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.
Boeing's proposed PICA heat shield material is considered the leading candidate for protecting NASA's Orion spacecraft during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, although the agency is moving forward with an alternative technology development program in case the PICA material runs into problems.
NASA is working out the procedures it will need if it has to conduct a "launch on need" rescue mission to retrieve the crew of shuttle Discovery when it performs the final Hubble servicing mission in the spring of 2008.
Within the space of a week, NASA and the U.S. Forest Service flew the Altair unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) twice over forest fires in California, including an impromptu flight over the deadly Esperanza fire that investigators suspect was deliberately set.
