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.
Layoffs are expected among the 3,800 Atlas and Delta rocket workers as manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Boeing merge government launch operations and attempt to eliminate redundancy. The joint venture, known as United Launch Alliance, will begin with 1,500 Lockheed Martin Atlas employees and 2,300 Boeing Delta employees. However, "we're talking consolidation, eliminating redundancies and duplications, so it's inevitable that the size of the work force would constrict," Boeing spokesman Dan Beck told The DAILY.
Spacehab Inc. has sold the Spacehab Payload Processing Facility (SPPF) to Tamir Silvers LLC for $4.8 million, while at the same time inking an agreement to lease the facility back for at least the next five years. Located just south of Cape Canaveral, Fla., the 58,000-square foot facility is where all of Spacehab's cargo modules are integrated and tested before delivery to NASA's nearby Kennedy Space Center for integration with the space shuttle.
NASA is considering several alternative methods for preventing ice from forming on the space shuttle's external tank that could break loose and threaten the orbiter during launch, in addition to the current favored method of installing heaters.
