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.
A panel of witnesses from outside NASA debated the future of the Hubble Space Telescope during a hearing on Capitol Hill Feb. 2, endorsing options ranging from shuttle or robotic servicing to flying the telescope's replacement instruments on a new spacecraft. The debate took place against a backdrop of rumors that NASA has cut all funding for Hubble servicing from its fiscal year 2006 budget, and plans only to fund a disposal mission to de-orbit the telescope safely (DAILY, Jan. 25). NASA's budget will be released Feb. 7.
While praising the draft request for proposals (RFP) for NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) as exceptionally clear, industry hopefuls preparing to bid on the spacecraft still have some questions for NASA.
The U.S. Air Force and NASA are negotiating the proposed reopening of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) at Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., which could occur as early as October 2005. The 40 by 80 by 120-foot NFAC is the largest wind tunnel in the world. Prior to closing in May 2004, the NFAC was the facility that the U.S. Army relied on for its full-scale rotorcraft testing. The shutdown of the NASA-owned facility was prompted by the agency cutting funding for rotorcraft research (DAILY, Aug. 8, 2003).
