Message to NASA Civil Service and Contractor Employees: Social Networking Tools and Web 2.0 - Appropriate Use of Web Technologies

"The use of Web 2.0 tools can significantly enhance NASA's ability to communicate with employees and the public about its mission. The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance to NASA civil service and contractor employees regarding the use of these Web technologies to facilitate collaboration and information sharing within NASA. These Web technologies include tools such as wikis, blogs, mash ups, web feeds (i.e., Really Simple Syndication and Rich Site Summary (RSS) feeds), social networking sites (e.g., Facebook), and forums, which are often collectively referred to as Web 2.0.

NASA Headquarters and the NASA centers are encouraged to use Web 2.0 tools. Employees implementing Web 2.0 technologies or integrating these tools into the NASA environment are responsible for posting and using content in accordance with applicable ethics, information assurance (IA) and privacy laws, regulations, and NASA policies. They also must adhere to IA, records management and privacy policy guidance. Policy regarding the appropriate use (both personal and professional) of government equipment with regards to Web 2.0 can be found in NPD 2540.1.

Using social media in a professional capacity (e.g., creating a Twitter feed for a mission) is an example of an official NASA communication. The informality and enforced brevity of such media notwithstanding, NASA personnel using Web 2.0 tools are representing the agency, and their communications must be professional and factually accurate."

Keith's note: An example of the implications of this policy: those of you who have Twitter accounts that you use to relay information about NASA can no longer block people from following you. You need to be open and transparent about the information you relay as a NASA employee (civil servant and contractor). If you cannot refrain from Twittering about both personal and work-related stuff then a remarkably simple solution is to get another Twitter account for your personal use.

Down to the Wire for Station Repair Spacewalks, CBS

"NASA astronauts and engineers are refining plans for two spacewalks by astronauts Douglas Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson to replace a large ammonia pump module that shut down Saturday, knocking out one of the International Space Station's two cooling loops. The astronauts hope to carry out the first spacewalk Friday morning, starting at 6:55 a.m. EDT, and a second excursion Monday to finish the job, one of the so-called "big 14" on a list of critical components that require spacewalk repair if problems crop up. NASA managers initially targeted Thursday for the first spacewalk and Sunday for the second, but decided late Monday they needed more time to review procedures."

International Space Station Repair Spacewalk Planned for Friday

"NASA has decided to wait until Friday to conduct a spacewalk to replace a failed ammonia pump module on the International Space Station. Mission managers, program managers, flight controllers, engineers, astronauts and spacewalk experts made the decision Monday evening after continuing to analyze and refine engineering requirements, and reviewing the results of an underwater practice session."

NASA Desert RATS 2010: Challenger Center Hardware Arrives at JSC

"As was the case in 2009, Green Trail Energy has partnered with the Challenger Center for Space Science Education to provide logistical and technical support for Education and Public Outreach to be done at NASA's annual Desert RATS activity. The GSW7000, whose utilization is being donated to this activity by Green Trail Energy, can provide 2.4 KW of wind power and 4.4 KW of solar power. With its extendable 110 foot tower, it can also serve as a cell phone node and provide WiFi and WiMAX connectivity. This unit can be deployed by one person and be operational 30 minutes after arrival at a remote location. The entire unit compacts into the volume of a standard shipping container and can be pulled by a 1 ton pick up truck."

CAPE CANVERAL - The U.S. Air Force is preparing to launch the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite (AEHF-1) atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket on Aug. 12. The launch window will open at 7:13 a.m. it will close about 20 minutes later at 7:34 a.m. EDT. The launch is scheduled to take place at Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC 41).

AEHF is designed to eventually replace the aging Milstar constellation of satellites and will ensure that military commanders have high-speed communications. This new, jam-proof system is the link between the president and the U.S. forces if there is a nuclear attack. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor to both build the AEHF fleet of satellites and to construct the mission control center where the satellites will be operated from.

A number of U.S. allies are involved with the AEHF program and will be able to use the system once the satellites become operational. These partners include the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Canada.

When the system is complete it will consist of three functioning satellites and one on-orbit spare. These satellites are linked and are able to communicate with one another. They will provide the military with vital communications data such as video, maps and targeting information. When operational, the constellation of satellites will be operated by the 4th Space Operations Squadron, stationed at Schriever Air Force Base, CO.

