From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4@msn.com)
Date: Fri Jun 07 2002 - 12:33:53 PDT
----- Original Message -----
From: What's New
Sent: Friday, June 07, 2002 3:18 PM
To: ljk4@msn.com
Subject: What's New for Jun 07, 2002
WHAT'S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 7 Jun 02 Washington, DC
1. HOUSE AIMS FOR DOUBLING NSF. This week the House voted 397 to
25 to authorize 15 percent increases for NSF for the next three
years, setting the stage for a five-year doubling. Congress's
support for the NSF's programs runs far deeper than its recently
expressed criticism of the way the Foundation is being managed.
2. MARS ODYSSEY: FILL 'ER UP FOR THE TRIP HOME? Last week, WN
scoffed at media suggestions that water found on Mars by the
Odyssey orbiter might someday be used in manned missions to make
rocket fuel for the return trip. "Haven't you guys ever heard of
electrolysis?" indignant readers asked. Well, yes, we have, but
to make that much hydrogen you're going to need a lot of
electricity. "No problem," we were told, "the plan is to use
solar cells." The plan? We called Jim Garvin, NASA's head
scientist for Mars Exploration. "We have no plans to find water
in the form of ice and convert it into anything," he snorted.
But, you might ask, is it a practical idea? Alas, the hydrogen
found by Odyssey is in the polar regions. Elsewhere, things look
pretty dry. "OK, so they'll send along a nuclear reactor."
Good idea, but you'd better toss in a backhoe too. Even in the
polar regions the water is a foot or two below the surface and
it's in the form of frozen mud, maybe 20% water. So where does
the media get hold of these ideas? They must be coming from the
Mars lobby, which is dedicated to underestimating the difficulty.
3. YUCCA MOUNTAIN: NEVADA FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST DOE. The
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Yucca Mountain
nuclear waste site in Nevada angered opponents. The Department
of Energy statement is "tantamount to fraud," claimed the Nevada
Attorney General's Office. State officials charge that the DOE
lost sight of the National Environmental Policy Act and some
provisions of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. That's easy to do
when you're a high roller. But Nevada filed suit against the DOE
in federal court to stop nuclear waste dumping, arguing that the
DOE failed to inform the public adequately. Previously, Governor
Kenny Guinn filed a congressionally-authorized veto of President
Bush's authority to proceed with the Yucca Mountain project.
Clearly, Nevada just won't quit. Nevada wants a valid EIS - one
that the public can understand.
4. GLOBAL WARMING: "YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY." In a report
to the United Nations, the US acknowledged that the climate is
growing warmer. Moreover, the required EPA report,
www.epa.gov/globalwarming/publications/car/, identifies carbon
dioxide pollution of the atmosphere from human activity, as a
possible culprit.
(Christy Fernandez contributed to this week's What's New)
THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY and THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Opinions are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the
American Physical Society or the University, but they should be.
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