Mars Rover: Stuck in the Mud

Spirit, the Mars rover that landed in Gusev Crater on Mars in January 2004 and is still working, just isn't going forward or backward. Back in April its wheels broke through some crusty ground into thick, soft dust, and engineers back at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California haven't been able to get it out. "This lonely spot on the edge of a crater may be where Spirit ends its adventure on Mars," said Doug McCuistion, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program...

Continue reading "Mars Rover: Stuck in the Mud"

November 12, 2009 in Current Affairs, Science, Space | Permalink | User Comments (10)

Tranquility Base

Forty years after Neil Armstrong keyed his microphone and said, "Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed," a NASA probe in lunar orbit has returned this image of Apollo 11's landing site. Take a look.

Continue reading "Tranquility Base"

November 12, 2009 in Current Affairs, Science, Space | Permalink | User Comments (68)

NASA's Ares 1-X Test: The View From Above

Cool video of NASA's Ares 1-X rocket test -- seen from above.

Continue reading "NASA's Ares 1-X Test: The View From Above"

November 5, 2009 in Adventure, Current Affairs, economy, Politics, Space | Permalink | User Comments (4)

The Yes Men

They say it helps to have a sense of humor in Washington. It helps elsewhere too, but Washington is a special case. Take the example of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce vs. The Yes Men -- one of America's most...

Continue reading "The Yes Men"

October 29, 2009 in Current Affairs, economy, Politics, Science | Permalink | User Comments (2)

The Missing Link -- Not

Remember Ida? She was the 47-million-year-old fossil, found in Germany, promoted in May as "The Link" -- a very early ancestor of humans. Paleontologists now say that unless you're really into evolutionary biology, you can pretty much forget her.

Continue reading " The Missing Link -- Not"

October 21, 2009 in Science | Permalink | User Comments (19)

Moon Crash Kicked Up Plume After All

Turns out the LCROSS lunar impact mission did kick up a plume of debris after all.

Continue reading " Moon Crash Kicked Up Plume After All"

October 19, 2009 in Science, Space | Permalink | User Comments (10)

Moon Crash: Where's the Water?

The lesson, perhaps, of Friday's lunar impact by NASA's LCROSS mission was to be careful what you wish for.

Continue reading "Moon Crash: Where's the Water?"

October 13, 2009 in Science, Space | Permalink | User Comments (72)

Green Apple: Firm is Latest to Leave U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Apple is the latest company to resign from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, protesting its "extreme" position against fighting climate change.

Continue reading "Green Apple: Firm is Latest to Leave U.S. Chamber of Commerce"

October 6, 2009 in Current Affairs, economy, Politics, Science | Permalink | User Comments (8)

Recovery.gov: Your Tax Dollars at Work

How to you keep track of $797 billion? When the stimulus package was passed last winter, the government promised that citizens would be able to use a new Web site, Recovery.gov, to find out where money was being sent. It...

Continue reading "Recovery.gov: Your Tax Dollars at Work"

September 28, 2009 in Current Affairs, economy, Web/Tech | Permalink | User Comments (12)

Climate: Power Companies Quit U.S Chamber of Commerce

Electric companies, many of them with large investments in power plants that burn coal, oil or natural gas, might seem resistant at first glance to government mandates to control greenhouse gas emissions. But several have now been very public about...

Continue reading "Climate: Power Companies Quit U.S Chamber of Commerce"

September 25, 2009 in Current Affairs, Politics, Science | Permalink | User Comments (5)