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.
NASA must improve how it identifies, selects and prioritizes space shuttle upgrades, according to a recent report from the General Accounting Office (GAO). In March 2003, NASA instituted the Shuttle Life Extension Program (SLEP) to better organize shuttle upgrade efforts. At the time, the agency expected that the shuttle might remain in service through 2020, although now it is scheduled for retirement in 2010 in accordance with President Bush's new space exploration agenda (DAILY, Jan. 15).
NASA has decided to delay the next flight attempt of the X-43A hypersonic demonstrator until late March or early April while engineers recalculate the vehicle's flight profile and replace a rudder actuator that may have been damaged in a recent accident.
Sikorsky's S-92 helicopter will begin two weeks of evaluation at Naval Air Patuxent River early this week, as the Navy gathers more information before its downselect decision in the VXX presidential helicopter competition. The other helicopter in the running for the program, Lockheed Martin/AgustaWestland's US101, already had its NPE (Naval Preliminary Evaluation) at Patuxent River last month, according to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) spokesman John Milliman.
