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's 2008 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is pressing on despite having its fiscal year 2005 budget slashed by appropriators from its $70 million request to $10 million.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) commented on its recent cancellation of the Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft (UCAR) program in a statement released Jan. 4, saying that it "remains committed" to developing the next generation of autonomous military systems.
By the end of 2005, NASA expects to choose a systems integrator to manage its ambitious plans to return humans to the moon by 2020 and prepare for human landings on Mars, according to Rear Adm. Craig Steidle (USN-Ret.), head of the agency's Exploration Systems office. The systems integrator team probably will be led by a NASA center partnered with a major aerospace company, Steidle told The DAILY. The agency plans to release a request for proposals (RFP) for the lead integrator over the summer and make a selection by December, he said.