The satellites will incorporate frequency-hopping technology that will prevent attempts to intercept signals transmitted from the satellite system. The AEHF system promises to provide an information transfer rate of 8.192 Mbit/s for each user. Milstar Low Data Rate (LDR) provided 75-2400 bits per second and Milstar Medium 4.8 Kbit/s - 1.544 Mbit/s. It is estimated that a single AEHF satellite will have greater capabilities than all of the Milstar satellites combined.

The launch was scheduled for July. 30 but was pushed back to Aug. 10 to allow technicians to review potential problems with the Atlas V's fairing. The fairing is a protective cover that shields the rocket's payload as it heads to orbit. The particular component in question controlled the fairing's separation, if it had failed the satellite would have been trapped and the mission would have failed. This launch date was recently pushed back an additional two days to Aug. 12. These slips are not expected to impact other launches that are currently on the range's manifest. Currently Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has a Falcon 9 launch scheduled for September and a ULA Delta IV launch is slated for October.

The second AEHF spacecraft is currently in the middle of its Final Integrated System Test (FIST). This test will check out all of the satellite's capabilities. Meanwhile AEHF-3 is being prepared to undergo acoustic testing. This is one of several tests that will shake out any issues with the spacecraft's design and work to make sure that the vehicle survives the high stresses of launch and the space environment. Both AEHF-2 and 3 are scheduled to be delivered to the U.S. Air Force in 2011.

Why NASA's New Video Game Completely Misses the Point

"Which makes Moonbase Alpha all the more unfortunate. The game serves as an epitaph for what appears to be NASA's lost decade. The agency failed to stay on time or on budget throughout the life of the Constellation program, its highest and most expensive priority. But while manned spaceflight foundered, unmanned exploration thrived. The modern-day equivalent of Aldrin and Armstrong are Spirit and Opportunity, robotic vehicles that survived years longer than expected on the surface of Mars. The rovers uncovered signs of water, and paved the way for the discovery of actual Martian ice by other intrepid bots."

Keith's note: I got an email from an editor at Popular Mechanics asking me to consider posting a link to this article on NASA Watch. I read the article and responded that I thought that the author had used the excuse of reviewing a video game as an opportunity to just dump on NASA, Obama's space policy, etc. Indeed, the bulk of the article seems to have nothing whatsoever to do with the video game it purports to review. Rather it goes on at length about how bad NASA has been. The editor tried again and again to convince me that I was wrong, but in re-reading the article I am now firmly of the opinion I originally voiced.

To be honest I have not played the game since it is not functional on Macs without running windows. So I have no idea if it is as "excruciatingly boring" as the reviewer claims it to be. That said, NASA aimed this game at an audience: students. This review makes no mention as to whether the reviewer is a student or if any students were asked to review the game and provide feedback for inclusion in this "review". So if there is a mismatch between reviewer and intended audience one would expect that the review is inherently flawed, yes?

If Popular Mechanics wants to dump on NASA, by all means, have at it. But trying to cloak political commentary under the guise of a game review is rather misleading to prospective readers.

New NASA Online Game Snubs Macs And Other Operating Systems, earlier post

As Space Priorities Shift, Orbiting Station Takes On a Central Role, NY Times

"NASA's Moon program, known as Constellation, has been hamstrung. Although pieces of it could survive in bills under consideration in Congress, it remains unclear what rockets NASA is to build, what their destinations would be and how long it would take to get there. Without the space station, NASA's financing of commercial rockets to take crew and cargo there would almost certainly evaporate. And without government financing, companies would be unlikely to invest billions of dollars to pursue a speculative market."

Cape Canaveral reverberated with the effects of politics this week. One of the Republican candidates for Florida governor stumped around the area as space contractor giant United Space Alliance (USA) laid off another 900 employees.

This however did not dissuade Kennedy Space Center Director from predicting a bright future for the space center.

Republican Candidate for Florida Governor visits Kennedy Space Center

On July 30 Republican candidate for Florida Governor Bill McCollum capped off a day's worth of campaigning in Brevard County by being briefed by local leaders within the aerospace community. McCollum emphasized his support for expanding business opportunities along the Space Coast.

