staff engineers

NASA has approached several former SR-71A program staff to assist with a secret restart of the legendary Mach 3 reconnaissance aircraft program, according to Aviation Week. The move suggests the agency is drawing on decades-old expertise in hypersonic flight, engines and high-altitude operations, though details of the effort and its purpose remain classified.

An essay on inventing work at the staff engineer level is drawing attention on Hacker News, ranking among the day's top items with several hundred engagements. The piece, published by Sujith Jay, examines how senior engineers identify and justify new projects for themselves. Discussion appears to center on how much of staff-level work is self-directed rather than assigned.

Astrana Health has filed a notification with the Securities and Exchange Commission disclosing a social engineering incident. The healthcare company, which manages care for large patient populations, informed investors and regulators of the event as required under disclosure rules. Social engineering attacks typically involve manipulating staff into revealing credentials or sensitive data, and healthcare firms are frequent targets. Details on the scope of the breach and any patient data exposure have not yet been made public.