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.
Three microsatellites are scheduled to fly inside Node 1 of the International Space Station (ISS) next year, as part of an effort by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to learn more about spacecraft docking and servicing. DARPA is providing most of the funding for the SPHERE (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites) project through its Orbital Express program, which is pursuing technologies to enable on-orbit satellite servicing and repair.
The General Accounting Office (GAO) and NASA's Inspector General (IG) are expressing concern over the implementation of the agency's new Integrated Financial Management Program (IFMP), which is scheduled to be operational at all NASA centers later this month. NASA initiated the IFMP program last year to unify its 10 field centers under the same accounting system. Two previous attempts to modernize the agency's bookkeeping were abandoned after 12 years and a reported expense of $180 million, according to the GAO (DAILY, March 21, 2002).
House Armed Services committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) on June 18 questioned Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz on the U.S. Air Force's possible need to develop a new deep-strike bomber, emphasizing the crucial role that bombers have played in recent military campaigns.
