Flight Safety Information - February 8, 2021 No. 028 In This Issue : Incident: Ikar E190 near Nizhny Novgorod on Feb 6th 2021, cracked windshield : Incident: Aeroflot SU95 at Saratov on Feb 7th 2021, rejected takeoff : Incident: Aeroflot A320 near Moscow on Feb 6th 2021, loss of communication due to partial radio system failure : Incident: Saudia A320 near Jeddah on Feb 5th 2021, loss of cabin pressure : Aircraft hits powerlines on approach : NTSB Puzzling Over Bent Rudder On Super Cruiser : The Airbus A321XLR Will Permanently Change US Aviation : Despite huge losses, US airlines are rolling in cash : Rolls-Royce proposes short summer shutdown of jet-engine plants : Next stop Mars: 3 spacecraft arriving in quick succession : 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Incident: Ikar E190 near Nizhny Novgorod on Feb 6th 2021, cracked windshield An Ikar Airlines Embraer ERJ-190, registration VP-BZJ performing flight EO-339 (dep Feb 5th) from Moscow Sheremetyevo to Magnitogorsk (Russia) with 61 passengers on board, was enroute at FL330 about 60nm west of Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) when the captain's windshield cracked prompting the crew to descend the aircraft to FL090 levelling off about 12 minutes later and divert to Nizhny Novgorod. The aircraft entered holds at FL090 and FL070 and landed safely in Nizhny Novgorod about one hour after leaving FL330. A replacement ERJ-190 registration VP-BZG reached Magnitogorsk with a delay of about 4 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Nizhny Novgorod about 45 hours after landing. Volga's Transport Investigation Department reported they are looking into the emergency landing forced by cracks developing in the windshield of the aircraft. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e2b225f&opt=0 Incident: Aeroflot SU95 at Saratov on Feb 7th 2021, rejected takeoff An Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet 100-95, registration RA-89042 performing flight SU-1357 from Saratov to Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia) with 69 passengers and 5 crew, was accelerating for takeoff from Saratov's runway 08 when the crew rejected takeoff at low speed (about 30 knots over ground) due to a technical malfunction. The aircraft slowed safely and returned to the apron. The flight was cancelled. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Saratov about 10 hours after the rejected takeoff. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e2b16f9&opt=0 Incident: Aeroflot A320 near Moscow on Feb 6th 2021, loss of communication due to partial radio system failure An Aeroflot Airbus A320-200, registration VQ-BEH performing flight SU-2694 from Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), was climbing out of Moscow when the aircraft levelled off at FL280, the crew selected the transponder code for loss of communication. While working the related checklists the crew was able to restore communication via one of the three available radios, descended the aircraft to FL170 and entered a hold to burn off fuel and returned to Moscow for a safe landing on Sheremetyevo's runway 24L about 2.5 hours after departure. The airline confirmed the aircraft returned due to a partial failure of the radio communication system. A replacement Airbus A321-200 registration VP-BFF is estimated to reach Amsterdam with a delay of 4 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e2a4e46&opt=0 Incident: Saudia A320 near Jeddah on Feb 5th 2021, loss of cabin pressure A Saudia Airbus A320-200, registration HZ-AS38 performing flight SV-322 from Cairo (Egypt) to Abha (Saudi Arabia), was enroute at FL370 about 15nm northwest of Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) when the crew initiated an emergency descent to FL100 levelling off at FL100 5 minutes later (average rate of descent 5400fpm) due to the loss of cabin pressure. The aircraft diverted to Jeddah for a safe landing on runway 34C about 30 minutes after leaving FL370. A replacement A320-200 registration HZ-AS43 departed Jeddah about 2 hours after HZ-AS38 had landed and reached Abha with a delay of 2.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Jeddah about 6 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e29a9ce&opt=0 Aircraft hits powerlines on approach This single-engine Mooney M20K aircraft sustained damage to its propeller and fuselage following a collision with three live power lines Wednesday night at Winchester Municipal Airport. A Nashville pilot was able to avoid a crash landing after colliding with live power lines during a Wednesday night landing at Winchester Municipal Airport. The pilot, who did not immediately identify himself pending an investigation, said he was returning home from a flight to Atlanta, and narrowly averted disaster when his plane collided with three live power lines about 8:15 p.m. on his final approach to the airport’s runway. The pilot, age 50, said that he was decreasing his altitude and had set his airspeed