aerospace

A number of Boeing employees who were wrongfully let go, according to their union contract, are returning to their jobs and getting compensated for the time they were laid off.

Surrounded by students seeking autographs and photos, astronaut José Hernández finished one of his conferences at Pasco High School.

A union that represents Boeing employees is taking issue with how the company handled the layoff of 660 of its members last year. The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) believes contract violations occurred during last year’s layoffs. The union said they have notified Boeing and are investigating further.

Stargazers across the Pacific Northwest were treated to quite a light show in late March when the errant reentry of a spent rocket sent fireballs streaking high overhead. The uncontrolled disintegration of the rocket rained debris onto eastern Washington. While the search for mangled rocket parts goes on, the event also provided a great learning opportunity for researchers that could foreshadow a space junk warning system.

A new possible problem with Boeing's 737 Max airplanes has several airlines once again pulling dozens of the troubled jets out of service. Boeing said in a statement that it has "recommended to 16 customers that they address a potential electrical issue in a specific group of 737 MAX airplanes prior to further operations."

Boeing is trying to close the books on a dismal year. The aircraft manufacturer Wednesday reported that the company lost close to $12 billion in 2020, a record loss, as the pandemic depressed demand for new airplanes and the company continued to reel from its 737 Max debacle.

The test, at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, was part of NASA's Artemis program, a plan to return to the moon in the coming years. NASA's test called for four engines to fire for eight minutes — roughly the time it will take for NASA's long-delayed Space Launch System (SLS) to generate the thrust needed to send the rocket to space.

Chuck Yeager, fighter ace, test pilot, breaker of the sound barrier and coolest of the cool, was the man even astronauts looked up to. Yeager never sought the spotlight, and was always a bit gruff.

Just two weeks ago, U.S. regulators cleared Boeing's 737 Max to fly following the deadly crashes of two of the planes in 2018 and 2019. Now Boeing is reporting an order for 75 of the aircraft.

Boeing started the year with about 160,000 employees around the world, but in the memo to employees, Calhoun said "we anticipate a workforce of about 130,000 employees by the end of 2021."