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 International Space Station (ISS) program is weighing options for replacing a faulty remote power controller that has temporarily taken down one of the station's three control moment gyros (CMGs). The station uses the 800-pound CMGs, which spin at 6,600 rpm, for propellantless attitude control and maneuvering. Operating with two gyroscopes should not affect a scheduled March 28 spacewalk, or the anticipated arrival of the space shuttle in May when it returns to flight on mission STS-114, according to ISS Program Manager Bill Gerstenmaier.
The U.S. Air Force Space Battlelab has backed away from the Near-Space Maneuvering Vehicle (NSMV) following a series of technical problems that have caused redesigns and scuttled flight attempts.
NASA has consolidated the management of its wind tunnels under a single program manager based at the agency's headquarters in Washington, who will determine which tunnels will be kept open and how they should be managed. NASA is considering a number of options, according to Victor Lebacqz, the agency's associate administrator for aeronautics. The options include shared ownership and pricing, transfer to management by other entities such as the Defense Department, and other modes of operation.
