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 chief designer of China’s manned space program, Zhou Jiaping, says more tests of the spacesuit used in his nation’s first spacewalk are upcoming, along with upgrades planned to meet long-term requirements for lunar exploration. Speaking at the National Space Symposium, Zhou also adds that China plans to continue using the Russian-made Orlan suit as a backup. Describing the Chinese-developed suit used in the Sept. 27, 2008, extravehicular activity, Zhou says it is pressurized to about 5.8 psi. and provides life support for 6 hr.
NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Russian cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov and space tourist Charles Simonyi landed safely in their Soyuz spacecraft in the steppes of southern Kazakhstan at 2:16 a.m. CDT April 8. The Expedition 18 crew members undocked their Russian Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft from the International Space Station at 10:55 p.m. April 7. The deorbit burn began at 1:24 a.m. April 8. The landing site was shifted south because of poor conditions at the original target site, according to NASA.
CHECKING OUT: Orbital checkout is under way for the U.S. Air Force’s second Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) spacecraft, which was launched successfully from Cape Canaveral, Fla., April 3. Built by Boeing at its factory in El Segundo, Calif., WGS-2 lifted off at 8:31 p.m. EDT aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 421 rocket. A ground station in Dongara, Australia, received the military communication satellite’s first signals 44 minutes later, and Boeing has confirmed that the satellite is functioning normally.