at 85 mph when his single-engine Mooney M20K aircraft suddenly struck three steel electrified power lines located on Diamond Drive where it intersects with Williams Cove Road. Inbound aircraft must fly over the power lines before crossing Cowan Highway to land at Winchester Municipal Airport, and the power lines can be difficult for pilots to visualize at night, the pilot said. “I have landed at the Winchester Municipal Airport once before during daylight hours, and I chose to land here again on this recent flight due to the airport’s cheaper gas prices,” he said. He said he logged 148 flight hours in 2018 with roughly 40 percent of those hours being night-flying hours. The pilot said his experience in the cockpit is probably what saved his life. “I had just decreased altitude and airspeed in preparation for landing when I heard a loud sound and saw a bright flash of light,” he said. “The aircraft’s nose bucked up and to the right, but I was able to maintain control and land the plane.” Though initially worried about damage to his single-engine plane’s landing gear, what he saw after a closer inspection shook the veteran pilot. “Strands of metal, apparently from the steel power lines, were wrapped around the propeller, and I was shocked to see several dime-sized holes burned into the fuselage,” the pilot said. “I’m just grateful that I was able to land and that nobody was injured.” https://www.tullahomanews.com/news/local/aircraft-hits-powerlines-on-approach/article_f648b4e4-67d7-11eb-b20b-53aba7135195.html NTSB Puzzling Over Bent Rudder On Super Cruiser The NTSB’s materials lab is now poring over the rudder of a Piper Super Cruiser that bent almost horizontally in flight in Alaska last June. The board recently issued a preliminary report on the incident, which created some challenges for the two pilots on board but worked out safely in the end. A private pilot was getting float flying lessons from an instructor and the two took off from Lake Hood Airport to practice water work on nearby Twin Island Lake last June 8. With the student flying, the aircraft made a normal water landing on the lake and took off again. He was on the crosswind, intending to stay in the pattern for another landing, when the aircraft suddenly yawed to the right. The instructor took control and quickly established that yaw control was all but lost and the aircraft was trying to climb. He pushed forward on the stick and dropped the water rudders to help stabilize the aircraft and headed for the airport rather than attempting another landing on the lake. After the safe landing, they saw the rudder separated from the stabilizer and flopped over to the left. “An initial examination of the rudder revealed that the vertical spar tube separated just above the upper hinge point and the top portion of the rudder folded over the horizontal stabilizer tail brace wires,” the preliminary report said. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/ntsb-puzzling-over-bent-rudder-on-super-cruiser/ The Airbus A321XLR Will Permanently Change US Aviation US airlines cannot wait for the Airbus A321XLR to enter their fleets. At least two years away, airlines are dropping hints and considering new ways the long-haul narrowbody jet will be able to unlock new routes in a post-crisis world. The closest thing to a true Boeing 757 replacement, for now, the A321XLR will make a splash and permanently change the way Americans travel. The Airbus A321XLR customers Four US airlines have officially placed orders for the Airbus A321XLR: • American Airlines has 50 A321XLRs on order • Frontier Airlines has 18 A321XLRs on order • JetBlue has 13 A321XLRs on order • United Airlines has 50 A321XRLs on order All in all, these four carriers have over 130 Airbus A321XLRs on order. Each one has made some hints as to what they plan to do with the aircraft. The first of these jets are not expected to be delivered until 2023. When United ordered the A321XLR, it highlighted the possibility for expansion out of its hubs in Newark and Washington D.C. The first A321XLR is due at United in 2024, with international service expected in 2025. When JetBlue announced its order for the A321XLR, it highlighted the possibility of using the aircraft to expand further into Europe from Boston and New York. These planes are scheduled for delivery from 2023. Frontier Airlines ordered 18 Airbus A321XLRs. The airline plans to use these jets to grow in new and existing markets while also furthering its fuel-efficiency goals. The first A321XLR is expected at Frontier in 2024. American Airlines ordered 50 A321XLRs, with the first due in 2023. In a “Tell Me Why” podcast, AA’s President Robert Isom explained the A321XLR allows American to look at opportunities in the transcontinental market, close-in Europe, and close-in South America as a possibility. A long-haul aircraft built for long-haul missions The Boeing 757-200 is one of the backbones of low demand long-haul routes, such as from Chicago to Edinburgh. American, which