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.
The $300 million 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is poised to enter Mars orbit Oct. 24, where it will join in the ongoing reconnaissance effort to determine which areas of the planet's surface might be the most promising to explore in the search for water or signs of life. Tensions are running high at NASA, as memories linger of the back-to-back Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander losses in 1999. Climate Orbiter was lost during the same critical mission period that Mars Odyssey will enter next week.
Scientists at NASA Ames Research Center in California are looking for a few good men and women, age 25 to 55, who are prepared to support human space flight by lying in bed for 30 straight days. Lying at a six-degree incline with their heads pointing down, to simulate the effects of microgravity on the body, the volunteers will help evaluate various exercises designed to counter the bone and muscle loss experienced by astronauts spending extended periods in orbit.
Although some lawmakers have parochial interest in NASA, there is no clear vision on Capitol Hill for what the aerospace agency's main purpose should be, according to former Sen. Jake Garn (R-Utah). "Let me be blunt," said Garn, speaking at a meeting of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC) at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Oct. 16. "Even though [lawmakers] have talked about it, they are virtually totally uninformed about the details about what goes on [at NASA]. They know about the space station because it's been in the news.