McCollum's visit included a tour of Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) where the payloads that are sent to the International Space Station are prepared for flight. McCollum also spoke with Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana.

The discussion was organized by the Economic Development of Florida's Space Coast, an organization with the mandate to maintain the region's high-tech infrastructure. Around a dozen aerospace leaders detailed what they described as a plethora of opportunities to diversify the economic base in and around the KSC area. These leaders explained that it was possible to have KSC - not just be a leader in launch operations - but also in the areas of management and maintenance.

These leaders promoted efforts to assist the development of commercial space and want to attract both space and tech jobs to the region. Thousands of high-tech jobs will be lost when the space shuttle retires next year.

McCollum has expressed his strong support for the space industry and reiterated that he would work to keep space and tech-related job sin the area. McCollum stated that KSC has a bright future ahead of it even though the short-term outlook is less-than-promising. McCollum is squaring off against Rick Scott in the Republican primary.

NASA Hosts Community Leaders Breakfast

On July 29 at 9 a.m. EDT, NASA held its annual Kennedy Space Center Community Leaders Breakfast. This event took place in the Debus Conference Facility which is located at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. This event is held annually to give local leaders the opportunity to communicate their ideas to one another in a relaxed setting.

This year approximately two hundred community leaders, business executives, educators, and state and local government leaders attended. Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana attended and provided a general review of activities at the space center and to also provide a prediction as to what the future of KSC holds in store.

While speaking, Cabana acknowledged that the space center was facing difficult times in the near term but expressed his belief that NASA's spaceport still has a bright future.

USA Announces More Layoffs

United Space Alliance (USA) gave notices to approximately 900 space shuttle workers that they would be laid off come Oct. 1. USA handles much of the work that is done on the space shuttle fleet. The aerospace contractor stated that it has planned for some time to reduce the shuttle workforce as the shuttle era draws to a close.

It is estimated that some about 8,000 employees at Kennedy Space Center will lose their jobs when the shuttles are retired. USA has plans to cut some 15 percent of its personnel that work in Texas, Florida and Alabama.

Those employees who are laid off will receive assistance in transitioning into new careers. A number of job fairs, workshops and forums have been held to help these workers update their resumes, seek further education and find employment.

There currently are only two scheduled flights remaining in the shuttle program. If a third mission is not added the shuttle program will end in March of next year when shuttle Endeavour completes mission STS-134.

This Week in Cape History

July 29, 1985: Twenty-five years ago this week NASA launched space shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51F. Located in Challenger's payload bay was the Spacelab-2 payload. Spacelab-2 experiments covered a wide-range of scientific studies. These included; life sciences, plasma physics, astronomy, high-energy astrophysics, solar physics, atmospheric physics and technology research. The flight is more commonly known for the abort that took place when the number two space shuttle main engine (SSME) malfunctioned on the first launch attempt on July 12, 1985 at T-3 seconds. It is also known as the Coca-Cola versus Pepsi flight where the soft drink manufacturers offered up their products to the astronauts. However, due to low cabin pressure - both products were extremely fizzy.

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 1 August 2010 (early edition)

"After losing one cooling system pump (of two), ISS is currently stable, although thermally on single string (no redundancy). Last night (at 7:48pm EDT) RPC1 (Remote Power Controller 1) in RPCM (RPC Module) S11A_D tripped open, powering off the Loop A ammonia pump of the S1 ETCS (External Thermal Control System), resulting in the loss of one half of the cooling to ISS. This required a number of powerdowns (i.e., turning off selected systems for thermal protection), including redundant power to four CQs (Crew Quarters), three in Node-2, one in Kibo JPM, with both fans in each CQ remaining functional but zero fault-tolerant (crew is still Go for CQ use). Due to loss of heater power, MBS (Mobile Base System), SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System), and SPDM (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator) are currently zero fault-tolerant."

International Space Station in Stable Configuration After Loss of Cooling Loop

"The flight control and management teams today approved a preliminary plan to replace a planned spacewalk Thursday by Expedition 24 crewmembers Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson with at least two spacewalks to swap out the failed Pump Module that resides on the station's S1 truss. There are two spare Pump Modules on stowage platforms on the station's truss. The replacement module under consideration for replacement resides on External Stowage Platform 2, which is adjacent to the Quest airlock. The crew is being informed that replanning for alternate spacewalk activity is underway."

