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.
A new report from the National Academies urges NASA to quickly choose a systems integration approach for Project Constellation, and "staff the selected approach adequately before making major commitments to hardware procurement." Project Constellation includes the proposed Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) for human transport, various robotic precursor missions and associated systems supporting the exploration of the moon and Mars.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has awarded Northrop Grumman a $400 million contract to co-design the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) spacecraft, the agency announced Sept. 20. Under the contract, which covers work through mid-2008, Northrop Grumman will work with NASA on the preliminary design for the spacecraft. JPL chose Northrop Grumman over bids submitted by Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
Hurricane Ivan, which passed to the east of NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, has done "little or no damage" at either location, according to a NASA spokeswoman. Michoud, Stennis, and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville reopened Sept. 17, with Stennis and Marshall adopting a liberal leave policy, according to Melissa Mathews at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
