Aerospace & military

At the turn of the millennium, China and France may soon join the United States and Russia in putting men and women into space aboard their own home-built transports. An increasing demand for satellite launch services is also expected. Meanwhile, NASA is still recovering from the losses of two Mars probes and the temporary shutdown of its orbiting Hubble Space Telescope. Plans for advanced submarines, like their highly-maneuverable airborne counterparts, call for ever-increasing amounts of automation and electronics. Global positioning systems are inspiring advances in navigational equipment, and replacement systems for outmoded air traffic control set-ups are drawing ever closer to widescale deployment.