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.
Democratic leaders of the House Committee on Science and Technology criticized NASA's fiscal 2008 budget request during a hearing on Capitol Hill March 15, saying the White House has consistently failed to request enough money for the agency over the past few years. "I'm afraid that NASA is headed for a train wreck if things don't change," Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) said. "There are certain challenges that NASA is facing as a result of the FY '07 Joint Resolution, but the agency's budgetary problems run much deeper."
Preliminary estimates from NASA put the cost of a space probe to explore Jupiter's moon Europa at $2 billion to $4 billion, Acting Administrator for Science Colleen Hartman told House appropriators March 14. The estimate comes from an ongoing survey of potential outer planetary exploration missions that NASA expects to complete by the end of the summer. Other destinations under review include Jupiter's moon Ganymede and the Saturnian moons Enceladus and Titan.
NASA will need an additional $350 million in fiscal 2009 and $400 million FY '10 to reverse the effect of the FY '07 continuing budget resolution and put the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) back on schedule to debut in 2014, Administrator Michael Griffin told House appropriators March 13.