has retired all of its Boeing 757s, and United Airlines, which has maintained most of its Boeing 757 fleet, both put lie-flat seats on the 757s and used them on international routes. The Airbus A321XLR will do the same kinds of missions. It can easily cross the Atlantic, easily stretch into South America, and unlock opportunities that airlines could not make work with larger widebodies. But, compared to the Boeing 757, it can do it more efficiently with lower fuel burn and better operating economics, which opens up even more routes for carriers. But, because it was built for long-haul missions, its payload is configured to hold a fair number of passengers, say 170ish, and be able to do a long-haul hop that spans nine or ten hours in length. United, American, and JetBlue all stated the A321XLR would primarily be pointed across the Atlantic and with some exposure down into Latin America. One carrier was not quite ready to go there. These planes will fly domestic missions There is almost no chance that any of these carriers do not use the planes for domestic missions when they have downtime in between international long-haul cycles. There are some good reasons to cycle the planes in and out of service on domestic routes. First and foremost, expect these planes to have the next generation of premium products. JetBlue has already indicated it is here to play and is planning a game-changing new Mint Suite product. These Mint Suites are all but guaranteed to shake up the transatlantic market. If JetBlue is an indicator of what is to come, then expect United and American to try and put some stellar new product onboard that turns narrowbody business class travel from cramped and not-so-private lie-flats to a new generation of private real estate that airlines can get a premium for. When these aircraft do fly domestic missions, carriers will put them on routes where they can get a premium. Think hub-to-hub routes and key business markets, such as transcontinental operations. So, not only could this plane be doing a New York to Budapest or Prague route, but it could also end up then flying from New York to Seattle or San Francisco. Frontier will use it domestically, but it still matters Frontier Airlines’ CEO, Barry Biffle, has already stated he does not wish to put the A321XLRs on transatlantic flights. Instead, it would rather put them on flights to Hawaii and transcontinental missions. Unlike United or JetBlue, or American, Frontier Airlines wants to fit as many passengers as it can safely onboard the aircraft, compromising the aircraft’s range slightly. The XLR, according to Mr. Biffle, would be able to get into the transcontinental market with its model. More low-cost competition means more opportunities for people to travel. If Frontier does break into the Hawaii market with the 321XLRs, then legacy carriers will have another thorn in their side while they all compete for leisure passengers heading to the islands. Will Delta Air Lines order the plane? One Airbus-friendly carrier that has not ordered the A321XLR is Delta Air Lines, and the calculation here should not be missed. Delta has a Boeing 757 problem. The planes are getting old, they are getting more expensive to maintain, and they burn more fuel than the A321XLR, which its competitors will certainly use in some markets Delta serves with the 757. The problem is that Delta does not have a replacement for the Boeing 757s. It is waiting for Boeing’s NMA to come out. Delta hopes the NMA family could cover both its 757s and 767s, which would be a huge deal. The issue is, Boeing has not released many details about the NMA, nor has it indicated when the plane would enter service. Assuming Boeing launched the aircraft now, it could be possible that, with some production lines ending, Boeing could get ready to get the NMA into service by maybe 2025. However, new aircraft can have delays, and that 2025 timeline could end up slipping into 2026, 2027, or even 2028– which would be a huge blow to Delta’s Boeing 757 and 767 replacement plans. Delta could decide in 2022 or even 2023 to select the A321XLR if it is not pleased with the NMA offerings or if Boeing’s timeline does not work for the carrier. The airline will certainly get some preferential treatment from Airbus, and it is sitting on 100 options for A321neos that could come in handy if the carrier can switch them to the A321XLRs, as American Airlines did. The A321XLR will change the way Americans travel Ultimately, the A321XLR expands on what the Boeing 757 started. Narrowbody longer-haul travel is the next forefront in aviation. Passengers have shown they are willing to pay a premium for fewer stops, and the A321XLR has so much promise out of the East Coast heading to Europe or down to South America. Expect United and American to roll out some excellent products for these planes, and expect JetBlue’s aircraft to be hotly desired for long-haul premium travel out of New York and Boston. With more passengers suddenly being