A Coast Guard HC-130 from Air Station Sacramento flew to Astoria, Oregon to pick up almost 300 rescued migratory birds and transport them back in Sacramento.

The birds, that are federally protected, were rescued by the Wildlife Center of the North Coast in Astoria, Oregon.  A request for the transport came from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife after the center that was tending to the birds was overwhelmed by the number of animals it was receiving. The birds are being affected by a red tide phenomenon in the area that is impacting their ability to survive in the aquatic environment.

“The epidemic numbers of seabirds soiled by the ocean slime quickly overwhelmed the one wildlife rescue facility in the Oregon area,” said Jay Holcomb, Executive Director of the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) “International Bird Rescue has stepped in, as has PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society) in Washington to help by taking on birds. Time is of the essence as these aquatic species, built for life on the water and requiring special housing and care to make it through the rehabilitation process. More birds are in need of rescuing. With word that the Coast Guard plane is arriving Monday, the wildlife center in Astoria is able to continue admitting new patients.”

The HC-130 left Sacramento and flew to Astoria with three seabird specialists from the International Bird Rescue Research Center. The HC-130 Hercules returned and the birds were transferred to a state-of-the-art oiled wildlife facility in San Francisco Bay to be washed and rehabilitated.

The booster rocket used in test flight was badly dented when it fell into the Atlantic because of a deflated parachute, NASA said Thursday.

The new Ares I-X, completed a two-minute flight Wednesday. The launch itself went well, officials said, but one of three parachutes on the booster failed to work properly.

All three parachutes opened, but one ended up deflating for unknown reasons, said NASA spokesman Allan Beutel, that caused the booster to hit the ocean with extra force.

The Ares I-X is a prototype of what’s supposed to replace the space shuttles and ultimately fly to the moon. The White House, though, may nix those plans.

During Discovery’s launch in August, a parachute on one of the two boosters ripped slightly. The other parachute compensated, however, and the retrieved booster was not damaged. Engineers still do not know what caused the problem.

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The first Boeing C-17 Globemaster III purchased by the NATO Airlift Management Organization and the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) consortium officially joined the Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW) at Papa Air Base, Hungary, as part of a ceremony commemorating the activation of a new airlift capability for 10 NATO and two Partnership for Peace nations.

The advanced airlifter, known as SAC 01, is the first of three C-17s that will be assigned to the HAW in western Hungary this year and will soon start flying missions in support of the International Security Assistance Force operations in Afghanistan.

The unique SAC approach to shared use of the strategic airlifter is viewed as a model for the future acquisition and management of defense capabilities. The SAC nations will share acquisition and operating costs for the C-17s over the nearly 30-year course of the agreement. SAC 01 has been contributed by the United States, a member of the consortium. Hungary agreed to both host the wing at Papa Air Base and to register the C-17s under the Hungarian flag.

“Boeing is proud that the C-17 is a part of this historic day,” said Jean Chamberlin, Boeing vice president, Global Mobility Systems. “It’s the only aircraft capable of performing all of SAC’s airlift missions – strategic and tactical, military and humanitarian, brigade airdrop and aeromedical evacuation — and it can do all of that using standard runways or short, austere airfields.”

The SAC group includes 10 NATO nations — Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, United States — and Partnership for Peace members Sweden and Finland.

Boeing Company will open a second assembly line for its long-delayed 787 jetliner in South Carolina, expanding beyond its longtime manufacturing base in Washington state to take advantage of economic incentives and a nonunion work force.

The decision ended in interstate competition for the huge factory, with South Carolina production of a plane crucial to Boeing’s future but one plagued by problems stemming partly from the company’s reliance on suppliers spanning the globe.

About 55 airlines have ordered some 840 of the planes since the program was launched in 2003 — far more than any other Boeing plane at the same stage of development.

Boeing also has long complained about the business climate in Washington and frequent strikes by production workers. At Boeing’s plant in North Charleston, workers last month voted against continued representation by the International Association of Machinists.

Boeing has postponed the plane’s inaugural test flight and deliveries five times, putting it more than two years behind schedule. The delays have cost Boeing credibility and billions of dollars in anticipated costs and penalties.

The company could break ground in South Carolina as soon as next month, with the first 787 slated to leave the factory in the first quarter of 2012. The company aims to produce 10 of the planes a month by 2013. By comparison, it makes about 31 of its 737s and seven of its popular 777s a month.