Keith's note: Of course, YouTube has the solution to this problem ...

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 2 August 2010

"Time again for Skvortsov & Yurchikhin for recharging the Motorola Iridium-9505A satellite phones located in Soyuz TMA-18/22S (at MRM2) & Soyuz TMA-19/23S (docked at MRM1), a monthly routine job and Fyodor's 2nd, Sasha's 4th. [After retrieving the phones from their location in the spacecraft Descent Modules (BO), the crewmembers initiated the recharge of the lithium-ion batteries, monitoring the process every 10-15 minutes as it took place. Upon completion, the phones were returned inside their SSSP Iridium kits and stowed back in the BO's ODF (operational data files) container. The satphone accompanies returning ISS crews on Soyuz reentry & landing for contingency communications with SAR (Search-and-Rescue) personnel after touchdown (e.g., after an "undershoot" ballistic reentry, as happened during the 15S return)."

Keith's note: I hope these phones work better on the steppes of Kazakhstan than they did at Everest Base Camp (lots of big mountains in your face). Scott Parazynski and I used to have phone conversations with our families back home via our Iridium phone (that I smuggled into Nepal since no one knew how to give me a formal permit) albeit in 2 minute increments interspersed with 5 minute intervals of silence while another satellite popped into (and then out of) view. That said, Scott and the Singing Sherpas did manage to sing Happy Birthday to Mike Barratt on the ISS via an Iridium phone at 21,500 feet on Mt. Everest.

Down to the Wire for Station Repair Spacewalks, CBS

"NASA astronauts and engineers are refining plans for two spacewalks by astronauts Douglas Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson to replace a large ammonia pump module that shut down Saturday, knocking out one of the International Space Station's two cooling loops. The astronauts hope to carry out the first spacewalk Friday morning, starting at 6:55 a.m. EDT, and a second excursion Monday to finish the job, one of the so-called "big 14" on a list of critical components that require spacewalk repair if problems crop up. NASA managers initially targeted Thursday for the first spacewalk and Sunday for the second, but decided late Monday they needed more time to review procedures. "This is an anomaly we knew someday would happen," said space station Program Manager Mike Suffredini. "It's an anomaly we have trained for; it's an anomaly we have planned for." With four spare pump modules on board the station, "we're in a good position to go solve this problem," he said. "It is a significant failure, though, in terms of systems on board ISS, so it's one we need to go after."

Astrium signs development contract with Vietnam for an Earth observation satellite - VNREDSat-1

"Astrium has signed a contract worth 055.2 million with the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) for the development, manufacture and launch of an Earth observation optical satellite system. This follows on from last November's intergovernmental agreement on space co-operation between France and Vietnam, in which the French government affirmed its commitment to building a closer partnership with Vietnam in the domain of science and technology."

Confusion Over Kepler's 'Earth-Like' Planets Explained, Science

"NASA's mini fiasco in public communication last week was a scientist's attempt at public outreach gone awry. Kepler mission co-investigator Dimitar Sasselov of Harvard University, speaking at the popular TED talks, tried to convey the excitement of hunting for Earth-size planets orbiting in the habitable zones of other stars. But his sloppy terminology and careless graphics, says Kepler Principal Investigator William Borucki, led to headlines that Kepler had just discovered hundreds of Earth-like planets. That's not true, says Borucki of NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. "I'm disappointed one of our members confused people."

Rumors in Astrophysics Spread at Light Speed, NY Times

"Last week, Dr. Sasselov was busy eating his words. In a series of messages posted on the Kepler Web site Dr. Sasselov acknowledged that should have said "Earth-sized," meaning a rocky body less than three times the diameter of our own planet, rather than "Earthlike," with its connotations of oxygenated vistas of blue and green. He was speaking in geophysics jargon, he explained."

I know that much of the success I’ve enjoyed in my life and my career is because of the support and encouragement I’ve received along the way.  That’s why I think it’s important to share my passion for space with kids and show them what they can accomplish if they are willing to work for it.

Over the past week, I’ve had the opportunity and privilege to volunteer with both the United Space School and the International Space Settlement Design Competition.  Both programs bring students from around the world here to Houston to participate in exercises geared towards the design of future ventures in space.

