Foreign nations consider F-35 alternatives such as the Typhoon and FCAS, Denver Airport studies the use of a small modular reactor, Astronaut Jim Lovell passed, Senate bill blocks ATC privatization, NTSB hearings highlighted, and the Regional Airline Association calls for accredited flight training programs to be recognized as professional degrees.Aviation NewsSpain rules out F-35 order, prioritizes Eurofighter and FCASThe Spanish Ministry of Defense has decided to “prioritize investment in European industry” and will consider the Eurofighter Typhoon or the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) over the Lockheed Martin F-35. The Spanish government wants to replace its aging fleet of McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets and AV-8B Harrier II aircraft. Previously, the F-35 was considered a leading candidate. Talks with Lockheed Martin are now suspended.Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, courtesy F35.com.Other potential foreign F-35 customers, including Canada and Portugal, have signaled doubts about joining the American-led program amid geopolitical strain with the Trump administration. Swiss lawmakers are calling for the government to cancel a $9.1 billion order for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth fighter.Denver to look at nuclear option for power at Denver International AirportThe Denver airport (DIA) “issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to study the feasibility of building a small modular (nuclear) reactor (SMR) on the DEN campus. The study is part of DEN’s overall efforts to meet future clean energy demands.” A new Colorado law reclassifies nuclear energy as a clean energy resource.See the press release: DEN to Pursue More Alternative Energy Options for Future Needs and A nuclear reactor at the Denver airport? Here’s what you need to know.Professor Thomas Albrecht, director of the Nuclear Science and Engineering Center at the Colorado School of Mines, said, "The idea, with many of the small modular reactors, is you can drive them up on a semi. put them down on a concrete pad and plug them in, and they just go. The idea of many of these designs is you could keep adding them."The study will cost up to $1.25 million and is expected to take between 6-12 months to complete, at which time DEN, along with its partners, will evaluate the findings and determine next steps.NASA Administrator Reflects on Passing of Astronaut Jim LovellAstronaut James A. Lovell was a pioneering NASA astronaut best known as the commander of Apollo 13 and as one of the first humans to orbit the Moon, having flown a total of four space missions—Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, and Apollo 13—more than any astronaut in NASA's early years.Astronaut James A. Lovell, NASA.Gemini 7 (1965): Set an endurance record of nearly 14 days in orbit and accomplished the first rendezvous of two manned spacecraft, a vital maneuver for Moon missions.Gemini 12 (1966): Commanded the final Gemini mission, featured Buzz Aldrin as pilot, and executed complex extravehicular activities, closing the Gemini program successfully.Apollo 8 (1968): Served as Command Module Pilot for the first crewed mission to leave Earth's orbit and enter lunar orbit, making him and his crewmates the first humans to orbit the Moon and see its far side.Apollo 13 (1970): Commanded the ill-fated lunar mission that suffered a catastrophic explosion en route, forcing a dramatic turnaround and Moon flyby. His leadership in crisis turned it into an inspirational story of survival; Lovell and his crew made it back safely, an event celebrated worldwide and dramatized in the 1995 film "Apollo 13".See Former Astronaut James A. Lovell - NASA and EAA’s Jack Pelton on the Death of Astronaut Jim Lovell.Senate ATC modernization funding bill blocks privatizationThe Senate Appropriations Committee bill to fund the Department of Transportation, including the FAA, in 2026 seeks to block any attempts to privatize the U.S. air traffic control system.