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.
GREENBELT, Md. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is undergoing the final integration of its instruments here at Goddard Space Flight Center, with the team eyeing launch on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral between roughly Thanksgiving and the end of the year. The first official launch opportunity is November 24, although the team only has a “handful” of days of schedule margin to make that target, according to Craig Tooley, LRO project manager.
NASA’s Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) is in orbit following a successful launch from Launch Complex 17B at Cape Canaveral, Fla., aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7920 Heavy rocket at about 12:05 p.m. EDT June 11.
NASA’s recent broad agency announcement (BAA) for lunar surface systems studies seeks new ideas to solve some of the challenges to be faced by future lunar astronauts, including maximizing stowage space, storing energy and moving lunar soil. “NASA is attempting to reach entities not traditionally engaged with the space industry, but who have applicable expertise and innovative ideas that can be incorporated into NASA’s lunar surface systems planning,” the agency says in its BAA, released late last week.
