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 officials on April 7 laid out the day-to-day schedule for the space shuttle's return-to-flight mission (STS-114), which will spend 13 days in orbit testing new safety procedures and resupplying the International Space Station (ISS).
Lawmakers are taking a greater interest in the issue of weapons in space, setting the stage for a heated policy debate to begin in earnest this year, analysts said during a panel discussion in Washington April 6. "I think both sides now are engaged," said Randall Correll, a senior scientist at Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), during a panel discussion sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations.
On April 7 the space shuttle program will begin its debris certification review, one of the key milestones that prompted the Stafford-Covey review panel to postpone its most recently scheduled meeting to await its results. NASA has redesigned the external tank to reduce instances of foam insulation shedding. The final analysis of how large a piece of debris may come loose during launch - and how critical the damage would be if it struck the orbiter - is coming in somewhat later than expected, according to shuttle managers.
