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.
Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO John Douglass thinks there has been "spotty" progress in implementing the recommendations of the Aerospace Commission, which delivered its final report in late 2002, although he believes the commission has had a greater impact than most.
NASA's Ames Research Center is seeking industry's help to identify alternate heat shield materials that could protect the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) when it re-enters Earth's atmosphere following a mission to low Earth orbit. NASA and its CEV contractors already are working on the more advanced and robust heat shields that will be needed to protect the CEV when it re-enters following a trip to the moon. NASA plans to begin flying crew aboard the CEV by 2012 and return astronauts to the lunar surface in 2018.
The Northrop Grumman/Navy Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle team hopes to conduct shipboard takeoff and landings aboard the High Speed Vessel 2 (Swift) in May, according to program officials. The Swift is demonstrating technologies for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), where the Fire Scout UAV eventually will be deployed to assist manned helicopters with countermine and anti-submarine warfare missions.
