Hubble has discovered a fourth moon orbiting Pluto
Hubble has discovered a fourth moon orbiting Pluto.
Author: Robert Zimmerman
The Republican-controlled House today passed legislation raising the debt ceiling and cutting federal spending by $6 trillion
Now it’s in the Democrats’ court: The Republican-controlled House today passed legislation raising the debt ceiling and cutting federal spending by $6 trillion.
Republicans have now passed their second bill this session that attempts to address the exploding deficits and the debt crisis, the first being Paul Ryan’s budget plan in April. Meanwhile, Democrats in the Senate haven’t bothered to pass any budget resolution in over 800 days, and the White House still refuses to offer any specific ideas.
All charges dropped on woman who groped a TSA agent
All felony charges dropped against the woman who groped a TSA agent.
Jerry Cobb, a spokesman for the Maricopa County attorney’s office, said county prosecutors concluded the facts of the case don’t rise to the level of a felony. The case against Yukari Miyamae, of Longmont, Colo., now goes to Phoenix’s city prosecutor’s office, which handles all misdemeanors in the city. That office said it hasn’t received the case and hasn’t decided whether to charge Miyamae.
Grand Canyon Flash Flood
An evening pause:
Opportunity’s journey on Mars tops 20 miles
On July 17 the Mars rover Opportunity passed the twenty mile mark on its now seven year journey on Mars. The image below was taken on that day. In the distance, now only about 4,000 feet away, can be seen the rim of Endeavour Crater, fourteen miles wide. Opportunity has been traveling toward that crater now since 2008.
With the rover able to travel about 300 to 500 feet each sol, it should be reaching the crater’s rim sometime in the next few weeks.
The dying NASA astrophysics program
The dying NASA astrophysics program.
With support from President Barack Obama, the agency’s Earth science budget is at an all-time high. Over the next four months, the planetary science division is due to launch three major missions: to the Moon, to Mars and to Jupiter. And the heliophysics division plans to send a probe plunging into the blistering atmosphere of the Sun, closer than ever before. But because the overall NASA science budget is relatively flat, something had to give. Since 2008, astrophysics funding has plunged relative to other NASA science and relative to physics and astronomy funding at other agencies.
The space shuttle has undocked from the space station for the last time
The space shuttle has undocked from the space station for the last time.
Japanese tsunami set record at 132.5 feet high
The March 11th Japanese tsunami was the highest on record, 132.5 feet high.
Fry and Laurie – Tricky Linguistics
An evening pause:
Russia vows not to exploit manned space flight monopoly
That’s so nice of them: Russia vows not to exploit its manned space flight monopoly.
Actually, this isn’t really news. Since the fall of the Soviet Union the Russians have always driven a hard bargain when they have sold tickets to get crew or cargo into space. However, once the contract has been signed they have also honored those contracts, to the letter. As the U.S. already has a signed contract to get its astronauts to ISS using Russian rockets and capsules, there won’t be any opportunities for Russian exploitation — until that contract expires.
In other words, the U.S. had better get some manned launch capability on line before too long. And on that note, see this article: NASA considers man-rating the Atlas V.
More than 400 companies in the medical industry are demanding repeal of excise tax imposed by Obamacare
Finding out what’s in it: More than 400 companies in the medical industry are demanding repeal of an excise tax imposed by Obamacare.
Vesta, sharp and clear
Some good news: Dawn has returned its first sharp close-up image of Vesta.
The image to below the fold is to me a relief, as it shows that the spacecraft’s camera is fine and that my engineering friends were correct in telling me so. Forgive me for being a skeptical and nervous reporter.
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Ten signs that Americans have begun freaking out about the state of the economy
Ten signs that Americans have begun freaking out about the state of the economy.
Here’s another: Bank Of America is tanking again, as the firm may need $50 billion in fresh capital.
NASA to announce on Friday the landing site of Curiousity, the next Mars rover
NASA to announce on Friday the landing site of Curiousity, the next Mars rover.
Why Hasn’t The Earth Warmed In Nearly 15 Years?
Obama’s National Relations Labor Board prosecutes a dead person for not responding
Our government in action: The National Relations Labor Board under the Obama administration has prosecuted a dead person for not responding to a union complaint, made after the person died.
The U.S. and the rising Russian space program
The Russians yesterday successfully launched their first space telescope since the fall of the Soviet Union. Here is a Google translation of a Russian article describing Spektr-R’s research goals:
[Spektr-R is] designed to study galaxies and quasars in the radio, the study of black holes and neutron stars in the Milky Way, as well as the regions immediately adjacent to the massive black holes. In addition, using the observatory, scientists expect to receive information about pulsars and the interstellar plasma. It is planned that the “Spektr-R” will work in orbit for at least 5 years.
Though this particular space telescope is probably not going to rewrite the science of astrophysics, its launch is historically significant. It indicates that Russia has just about recovered from the seventy-plus years of bankrupt communist rule that ended in 1990.
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Connie Dover – No come again
An evening pause: Some breathtaking accapella singing by Connie Dover.
Nearly one-fourth of the people polled asserted that they would give up sex if it meant that they could avoid a PowerPoint presentation.
Now here’s a useful data point: A new poll finds that nearly one-fourth of those polled would give up sex if it meant that they could avoid a PowerPoint presentation.
Dawn enters orbit around Vesta
Dawn enters orbit around Vesta.