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.
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to award a $1 million prize to the winner of an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) race next March, in the hope that the resulting technical innovations can be applied to its military UGV programs. The DARPA "Grand Challenge" is scheduled for March 13, 2004. Thirty-four teams already have signed up for the race, in which unmanned vehicles will have to make their way autonomously from Los Angeles, Calif., to Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group (SCTG), which will perform an independent assessment of NASA's space shuttle return-to-flight effort, will have its first public meeting at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. on Aug. 7. Co-chaired by former Apollo commander Thomas Stafford and space shuttle commander Richard Covey, the task group will ensure that NASA fully implements the recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB).
Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter's candidate for the Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft (UCAR) program is a compound helicopter design featuring wings and a supplemental propulsion system in place of a tail rotor, according to Lockheed Martin officials.