able to head to Europe with fewer stops, and with Frontier’s ability to serve new longer routes in the US, more people will be able to travel and travel with fewer stops, fewer inconveniences, and a better passenger experience. Simply put, the A321XLR is gearing up to revolutionize American travel. https://simpleflying.com/airbus-a321xlr-us-aviation/ Despite huge losses, US airlines are rolling in cash New York (CNN Business)The US airline industry just closed the books on the worst year in its history, losing a combined $32 billion excluding special items. Yet it still ended 2020 awash in an ocean of cash. The nation's four largest airlines -- American (AAL), Delta (DAL), United (UAL) and Southwest (LUV) -- among them had $31.5 billion in cash on their balance sheets at the end of 2020. That's up from $13 billion a year earlier, before the pandemic hit. "Liquidity" has become a favorite buzzword of airline executives discussing their financial condition. Including the cash and yet untapped credit lines, the airlines have access to nearly $65 billion. "The liquidity is at record levels," said Philip Baggaley, chief credit analyst for the airline industry at Standard & Poor's. "That's good, and it's one of the few strong points they have at this point." The airlines received substantial financial help from the federal government, but most of that money was required to be spent keeping staff on payrolls temporarily. The lion's share of the borrowing and cash, then, comes from from banks and Wall Street. Like a struggling family flooded with credit card offers, the airlines have a lot of people eager to give them cash. The airlines have sold bonds, borrowed money, mortgaged their planes, frequent flyer programs and other assets, and even sold additional shares of stock, a highly unusual move for an industry in this position. The borrowing has added about $40 billion in long-term debt to the balance sheets of the nation's airlines. "I think the general feeling is they're wounded but they're going to make it," said Baggaley. The low interest rate environment has helped the airlines, as investors and banks looking for yields have been willing to lend to the airlines, he added. All the carriers except Southwest have junk bond credit ratings. They have also made deep cost cuts, even with government help that prevented them from making permanent, involuntary job cuts. The airlines used buyouts and early retirement to cut about 16% of the staff they had at the start of 2021. In recent weeks, American and United sent out layoff notices to 27,000 employees between them, saying they could again be furloughed unless there is a third round of government assistance before April 1. Many of those employees had been laid off in October when the first round of federal payroll support ran out, and were called back to work in December when the second Covid relief package provided an additional $17 billion to the industry. Last week, airline unions were back on Capitol Hill appealing for another round of help to keep their members employed. The cost cuts slashed the rate at which the airlines burned through cash by about half between the second quarter to the fourth quarter last year, even as air travel and revenues remained a fraction of what they were before the pandemic. But even as they trimmed the pace of cash burn, the four airlines combined blew through $115 million a day over the course of the final nine months of 2020. And they expect to continue burning through cash, albeit at a slower pace, in the first half of 2021. Building a substantial cash reserve is the only sure way to get through this unprecedented financial crisis, airline executives say. "Our industry still has a long path to recovery ahead," said American CEO Doug Parker on recent conference call with investors. He said the accumulation of cash, combined with cost cutting, built up "gives us confidence that we are well positioned for the year ahead and the long term." Other than Southwest, which just posted its first annual loss since 1973, the nation's other major airlines all have at least one bankruptcy in their histories. The industry's current strong cash position raises hopes that they can avoid that fate this time. But that depends on when traffic returns, and even the airlines aren't sure when that will be. "I've got 10 straight months of data saying that people are ready to travel in six months. It keeps saying the same thing," American's Parker said in an interview on CNBC recently. "What I do believe is that once people are comfortable, it will come back relatively quickly. There is huge pent-up demand to travel. We hear it everywhere we go. But no one is going to travel until there are things to do when you travel, and until the vaccine is distributed and the pandemic is largely eradicated." S&P's Baggaley believes airlines "are past the worst of it," he said. None of them have filed for bankruptcy, and he believes the odds are that they won't. But he cautions that