Mentor Blogs

Would you buy a one-way ticket to Mars? Seriously, just one way. It’s an interesting proposition, if not a bit frightening. Many have pondered that it is perhaps more likely that many people can conceive of putting someone we know on a one-way flight to the Red Planet, rather than taking on the challenge ourselves. Heck, even Ralph Kramden of “The Honeymooners” fame promised to send his wife Alice … Read More

Mentor Graphics, Mentor, Mentor.com, astronaut, Aerospace, Mars, Mil-Aero, Milaero, Mars One, Design Automation, Red Planet, Geek, Technology

NASA, for the second consecutive year, is actively seeking proposals for suborbital technology payloads and spacecraft capability enhancements capable of potentially revolutionizing future space missions. NASA will help test selected technologies before they are used for their intended purpose and environment—being launched into and functioning in the dark, cold reaches of outer space. After the selected … Read More

NASA's Langley Research Center, NASA's Flight Opportunities Program, Mil-Aero, Computer, Milaero, Military, nasa, Aerospace, electrical, Hardware, Mentor, Electronic, Mentor Graphics, Design Automation, Mentor.com, Electric, Game Changing Development Program, Engineer, Geek, NICER/SEXTANT, Small Spacecraft Technology Program, Stephen Gaddis

Aerospace engineers and executives will be happy to hear that, for the second year, NASA plans to assist makers of space-related technologies, such as advanced payloads and spacecraft systems. This month, NASA announced that it is soliciting proposals from aerospace technology companies from far and wide. NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program is sponsoring the solicitation for proposals, which … Read More

nasa, Military, Mentor Graphics, Computer, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Milaero, Aerospace, electrical, Geek, Hardware, Electronic, James Reuther, Design Automation, Mentor, Electric, Flight Opportunities Program, Engineer, Game Changing Opportunities in Technology Development, suborbital

The Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum: Military & Aerospace (IESF) presented by Mentor Graphics takes place 20 March 2013 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas — a wonderful location, 73 degrees F and partly cloudy, for a break in the wintry weather in the Northern U.S. and Canada. This year’s tracks tackle issues related to: Electrical Distribution Systems, System Engineering, System … Read More

Military, Milaero, Mentor, and UTC Aerospace Systems, Mentor Graphics, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Aerospace, IBM, electrical, Electronic, IESF, Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum: Military & Aerospace, Design Automation, L-3 Link Simulation, Engineer, Embedded Systems, Geek, Richard L. Aboulafia, Worldwide Certification Services, Teal Group, Triad Semiconductor, SAAB Aeronautics, Software

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the U.S., investigating the cause of a fire on a Boeing Dreamliner 787 parked at Boston Logan Airport in January, transitioned its work from a macroscopic study to a microscopic examination, including chemical and elemental analysis of the areas of internal short circuiting and thermal damage. Soon after launching a microscopic investigation, NTSB officials … Read More

Massport Fire Rescue, Japan Airlines, Engineer, Aerospace, APU, Geek, Hardware, JAL, 787, Dreamliner, Boeing, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Electric, electrical, auxiliary power unit, Electronic, Boston Fire Department, Design Automation, Mentor, Military, Mil-Aero, Milaero, Mentor Graphics, Mentor.com

Aerospace professionals the world over are focused on three little words: Lithium ion batteries. Even the collective interest of the defense community (more on that later) is piqued about potential power problems. Alliteration aside, Boeing’s 787 battery has captured the attention of aerospace geeks, government agencies, and the traveling public. In case you haven’t heard about the latest trouble with … Read More

Massport Fire Rescue, Japan Airlines, Engineer, Aerospace, APU, Geek, Hardware, JAL, 787, Dreamliner, Boeing, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Electric, electrical, auxiliary power unit, Electronic, Boston Fire Department, Design Automation, Mentor, Military, Mil-Aero, Milaero, Mentor Graphics, Mentor.com

What does a longtime space agency do with lunar research satellites when they have run out of fuel? If you’re the space geeks at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, California, you do something unforgettable: You crash them into moon! Ebb and Flow are appliance-sized probes (or spacecraft) in NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) … Read More

Military, Milaero, Mentor, Delta II, Mentor Graphics, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Aerospace, Ebb, Geek, GRAIL, electrical, JPL, Design Automation, Lockheed Martin, Discovery Program, Engineer, Embedded Systems, Flow, nasa, The Boeing Company

