Plutonium Shortage May Thwart Future NASA Missions to Outer Planets

Posted by Matt in March 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Space, NASA

NASA is facing the prospect of trying to explore deep space without the aid of the long-lasting nuclear batteries it has relied upon for decades to send spacecraft to destinations where sunlight is in short supply.
NASA Administrator Mike Griffin told a House Appropriations subcommittee March 5 that the U.S. inventory of plutonium-238 - [...]

What Does China Want?

Posted by Matt in March 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in China, Military

One of the biggest problems assessing China as a military power is figuring out exactly what Beijing’s aims are, say the authors of the Pentagon’s 2008 China report (pdf!). â€œChina needs to be more open about its defense investment and how it intends to use those forces … They have yet to explain the purpose [...]

Syria, Iran vow to bolster ties to confront US and Israel

Posted by Matt in March 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Iran, Syria

Regional allies Syria and Iran voiced their determination on Thursday to bolster their economic and political ties to overcome their common foes, Israel and the United States.
“We will continue to reinforce strategic cooperation in all sectors with our brothers in Iran because we are in the same trench, confronted to an abject and greedy [...]

NASA wary of relying on Russia

Posted by Matt in March 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Space, NASA

Tomorrow night, a European spacecraft is scheduled to blast off from French Guiana on its maiden voyage to the international space station, giving NASA and the world a new way to reach the orbiting laboratory.
For NASA, however, the launch of the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) also highlights a stark reality: In 2 1/2 [...]

Russian Elections: What Does It All Mean?

Posted by Matt in March 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Russia

So, Medvedev won. What does it mean? Don’t believe anyone who has an answer. No one knows.
Some analysts suggest that even Putin, who controlled this election â€“ dubbed “Operation Successor” by the media â€“ with an almost pathological obsession, doesn’t know either.
That’s because, after the world’s most predictable “free and democratic” election, to [...]

New Documents Show Iran Still Working on Nukes

Posted by Matt in March 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Iran, Nuclear

New documents shown at a dramatic closed-door briefing to diplomats in Vienna by the International Atomic Energy Agencyâ€™s chief nuclear inspector, Olli Heinonen, provided new evidence that Iran continues to work on developing a nuclear warhead for its long-range ballistic missiles, despite a recent report to the contrary from the U.S. intelligence community.
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