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.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's plans for reorganizing military space management will streamline the space acquisition process, according to Lt. Gen. (s) Brian Arnold. These changes could also attract more funding for military space endeavors, Arnold said at a National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Space Committee luncheon on May 9. Rumsfeld called for giving the Air Force clear authority over space (DAILY, May 9) and announced several structural changes (see related story on Page 7).
Although space industry leaders agree that the road to the next reusable launch vehicle (RLV) will not be quick, easy, or cheap, they differ in their opinions on exactly how we'll get there. Albert E. Smith, executive vice president at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, believes that development of the next generation RLV will depend on wiser allocation of R&D resources.
Homer Hickam, NASA scientist and author of the book "October Sky," is calling for a return to nuclear fission rocket development as a feasible, short-term means of extending human reach into the solar system. During a speech given at a NASA symposium on space flight in Washington, D.C., Hickam urged NASA to embark upon a 15-year program to develop advanced, next generation propulsion engines to supplant current chemical rockets.
