Topic: National Research Council

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Europa or bust? Maybe not. Top 9 priorities for planetary research missions

The National Research Council has just unveiled planetary scientists' space-mission wish-list for the next 10 years. Tight federal budgets will provide the reality check. Here's a sampler of missions the panel recommends NASA undertake this decade.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 11/05

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Militaries vie for Arctic edge as ice cap melts

By Arctic standards, the region is already buzzing with military activity, and experts believe that will increase significantly in the years ahead.
Astronauts scramble for escape pods as space junk threat gets serious

Some 22,000 chunks of space junk zip around the earth. On Saturday, six International Space Station astronauts scrambled for safety as a piece of a Russian satellite whizzed by.
Deep-water oil drilling: why Obama is OK with angering left and right

Neither the oil industry nor environmentalists are pleased with President Obama's new deep-water oil drilling plan. But in an election year, that might be a safe position politically.
NASA launches most sophisticated rover yet to Mars

The Mars Science Laboratory, or Curiosity rover, lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. After an 8 1/2-month journey, the rover is expected to arrive at the Red Planet in August 2012.
Will crash of hypersonic Falcon HTV-2 set back Pentagon's ambitious plans?

Thursday's test flight of the Falcon HTV-2 ended with signals lost and a crash landing into the Pacific – but not before it sent engineers half an hour of flight data. The Pentagon hopes the design will allow a non-nuclear response to threats anywhere in the world, within one hour.
Pentagon unveils its new cyberstrategy. Well, some of it, anyway.

The Pentagon – belatedly, perhaps – outlines its 'Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace.' A slim unclassified document emphasizes a defensive posture, leaving many questions unanswered.
Solar storm delivers a glancing blow to Earth – and a warning

The solar storm caused by a massive eruption two days ago arrived at Earth Wednesday, but it was only a taste of what scientists say might come – and the world is not prepared.
A US cyberwar doctrine? Pentagon document seen as first step, and a warning.

A yet-to-be-released Pentagon document on cyberwar reportedly lays out when the US would respond with conventional force to a cyberattack: when infrastructure or military readiness is damaged.
Europa or bust? Maybe not. Top 9 priorities for planetary research missions

The National Research Council has just unveiled planetary scientists' space-mission wish-list for the next 10 years. Tight federal budgets will provide the reality check. Here's a sampler of missions the panel recommends NASA undertake this decade.
Cyberwar timeline

Tracing the history of cyberespionage and cyberwarfare from the invention of the Internet up to the reported Stuxnet attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Asteroid strikes: Do we need an early-warning system?

A week's advance notice of an incoming rock would cost only $1 million per observatory, and could give people enough time to get out of harm's way.
New energy: climate change and sustainability shape a new era

A new energy revolution – similar to shifts from wood to coal to oil – is inevitable as climate change and oil scarcity drive a global search for sustainability in power production. But even the promise of renewable energy holds drawbacks.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 11/05
Food safety: How to keep our global menu off the recall list

As the food recall list grows and food imports flood into the US, it may be time to revamp America's 70-year-old laws on food safety.
Report calls obesity a threat to US national security

Obesity among military-aged men and women is on the rise, leaving a smaller pool of people fit to serve.
2010 RF12 and its pal show improvements in asteroid detection

2010 RF12 and another small asteroid that passed close to earth Wednesday were detected three days before their fly-by, illustrating the improving capability of asteroid-spotting telescopes.
Hurricane Katrina anniversary: Can New Orleans' new mayor revive the city?

Mitch Landrieu wasn't mayor of New Orleans when hurricane Katrina hit. But he is now, and at the five-year Katrina anniversary, residents are looking to him to move the city forward.
Alien worlds? Far-off galaxies? Study sets US space priorities.

The National Research Council's once-a-decade study, released Friday, proposes the top priorities for US space science during the coming decade. NASA uses it as a blueprint.
US 'nuclear sleuthing' abilities need improvement: report

In the event of a nuclear attack, US nuclear scientists would have a hard time tracking down the source and characteristics of the nuclear material, a panel of experts found.
Asteroid threat: Don't worry, Congress is looking into it

Astronomers have long warned of a nasty encounter with a large space rock, but don't worry: There's a proposal in Congress to establish a commission to look into it.
BP oil spill: an unexpected laboratory for deep-sea disaster

The BP oil spill is a unique event, so scientists are converging on the Gulf to try to understand how best to combat deep-sea oil spills and what effects they have on the environment.
March and April warmest ever. Humans must adapt, report says.

The past two months were the warmest March and April on record globally. A new report suggests that communities will need to be adaptable to meet the challenges of global warming.
Happy birthday to the Hubble Telescope

The Hubble Telescope was launched on April 24, 1990. NASA says the best is yet to come.
The great electric car race of 2010

This year, more automakers will roll out electric cars to American roadways.
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Protecting Earth from asteroids

Asteroid impacts with Earth are a near-certainty, scientists say. The question is: What, if anything, should we do to track asteroids and protect Earth from them?