X-37B returning to Earth as early as Friday
The military reports that the X-37B’s mission is complete and it will be returning to Earth as early as Friday.
Category: Points of Information
Very brief descriptions, with appropriate links, of current or recent news items.
The IPCC and the UN is planning to re-engineer the Earth to save it
What could go wrong? Railroad engineer and head of the IPCC Rajendra Pachauri announced at the Cancun climate summit today that he has decided that the threat of global warming is so great that the IPCC is going to recommend in its next report (AR5) that actions be taken to re-engineer the climate. Key quote:
“The AR5 has been expanded and will in future focus on subjects like clouds and aerosols, geo-engineering and sustainability issues,” [Pachauri] said.
Later this year IPCC “expert groups” will meet in Peru to discuss geo-engineering. Options include putting mirrors in space to reflect sunlight or covering Greenland in a massive blanket so it does not melt. Sprinkling iron filings in the ocean “fertilises” algae so that it sucks up CO2 and “seeding clouds” means that less sunlight can get in. Other options include artificial “trees” that suck carbon dioxide out of the air, painting roofs white to reflect sunlight and man-made volcanoes that spray sulphate particles high in the atmosphere to scatter the sun’s rays back into space.
University of Colorado and NASA Research Center to Study Sun’s Effects on Earth’s Climate
Progress! The University of Colorado and the Goddard Space Flight Center are forming a collaborative research center to study the Sun’s effect on the Earth’s Climate.
First Orion Space Capsule Could Ride Delta 4 Heavy In 2013
Lockheed Martin is moving ahead with its plan to launch the first Orion capsule on a Delta 4 Heavy rocket, notwithstanding the desire of NASA that Lockheed instead focus on using NASA’s own as yet unbuilt rocket system.
NASA engineers struggle to analyze cause of cracks in tank
NASA engineers continue to struggle to analyze the cause of the cracks in Discovery’s external tank. Key quote:
Forty-three tanks have been constructed with the lighter alloy, requiring just more than 4,600 stringers. So far, 31 cracks have been found, including those on Discovery.
“All of those have been known assembly issues,” Shannon said of the previous cracks, which were traced to misalignments of the stringers as they were fastened to the tank or to mishandling in which the fragile stringers struck or were struck by other hardware. Discovery’s cracks were the first found and repaired at the launch pad using techniques previously employed only at the production plant.
The ongoing detective work is immune to schedule and budget pressure, according to Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for space operations.
National Space Society demands Congress give NASA the money
Will the squealing never stop? The National Space Society has called on Congress to fully fund NASA, as per the authorization bill passed in September, even though the money doesn’t exist, and even if it did exist the amount authorized is insufficient anyway to accomplish what it is intended.
Deficit panel divided
It appears the squealing is working: Obama’s deficit commission on balancing the U.S. budget appears gridlocked, and is not expected to approve any budget-cutting plan when it votes on Wednesday.
Dark Jupiter May Haunt Edge of Solar System
A dark Jupiter may haunt the edge of the solar system.
New Jersey man serving 7 years for guns he owned legally
A New Jersey man is serving a seven year sentence for posessing guns he owned legally.
How One Astronomer Became the Unofficial Exoplanet Record Keeper
How one astronomer became the unofficial exoplanet record keeper.
Obamacare forces union to drop insurance for children
This bill is going to dog Democrats for years: The Obama healthcare bill is forcing a New York union to drop insurance coverage for the children of its members.
Wheelchair-bound nun searched by TSA
I feel so much safer! Wheelchair-bound nun searched by TSA. With a picture!
No hurricane landfalls in US for second year in a row
The hurricane season is about to end, and though it appears that the predictions for this season were just about right, no hurricanes touched down in North America for the second year in a row. Key quote:
“There was only a 2% or 3% chance of getting this many hurricanes and not having one hit the U.S.”
Cuts in military budget would hit North Texas programs
The squealing ain’t just coming from cheese-eating social program advocates: The Defense Department is gearing up to protest proposed cuts in the military budget as outlined by the deficit commission.
Deficit commission rewrites its recommendation, but keeps it
Jeff Foust has noticed that the Obama’s deficit commission has rewritten its recommendation that the NASA subsidies to commercial space be cut. The rewrite doesn’t really change the recommendation. Instead, it merely corrects the language to more accurately describe the subsidy program.
The radiation risks from the TSA scanners
The radiation risks from the TSA scanners.
Why Hayabusa failed to fire its projectile at asteroid
Japanese scientists have determined that a programming error was the reason why Hayabusa failed to fire its projectile at the asteroid Itokawa in 2005.
Travelers shifting to charter jets and rental cars to avoid airport security
It seems I’m not the only one avoiding the airport security madness. A poll finds that travelers are shifting to charter jets and rental cars to avoid airport security.
Two TSA Agents Steal Pizza & Assault A Store Clerk
Thugs and boneheads: Two TSA agents steal a pizza and assault a store clerk, after using one of their credit cards to purchase liquor (which is how the police identified them).
Leslie Nielsen Dead at 84
Leslie Nielsen Dead at 84. R.I.P.