From the Editor-in-Chief April 2013

The end of the space shuttle program did not imply the end of NASA activities and research. The International Space Station continues to have an on-board crew who live and work in space with part of the station supporting various laboratory activities. As you can see from our front and back cover, we have an interesting article in this issue on NASA´s Space Communications and Navigation (SCAN) Test Bed which was launched in 2012 and is externally mounted on the International Space Station. It will operationally test communications, networks, and navigation capabilities in space. An interesting point to note is that this capability is available for experimentation not only by government agencies but by academia and industry as well in order to aid in technology assessments and standards advancements. This article is just one of many we hope will peak your interest and draw you in to read further. We also include information from Darin Dunham, our book review editor, in this issue that will help guide you if you are considering reading and reviewing a book for the magazine. Finally, please take a look at our call for nominations for the Pioneer Award. Next month we will have a piece dedicated to discussing the award and its history.