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.
After delaying the spacecraft's launch two weeks for additional checks, Boeing, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are completely satisfied that GOES-N's communication system will work properly in orbit, the company says. Originally set to launch on July 29, GOES-N now is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., during a window lasting from 6:32 p.m. to 7:06 p.m. EDT on Aug. 15.
The Army's Rapid Equipping Force is developing a "very promising" new mini unmanned aerial vehicle called TACMAV that the service picked up from classified users, according to REF Director Col. Gregory Tubbs. Manufactured by Applied Research Associates Inc. of Albuquerque, N.M., the TACMAV (Tactical Mini Air Vehicle) has a wingspan of roughly 21 inches. Its flexible wings can be folded around its fuselage, allowing the entire UAV to be stored in a tube or in a soldier's backpack. When pulled out of the tube, the folded wings automatically snap into place.
Early work by an engineering "tiger team" indicates that NASA is unlikely to find a quick fix for the remaining foam trouble spots on the space shuttle's external tank that would permit a September launch, according to Space Station Program Manager Bill Gerstenmaier.
