Mentor Blogs

On Saturday, 25 August 2012, the worldwide aerospace community lost one of its greatest heroes. “Neil Armstrong was a hero not just of his time, but of all time,” describes President Barack Obama in a statement released the day of Armstrong’s death. “Thank you, Neil, for showing us the power of one small step.” Neil Armstrong, commander of NASA’s historic Apollo 11 mission, … Read More

Mentor Graphics, Mentor, Mentor.com, USC, U.S. Navy, Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong, Perdue University, President Barack Obama, Aerospace, Technology, Mil-Aero, Geek, Milaero, Gemini 8, Military, Embedded Systems, nasa, Engineer

As I talked about last week, the news lately has been dominated by the Olympics, but NASA managed to grab a few headlines by successfully landing the Curiosity rover on Mars. I have always been interested in space exploration and I am curious about what the inside of embedded systems look like. To me, Curiosity is just an embedded system with 6 wheels and 17 cameras … I have always been impressed … Read More

Mars, nasa

Forty-three years ago, on 20 July 1969, the United States Apollo 11 became the first manned mission to the moon. Were you aware, however, that it the first space vehicle to reach the vicinity of the moon was not manned at all? Intrigued? This geek hopes so. Fun fact: Unmanned spacecraft reached the vicinity of the moon a decade before the first manned mission landed on the lunar surface. The Soviet … Read More

Moon, Milaero, Mentor, Apollo, Mentor Graphics, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Aerospace, Electric, Geek, electrical, Hardware, Luna, Computer, Luna 1, COTS, Embedded Systems, Electronic, Engineer, nasa, spacecraft, unmanned, Sally Ride, Soviet Union

Forty-three years ago this month, astronauts made history. The Apollo 11 mission, a milestone in human history, continues to be celebrated worldwide decades later. The first words spoken on the moon by Neil Armstrong, the first to step onto the lunar surface, remain among the most famous and inspirational in the world: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Nearly 500 million … Read More

Neil Armstrong, nasa, Mentor.com, Apollo 11, Mil-Aero, Milaero, Moon, Aerospace, COTS, Geek, Hardware, Electric, Mentor, Buzz Aldrin, Mentor Graphics, Cold War, Electronic, electrical, Engineer, Soviet Union, Technology

The aerospace industry has a way of keeping an even keel, even in the most trying economic times. When government funding for spacecraft waned, commercial investment soared. When commercial aviation and business aviation sectors suffered significant losses, the military sector posted gains and kept the market afloat. The aerospace industry is alive and well. It appears to have weathered the storm and, … Read More

nasa, SLS, heavy-lift vehicle, Space Launch System

This geek loves the modern space race, as it is being called by many. I speak of the resurgence of interest in rockets, spacecraft, and virtually all things space-related. I enjoy all facets of it—whether private, public, international, or domestic. I love it all, as my fellow geeks likely already know. The recent decommissioning of the U.S. Space Shuttle program, after many decades of successful service, … Read More

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The aerospace industry was born more than 100 years ago, when the internal combustion engine was joined to the balloon and the glider, reads a NASA Web page. “America’s contribution to it is vast, ranging from the first airplane and the first modern rocket to the latest in avionics.” Is the U.S. the losing its status on the world stage as a leader in aerospace innovation? On the state level, … Read More

Mentor.com, Mentor Graphics, Mil-Aero, Boeing, Aerospace, Gov. Chris Gregoire, Milaero, Military, Mentor, Electronic, nasa, Geek, Ray Conner

When the Space Shuttle retires as scheduled in June, NASA will be dependent on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Based on a recent $753 million contract NASA awarded to the Russian Federal Space Agency, these outsourced services cost U.S. taxpayers roughly $63 million per seat. It’s doubtless a hefty price tag, but NASA lacks U.S.-based … Read More

Aerospace, nasa, Virgin Galactic, Soyuz, Milaero, Geek, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, ISS, Elon Musk, rad-hard, spacex, Mentor, Boeing, Russian Federal Space Agency, Space Shuttle, Mentor Graphics

Decades ago, the United States and the Soviet Union were in competition, battling for superiority in the space race and demonstrating scientific prowess, technological capabilities, and power. Now fodder for the history books, the space race bred myriad advancements through competition; today, in a time of budget cuts, the U.S. is paying Russia for help when it comes to human spaceflight. NASA officials … Read More

Military, Milaero, nasa, Charles Bolden, Geek, Aerospace, Obama, Mentor.com, Russian Federal Space Agency, Mil-Aero, Mentor, Soyuz, Mentor Graphics

This geek is in love with the developing private space flight industry. If you haven’t been an avid follower, my previous blogs on the President’s 2012 Budget Request for NASA and the latest announcements from X Prize, SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic can get you up to speed. It is terribly exciting to witness technological advancements stemming from private investment, commercial successes pioneering research … Read More

nasa, Military, Obama, Geek, US, Mentor, Virgin Galactic, x prize, Aerospace, Russia, Mil-Aero, Space Race, Milaero, spacex, Mentor Graphics, U.S.S.R., Mentor.com

The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2012, if approved, will revert NASA’s spending to 2010 levels overall. This geek wonders if, as federal funds for space exploration shrink, commercial investment in space innovations will grow. If the previous couple years are any indication, the private space race is likely to heat up and reach new heights (hopefully low Earth orbit, most often referred … Read More

Milaero, Mil-Aero, Military, Aerospace, Geek, Add new tag, Mentor Graphics, nasa, Sir Richard Charles Branson, Mentor.com, LEO, spacex, Mentor, Virgin Galactic

The Obama administration has announced its 2012 budget request; and, if approved, it will reduce spending for NASA in the next fiscal year to $18.7 billion, the same amount the agency gained in 2010 and roughly $300 million less than NASA received in the 2011 budget request. “The times today are very difficult fiscally, and we’re going to live within a budget,” says NASA administrator … Read More

Mentor Graphics, Mentor, Mentor.com, Barrack Obama, Obama, President, budget, Aerospace, Mil-Aero, International Space Station, Milaero, ISS, Military, Charles Bolden, nasa, Geek

Google Lunar X Prize The roster of competitors is set for the Google Lunar X Prize, a multimillion-dollar race to land a homemade robot on the moon. Twenty-nine privately funded teams have thrown their hats in the ring, contest organizers announced Feb. 17. The teams represent 17 nations spanning four continents, and the competitors range from non-profits to university consortia to billion-dollar … Read More

Mentor.com, Mentor Graphics, Mil-Aero, Earth, Geek, Aerospace, Lunar, Milaero, Military, Mentor, Google, nasa, Google Lunar X prize, x prize

It’s not that I was suspicious. I have no axe to grind against Toyota and was pleased to read that after a 10-month study, NASA and NHTSA engineers found no electronic flaws in Toyota vehicles capable of causing unintended acceleration. But I was curious to know how they did it – how they examined and tested mechanical and electronic components and what tools they used to analyze some 280,000 lines … Read More

unintende acceleration, Toyota, electromagnetic radiation, event data recorders, brake override systems, nasa, NHTSA, Goddard Space Flight Center, keyless ignition

The President’s budget request for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in fiscal year 2011, released 1 Feb. 2010, added $6 billion over five years. The $6 billion increase was accompanied by instructions as to how the money should be invested, which was hotly criticized at the time. Looking back nearly a year later, it’s evident that the additional funding has been a boon … Read More

Military, Milaero, Mentor, Computer, Mentor Graphics, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Aerospace, Geek, DoD, George W. Bush, Hardware, Constellation, Mars, COTS, Embedded Systems, Electronic, Engineer, Moon, spacex, Virgin Galactic, nasa, Obama