Jeff has been involved in aerospace journalism since the mid 1990s. Prior to joining Aviation Week, Jeff served as managing editor of Launchspace magazine and the International Space Industry Report. He has been the editor and chief of Aviation Week's Aerospace Daily & Defense Report since 2007 and has been a regular contributor to Aviation Week magazine. He received his B.A. from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
Teams led by Boeing and Argon ST are embarking on an effort sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop technology capable of determining one's position on the Earth based on available terrestrial signals when the Global Positioning System (GPS) is being jammed or blocked. The Robust Surface Navigation (RSN) program seeks to exploit "signals of opportunity" -- such as electronic waves emanating from satellites, cell phone towers or TV transmitters -- to provide precise location and navigation information to ground troops.
After hearing testimony from National Guard leaders on Capitol Hill April 11, senior Senate Appropriations Committee member Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) called the guard's equipment situation "a national crisis."
FAA took the travel industry one more step toward space tourism on April 6 when it released guidelines for obtaining one-year experimental launch permits for reusable spacecraft. The guidelines give developers the opportunity to fly and test their vehicles before applying for an FAA launch license. Each permit will cover multiple vehicles of a particular design and will allow an unlimited number of launches. The vehicles must operate in an area large enough to contain a trajectory that is not close to any densely populated areas.
