Reading time ( words)
Well, William Shatner finally did the field research for his role as Captain James T. Kirk this week, going sub-orbital on the Blue Origin launch platform. No, I’m not making fun of Shatner’s flight, quite the contrary. He’s the first actor in the entire Star Trek franchise to go into space while still living. And at 90 years old, he’s now the oldest person to make the trip as well!
We may not have moved humanity beyond our planet’s orbit since the Apollo era, but the intervening 45 or so years have seen humanity shift the qualifications for achieving orbit (and beyond) from a government-funded, quasi-military operation requiring years of training and a ton of aviation prerequisites, to something that any reasonably fit human being can enjoy. Systems operation has been redesigned, leveraging 21st century interfaces, so that average citizens can be certified in capsule operations after just a few weeks (as evidenced by the recent multi-day orbital SpaceX flight with a crew of four non-astronauts.)
Real extra-orbital space flight will require vehicles that can be operated by folks who are domain experts in fields other than aviation—experts in life sciences and engineering, for example. The private enterprise space vehicle companies, as a body, are proving that regular people be trained to make the trip.
Meanwhile, back here on Earth, we had a newsy week. New books, new Mil-Aero partnerships, new conformal coating products, new CEO leadership, and new defense contracts, all on the wire this week. So, while you saw Shatner go ballistic (see what I did there?) you might have missed these news items. We’re catching you up; that’s what we do. Enjoy your weekend!
Learn How to Avoid Solder Defects With New Book Authored by Indium Corporation
Published October 13
The latest title in the I-007eBook library, The Printed Circuit Assembler’s Guide to… Solder Defects, is getting a lot of attention. Indium Corporation’s Christopher Nash and Dr. Ronald C. Lasky address the top six defects, as well as how to avoid them. This includes minimizing voiding, head-in-pillow and non-wet opens, and tombstoning of passive components. This book is especially beneficial to PCB assemblers looking to improve the reliability of their end-product.
Celestica Partners with ECM to Bring Patented Technology Solutions to the Aerospace, Defense Market
Published October 11
Celestica specializes in supply chain solutions; ECM is a software and tech company with a core competency in electric motors and generators. This partnership promises to bring these two areas of expertise together to serve the aerospace and defense market’s printed circuit board stator applications.
Electrolube to Launch New Generation of Conformal Coatings & Thermal Gap Fillers at productronica
Published October 12
Protective solutions will be taking center stage with Electrolube at productronica Specifically, a highly thermally conductive thermal gap filler suitable for a wide range of applications including EVs, batteries and chargers, and more. This is a new two-part, bio-based conformal coating that is completely unique to the industry. Electrolube claims it to be “an absolute game-changer.”
LPKF Names Dr. Klaus Fiedler New CEO
Published October 8
Dr. Klaus Fiedler, currently vice president and head of corporate ventures at SCHOTT AG, will become the new Chief Executive Officer of LPKF Laser & Electronics AG. Follow the link for more details on his appointment and what this means to the company and the industry.
U.S. Army Accelerates Delivery Of Sentinel A4 Missile Defense Radar
Published October 12
The contract awarded to Lockheed Martin is to begin production for five radar systems developed specifically to detect and identify cruise missiles, unmanned aerial systems, rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft, and rocket, artillery, and mortar threats. The article notes Lockheed Martin’s work to develop digital models of the electronics, systems, and supply base.
