Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

 

 Daytona Beach, Fla., Aug. 18, 2006 --

 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has once

 again earned the top ranking in the annual

 "America's Best Colleges" guide published by U.S. News & World Report magazine.

 

 In the specialty category of

 "Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical

 Engineering Programs" at schools where the

 highest degree is a master's, Embry-Riddle's

 Daytona Beach campus took first place, followed

 by the U.S. Air Force Academy in second, and

 Embry-Riddle's Prescott, Ariz., campus in third.

 

 The university, which has one of the largest

 aerospace engineering programs in the nation,

 has won the top spot every year since the category was introduced in 2001.

 

 "Embry-Riddle has a long tradition of academic

 excellence in all areas of aviation and

 aerospace," said Dr. John P. Johnson, the

 university's president. "The fact that U.S.

 News continues to honor us with its highest

 ranking is a testament to the talent and

 dedication of our faculty, staff, and students."

 

 In the overall category of "Best Undergraduate

 Engineering Programs" where the highest degree

 is a master's, Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach

 campus moved upward this year, from No. 11 to

 No 9, tied with Milwaukee School of Engineering

 and Villanova University. In the same category,

 Embry- Riddle's Prescott campus is No. 16, tied

 with California State Polytechnic University

 (Pomona), University of Colorado (Colorado

 Springs), and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

 

 Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus is 13th in

 the overall category of "Best Universities

 Master's" (South Region), tied with Centenary College of Louisiana.

 

 The rankings for the "Best University" category

 are based on reputation (25%), graduation and

 retention rates (25%), faculty resources (20%),

 student selectivity (15%), financial resources

 (10%), and alumni giving rate (5%). The

 rankings for the engineering programs are based

 solely on the judgments of deans and senior

 faculty who rated each program they are familiar with.

 

 Highlights of the college rankings are

 scheduled for publication in the Aug. 28

 edition of U.S. News & World Report magazine,

 available for newsstand purchase Monday, Aug.

 21, the same day the 2007 "America's Best

 Colleges" guidebook also becomes available.

 

 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the

 world's largest, fully accredited university

 specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers

 more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of

 Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and

 Engineering. The university educates more than

 32,000 students annually in undergraduate and

 graduate programs at residential campuses in

 Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., at

 Worldwide locations at more than 130 centers in

 the United States, Europe, Canada, and the

 Middle East, and through online learning.

 This news release is at

 <http://www.erau.edu/er/newsmedia/newsreleases/2006/usnews.html>http://www.erau.edu/er/newsmedia/newsreleases/2006/usnews.html

 

 

 

 

 Elon Musk: SpaceX Rocket Plans Outlined

 By Leonard David

 Senior Space Writer

 LOGAN, Utah -- Unshaken by a launch failure of

 its Falcon 1, Space Exploration Technologies

 (SpaceX) is pressing forward on a

 return-to-flight of its privately-built booster.

 Elon Musk, chairman and chief executive officer

 of El Segundo, California-based SpaceX said the

 maiden liftoff earlier this year and subsequent

 loss of Falcon 1 has led to a shakeout of the

 vehicle prior to its next flight.

 Launch date for the booster's takeoff -

 carrying two NASA test hardware payloads - is

 targeted for November from SpaceX's Pacific

 Ocean island launch facility in the Kwajalein Atoll.

 However, that date could slip into December,

 Musk told SPACE.com in an exclusive interview

 at the 20th Annual Conference on Small

 Satellites held here at Utah State University.

 "November is the plan," Musk said. "Current

 expectations are that the launch will occur in

 November.although if I was a betting man, we'd

 start doing our first test firings in November and launch in December."

 Musk pointed out that SpaceX rocketeers have

 massively upgraded the rocket's health

 monitoring system - software that verifies the

 booster's condition leading up to engine

 ignition and release. He said he expected

 false-positive indications and aborts to occur

 in shaking out the system, leading to the booster launch in December.

 The next Falcon 1 rocket will carry two NASA

 test articles: a low-cost Tracking and Data

 Relay Satellite System transmitter and an

 autonomous range destruct system package. The

 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

 (DARPA) is the primary launch customer, Musk

 said, with the NASA payloads chosen by DARPA.

 Rest in pieces

 In focusing on the March 24 failure of Falcon 1

 on its first trial flight, Musk recounted the experience.

 "We initially thought there might have been a

 [launch] pad processing error," Musk said.

 Later investigation of the failure pointed to a

 small aluminum nut designed to hold a fuel pipe

 fitting in place had failed due to stress

 erosion cracking. That led to a kerosene leak

 causing the Falcon 1's main engine to catch

 fire shortly after liftoff, with the vehicle failing shortly thereafter.

 Recovered rocket debris helped to sort things

 out, Musk said. The rocket landed on an island

 reef, coming to rest in pieces not far from the

 launch pad in about four feet of water.

