WHAT'S NEW Friday, Mar 14

WHAT’S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 14 Mar 03   Washington, DC

1. ISS: RANSOM FOR CAPTIVE U.S. ASTRONAUTS PUT AT $50M EACH.  Currently,
two Americans and one Russian are on the International Space Station. 
With the three remaining U.S. shuttles grounded indefinitely, Russia
controls all transportation to and from the  station.  Russia says it
urgently needs $100M to build two more unmanned Progress supply spacecraft
to ferry water, fuel and other supplies to the station.  The standard
tourist fare for a week on the ISS is $20M (WN 29 Jun 01), but perhaps
astronauts travel business class.  Russia grumbles that the loss of
Columbia led to cancellation of commercial and space-tourist flights that
would have brought in $31M.  Plans are to reduce the ISS crew to two: one
Russian and one American.  Neither the Russians nor the Americans want to
risk leaving the ISS completely unmanned.

2. EPHEDRA: WILL MAJOR SUPPLIERS HIT A REGULATORY HOME RUN?  The results
of an autopsy on Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler, released yesterday,
confirmed that his death was linked to use of the herb ephedra, often sold
as “legal speed.”  He was the latest of a number of athletes who have
fallen victim to the stimulant.  Why hasn’t it been banned?  The 1994
Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act (DSHEA) exempts suppliers of
“natural” supplements from any requirement to prove safety, efficacy or
purity.  The burden of proof falls on the FDA, which lacks the resources. 
But the FDA is now responding to the public outcry over ephedra by
imposing new rules on the supplement industry, and ironically, the
supplement industry’s key allies on Capitol Hill are backing the new
rules.  According to the Hill paper, Roll Call, that includes Orrin Hatch
(R-UT), whose home state is a center of the industry, and who was a key
force in passing DSHEA.  His son is a lobbyist for the supplement
industry.  So what are the rule changes?  The industry still won’t have to
show that a supplement is safe, or that it actually works, but they will
have to show it contains what it says on the label.  The main effect,
according to Roll Call, will be to eliminate the small companies, giving
industry giants such as Metabolife a corner on the market.

3. TAIKONAUTS: CHINA AIMS TO EXPLOIT THE MOON’S VAST RESOURCES. Resources?
 On the Moon?  Yes, according to today’s New York Times, they plan to
corner the market for helium-3.  Oh! You’ve heard that one before.  It
comes up every few years.  Rocks from the Moon’s surface, brought back by
the Apollo missions and the Soviet Luna robot missions, contain high
concentrations of helium-3 as a result of cosmic ray bombardment. “High”
is a relative term.  Helium-3 would be great fuel for a fusion reactor,
but its in pretty short supply on Earth.  Every now and then someone gets
excited about bringing it back from the Moon and solving the energy
problem.  Then they run the numbers. That’s your homework assignment for
next week.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND and THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY.  
Opinions are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the
University or the American Physical Society, but they should be.
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