardier, is the widest on any single-aisle commercial airliner in the world.

Space

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Opinion: ULA Forced to Coexist with Commercial Space Industry

Michael Weinhoffer Staff Reporter

On Sept. 12, a scathing opinion-piece on SpaceX and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, written by former presidential candidate and congressman Ron Paul, was published by Fox News.

At the time of publication, the NDAA was being considered in the Senate, after passing the House of Representatives, and Ron Paul desperately urged his former colleagues to vote against the bill. Unfortunately for Paul, the bill passed on Sept. 19 with a vote of 89-8, with three senators failing to vote.

Despite the bill’s passage, it is still a good idea to discuss Ron Paul’s argument and if his frustration with SpaceX is well reasoned.

Ron Paul cites section 1615 of the NDAA as the source of his argument against SpaceX. Section 1615 essentially prohibits the United Launch Alli-

ance from receiving federal funding from the Department of Defense to further upgrade the RD-180 rocket engine used by the Atlas V launch vehicle. The Atlas V rocket is maintained by ULA, which is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. ULA launches the Atlas V rocket and a few other vehicles for the Department of Defense and NASA. The RD-180 engine used by the Atlas V is Russian-made, and amid an increase in tensions between Russia and the U.S., it was decided a few years ago that a new American rocket engine should be used instead.

ULA now plans to use Blue Origin’s BE-4 engine on the Atlas V replacement rocket, the Vulcan, which will be launched no earlier than in 2019.

The NDAA only supports funding for new domestic rocket engines and ends funding for the RD-180, which, although very reliable, goes against the

revived “American made” policy implemented by the Trump administration.

The Atlas V will remain in service for a few more years with the RD-180, but will eventually be phased out in the early 2020s in favor of the Vulcan vehicle.

So where does SpaceX fit into all of this? Paul, a strong supporter of ULA, argued that SpaceX could take national security missions planned for launch on the Atlas V for themselves, and become a launching monopoly. The fact that RD-180 engines are now prohibited from use for much longer is a major blow to ULA and a big boost to Blue Origin and SpaceX. Blue Origin could now increase the rate of development of the BE-4 engine so that the Vulcan can get onto the stage as soon as possible. In the meantime, SpaceX’s new Falcon Heavy rocket could steal scheduled military launches from the Atlas V. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 has

already stolen a National Reconnaissance Office satellite launch and the Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane, which were have usually been launched by ULA. There is a fatal flaw in Paul’s argument, however.

He does not want the military to be forced to use commercial rocket engines and does not want them to have to compete for launches against the private space industry. But frankly, it is time for some launch competition in the U.S. The first Atlas V launch for ULA was in 2007, and SpaceX did not launch a military satellite until May of this year. This means that for ten years, ULA was the sole provider of military space launches. The merger between Lockheed and Boeing was viewed by many, including SpaceX, as the formation of a launch monopoly. ULA launched very significant missions for NASA and the Department of Defense, but they had no competition whatsoever for a decade.

And now, when competition is at ULA’s doorstep, their supporters lash out.

The provisions discussed in section 1615 came as a shock to many in the commercial space industry, but I believe that they are necessary and appropriate.

Just like the majority of the private space sector wants to see American astronauts launched on American soil with American rockets (instead of old Russian ones), they similarly want to see American rocket engines being used on launch vehicles. It simply does not make sense to use foreign rocket engines when there are several worthy rocket engine providers in the U.S., such as Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Aerojet Rocketdyne. Ron Paul needs to realize that the growing commercial space industry will pull the military along with it and that the resulting competition and change will foster a rewarding economic environment.

Virgin Orbit Acquires First Contract for New LauncherOne System William Rhodes Correspondent Virgin Orbit recently declared that they were selected by Cloud Constellation Corporation to deliver the SpaceBelt constellation satellites.

The agreement was signed by the two Chief Executive Officers of the two companies during the World Satellite Business Week in Paris. The deal states that Virgin Orbit will put a dozen satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

that will eventually become the SpaceBelt system, which is a spaced-based cloud storage network that plans to eliminate data being vulnerable to attack.

Virgin will place the satellites into LEO via their new LauncherOne system as early as 2019. LauncherOne, a two-stage rocket that launches from a Boeing 747-400 carrier, is in the final testing stages. The 747, aptly named Cosmic Girl, is designed to carry the rocket to approximately 35,000 feet before

releasing the rocket. Once the rocket is released, the 1st stage 73,500 lbf engine ignites using LOX/ RP-1 fuel. This engine, the NewtonThree, will fire for 3 minutes before main engine cutoff (MECO) and will then separate for the 2nd stage engine, the NewtonFour, to fire. The NewtonFour produces 5,000 lbf and is also a LOX/RP-1 fueled engine that will perform multiple burns to place the upper stage and payload into LEO. The system can carry a

max payload of 1100 lbm and can launch within nine months after signing the contract. LauncherOne hopes to minimize the cost and increase the reliability of placing small satellites into orbit.

