WHAT'S NEW Friday, November 26, 2004

WHAT'S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 26 Nov 04   Washington, DC

1. EMPTY SPACE: IS MOON-MARS JUST A TASTE OF WHAT WE'RE IN FOR?
To reach a deficit of $7.5 TRILLION in this session, Congress had
to get down to business and make a lot of really bad spending
decisions.  Take Moon-Mars, for example.  I like the moon; it was
beautiful this morning as I drove to the office.  Scientifically
however, it has to be the least interesting destination in the
heavens.  As a launch platform to get to Mars it's just nuts. 
Mars is more interesting, but we have two robust geologists there
already.  If there's some reason to send frail humans, they sure
haven't found it yet.  NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said the
election was a clear mandate for the President's Moon-Mars thing,
but WN could find no mention of it by Bush since January, and
Congress has held virtually no hearings on it.  The APS Panel on
Public  Affairs just issued a Discussion Paper on Moon-Mars.  The
URL would take up the entire page, so go to http://www.aps.org/
and click on Moon-Mars Program in the column on the left.  It
warns that Moon-Mars would far exceed budget projections and
jeopardize real NASA science.  The Discussion Paper also urges
the government to pay attention to recommendations on priorities
in space from the National Academy of Sciences.  You wouldn't
think you'd have to tell them that, but that's the way it is.

2. BUNKER BUSTER BUSTED: OK, SO CONGRESS DID GET SOMETHING RIGHT. 
$27.6M for the Robust Nuclear Penetrator was eliminated because
the Pentagon had no idea where to use such a bomb.  The plan had
been huge obstacle to nuclear non-proliferation.  The Modern Pit
Facility, which was seen as part of the bunker buster program,
was cut back to just planning.  The Advanced Concepts Initiative
was also eliminated.  It was meant to offer meaningful employment
to frustrated young scientists with dreams of inventing new
weapons of mass destruction.  But was more often used by the
Pentagon to support ideas that violate the laws of thermodynamics
http://www.aps.org/WN/WN04/wn101504.cfm.

3. PROLIFERATION: IRAN REFUSES TO END NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT PROGRAM.
Three days ago it seemed that Iran had agreed to terminate plans
to enrich uranium.  Having mastered the art of making headlines
every day, Iran now says it will still operate 20 centrifuges for
research.  This gave new ammunition to the Bush administration,
which claims Iran is hiding their nuclear weapons program.  Iran
defends its right to produce peaceful nuclear energy.

4. COLD, COLD FUSION: AND THE FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT. 
Sunday's Washington Post Magazine had an article about a secret
review of cold fusion http://www.aps.org/WN/WN04/wn091704.cfm. 
A panel of scientists selected by DOE allegedly met with a small
group of cold-fusion believers.  No announcement, no reporters,
no names of attendees.  Panel members were instructed to comment
individually to circumvent the Advisory Committee Act.  If it was
actually of any importance it would be truly outrageous.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.  
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
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