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 U.S. Air Force has formed a task force that plans to deliver a road map for directed energy weapons by early next year, according to Harry Disbrow, deputy director for operational capability requirements at Air Force headquarters.
The U.S. Navy is stepping up its efforts to develop directed energy weapons and has made significant strides in recent months, according to Rear Adm. Brad Hicks, commander of the Naval Surface Warfare Center. "As fiscal constraints allow ... the Navy is increasing its efforts in directed energy," Hicks said during a presentation at the Directed Energy Professional Society's seventh annual symposium in Rockville, Md., on Oct. 19. "We continue to set world records in [Free Electron Laser] performance. ..."
New observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope have revealed that planets are formed over a long period by massive collisions between rocky bodies the size of mountain ranges, NASA announced Oct. 18. According to previous theory, rocky planets form like snowballs out of planetary discs of dust, slowly accreting until they become mountain-sized bodies. These planetesimals collide further to create terrestrial planets like the Earth, slowly depleting the disc.
