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.
NASA has issued a request for proposals (RFP) from industry for a new spacesuit system for the Constellation program, in anticipation of awarding a contract in June 2008.
If NASA is funded under a continuing budget resolution by Congress for the second fiscal year in a row, the effect on the agency would be "devastating," according to Deputy Administrator Shana Dale. NASA was funded under a continuing resolution (CR) for fiscal 2007 that essentially froze spending at FY '06 levels, giving the agency a topline budget of $16.3 billion and amounting to a $500 million cut from the agency's overall request. Another CR for FY '08 would amount to a $1 billion cut from NASA's $17.3 billion request.
The X Prize Foundation and Google are teaming to offer $20 million to the first privately funded team to soft land on the moon and robotically rove the surface for at least 500 meters while sending images and video back to Earth. The winner of the "Google Lunar X Prize" must transmit a specific set of high-definition video, still photo images and data back to Earth, including a "Mooncast" that will include high-resolution 360-degree panoramic views of the lunar surface, "self portraits" of the rover and near real-time videos of the rover's journey.
