Retired Maj. Nolan Herndon, a Doolittle Raider from South Carolina, died on Oct. 7 of pneumonia. He was 88. The State reports that Herndon was the navigator on the No. 8 B-25 Mitchell bomber, one of 16 bombers that launched off the USS Hornet to attack the Japanese mainland after the attack on Pearl Harbor. His aircraft was one that did not crash or run out of fuel after the mission. In an earlier interview, Herndon told the newspaper that No. 8 was diverted to the Soviet Union on a secret mission.
The Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital is giving a $150 million conditional loan to Rocket Lab meant to increase the launch rate for its new reusable Neutron rocket, which is slated for its first flight next year.