unlike the string of retail bankruptcies early last year that took place weeks or months into the crisis, airline bankruptcies historically can occur years after a financial crisis. Delta and Northwest didn't file until 2005, years after 9/11. American didn't file until 2011, well after the Great Recession. "It's a reasonable concern that they are going to emerge from this with a lot more debt," he said. https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/07/business/airlines-cash/index.html Boeing 777X Aircraft Ferried To Alaska For Cold Soak Testing A Boeing 777X test aircraft has been ferried to Fairbanks, Alaska, to undergo cold soak testing. This week’s move is part of the type’s preparation program ahead of its introduction in 2023. Extreme conditions According to Airline Ratings, the unit currently holds registration number N779XZ. It was ferried from Seattle to the Alaskan city to perform a series of tests. These experiments include the monitoring of how significant cold conditions can impact different parts of the plane. Therefore, Alaska is the perfect location at this time of year. There are several factors to consider with this aspect of testing. For example, metals contract at different durations. Moreover, lubricants may expend their viscosity, which can create wear problems for moving parts. Plastic and rubber materials could also become brittle. The trial involves shutting down the plane for 24 hours before actioning a cold start. Testing includes the following factors: • Validation of systems behaviors at considerably low temperatures • Rejected take-offs • Engine and auxiliary power unit (APU) start after the cold soak • Thrust-reverser tests with snowy conditions This move follows important developments regarding the 777X program earlier this month. The manufacturer reduced its number of firm orders of the type by 118 units. This has left a total of 191 firm orders for highly-anticipated aircraft. In the same week, reports emerged that Emirates, the 777X’s largest customer has been mulling over the prospects of switching some of its orders for the widebody to the smaller 787. The Middle Eastern powerhouse could swap out up to 45 units in favor of the Dreamliner. Overall, these reports emerge following the announcement that the first 777X won’t be delivered until 2023. Still focused Altogether, there have been complications for Boeing across the board over the last year amid the 737 MAX saga and the pandemic. However, despite struggles across the industry and a delay to the 777X’s entry to service, the company is still determined to crack on with crucial testing procedures such as this one in Alaska. The fourth 777X test unit had hit the air for the first time in September. The quartet will prove vital for Boeing as it seeks to commit to its new introduction date. Simple Flying reached out to Boeing for further details on this 777X cold soak in Alaska. A spokesperson for the airline shared the following: “We continue to execute a rigorous test program, on the ground and in the air, to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the new 777-9 airplane.” What are your thoughts about this Boeing 777X ferrying to Fairbanks in Alaska for cold soak testing? Are you glad to see further progress in the aircraft’s testing procedures? Let us know what you think of the move in the comment section. https://simpleflying.com/boeing-777x-aircraft-ferried-to-alaksa-for-cold-soak-testing/ Rolls-Royce proposes short summer shutdown of jet-engine plants Move to cut costs will dent wages of all 19,000 staff in civil aerospace division The aero-engine maker has begun talks with unions on the proposed shutdown and on other cost-cutting plans at its civil aerospace unit. Photograph: Reuters Rolls-Royce is proposing to temporarily close its jet-engine factories for two weeks this summer as it manages costs due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The aero-engine maker has begun talks with unions on the shutdown and cost cutting at its civil aerospace unit. “As we continue to manage our cost base in response to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the whole commercial aviation sector, we are proposing a two-week operational shutdown of civil aerospace over the summer,” it said in an emailed statement. Rolls-Royce’s finances have been hit by the Covid crisis as its airline customers have grounded planes. It warned last month that travel would be even more constrained than expected this year, leading to increased cash outflow. Rolls is expected to save tens of millions of pounds in wages, plus energy and other running costs. Staff have been told the two weeks’ pay they will lose will be spread across the year to minimise the impact on their income, according to the Sunday Telegraph which first reported the two-week summer shutdown. The move is expected to affect all 19,000 staff in Rolls’ international civil aerospace division, including 12,500 in the UK, who make jet engines for airliners. The