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NASA Directed Toward Climate Change, But Not the Moon (click title to entry - thank you)
Posted 2010-01-29
There will be money lacking for NASA's Constellation program, the program designated to return humans to the moon by 2020.
The White House will instead direct NASA funding to concentrate on Earth-science projects -- principally, researching and monitoring climate change, -- and on a new technology research and development program that will make human exploration of asteroids and the inner solar system possible.
This could be good news for the folks under Dr. James Hansen who monitor climate change at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS).
The White House budget request, which is certain to meet fierce resistance in Congress, scraps the Bush administration's Vision for Space Exploration and signals a major reorientation of NASA, especially in the area of human spaceflight, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Senior White House officials said NASA was expected to see some "modest" increases in its current $18.7 billion annual budget, possibly $200 million to $300 million more, but far less than the $1 billion boost agency officials had hoped for.
Obama's budget freeze is likely to hamstring NASA in coming years as the spending clampdown will eventually shackle the agency and its ambitions, according to the Sentinel.
One administration official said the budget will send a message that it is time members of Congress recognize that NASA can't design space programs to create jobs in their districts. "That's the view of the president," the official said.
Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.
January 29, 2010 Antarctica Satellite
There is some accumulation over the Blue Ice. It is an improvement from last week.But, then the angle of the sun is changing and beginning to start its northward traverse already.
January 29, 2010 Lawton, Oklahoma Photographer states :: Ice storm 2010
KRMG Local News
Ice, snow chill southern Plains amid power outages
By Don Bishop @ January 29, 2010 5:59 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A winter storm has dumped snow, sleet and freezing rain on Oklahoma and the southern Plains, leading to thousands of power outages, canceled flights at the state's largest airports and the closure of major highways.
Ice accumulations estimated by the National Weather Service at between one-quarter to 11/2 inches brought down electrical lines and trees limbs Thursday, knocking out lights and heat to more than 132,000 Oklahoma homes and businesses.
Parts of southern Oklahoma, where freezing rain fell for several hours, appeared to be hardest hit.
Altus Emergency management director Lloyd Colston says the entire city was without power, except the hospital and other emergency operations that had generators.
Colston says streets are slick and a shelter has been set up for residents.
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - A former Lubbock resident is recovering after her home was destroyed by an East Texas tornado. Sarilda Routier is the mother-in-law of Darlie Routier who sits on death row.
In 1996, Darlie and her two young sons were stabbed in their home in Rowlett, Texas. Darlie says an intruder attacked them, killing her sons, then fled the scene. She was convicted of the murders, she says she did not commit. Sarilda Routier still maintains Darlie's innocence.
Now 62-years-old, Sarilda is thankful to be alive after coming face to face with a tornado. Routier was at the door of their home when the twister hit. Sarilda was found about 25 feet away from her home. She was treated in a Tyler hospital for bruises on her abdomen.
Tornado damage survey teams captured these images (scroll down for slideshow) of the aftermath of tornadoes which skipped across east and northeast Texas on January 20, 2010.
While there were no fatalities, hundreds of structures were damaged, some severely. A church was destroyed by the Van Zandt County tornado near Starr, and more than 50 homes suffered roof damage just southeast of Sulphur Springs. Numerous outbuildings and perhaps thousands of trees were also damaged or destroyed.
The Canton tornado is rated EF2, with the two Henderson County ones at EF1 and EF2 respectively (two tornadoes, most likely). The two Sulphur Springs tornadoes were classed as EF0.
It was quite a mini-outbreak for January. Given that a moderate to strong El Nino is forecast into early summer, it may be an especially rough severe weather season for north Texas. Below is the complete text of the NWS preliminary findings, with some NWS photos in the slide show at bottom of this article....
