Category: Points of Information
Very brief descriptions, with appropriate links, of current or recent news items.
Genetically modified mosquito developed that can’t carry malaria
Scientists say they have successfully produced a genetically modified mosquito that is unable to carry the malaria parasite. If so, and this mosquito can be bred throughout the mosquito population, it will eradicate malaria entirely.
New plan from the Senate
This analysis of the Senate budget plan that passed the Senate Commerce committee today hits all the most important points. Key quote (in connection with the Senate’s mandate that NASA start over in building a new heavy lift rocket):
Over the last five years, Constellation has cost at least $9 billion and produced little more than one test flight for a stripped-down version of the program’s Ares I rocket. While the Senate plan instructs NASA to salvage parts of Constellation when possible – and provides $11 billion over the next several years — it will take time and resources to create a new design. Adding to the pressure is the 2016 deadline that Congress gives NASA to have the new vehicle ready.
Senate deal for NASA
More coverage describing today’s Senate committee vote on the 2011 NASA budget. Interestingly, the Commerce committee and a number of its members have each issued their own press releases. I get the feeling they are trying to convince us they have acomplished something. Here are two from the chairman and ranking member:
Military technology to spot mines and caves
More cave news, this time on Earth. Lockheed Martin, under the direction of DARPA, has developed technology capable of mapping underground mines and caves.
The solar minimum and the Earth’s upper atmosphere
NASA scientists report, not surprisingly, that the Earth’s upper atmosphere experienced the largest contraction ever recorded during the recent very deep and prolonged solar minimum.
compromise approved by Senate panel
Keith Cowing at NASAWatch reports in detail about the unanimous approval of the amended Senate budget for NASA. The final budget appears to have raised the funding for commercial space development to match the Obama request, while adding one more flight to the shuttle schedule and mandating an immediate start of work on some sort of heavy-lift rocket.
The loss of freedom
Our freedom is under attack, and it isn’t being destroyed by an evil dictator with storm troopers.
Why I don’t watch television news
This story illustrates nicely why no one should trust the reliablity of any news reporting they see on television or cable. Key quote:
Back in late-1989, I contended that the U.S. economy was in or headed into a deep recession. CNBC had me in to discuss my views along with a senior economist for a large New York bank, who was looking for continued economic growth. Before the show, the bank economist and I shared our views in the Green Room. I outlined my case for a major recession, and, to my shock, his response was, “I think that pretty much is the consensus.” We got on the air, I gave my recession pitch, and he proclaimed a booming economy for the year ahead. He was a good economist and knew what was happening, but he had to put out the story mandated by his employer, or he would not have had a job.
More recently, following an interview on a major cable news network (not CNBC), I was advised off-air by the producer that they were operating under a corporate mandate to give the economic news a positive spin, irrespective of how bad it was.” And now you know that watching stations like CNBC for anything more than just comedic value is hazardous to your health and wealth.
White House deal?
Space war over? Eric Berger of the Houston Chronicle reports today that there are signs that the White House might agree to the Senate’s budget proposal for NASA, released earlier this week.
The space war continues. Now some astronauts chime in.
The space war over NASA’s future continues. Now 24 former astronauts have written a letter to Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland), endorsing the idea of allowing the private commercial industry to take over the manned space program of the U.S.
Clive Cook’s take on climategate whitewashes
Still have doubts whether the climategate investigations were awhitewash? Then read this blistering condemnation by Clive Cook, senior editor at The Atlantic and a global warming advocate.
Lunar conference at Ames
The third annual Lunar Science Forum is being held July 20-22 at the Ames Research Center in California. The list of papers, some of which are quite intriguing, can be found here. Fun quote from one abstract: “Purity levels of the ice suggest a degree of comingling of ice and regolith grains within the permanently shadowed crater.”
Obama’s poll problems
This collection of links gathered by Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit illustrates clearly that the Obama administration is in deep trouble, not just on its proposed changes to NASA but on almost every other issue it has tackled. The links also illustrate how incredibly tone deaf this administration continues to be when it comes to politics.
Bolden pushback against White House
Who is lying? Is it NASA Administrator Bolden or White House spokesman Robert Gibbs? NASA officials continue to insist that Bolden’s claim that foreign outreach is one of NASA’s main tasks is true, despite Gibbs’s denial.
Update: More indications that NASA had planned some sort of outreach to Muslim nations, under White House direction.
Toyota cars did not have a sudden acceleration problem
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that all but one of the approximately 3000 incidents of out-of-control acceleration involving Toyota vehicles were because of driver error, not mechanical problems. In other words, the accusations that there was something fundamentally wrong with the Toyota vehicles was false.
Greenland icecap is not melting
Steve Goddard has posted on Anthony Watt’s webpage a very detailed update on the state of the icecap covering Greenland. Surprise! There are no signs of it disappearing anytime soon. (Note that you might have to scroll to the right to see the text of Goddard’s post, as on some computers Watts’s webpage is unfortunately far too wide for the screen.)
Caves on the Moon
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has sent back some amazing pictures of some recently discovered caves on the Moon. I like this one the best.
Astronomy near the North Pole
Astronomers have finished the first detailed study, including field trips, for the construction of a telescope on the one of the high mountains near the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, less than 10 degrees from the North Pole.
WhiteKnightTwo trip logs
Scaled Composites has posted the full test flight log for all of WhiteKnightTwo’s test flights, through July 1, 2010. The logs strongly suggest that the company is moving quickly towards its first full flight of SpaceShipTwo.