Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Paul Adams Receives ASME Leadership Award

Paul Adams, Pratt & Whitney’s senior vice president of Operations & Engineering, was named recipient of the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineering) 2012 Leadership Award for advancing the use of computers and information in engineering.

Adams was recognized by the ASME Computers & Information in Engineering Division (CIE) for integrating state-of-the-art computing resources into Pratt & Whitney’s product design, manufacturing engineering, quality testing operations and supply chain to achieve superior, reliable jet engine products that are second to none in the world. In particular, he has championed and led the investment in computing platforms that enable effective use and sharing of information across Pratt & Whitney’s global engineering teams.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release.

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Vintage Pratt & Whitney Engines Power 'Spirit of North Carolina'

The Star News of Wilmington, N.C., published a great feature on "The Spirit of North Carolina" today. This airplane is one of a few A-26C Invaders still flying today. Its engines? Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasps.

Douglas Aircraft Company built fewer than 2,500 A-26s, so don't miss your chance to see "The Spirit of North Carolina" if it is part of the flying display at an air show near you. The Star News notes that the aircraft is set to appear in Winston-Salem, N.C., Raleigh, N.C., and Stuart, Fla., this year.

The R-2800 Double Wasp engine powered more than 38 types of aircraft, including the Chance Vought F4U Corsair, Martin B-26 Marauder, Northrop P-61 Black Widow, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and Grumman F6F Hellcat, F7F Tigercat and F8F Bearcat.

Pratt & Whitney built more than 125,000 Double Wasp engines from 1939 to 1960.

Readers: What R-2800-powered aircraft have you seen in action? Tell us about it in a comment. 

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Friday, August 10, 2012

Hess, Industry Leaders Urge End to Sequestration at West Palm Beach Rally

Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky, in conjunction with the Aerospace Industries Association, hosted a "Second to None" rally for more than 300 employees on Wednesday in West Palm Beach, Fla. The rally highlighted the critical contribution of the aerospace and defense industry to the U.S. economy and spread the word about the potential impact of budget sequestration.

The speaking program included U.S. Rep. Allen West of Florida, Pratt & Whitney President David Hess, Tom Burbage, executive vice president and general manager, Joint Strike Fighter Program Integration, Lockheed Martin and Scott Starrett, vice president, Washington Operations & Government Business Development, Sikorsky, all of whom were joined on stage by 50 U.S. veterans. The veterans, who are also Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky employees, were publicly recognized for their military service by each of the speakers, and by their fellow employees. Hess, who also serves as chairman of the Aerospace Industries Association, urged employees to join the fight against sequestration by contacting their elected officials.

"Massive sequestration budget cuts are a threat to American jobs, the economy and U.S. national security," Hess said. "We need you, our employees, to raise your voices loud and clear, and tell our elected officials that what we need is an alternative to sequestration that keeps us on the path of continued job creation, growth and innovation."

Click here to read the full text of Dave Hess' speech. 

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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Hamilton Sundstrand Rocketdyne Powers ‘Curiosity’ Rover on Mars

Moments after Curiosity landed on Mars, the rover successfully began its mission to see whether the red planet has ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life – thanks to power provided by Hamilton Sundstrand Rocketdyne, which helped design and develop the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG).

The MMRTG, which has a design life of 14 years, has been built to operate in a range of harsh environments, from the vacuum of deep space to extreme planetary surface atmospheres. It was developed by Hamilton Sundstrand Rocketdyne and Teledyne Energy Systems in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy.

The MMRTG is being used for the first time on the Curiosity mission. It provides both heat and electrical power to the rover, and continuous electrical power that allows day and night operation. The heat is used to provide thermal stability for Curiosity without drawing on the rover’s electrical power.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne press release. 

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Monday, August 6, 2012

Boeing to Further Develop Commercial Crew Space Transportation System under NASA CCiCap Award Supported by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne

NASA has selected Boeing to receive $460 million in additional funding to further develop the Boeing Commercial Crew Transportation System in the third round of the Commercial Crew Program, Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap). In its partnership with Boeing on CCiCap, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne will continue to support development of the service module with integrated launch-abort propulsion system for the Commercial Space Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft. The CST-100 spacecraft is designed to transport people to the International Space Station and other low-Earth orbit destinations.

The CCiCap agreement between NASA and Boeing focuses on the design and development of a fully-integrated commercial crew transportation system that includes spacecraft, launch vehicle and ground and mission systems. In its partnership with Boeing, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne will continue to provide support on propulsion system design maturation leading to the Critical Design Review, and complete development testing on key propulsion system components on the CST-100 spacecraft.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne press release.

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