The design of the LauncherOne system is not new to the aerospace industry; however, it was seen in the early days of rocket flight with the X-15 being launched mid-flight by a B-52. It is also not the only private company developing

a launch system like this.

Stratolaunch also is developing a similar system but has developed the largest aircraft in history with a wingspan of 385 feet (longer than the International Space Station) and weighing a whopping 1.2 million pounds. Stratolaunch is designed to carry very large rockets including Falcon 9’s.

As more private space companies pop up, the future of space travel and space-related industries seems very bright.

Launch Control Center AsiaSat 9 - Proton

September 28 @ 14:50 ET Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan

Intelsat 37e & BSAT 4a - Ariane 5

September 29 @ 17:47 ET Kourou, French Guiana ELA-3

SES-11/EchoStar 105 - Falcon 9 October 2 @ TBD Kennedy Space Center LC-39A

ISS Sightings September 26

20:37 - Visible for two minutes, the ISS will rise from 14° above the North West and disappear above 10° North. It will reach its highest point at 14°.

September 27

19:44 - Visible for three minutes, the ISS will rise from 27° above the North West and disappear above 10° North North East. It will reach its highest point at 27°.

September 29

19:37 - Visible for two minutes, the ISS will rise from 11° above the North West and disappear above 10° North North West.

Highest point will be at 11°.

This Week in Space History September 26, 1962 NASA announced that it had completed preliminary plans for the development of the $500-million Mississippi Test Facility.

September 29, 1961 USAF awarded three contracts to Boeing Co., Radio Corp. of America, and Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Co. for development of the Dyna-Soar.

September 30, 1995 Last transmission received from Pioneer 11, a probe studying the asteroid belt.

Photo Courtesy: Virgin Galactic An artist’s interpretation of the LauncherOne’s stage separation before the NewtonFour carries the satellite into orbit.

Photo Courtesy: Virgin Galactic An artist’s interpretation of Cosmic Girl releasing the LauncherOne rocket.

October 1, 1974 On this day, the Air Force awarded contracts to Martin Marietta Corporation, Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, The Boeing Company, and others for nine-month IUS System Study efforts.

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September

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Northrop Grumman Aquires Orbital ATK for $9.2 Billion

Samantha Stirmel Correspondent

Northrop Grumman announced September 18 that it plans to acquire Orbital ATK for a whopping $9.2 Billion in total.

The deal is still pending regulatory and Orbital ATK shareholder approv-

al, but has been so far unanimously approved by the boards of both companies and well received by the public. This came after the deal from United Technologies to buy Rockwell Collins for $30 Billion. The official Northrop Grumman and Orbital ATK merge

Photo Courtesy: Northrop Grumman

should be wrapped up by the first half of 2018 if all goes according to the plans of the two companies. The deal impacts the current total owners of Orbital ATK which will eventually see a payout from Northrop Grumman of about $134.50 per share which reflects the premium of about 22.2% from Orbitals Friday (September 15) closing price of $110.04. Northrop Grumman’s shareholders have also profited from this buyout, as the positive response has correlated to a positive increase of around 1.3% during trading. This move is looked at by most as a huge stepping stone for Northrop Grumman to get more involved in space as well

as boost revenue for the company.

Considering they already have several defense contracts with the United States, Northrop Grumman is just adding to the diverse portfolio of jobs they already have done by acquiring Orbital and their portfolio as well.

These upcoming contracts are already projected to rake in more than $4.4 Billion as annual revenue according to recent financial statements, meaning Northrop Grumman just ensured their survival and expansion into the space industry. Not only that, Northrop Grumman officials say the company expects to produce sales in the range of $29.5 to $30 billion currently. It also expects to be accretive to

Photo Courtesy: Orbital ATK

earnings per share and the free cash flow per share within the first full year of absorbing Orbital, generating an estimated annual pre-tax savings of about $150 million by 2020.

Coincidentally, all of this is coming into play after

a recent request by President Trump to increase fiscal 2018 defense spending by 10% from the present level. Therefore, this is the opportune time to monopolize as many government contracts as possible.

What’s Next for SpaceX? Abigail Johnson Correspondent Elon Musk publicly announced his intentions of going to Mars some time ago now, yet when exactly will SpaceX launch a mission to Mars’ surface? According to Musk’s Mars Talk, SpaceX plans to launch the first flights to Mars around early 2023. Whether these ships will be manned ships or unmanned sup-

ply payloads, 2023 is only a short six years from now. SpaceX plans to continue its Falcon missions until the end of next year.

