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.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Shuttle managers will reconvene on Aug. 27 to review data on the balky fuel valve that scuttled the second attempt to launch Discovery on mission STS-128, and decide whether to proceed with refueling for another try early in the morning of Friday, Aug. 28. After the defueled external tank was fully inerted on Aug. 26, the PV12 inboard liquid hydrogen fill-and-drain valve in the aft of the orbiter was repeatedly cycled at ambient temperatures, in which its behavior is better understood than under cryogenic conditions.
PARIS - The clock has started ticking for European Union members to begin adopting legislation aimed at opening their own national defense and security procurements to foreign firms. An EU directive to introduce more competition took effect Aug. 21, with members having two years to pass appropriate legislation. The objective is to bring about a “European defense market.” Western defense spending and acquisition is dominated by the United States.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — With the weather looking clear, NASA began loading space shuttle Discovery’s external tank with 535,000 pounds of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen at Launch Pad 39A here late Aug. 25, in anticipation of a second attempt to launch STS-128 early the next morning.
