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.
House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) and Ranking Member Ralph Hall (D-Texas) are urging NASA to defer the development of the Orbital Space Plane (OSP) until the government has agreed on a vision for space exploration. In an Oct. 21 letter to NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, Boehlert and Hall said the OSP program "will not be successful on its current track," and expressed doubt over the validity of NASA's OSP budget estimates.
The Pentagon's Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) approved low-rate initial production (LRIP) for the Marine Corps' H-1 helicopter upgrade on Oct. 23, only a year and a half after the program was nearly canceled for a breach of the Nunn-McCurdy Act. Following the formal award of the $202 million LRIP contract to Bell Helicopter next month, the company immediately will begin remanufacturing six UH-1N Huey and three AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters to the UH-1Y and AH-1Z configuration. Production will take place at company facilities in Amarillo, Texas.
Despite concerns over their ability to monitor possible health hazards in the International Space Station (ISS), NASA officials and station astronauts say they remain confident there is no immediate danger.
