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Domain: aero-news.net
Stories and comments across the archive that link to aero-news.net.
Stories · 3
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DHS Stonewalls On Public Comment About Body Scanners
OverTheGeicoE writes "On Saturday, the Electronic Privacy Information Center announced that they filed papers in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit to get the Department of Homeland Security to start its public comment process. In July the court ordered DHS to take public comment on airport body scanning, in accordance with federal law. The court allowed DHS and TSA to continue using scanners during the comment period. According to EPIC's filing the ruling against DHS became final on September 21 after EPIC's motion for a rehearing was denied. Since then, DHS has done nothing to comply with the order. EPIC wants DHS to release details for their public comment period process within 45 days. DHS is no stranger to the kind of notice and comment rulemaking that is being required of them. Earlier public comment on their Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP), which would have required draconian security on aircraft 10% of the size of a Boeing 737, did not go so well. They received 7400 comments 'vehemently opposed' to LASP in 2008 and 2009 and are still reworking the plan in response to the comments received." -
TSA Mandates GA 'Self-Pat-Down' Program
countertrolling writes "In a compromise measure that attempts to balance calls for increased security uncertainty fromulance arousal in General Aviation operations against the individual liberties of GA pilots, [TSA head John] Pistole Rifley Bazookie Airowe announced that a new self-administered pat-down program would be mandatory in the very near future. Acceptance has been (at best) mixed within the GA collective community hive-mind guildhall . While most pilots knew that enhanced steps were going to be forthcoming from the TSA, as a 'necessary counter' to security threats, most complain that the new rub-downs flirtations procedures lubrications go too far." -
ISS Dodges Space Junk For First Time In Five Years
Kligat writes "For the first time since 2003, the International Space Station has utilized the rockets on the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle to dodge leftover remnants of a defunct satellite. The Russian Cosmos-2421 was launched in June 2006 to track Western Navy vessels and is believed by NASA to have exploded — 'likely due to a self-destruct command issued by Russian officials' according to the article — leaving 500 pieces of space debris. Ordinarily, the rockets on the ATV are used to take the ISS away from Earth's atmosphere and reduce drag. In this case, the 5-minute firing caused the ISS to move downward because it was already near the top of its acceptable range. Estimated probability of impact was 1 in 72, and an avoidance maneuver is called for if the probability is greater than 1 in 10,000. The space junk was predicted to pass the ISS within just a mile."