 "Almost no rocket debris was on the island

 except the satellite," Musk said. The small

 experimental spacecraft called FalconSat-2 was

 crafted by cadets at the U.S. Air Force

 Academy. Tossed free of the failed rocket, it

 slammed through the roof of an unoccupied

 storage shed on the island, crashing next to

 the shipping container used to transport it to Kwajalein.

 Responsive launch

 Musk said that the booster's premier flight

 "was about the rocket not the satellite." DARPA

 was reasonably happy, he added, with the

 outcome of the flight. "They're not naïve.they

 weren't expecting things to go perfectly. They

 thought that something would go wrong."

 What DARPA was evaluating, Musk said, is did

 the rocket demonstrate responsive launch and

 did SpaceX obtain a lot of launch data.

 "And the answer to both of those is yes," Musk

 added. "As a result, after first launch, they

 were actually reasonably happy and bought

 launch two. They considered the first launch to

 be a success on those criteria and I agree with

 them. We demonstrated a very quick launch and

 we got a lot of good data on the vehicle. It

 wasn't as successful as we would have liked but

 on the criteria that they had for responsive

 launch demonstration it was a success."

 The Falcon 1's maiden blastoff accomplished 30

 seconds of powered flight, prior to loss of the launcher.

 Perfect telemetry

 Musk pointed out that the flight did

 successfully showcase the launch pad hold down

 system, the rocket's guidance and navigation

 equipment, and the booster's engine and thrust

 vector control, among other items.

 "We have perfect telemetry," Musk continued,

 "all the way down to the damn thing hitting the reef."

 Still, there are other aspects of the rocket

 that have not seen an in-flight shakeout.

 "Without doubt, it would have been much better

 to have at least gotten to 2nd stage ignition.

 That would have proven out the

 separation.proven out 2nd stage ignition. It

 would have been nice to have gotten that far," Musk said.

 Also to fly skyward from the SpaceX Kwajalein

 launch area is the company's more powerful

 Falcon 9, now under production, with three already sold, Musk said.

 The next big event for Falcon 9 is completion

 of the booster's large first stage tank,

 expected to be achieved in the next two to

 three months. The tooling to build the launcher

 is on track as is a thrust frame for handling the rocket's cluster of engines.

 Vandenberg update

 Regarding setting up his rocket facilities on

 Kwajalein, Musk said, while initially difficult

 to create a capability there, things have smoothed out.

 As for overall cost spent to date on Kwajalein,

 "I shudder to think," Musk said - noting it's a

 figure presently somewhere on the order of $10

 million. A roughly equal amount has been spent

 on preparing a SpaceX launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

 "Kwajalein is working out well.we're pretty

 well dialed in there," Musk said.

 As for the firm's Vandenberg launch site,

 SpaceX has been advised that they can launch

 from their own site once they have had a

 successful flight from somewhere else.

 There has been pressure placed on the company's

 use of its own pad due to a neighboring

 Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 launch complex. "Every

 time they talk to me it gets more valuable.a

 couple of hundred million dollars every time we

 talk. The last I heard was about $600 million

 dollars.some crazy number," Musk said.

 "We can launch from another launch pad at

 Vandenberg without having a successful launch

 somewhere else," Musk explained. But doing so

 would entail another round of construction

 costs, he said, and paying for associated

 environmental impact studies that are "outrageously difficult."

 Smart money

 Musk said that his personal investment in

 SpaceX to date is slightly over a $100 million.

 "We'll go public at some point and I think the

 evaluation will be good.but no rush to go

 public or anything. We'll probably bring in

 some external funding next year," Musk said,

 "but we'll see.it may not be necessary."

 For customers out there launching on SpaceX

 rockets down the road, "there should be no

 doubt whatsoever that we will persevere and

 we'll be there to launch their satellite," Musk

 emphasized. "We're on track to be cash flow

 positive this year. I think that's pretty good

 for a company in its fourth year of operation."

 At week's end, SpaceX will find out from NASA

 if they have been selected as a player in the

 Commercial Orbital Transportation Services

 (COTS) program. NASA plans to spend about $500

 million on the COTS over the next five years,

 with private firms offering commercial cargo

 and crew services to the International Space Station (ISS).

 COTS is viewed by Musk as one of the highest

 value-for-money programs that NASA has ever

 done. "That's my prediction for it.this will be

 some of the smartest money that NASA has ever spent."

 

 

 

 

 

 Student patriots

 Whether inspired by women's rights or fair

 trade, locals get off their classes

 by Jeanine Stewart and Taylor Wiles

 While relatively few college students walk

 around waving the stars and stripes,

 patriotism's alternative outlets ­ such as

 activism and altruism ­ never go out of style.

 Over the past year, local college students have

 latched onto a wide range of today's

 hottest-button issues and found ways to do

 something about them. Here are a few of their stories.