It was announced that in 2019, new tests will begin with the Red Dragon missions, supply missions that Musk says will be delivering payloads to Mars. The crew that is monitoring these future missions, the Dragon Crew, is currently in training within SpaceX.

The question everyone keeps asking remains unknown. When will humans actually be living there? SpaceX has yet to even travel very far out of Earth’s atmosphere, not to mention the surface of the moon. Problems with financial conflicts and technological restraints seem to be the main factors holding Musk from an absolute answer. Elon Musk even mentioned future missions to Jupiter

and the planet’s moons, as well as Saturn. While it is always great to think ahead, one step at a time must be taken to achieve this goal. Until a deep space mission is officially underway, it will be hard to predict when we can set foot on Mars. Scientists will likely have prepared a better response after SpaceX’s upcoming launch, the Falcon Heavy, this November at Kennedy Space Center.

Photo Courtesy: TED Elon Musk, founder and CTO of SpaceX, giving a TED talk

All That Glitters is Not Quite Gold Collin Anderson News Editor The Kingsman series started strong with the first movie. Being filled with action, humor, and etiquette, it was almost like James Bond but with a more millennial feel.

Having high hopes after the first one, I decided to see the sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Director Matthew Vaughn wasted no time getting right into the action. Of course, a Kingsman fight scene wouldn’t be complete without an 80’s song: Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” was the weapon of choice. The main villain is Poppy (Julianne

Moore), an international cartel leader who runs her business from the Cambodian jungle and loves the 1950’s vibe. Her objective is for the United States to end the War on Drugs so she can monopolize and profit from her drug company. However, she laces her drugs with a biological weapon - a method that is almost identical to the first movie except it’s not a SIM card this time. Poppy’s cartel is referred to as The Golden Circle, which is where the title of the film originates. After most of the Kingsman agents are targeted and killed, Eggsy and Merlin are faced to go to Kentucky to ask for

help from the Statesman, their American counterparts whose front is distilling whiskey instead of tailoring suits. Similar to how all of the Kingsmen are named after Arthur’s Knights of the Roundtable, the Statesmen are named after different types of liquor such as Tequila (Channing Tatum), Champagne (Jeff Bridges), and Whiskey (Pedro Pascal).

Like Merlin, their behind the scenes agent is named Ginger Ale (Halle Berry).

The famous church fight scene from the last movie is similar yet different. The scene is synced with Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s

Alright (For Fighting)” instead of “Freebird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. That was the scene I was looking forward to the most, and it didn’t deliver on its hopes. A reoccurring theme throughout the movie always came back to John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Overall, the movie was ok. What they lacked for original plot, they made up for in fight scenes, musical selection, celebrity cameos, and casting. Do not go to this movie thinking it will be better than the first. You will walk out somewhat disappointed. Manners maketh man, but original plot maketh a movie.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Zachary Fedewa/The Avion Newspaper

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Upcoming Games: Tuesday Women’s Volleyball vs. Rollins Away 7:00pm

26 Sports ERAU Women’s Volleyball Drops Five-Setter to Nova Southeastern September

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Wednesday Women’s Soccer vs. Eckerd Away 6:55PM Men’s Soccer vs. Eckerd Soccer Complex 7:00PM

Thursday No Games

Friday Women’s Volleyball vs. Lynn Away 7:00PM Photo Courtesy: Rajan Khanna Women’s Volleyball player McKenna Jenna attacks the ball with force to spike out the opposing team.

Her teammate Theresa Jordan looks on with moral support.

Saturday Men’s Soccer vs. Barry Away 5:45PM Women’s Soccer vs. Barry Soccer Complex 7:00PM

Sunday No Games

Monday No Games

Despite 20 kills from Melanie Canfield and 17 kills from Erika Barbour, the Embry-Riddle volleyball team came up a few points short against visiting Nova Southeastern on Friday night.

The Eagles (3-3, 1-2) looked strong in the second and third sets, but NSU (3-2, 1-0) was able to eek out three two-point set wins to earn the match victory, 3-2 (26-24, 16-25, 19-25, 25-23, 16-14).

Olivia Roa led all players with 22 digs and Alyssa Rudd had a matchhigh 44 assists as well as a season-high 13 digs.

The Sharks started quickly, opening up a 7-2 lead early in the first set. A kill from Theresa Jordan got the Eagles going, sparking a 7-1 run that gave the Blue and Gold its first lead at 9-8. NSU rallied back quickly to regain the lead and pushed it back to a four-point margin at 14-10.

Embry-Riddle chipped away at the deficit, eventually pulling even at 24-24 on a Shark hitting error.

But the Eagles couldn’t carry the momentum any further as NSU took the next two points to win the opening set, 26-24.

