The shrinking capability for flight testing in the U.S.—the jewel in the crown that paved the way for the nation's leading role in global aerospace in the 20th century—is forcing NASA and Air Force planners into a major review aimed at halting the decline. The action comes as the agency and USAF gird themselves for potential budget cuts that could further threaten existing flight-test capacity. It also follows in the wake of controversial findings from a National Research Council (NRC) report into the state of NASA flight research, the recommendations from which were aired to a broad industry group for the first time at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Joint Propulsion Conference in Atlanta ...

In the Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration, (NNSA), officials of nuclear weapons programs try to keep them out of the limelight. But extending the life of the B61 is attracting all kinds of unwanted attention. The cost of the nuclear bomb has doubled, with estimates now projecting that the weapon designed to defend Europe could cost $10 billion. On top of the weapon's ballooning price tag, the Air Force is working on a $1.2 billion tail kit program that adds a limited guidance capability to the bomb. And the arms control community is starting to buzz about the implications ...