 The force for youth

 Air Force Academy senior Kim Duarte recognizes

 a rare opportunity when she sees it. She chose

 to go to the academy because of what it will provide her when she leaves.

 "At no other place do you get paid to go to

 school and have a guaranteed job when you get out," she says.

 Keenly aware that her education is largely

 funded by taxpayer dollars, she shows the

 community her appreciation by serving as the

 AFA's cadet in charge of the Falcon Club, a

 partnership between Big Brothers Big Sisters of

 Colorado and the Air Force Academy.

 On top of her mandatory AFA obligations from 7

 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Duarte is responsible for

 organizing events for the academy's biggest

 club. She has planned trick-or-treating at the

 AFA, and also organized a picnic at Bear Creek

 Park, where kids flew down a huge inflatable slide and played basketball.

 Duarte does not expect everyone in the Falcon

 Club to be as involved as she is, but she does

 encourage them to take their Little Brothers

 and Sisters on outings at least once a month.

 Duarte's superiors say she was chosen for the

 position because she knows what it takes to

 make kids feel like they matter: consistency and a little extra effort.

 "You know that if you ask her to do anything,

 it's going to get done on time," says Capt.

 Candice Pipes, officer in charge of the club. "She is a born leader." ­ JS

 

 

 

 

 Springs colleges earn high marks in magazine

 

 CC ties for 26th place on liberal arts rankings

 

 By BILL VOGRIN THE GAZETTE

 

 

     Colorado College is one of the top liberal

  arts schools in the country and among the best

  bargains to boot, according to a new national

  ranking of U.S. colleges and universities.

     The Air

 []

 ForceAcademyand the University of Colorado at

 Colorado Springs also rated high among public

 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings.

     Every year U.S. News rates about 1,400

  colleges and universities ­ public and private

  ­ based on graduation rates, freshmen

  retention, faculty resources, class sizes,

  student-faculty ratios and other criteria.

     For 2007, Colorado College tied for 26th in

  the category of "Best Liberal Arts Colleges"

  with an overall score of 76. Last year, CC ranked 27th.

     And for the second consecutive year, CC

  ranked 13th among "Great Schools, Great

  Prices," which analyzes which schools offer

  the best value by comparing the net cost of

  attending ­ tuition minus grants ­ to the school's academic quality.

     "It's definitely prestigious," said Bob

  Kerwin, CC's director of communications. "It's

  an important benchmark used by people who are

  college-hunting. There's a lot of evidence of that. So it's important."

     Among key criteria, CC had an average

  freshman retention rate of 91 per- cent, a

  graduation rate of 83 percent in 2005, no

  classes with 50 or more students while 67

  percent of its classes have fewer than 20 students.

     The criteria also included its

  student-to-faculty ratio of 9-to-1, and noted

  that 66 percent of its freshmen were in the

  top 10 percent of their high school classes.

     "The rankings don't change a whole lot,

  year-to-year, but they do over time and we're

  showing steady progress up the rankings,"

  Kerwin said. "Our vital signs, within the rankings, are pretty good."

     The rankings show Colorado Springs is a hotbed for engineering students.

     For the second consecutive year, the

  AirForceAcademyranked seventh nationally in

  the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs,

  among engineering schools offering bachelor's and master's degrees.

     The academyhad an overall score of 3.7 on a

  5-point scale. UCCS ranked 16th with a 3.2 score.

     The academyalso ranked second nationally

  among schools offering aerospace,

  aeronautical, astronomical specialities. The

  only school higher was Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida.

     In the general category of "Top Public

  Universities" offering a master's as its

  highest degree, UCCS ranked seventh in the

  West, up one notch from last year. Add in the

  private schools and UCCS tied for 34th in the West.

     "I am pleased that UCCS is recognized as a

  top university in the Western United States,"

  Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak said in a news release.

     She said the U.S. News rankings "highlight

  the commitment of faculty and staff to ensure

  that all eligible students receive a high-quality education" at UCCS.

     Among doctorate-granting universities, the

  University of Colorado-Boulder ranked 34th

  among the best engineering schools with a 3.4

  score, while Colorado State University came in at 71st with a 2.8 score.

     Among the "Top 50 Public National

  Universities," CUBoulder was tied for 34th.

     CU-Boulder was tied for 77th among the

  "Best National Universities," 248 American

  universities ­ 162 public and 86 private ­

  that offer a wide range of undergraduate

  majors as well as master's and doctorate degrees.

     Among the key criteria used in judging,

  CU-Boulder reported an average freshman

  retention rate of 83 percent, a 66 percent

  graduation rate in 2005, 87 percent of its

  faculty are full-time employees, while 22

  percent of its freshmen were in the top 10 percent of their high school class.

     The University of Denver tied for 88th and

  Colorado State University came in tied at 124th.

 CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0193 or

     bill.vogrin@gazette.com