emergence of more contagious variants of the Covid-19 virus have hit the travel industry’s hopes of a strong rebound in sales in 2021. Last month, Rolls-Royce flagged that these “more contagious variants of the virus were creating additional uncertainty”, as it cut its forecast for engine flying hours this year to about 55%, compared with pre-Covid levels in 2019. “Enhanced restrictions are delaying the recovery of long-haul travel over the coming months compared to our prior expectations, placing further financial pressure on our customers and the wider aviation industry, all of which are impacting our own cashflows in 2021,” the company warned on 26 January. The UK government is aiming to have offered all UK adults aged 50 and older a first coronavirus vaccination by early May. But senior MPs warned last week that summer holidays abroad may not be possible unless other countries make better progress on vaccination. Yvette Cooper, chair of the home affairs select committee, said it was vital that Britain’s immunisation programme was protected. “The vaccine programme is immensely important and we need to make sure it’s protected against any threat from new variants, and there may be others as we go forward,” she said. UK tour operators had reported that many customers are setting their sights on an October trip overseas, rather than summer holiday deals, suggesting that many Britons are planning to holiday within the UK this summer. Thomas Cook said 40% of its recent holiday bookings are for October onwards – compared with about 10% at the start of January, while Brittany Ferries reported that new bookings for summer 2021 are already 50% down on pre-Covid years, with some customers who have booked in advance starting to cancel. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/07/rolls-royce-proposes-short-summer-shutdown-of-jet-engine-plants Next stop Mars: 3 spacecraft arriving in quick succession CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — After hurtling hundreds of millions of miles through space since last summer, three robotic explorers are ready to hit the brakes at Mars. The stakes — and anxiety — are sky high. The United Arab Emirates’ orbiter reaches Mars on Tuesday, followed less than 24 hours later by China’s orbiter-rover combo. NASA’s rover, the cosmic caboose, will arrive on the scene a week later, on Feb. 18, to collect rocks for return to Earth — a key step in determining whether life ever existed at Mars. Both the UAE and China are newcomers at Mars, where more than half of Earth’s emissaries have failed. China’s first Mars mission, a joint effort with Russia in 2011, never made it past Earth’s orbit. “We are quite excited as engineers and scientists, at the same time quite stressed and happy, worried, scared,” said Omran Sharaf, project manager for the UAE. All three spacecraft rocketed away within days of one another last July, during an Earth-to-Mars launch window that occurs only every two years. That’s why their arrivals are also close together. Called Amal, or Hope in Arabic, the Gulf nation's spacecraft is seeking an especially high orbit — 13,500 by 27,000 miles high (22,000 kilometers by 44,000 kilometers) — all the better to monitor the Martian weather. China's duo — called Tianwen-1, or “Quest for Heavenly Truth” — will remain paired in orbit until May, when the rover separates to descend to the dusty, ruddy surface. If all goes well, it will be only the second country to land successfully on the red planet. The U.S. rover Perseverance, by contrast, will dive in straight away for a harrowing sky-crane touchdown similar to the Curiosity rover’s grand Martian entrance in 2012. The odds are in NASA’s favor: It’s nailed eight of its nine attempted Mars landings. Despite their differences — the 1-ton Perseverance is larger and more elaborate than the Tianwen-1 rover — both will prowl for signs of ancient microscopic life. Perseverance’s $3 billion mission is the first leg in a U.S.-European effort to bring Mars samples to Earth in the next decade. “To say we’re pumped about it, well that would be a huge understatement,” said Lori Glaze, NASA’s planetary science director. Perseverance is aiming for an ancient river delta that seems a logical spot for once harboring life. This landing zone in Jezero Crater is so treacherous that NASA nixed it for Curiosity, but so tantalizing that scientists are keen to get hold of its rocks. “When the scientists take a look at a site like Jezero Crater, they see the promise, right?” said Al Chen, who’s in charge of the entry, descent and landing team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “When I look at Jezero, I see danger. There’s danger everywhere.” Steep cliffs, deep pits and fields of rocks could cripple or doom Perseverance, following its seven-minute atmospheric plunge. With an 11 1/2-minute communication lag each way, the rover will be on its own, unable to rely on flight controllers. Amal and Tianwen-1 will also need to