Welding was a vital – but overlooked– technology in late February when a U.S. Navy ship – the USS Lake Erie – launched an SM-3 missile to whack a defunct satellite that was in orbit nearly about 155 miles above the Pacific Ocean.

The satellite that was in a decaying orbit; Its fuel tank carried hydrazine, a hazardous material, so the Pentagon said it had to be taken out before it re-entered the atmosphere.

The satellite has been described as roughly the size of a school bus, and was orbiting at a speed of nearly 17,000 miles an hour. After the missile hit it, the Pentagon said no pieces were left that were larger than a football.

The controversial operation was the first time a sea-based missile was used to hit a satellite, and was considered a success by missile defense advocates.

A 65-second video from the Pentagon press conference tracks the launch of the missile and records the hit on the satellite, and is available in many places on the Internet including the following website: http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2008/02/21/satellite_shoot_down/.

While welding went unnoticed in the media reports surrounding that operation, we’re paying attention to it in this issue.

Welding had a critical role in keeping that satellite – and many others that are similar to it – aloft. The missile that was sent to destroy it couldn’t have accomplished its mission without the high tech welds that, among other functions, held its fuel tank together.

Wayne Tuttle, the manager for welding development for Hamilton Sundstrand, writes in this issue about the technologies that he and his colleagues use to make fuel tanks for communications satellites. (See the full article that begins on Page 24.)

I don’t know if Hamilton Sundstrand, a United Technologies company, built the fuel tank for the downed satellite, but the company has supplied fuel tanks for the SM-3 missile program, and there was an understandable sense of triumph at its aerospace operations in Long Beach after the mission was deemed a success.

You should read Tuttle’s story about how welding is done for space vehicles, then think about the image that’s in your mind about welding.

For the most part, welding is a career that people think of as only having grimy working conditions and heavy equipment caked with spatter and soot, and there’s no denying that welding still has a lot of rough work to do and much of the time is done in gritty shops.

On the other hand, welding also has advanced to include work done in clean rooms and in high tech plants, and, as Tuttle’s article points out, it has an essential role in rocket science, too. The Pentagon could not have hit that orbiting school bus-sized satellite without the high tech welds that companies such as Hamilton Sundstrand are expert in.

Image of Welding Awards
It is time to think about making nominations for the American Welding Society’s and the Welding Equipment Manufacturers Committee’s (WEMCO) 6th annual Image of Welding Awards.

The deadline for submissions is June 15.

The awards recognize individuals and organizations that have shown exemplary dedication to promoting the image of welding in their communities, and they will be made at the FabTech International/AWS Welding Show in Las Vegas in October.

Everyone involved in welding is eligible for the award, and the Welding Equipment Manufacturers Committee’s Image of Welding Subcommittee will provide the judging for the nominees.

Bruce Vernyi, Editor-in-Chief