WEISS'S NOTEBOOK

Fifty Years In Orbit

A lot has changed in five decades for the venerable committee. (UFOs are no longer on the agenda.) But our 21st-century Representatives still have some Cold War priorities.

Lane Awarded NAS Public Welfare Medal

The National Academies’ highest award, the Public Welfare Medal, will go this year to Neal Lane. The medal honors the “extraordinary use of science for public good.” Lane is the Malcolm Gillis University Professor and Senior Fellow at the James [...]

How to Save the U.S. Space Program

The future of the U.S. space program is very much in doubt. In spite of continued great accomplishments, a number of setbacks, combined with a series of bold pronouncements by the Bush administration followed by inadequate funding, have led to serious questions of the nation’s commitment to space and, consequently, to a steady erosion of NASA and the aerospace industry that supports its missions.

NASA Policy: Questioning “The Vision” and Funding a Sidelined Project

President Bush’s “Vision for Space Exploration,” unveiled in 2004, outlined new plans for the country’s space program. Four years later, some in the science and space community feel the current vision is “blurred” and in need of a new “prescription” for the future of science and space exploration in the United States.

The Dish: Sampling Today’s News – January 24, 2008

A new plan to sequence and compare one thousand human genomes; WHO releases data on bird flu monitoring; Ares 1 design flaw could cause violent vibrations.

Blog Roundup: Dec 10, 2007

The House Oversight Committee on Bush Administration interference with climate science; Atlantis grounded; framing nanotech; sex difference in math and science; Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies; VCs doubtful on carbon regulation from the government.

Are Germs the Biggest Threat to Long-Distance Space Travel?

Spaceflight exacts a heavy toll on the human body, but the effect of weightlessness on the human immune system poses a considerable obstacle to long missions in space.

Snap Observations: Dec 6, 2007

Atlantis launch moved; Facebook address online privacy concerns; energy and climate legislation makes headway in Congress; regulating airline emissions; commercial ventures to the moon.

Science Times Policy: Dec 4, 2007

The future of the Hubble Space Telescope, a new map of Antarctica, post-Katrina mental health, and metaphors for the climate crisis: in this week’s Science Times section of The New York Times, several stories covering science, health, and technology policy.

Carrying Humanity to Mars

Providing medical care over tens of millions of miles is fraught with complications central to the success of any manned mission to Mars.

The $18 Billion Question

While President Bush’s “Vision for Space Exploration” will send the U.S. back to the Moon and on to Mars, NASA has many competing responsibilities, and the next administration may have its own vision.

New Paradigm for Science Communication

Scientific facts no longer speak for themselves. In the age of the Internet, facts need to be framed for diverse audiences spread across fragmented media outlets.

A New Scientific Resolve

The shock of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik launch 50 years ago today reminds us at Science Progress that the United States can deploy its scientific prowess swiftly to meet sudden challenges. A new resolve is needed again today, this time from the entire global community, not just the United States, to meet very different but equally dire threats to humanity.