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Alyssa Rudd had a match-high 44 assists as well as a seasonhigh 13 digs.

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Michael Pierce Correspondent

ERAU bounced back with a solid effort in set two, hitting .267 with just five attach errors.

The Eagles jumped out to an early 6-2 lead and before long the lead had grown to 19-12.

Embry-Riddle cruised from that point to a 25-16 win, tying the match at a set apiece.

The Blue and Gold put together another strong frame in the third set, outhitting NSU .243 to .108 while committing just four attack errors. A

strong start put ERAU in the driver’s seat with a 10-5 lead and the Sharks were never able to get any closer than three points the rest of the way as ERAU won the set, 25-19, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

Set four started out like the previous two, with Embry-Riddle quickly opening up an 8-3 lead.

The Sharks then decided to switch to a 6-2 offense, and the coaching decision paid off rapidly. NSU went on a 7-1 run, which also included four blocks, to take a 10-9 lead.

The Blue and Gold were able to rally back, and after an 8-2 spurt, the Eagles found themselves ahead by a 20-16 margin. After trading sideouts, ERAU looked to be comfortably in the lead at 23-19, but Nova Southeastern went on a furious rally to score six consecutive points, keyed by a pair of aces, including the set-winner, to take the set, 25-23, pushing the match to a fifth set.

In the fifth, the Sharks

continued to ride their wave of momentum to an early 5-2 lead.

But ERAU quickly tied things up thanks to three straight NSU errors, and the Eagles took a 6-5 lead on a kill from Canfield.

Embry-riddle extended the lead to 10-8 and six points later found themselves just two points away from a win for the second straight set, leading 13-11. Just as they did in set four, the Sharks rallied late, scoring two straight points to tie it at 13.

A Barbour kill gave Embry-Riddle match point, but NSU was once again able to fend off the impending loss, scoring two points with two straight Denvyr Tyler-Palmer kills, before clinching the match on a miscommunication by the Eagles that led to an error.

The Eagles return to the ICI Center court tomorrow at 4 p.m. when they host Barry in another Sunshine State Conference match.

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ERAU Cross Country At The Mountain Dew Invite Men’s

Alison Smalling ERAU Athletics The Embry-Riddle men’s cross-country team competed in the 2017 University of Florida Mountain Dew Invitational, Saturday morning at the University of Florida Golf course.

As a team, the men finished in fourth place and had eight runners

Women’s

finish in the top 100 in a field that featured over 200 competitors.

Embry-Riddle placed in 4th at the meet with a total of 143 points. North Florida won the event with a team score of 52, followed by Tennessee Tech (83 points) and University of Florida (109 points). Tennessee Tech’s Gilbert Boit was the top overall finisher with a

time of 24:30.9.

The Eagles placed five runners in the top 50 led by Matt Graves who finished 14th overall with 25:49.0. Calahan Warren (26:08.5) finished 20th, Noah Kemp (26:32.4) finished 33rd, Shaun Bullock (26:46.8) finished 44th, and Stephen Dietz (26:51.5) finished 47th to score for the Eagles.

Alison Smalling ERAU Athletics The Embry-Riddle women’s cross-country team ran to a eighth place finish at the 2017 University of Florida Mountain Dew Invitational, Saturday morning at the University of Florida Golf course. The Eagles had six runners finish in the top 100 in a field with over 300 competitors.

Embry-Riddle finished in eighth place with a total of 237 points. University of Florida won the event with a team score of 88. Florida International (148), North Florida (156), Florida State 168), Jacksonville (189), UCF (228) and Sunshine State Conference foe Tampa (228) were the only schools to finish ahead of the Eagles. Eden Meyer won the even for North Florida

with a time of 17:09.4.

Sarah Edens was the top finisher for the Blue and Gold, fishing in 13th with a time of 18:26.3.

The Eagles placed two in the top 50 and six in the top 100. Alex Orr (20th, 18:38.2), Mikaela Hakamaa (59th, 19:24.3), Marina Levine (63rd, 19:27.9) and Eliza Gazda (92nd, 20:00.5) rounded out the Eagle scorers.

Riddle Crew Prepares for the Spring

Zachary Fedewa/The Avion Newspaper Upper class students work on conditioning before their final spring competition season.

Zachary Fedewa/The Avion Newspaper The freshman boat is getting physically conditioned during their weekend workout on the Halifax River.

Zachary Fedewa/The Avion Newspaper Two students are piloting a “Men’s 2” boat. A Men’s 2 boat can reach the same speed as a “Women’s 8” boat due to the increased power to weight ratio. A Men’s 8 is considered one of the fastest boats.

Zachary Fedewa/The Avion Newspaper Freshman work on carrying their boat into the water. The “Freshman 8” consists of eight rowers and one coxswain, which directs the boat.

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