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 is paying close attention to the proliferation of small satellite technology that it fears could one day be applied to attacking U.S. military spacecraft in orbit, according to the deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM). The service is concerned about "this proliferation of ... small satellites and microsatellites and where that may take us," Lt. Gen. Robert Kehler told members of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee at a hearing in Washington earlier this week.
NASA's head of safety and mission assurance and the agency's chief engineer explained the rationale for their overruled "no-go" shuttle launch recommendations during a teleconference June 21, and said they're generally comfortable with the final decision to launch in part because the option of sending a rescue shuttle makes the loss of the crew unlikely.
The House Appropriations Committee approved a NASA spending bill June 20 that cuts the agencyís topline budget by $83.2 million below the Bush administrationís request, while shifting more money than requested into science and aeronautics. The committee recommended a total of $16.7 billion for NASA in fiscal 2007, which is an increase of $462.4 million from the FY í06 budget, not counting emergency supplemental funding for hurricane recovery.