operate autonomously while maneuvering into orbit. Until Perseverance, NASA sought out flat, boring terrain on which to land — “one giant parking lot,” Chen said. That's what China's Tianwen-1 rover will be shooting for in Mars' Utopia Planitia. NASA is upping its game thanks to new navigation technology designed to guide the rover to a safe spot. The spacecraft also has a slew of cameras and microphones to capture the sights and sounds of descent and landing, a Martian first. Faster than previous Mars vehicles but still moving at a glacial pace, the six-wheeled Perseverance will drive across Jezero, collecting core samples of the most enticing rocks and gravel. The rover will set the samples aside for retrieval by a fetch rover launching in 2026. Under an elaborate plan still being worked out by NASA and the European Space Agency, the geologic treasure would arrive on Earth in the early 2030s. Scientists contend it’s the only way to ascertain whether life flourished on a wet, watery Mars 3 billion to 4 billion years ago. NASA’s science mission chief, Thomas Zurbuchen, considers it “one of the hardest things ever done by humanity and certainly in space science.” The U.S. is still the only country to successfully land on Mars, beginning with the 1976 Vikings. Two spacecraft are still active on the surface: Curiosity and InSight. Smashed Russian and European spacecraft litter the Martian landscape, meanwhile, along with NASA’s failed Mars Polar Lander from 1999. Getting into orbit around Mars is less complicated, but still no easy matter, with about a dozen spacecraft falling short. Mars fly-bys were the rage in the 1960s and most failed; NASA’s Mariner 4 was the first to succeed in 1965. Six spacecraft currently are operating around Mars: three from the U.S., two from Europe and one from India. The UAE hopes to make it seven with its $200-plus million mission. The UAE is especially proud that Amal was designed and built by its own citizens, who partnered with the University of Colorado at Boulder and other U.S. institutions, not simply purchased from abroad. Its arrival at Mars coincides with this year’s 50th anniversary of the country’s founding. “Starting off the year with this milestone is something very important for the people” of the UAE, said Sharaf. China, hasn't divulged much in advance. Even the spacecraft's exact arrival time on Wednesday has yet to be announced. The China Academy of Space Technology's Ye Peijian noted that Tianwen-1 has three objectives: orbiting the planet, landing and releasing the rover. If successful, he said in a statement “it will become the world's first Mars expedition accomplishing all three goals with one probe.” The coronavirus pandemic has complicated each step of each spacecraft’s 300 million-mile (480 million-kilometer) journey to Mars. It even kept the European and Russian space agencies' joint Mars mission grounded until the next launch window in 2022. The flight control rooms will contain fewer people on the big day, with staff spread over a wider area and working from home. Desks have dividers and partitions. Masks and social distancing are mandatory. Perseverance's deputy project manager Matt Wallace, who’s working his fifth Mars rover mission, said the pandemic won’t dampen the mood come landing day. “I don’t think COVID’s going to be able to stop us from jumping up and down, and fist-bumping,” he said. “You’re going to see a lot of happy people no matter what, once we get this thing on the surface safely.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/next-stop-mars-3-spacecraft-150616341.html 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Registration Now Open ** Thanks to our generous sponsors, registration is currently free, so book today! ** 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference 15 to 18 March 2021 1500 to 2000 GMT daily via Zoom (0700 to 1200 PST) Four online days of powerful talks given by industry and subject matter experts. Registration is open and currently FREE, so book today! https://www.aircraftcabinair.com/ Following on from the success of the 2017 and 2019 Aircraft Cabin Air Conferences, the 2021 conference will be an essential four-day free modular online event via Zoom. Providing an in-depth overview or update for all those seeking to understand the subject of contaminated air, the flight safety implications, the latest scientific and medical evidence investigating the contaminated air debate and the emerging solutions available to airlines and aircraft operators. The 2021 conference will be the biggest conference ever held on the issue. Who should participate? Airline Management - Aircraft Manufacturers - Safety equipment providers - Health & Safety Regulators - Maintenance Companies - Airline Safety Departments - Air Accident Investigators- Crew & Unions - Policy Makers- Press & Media - Aircraft Insurers - Leasing Companies - Scientists - Occupational Health Professionals - Academics & Researchers - Engineers Register Curt Lewis