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 will begin launching a series of "Mars testbed" missions in 2011 to pave the way for the eventual human exploration of the planet, according to Orlando Figueroa, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program Office. NASA's new Office of Exploration Systems will drive the requirements for the missions, Figueroa said. The missions are planned to head for Mars during every launch opportunity, which occurs roughly every two years.
NASA plans to have a rescue mission prepared and standing by during the next space shuttle flight, STS-114, in case damage is discovered in orbit that makes it impossible for the shuttle to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere.
The scheduled launch of STS-114 is likely to slip to January 2005 as engineers continue to grapple with issues related to the shuttle's external tank and the boom being developed to inspect the orbiter in space, according to a NASA official.
