What's New Friday October 17, 2008

WHAT’S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 17 Oct 08   Washington, DC

1.  FINAL DEBATE: PUT DOWN THAT HATCHET JOHN! 
Science made a fleeting appearance in the final question of Wednesday’s 
final presidential debate at Hofstra University.  It was the only time the 
word "science" came up; there would be no more chances.  The moderator, 
Bob Schrieffer, observed that "although the U.S. spends more per capita on 
education than any other country we trail in math and science competence 
from K through 12 . . . what do you intend to do about it?"  Obama called 
for us to "recruit an army of new teachers in math and science," with a 
tuition tax credit in exchange for "community service."  As one who could 
not have become a physics professor but for the G.I. Bill, I agree.  
However, early in the debate, McCain was pressed to say what programs he 
would cut to avoid raising taxes, "An across-the-board spending freeze.  
OK?  Some people say that’s a hatchet.  That’s a hatchet, and then I get 
out a scalpel.  OK?"  Don’t bother with the scalpel, John, much of physics 
would need embalming if there was a spending freeze on top of this year’s 
huge budget cuts http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN08/wn062708.html .  Has 
anybody figured out how to run the country without taxes?

2.  HUBBLE: VENERABLE SPACE TELESCOPE HAS A BAD NIGHT.
Hubble’s doctors had been optimistic that rebooting would restore Earth’s 
aging eye-on-the-universe to health.  However, Hubble slipped back into 
a "safe mode" coma late last night.  A data relay channel, Side A, that 
had worked flawlessly for 18 years, failed.  We all have components that 
fail, but in the case of Hubble there is a backup, Side B.  The switch is 
complicated, but NASA expects to issue a report on Hubble’s condition 
later today.

3.  LUNACY: THE DISCOURAGING SEARCH FOR INTELLIGENT LIFE.
An essay in yesterday’s Nature by Subhadra Menon, author of Destination 
Moon, seeks to explain the ambitious space program of India.   Considered 
a "developing nation" in which millions struggle to survive, India has 11 
communications satellites and seven remote sensing satellites.  That’s 
good.  Next week, India will launch Chandrayaan-1 to the Moon, an 
ambitious "suicide" mission that will send back high-resolution images as 
well as an atmospheric profile as it plunges into the Moon’s surface.   
The stated goal of Chandrayaan-1 is to further human knowledge, even as 
India’s space program claims to make money.  In 2011, Chandrayaan-2 will 
look for He-3, which has no proven value.  By simply skipping the 
unproductive phase of using human astronauts and going directly to robotic 
exploration, India and China could easily choose to outrace the developed 
nations by concentrating on remote-controlled robots at far lower cost 
while providing better science.   The only niche left for human astronauts 
would be chamber maids to make beds for super rich tourists.

4.  MEANWHILE: CASSINI THUMBS ITS NOSE AT ASTRONAUTS.
Launched eleven years and two days ago on a mission to explore the planets 
and rings of Saturn, this amazing spacecraft dipped to within 25 
kilometers of the surface to the moon Encelades, less than the distance of 
a marathon, and analysed the spray from the geyser-like plume of ice and 
water vapor near the south pole.

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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