Editor’s note: The trick to getting new work at your center? Run up obscene increases on a simple project, and then get your congressional delegation (i.e. Sen. Shelby) to whine and moan when the money runs out and demand that things get moved – all the while convincing them that the only way to do things is big, heavy, and expensive. Of course, this also keeps the marching armies back […]

Editor’s note: Dean: If your skin is this thin you really need to find another line of work.The New Gag Rules, editorial, Science (subscription)“For at least two reasons, this event may establish a new high-water mark for bureaucratic stupidity. First, Hansen’s views on this general subject have long been widely available; he thinks climate change is due to anthropogenic sources, and he’s discouraged that we’re not doing more about it. […]

Capitol Police Probing Reports of Gunfire, AP“Police sealed off a House office builing on Friday as they investigated reports that shots were fired in the garage of the building. Four ambulances were summoned. Capitol police were investigating “the sound of gunfire in the garage level of the Rayburn House Office Building,” said an announcement on the internal Capitol voice alarm system.”

Theoretical blueprint for invisibility cloak reported, Duke University“Using a new design theory, researchers at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering and Imperial College London have developed the blueprint for an invisibility cloak. Once devised, the cloak could have numerous uses, from defense applications to wireless communications, the researchers said. Such a cloak could hide any object so well that observers would be totally unaware of its presence, according to the […]

NASA MSFC Solicitation: Space Shuttle’s Booster Separation Motors (BSM’s)“NASA plans to issue a non-competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) to ATK Thiokol Inc., ATK Launch Systems Group for the completion of qualification and the production of Space Shuttles Booster Separation Motors (BSMs) required for the remainder of the Space Shuttle Program. No other supplies or services will satisfy Agency requirements.”

NASA JSC Solicitation: Lunar Lander Concept Studies“The purpose of this Request For Information (RFI) is to widely release the study guidelines that NASA in-house teams are using so that contractors, academia, or any interested parties can perform parallel studies and/or use this information to make decisions on how to focus their internal efforts. NASA will review all submitted concepts and may incorporate all or part of any concept into their […]

Campaign Update: The Planetary Society Takes the Fight to Washington“In contrast to Kennedy’s vision, the fiscal year 2007 budget proposed for NASA contains cuts that threaten to end the era of exploration that brought us the Hubble Space Telescope, Mars Exploration Rovers, Cassini-Huygens at Saturn, Deep Impact and Stardust. The Administration proposes to drastically cut future space science, especially astrobiology research; to stop work on new missions to Europa and […]

Media 8 To Produce “Challenger” Directed by Philip Kaufman“M8 Entertainment Inc., a leading film entertainment company engaged in the production, financing, acquisition, and worldwide licensing of theatrical feature films in a variety of genres, announced today that its principal subsidiary Media 8 will co-produce, finance, and distribute the feature film project “Challenger.” Written by Nicole Perlman, the film will be directed by Philip Kaufman (“The Right Stuff,” “The Unbearable Lightness […]

Couple finds Uranium in an old NASA tool box, AP“A Putnam County couple got a startling surprise when they found a piece of depleted uranium at the bottom of a box of tools. Susan and Lance Greninger called NASA because they had bought the box at an auction near the Kennedy Space Center. A Hazmat team from the fire department examined the metal and said it was a solid piece […]

Boy Scouts of America and Celestron(R) Set Their “Sights” on Space Exploration, Celestron“The Boy Scouts of America (BSA), the nation’s foremost youth character development program, in partnership with Celestron, a leading designer and manufacturer of telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes and microscopes, announced a joint program to encourage interest in space exploration and astronomy among America’s youth, beginning with a donation of 200 Celestron SkyScouts.” Editor’s note: I sent the following […]