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.
President Bush's vision for space exploration is "stalled" in Congress, in part due to a perceived lack of detail and lingering uncertainty over NASA's ability to carry it out, according to a senior Senate staff member. A. John Cullen, senior staff member with the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transporta-tion and a technical consultant on space for Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.), said that despite its promise, the vision remains stalled along party lines.
The Joint Planning and Develop-ment Office (JPDO) is proceeding "with real alacrity" and will deliver its long-term plan for air traffic modernization to Congress by the end of this calendar year, according to Jeffrey Shane, undersecretary of transportation for policy at the Transportation Department.
The Force Application and Launch from the Continental U.S. (FALCON) program plans to open the second phase of its Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) portion to all respondents in a request for proposals (RFP) expected in two weeks. "Task 1" for FALCON is the SLV effort, which is developing a launch vehicle capable of putting 1,000 pounds into low-Earth orbit at very short notice or boosting a hypersonic munition known as the Common Aero Vehicle (CAV) to suborbital altitudes. The SLV is expected to come online by 2010.
