ncia
Latest
NASA funds low-cost probes and other futuristic space tech
Low-cost probes, an extraterrestrial submarine and spacecraft propelled by electric sails: these are but three of the seven projects moving on to Phase II of NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. All the entries have only just begun development, since the program's specifically meant for early-stage research projects. NASA believes investing in those is crucial "for advancing new systems concepts and developing requirements for technologies to enable future space exploration missions." Here are the seven projects that stood out:
SAFER bill keeping PSAs alive on analog until March 2009
Not that we're excusing the act of procrastination, but regardless of how much we or any governmental agency does to inform the general public of the impending digital TV transition, you can bank on the fact that some folks will act utterly stunned when their analog set stops receiving signal on February 17, 2009. Being sure that said scenario will become a reality in due time, the US Senate last week passed the Short-Term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness (SAFER) Act, which would allow "public safety announcements and information about the DTV transition to continue being broadcast for a month after the official cut-off." The House has yet to give its official stamp of approval, but with both FCC chairman Kevin Martin and the Bush administration at large backing it, we don't foresee any snags in passage. On that note, get yourself a voucher and get prepared!
