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.
The Army's Rapid Equipping Force is developing a "very promising" new mini unmanned aerial vehicle called TACMAV that the service picked up from classified users, according to REF Director Col. Gregory Tubbs. Manufactured by Applied Research Associates Inc. of Albuquerque, N.M., the TACMAV (Tactical Mini Air Vehicle) has a wingspan of roughly 21 inches. Its flexible wings can be folded around its fuselage, allowing the entire UAV to be stored in a tube or in a soldier's backpack. When pulled out of the tube, the folded wings automatically snap into place.
Early work by an engineering "tiger team" indicates that NASA is unlikely to find a quick fix for the remaining foam trouble spots on the space shuttle's external tank that would permit a September launch, according to Space Station Program Manager Bill Gerstenmaier.
The launches of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the NASA/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration GOES-N spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Fla., are proceeding as scheduled despite recent technical problems. MRO is set to lift off on an Atlas V rocket during a one hour and 45 minute window opening at 7:50 a.m. EDT Aug. 11. Originally scheduled for Aug. 10, liftoff was pushed back 24 hours while engineers tried to assess the health of a Redundant Rate Gyro Unit (RRGU) on the rocket after a similar unit failed in manufacturer testing.
