WHATâS NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 16 Apr 10 Washington, DC 1. SPACE: LOSS OF HABITAT THREATENS HOMO ASTRONAUTUS. Virtually all of the 1,891 species protected under the 1973 Endangered Species Act owe their endangered status to loss of habitat. Although the U.S. astronaut program is not officially classified as endangered, it should be. Putting people in space was one-upmanship by the USSR at the height of the Cold War. The Cold War ended in 1991, by which time the Soviet Union had spent itself into collapse. By then a powerful industry had built up in the U.S. around putting people in space. The primary space habitat of astronauts for almost 30 years was the space shuttle. Sold to Congress as an inexpensive way to launch things into space, it turned out to be by far the most expensive method for reaching orbit ever devised. Nevertheless, it built a monstrous ISS in low-Earth orbit. ISS operation is shared by the space agencies of five nations, but with the rickety shuttle now retired, access to the ISS is controlled by Russia. The lobbyists went to work. In 2005 George Bush had a Vision for Space Exploration. His vision began with a program to return to the Moon. The program was called Constellation. Two boosters are already in the process of design by NASA. Ares I would put crews in space, while Ares V would launch hardware. 2. CONSTELLATION: WHY RETAIN THIS OLD FASHIONED PROGRAM? This is the 21st Century. To send humans on long voyages long voyages in environments for which we were not evolved is terminally miguided. On February 1, 2010 President Obama proposed to cancel Constellation in the FY 2011 budget. Most scientists cheered, and when he scheduled a major space policy speech at Kennedy Space Center for yesterday, it was widely assumed that it would be to enlarge on his February 1 decision to scrap Constellation. Every op-ed and TV commentary in anticipation of his talk began with a recital of technological benefits of putting humans in space. They cited everything from Hubble to GPS; they had no connection at all to putting humans in space. What the heck, it's April, Persephonyâs soft footsteps have covered Washington with blossoms; this is the season for resurrections, but it was a serious mistake to resurrect Constellation. Whoever sold Obama on this has weakened his Presidency. The idea of sending humans into space is hopelessly old fashioned. 3. CELL PHONES: TRUST ME, ITâS NOT CUMULATIVE. I read another article this week in which a physician warns that the risk for each use is minimal, "but over the years repeated exposure could produce genetic damage leading to cancer." Iâve been trying for years to throw a rock across the Potomac River. So far, they donât go half way, but Iâll keep trying in case itâs cumulative. 4. PROGRESS: CHINA HAS BECOME A NET IMPORTER OF COAL. According to Financial Times this includes both thermal coal used in power plants and coking used in steel making. This is the first time in recorded history that China has been a net importer. It has serious implications for carbon emissions. THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND. Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the University of Maryland, but they should be. --- Archives of What's New can be found at http://www.bobpark.org What's New is moving to a different listserver and our subscription process has changed. To change your subscription status please visit this link: http://listserv.umd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=bobparks-whatsnew&A=1
3. . CELL PHONES: TRUST ME, ITâS NOT CUMULATIVE. I read another article this week in which a physician warns that the risk for each use is minimal, "but over the years repeated exposure could produce genetic damage leading to cancer." Iâve been trying for years to throw a rock across the Potomac River. So far, they donât go half way, but Iâll keep trying in case itâs cumulative. ---- I started to dig a hole in my backyard and its size is minimal in the short run but if I plan to dig an additional 1 foot of dirt from said hole ever day for a year, then over time this cumulative effects will produce a giant hole.