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.
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.
NASA has postponed the launch of shuttle Discovery on mission STS-114 until July, giving the agency time to conduct additional troubleshooting and analysis as well as install a heater to eliminate ice formation at an area of concern on the external tank's liquid oxygen feedline.