Unmanned vehicles, especially the aerial variety, as the subject of much attention in the military & aerospace industry; public opinion of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) appears to be split, as concerns over safety, security, and privacy grow. The UAV’s history is nonetheless intriguing. In 1915, famous scientist and visionary Nikola Tesla first described a fleet of unmanned aerial combat vehicles. … Read More

Milaero, Mil-Aero, Lawrence Sperry, cruise missile, Mentor, Mentor Graphics, Mentor.com, Aerospace, Electric, Flying Bomb, Geek, electrical, Hardware, Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane, Design Automation, Elmer Sperry, Electronic, Engineer, Military, Peter Hewitt

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) continue to grow in use and popularity; yet, little attention is paid to UAV history, which contains some valuable, if not shocking (pun intended), insights. On November 8, 1898, Nikola Tesla was granted U.S. Patent Number 613809 for what was likely the first remote control and unmanned vehicle ever envisioned. The patent, entitled “Method of and Apparatus for Controlling … Read More

teleautomaton, remote-controlled robot, Milaero, Military, mind control, Nikola Tesla, Aerospace, electrical, Mentor, Mentor Graphics, Electronic, Mentor.com, Design Automation, Mil-Aero, Electric, Geek, Embedded Systems, Hardware, UAV, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

The military and aerospace (mil/aero) market is currently a hotbed of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) activity. UAV platforms, technologies, challenges, and even mishaps are making news headlines and drawing a great deal of attention of late. Whereas the UAV is likely the hottest topic in mil/aero today, a much smaller industry segment know well the UAV’s rich and interesting history. The geek wants … Read More

Military, Milaero, Mentor, Aerospace, alternating current, Mentor Graphics, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, AC, Electronic, Engineer, Design Automation, Geek, Hardware, DC, Electric, Direct Current, electrical, Nikola Tesla, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Thomas Edison, UAV

Airbus and The Boeing Company might appear to have little in common, but they certainly share a fascinating, and even intertwined, history. Both aviation firms are pioneers, having contributed numerous innovations in the field throughout the years. As technology advancements, new aircraft models, and litigations continue in the years that follow, so too does the competition between the two airframe … Read More

Mentor, Geek, Mentor Graphics, Airbus, Aerospace, Mentor.com, Design Automation, Mil-Aero, Engineer, Boeing, Milaero

“The delays are not caused by bungling or production glitches,” EADS CEO Louis Gallois is quoted as saying at the 2011 International Paris-Le Bourget Air Show (http://www.paris-air-show.com/). “The A350 is the best-managed program at Airbus by far and the program is under control. This is not about delays but about improvements in the program.” Airbus executives decided to delay by one year the new … Read More

Mentor, Design Automation, Mentor Graphics, A350-1000, Aerospace, 700-300ER, Mentor.com, Boeing, Milaero, Airbus, Technology

Airbus and The Boeing Company have been the subjects of much criticism when it comes to production delays. While one company works to rationalize a delay in entering new aircraft into service, the rival often uses the other’s delay to its own advantage; in both cases, the public is often entertained by the sometimes creative “spins” on an unfortunate happenstance. In mid-2011, Airbus executives reluctantly … Read More

Mentor, Hardware, Mentor Graphics, Airbus, Aerospace, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Geek, Boeing, Milaero, Design Automation, Technology

It has become more and more challenging to deliver products–especially complex and intricate components, systems, and platforms–on time in this day and age. For many, the global economic recession brought with it reductions in personnel; and yet, military and aerospace (mil/aero) were still expected to (and needed to) deliver novel, high-tech products on time and on budget without the advent … Read More

Recession, Military, Mentor Graphics, Design Automation, economic recession, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Milaero, Aerospace, Electronic, global, Globalization, electronic design automation, Hardware, Mentor, electrical, Engineer, Embedded Systems, Geek, Software

Military and aerospace (mil/aero) program performance, efficiency, and contract fulfillment—as well as the deliverables they provide—are of paramount importance not only to the customer running the program and awarding the contracts, but also the end user, who is often eagerly awaiting the innovation, technologies, and capabilities. Expenses are up, schedules are tight, and programs get cancelled, but … Read More

John Garrison, Geek, Mentor, Bell Helicopter, Military, One Bell, Aerospace, Mentor Graphics, Embedded Systems, Mentor.com, Engineer, Mil-Aero, Design Automation, Milaero