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 FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation released its draft safety guidelines for space tourism on Feb. 11, in anticipation of developing final regulations no later than June 2006. According to the guidelines, reusable launch vehicle (RLV) operators should inform space tourists in writing about the risks of flight, including the safety records of both the vehicle they will fly on and other manned space vehicles (DAILY, Feb. 11).
The Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) program is trying to adjust to its recent Pentagon-mandated budget cut without losing momentum, according to Mike Francis, J-UCAS program manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). "One of our main goals is to keep this from taking momentum out of the program," Francis said during the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems' Unmanned Systems Program Review Feb. 9 in Washington. "I don't think anybody is unhappy with how the program is moving."
Passing an authorization bill for NASA will be a top priority this year for Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), newly appointed chairman of the House Science Committee's space and aeronautics subcommittee.
