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.
On-orbit inspections of shuttle Discovery have shown no serious damage that would prevent the orbiter from safely re-entering Earth's atmosphere, according to NASA. Shuttle astronauts used the new Orbiter Boom Sensor System on July 29 to perform a series of "focused inspections" of six areas where the orbiter may have suffered damage during launch, including the chipped tile near the nosewheel landing gear door (DAILY, July 28).
The Navy is spearheading what it calls a "Manhattan Project" to counter the threat posed by improvised explosive devices, which still account for three-quarters of U.S. casualties in Iraq. The project sprang from a challenge posed by Navy Secretary Gordon England to Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Jay Cohen to develop technologies capable of detecting and neutralizing IEDs at safe distances from a moving vehicle. Most IED attacks target convoys, and most are discovered only after they explode.
The crew of Discovery docked with the International Space Station at 7:18 a.m. EDT July 28 to begin assisting station astronauts with logistics and repairs, while on the ground shuttle managers grappled with a newly revealed foam debris problem that must be solved before the orbiters can launch again.
