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.
NASA engineers are analyzing several instances of debris coming loose during Discovery's July 26 launch, some of which may have damaged the orbiter, but shuttle managers say they are not overly concerned yet. One of the damage areas is near Discovery's nose wheel landing gear door, where cameras showed a fragment of thermal tile little more than an inch across breaking loose during ascent.
The joint Air Force/Navy program to develop a panoramic night vision goggle for fixed-wing pilots is expected to release a request for proposals for its Block IV version in August - part of an effort by the services to inject more competition into the struggling program.
Right on schedule at 10:39 a.m. EDT July 26, Space Shuttle Discovery blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, returning the orbiter to flight after a two-and-a-half year hiatus and marking the first step in the execution of America's vision for space exploration. STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates are scheduled to spend 12 days in space testing new safety procedures and equipment developed in response to the Columbia accident, as well as delivering supplies to the International Space Station.