This year, the United Space School has high school students grouped into four teams – mission control, science, habitat, and vehicle design – working together to plan a notional Mars exploration mission.  Everyone came to UH Clear Lake last Monday with a clean slate and interviewed for placement on the teams.   I helped interview for the vehicle design team, given my background in aerospace engineering.

We could all tell which kids were really enthusiastic about spacecraft and engineering.  One student from Australia even said his aspiration is to be a test pilot for commercial spaceflight companies!  Burt Rutan got his start in flight test engineering for the Air Force, so, why not?

On Wednesday, I came back to UH Clear Lake to talk with the United Space School students about all of the things they would need to think about for their Mars vehicle.  My main point was that the design of the spacecraft would be driven by its intended purpose, thus encouraging them to come up with a vehicle that enabled the deployment of the habitat, execution of the science objectives, and safe return of the crew.  The kids asked great questions about propulsion, artificial gravity, radiation issues, etc. and we easily went over my allotted time.

Honestly, I probably could have spent the entire afternoon with them and not even noticed the passage of time. =)  I’m definitely going to try to make it to their graduation ceremony this weekend so I can see what they came up with.

I spent my Sunday helping with both programs.  First, I briefly attended the USS Cultural Faire and brought two trays of homemade, Southern-style banana pudding.  I’m told it was a big hit.  For me, I think my favorites were the servings of kangaroo and emu meat that one of the mentors from Australia brought in!  He said he had to find them at a specialty butcher, but find them he did.  We also had various casseroles, homemade machaca, haggis on oatbread, and a plethora of desserts.  I stuffed my face with rice pudding, Manchester tart, Russian pancakes, ANZAC biscuits, and various other goodies.

Unfortunately, I missed the students’ show because I had to dash over to the Gilruth Center to help with ISSDC.  I spent the next seven hours on the “Red Team,” critiquing the designs and presentations of the four student teams brought to Houston for one weekend to design a 24,000-person Mars settlement.  Also consisting of high school kids from all over, these kids are working fast and furious over three days to make their presentations today.  Like a real competitive RFP, winner takes all.

Because of the short time-scale, we on the Red Team were merciless during our reviews.  Their final presentation is almost as demanding as a real business pitch, so we did our best to prepare them for the high standards expected at the end of the competition.  They were working very hard on little sleep (reminding me more than a bit of college!) and we pushed them to go the extra mile.

More interesting to me than a lot of the engineering and architecture of the main structures were the groups’ approaches to how the people inside might live.  Most of the students expected to have a high level of automation, with robots doing everything from housecleaning to fire-fighting to law enforcement.  We hammered them on privacy concerns when they’d suggest things like ingested or implanted RFID chips and widespread infrared cameras for security control.

We also drove home the idea that a system should only be as complex as it needs to be, otherwise you’re just introducing extra points of failure.  All of the teams had to consider how to traverse Valles Marineris and most looked at elevators.  We asked one team why would you need pressurized elevators for cargo trucks that are just passing through to other destinations.  Another team considered using a gondola system, instead .  We asked them to consider what would happen if someone built a cargo vehicle too big for the skyway.

By the time we finished, after 10:00 pm last night, we were all pretty tired and ready to go home.  I think everyone had fun, though, and learned a lot from the process.  I know I certainly did.  If I ever go help Elon Musk build his retirement community on Mars, I know some people I’ll call. =)

Report: Fairness and Contracting Integrity in NASA's Space Communications Networks Services Competition

"Committee staff received several allegations about contract misconduct by the management and acquisitions staff of the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). These all related to large support contracts managed out of the Center. Many of the allegations were tied to the current Space Communications Networks Services (SCNS) contract competition. After a thorough review of the materials provided to the Committee by NASA and others and many interviews by Committee staff of both current and former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) employees, contractor employees involved in the SCNS competition from ITT, Honeywell and outside consulting firms, and discussions with contract law specialists at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Congressional Research Service, we believe that staff at GSFC have engaged in conduct that is inconsistent with either the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) or the agencys own rules. The result is that the SCNS competition has been skewed in such a fashion that, at a minimum, creates the appearance of the agency favoring one bidder over another."

Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 1 August 2010

"Region 1092 (N13E21) produced a long-duration C3/Sf flare at 01/0826Z. The flare was associated with a Type IV radio sweep, an 890 sfu Tenflare, and an Earth-directed full-halo coronal mass ejection (CME). A disappearing filament (DSF) occurred during 01/0750 - 0811Z, centered near N37W32 and time coincident with the C3 flare. The DSF was associated with an Earth-directed partial-halo CME."

SDO video

Centenarians Participate in Challenger Learning Center Mission

"If you have ever seen a photo of someone participating in a simulated space mission at a Challenger Learning Center, odds are it is someone around 10 years old. Recently, however, a group of women, some of them ten times that age, pushed that participant envelope to new heights. One of the women is Gussie Levine. Gussie clearly remembers her 59th birthday. On that day humankind made its "giant leap" as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon. This year, less than a week after celebrating her 100th birthday, Gussie followed in their footsteps and took a simulated journey to the Moon at the Town of Ramapo Challenger Center in Rockland County, NY."

N. Wayne Hale, Jr. Joins Special Aerospace Services

"Special Aerospace Services (SAS) of Boulder, Colorado, is pleased to announce that N. Wayne Hale, Jr. has joined SAS as Director of Human Spaceflight Programs. Mr. Hale brings comprehensive experience in the field of human spaceflight following a career of more than 30 years with NASA. As one of his many instrumental assignments at NASA, Mr. Hale served as Program Manager for NASA's Space Shuttle Program during the critical period following the Columbia accident, where his leadership significantly contributed to the return of the space shuttle to flight operations. Prior to that, Mr. Hale served as a Space Shuttle Flight Director for 40 missions during 15 years. Most recently Mr. Hale served as NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator for Strategic Partnerships in Space Operations."

Did Kepler Astronomer Realy Jump The Gun?, Ray Villard, Discovery News

"Science reporters were primed for this "shoot-ready-aim" response because they are growing impatient with one of NASA's most exciting and inspiring space observatory missions."

Keith's note: Gee Ray, I suppose you have data to back up this wacky claim. Could it be that the media reacted to what Sasselov actually said?

"The semantics over "Earth-like" and "Earth-sized" got confused in stories. Let's set the record straight. Kepler will never find an Earth-like planet. All Kepler is seeing is the shadows of planets as they pass in front of their star (transits). .... Once on the Internet, Sasselov's lecture was translated by reporters. Important ideas got misinterpreted in the translation. This was due in part to the fact that no press conference or substantive press release accompanied the June publication of some of the data."

Keith's note: These are after the fact attempts at spinning things on your part, Ray. Sasselov said "Earth-like". Its on his charts as well. So if these worlds are not "Earth-like" then it is the fault of the media and the general public for not knowing that "Earth-like" does not really mean "Earth-like"? If so, then why did Sasselov say "Earth-like" in the first place? As for your suggestion that media "translated" his comments (anyone can watch the video by the way) - they didn't translate them at all. Sasselov used the words "Earth-like" - and so did the media.

At no point in this article (or at the link to his other articles) does Ray Villard bother to mention that he works at the Space Telescope Science Institute as News Chief (villard@stsci.edu). STSCI operates NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and funds for Villard's salary come from ... NASA. 

Cheaper, Better Satellites Made From Cellphones and Toys, Wired

"Instead of investing in their own computer research and development, engineers at the NASA Ames Research Center are looking to cellphones and off-the-shelf toys to power the future of low-cost satellite technology. The smartphone in your pocket has about 120 times more computing power than the average satellite, which has the equivalent of a 1984-era computer inside. "You can go to Walmart and buy toys that work better than satellites did 20 years ago," said NASA physicist Chris Boshuizen. "And your cellphone is really a $500 robot in your pocket that can't get around. A lot of the real innovation now happens in entertainment and cellphone technology, and NASA should be going forward with their stuff."

Keith's note: In case you haven't noticed Charlie Bolden has been invisible for several weeks after the Muslim outrech media storm. No one in the media has interviewed him. He hasn't been quoted. He's just been, well, invisible. He surfaced yesterday at a stealth visit to GSFC. NASA only admitted this via Twitter a few minutes ago. No doubt he will disappear again. You can tell if he is arriving (or departing) stealthily if you hear this noise. This way he can avoid the media more easily.