South Korean Launch Raises Questions — R. Jeffrey Smith and Stella Kim —Washington Post — Aug 17, 2009
South Korea plans to launch a satellite into space using technology capable, in theory, of eventually delivering nuclear warheads or other weapons of mass destruction. Proliferation experts say the launch is problematic, even if South Korea, a close U.S. ally, says it is for scientific purposes. [More]
Researchers at NASA and the Department of Energy recently tested key technologies for developing a nuclear fission reactor that could power a human outpost on the moon or Mars. The tests prove that the agencies could build a "safe, reliable, and efficient" system by 2020, the year NASA plans to return humans to the moon. [More]
Statistics could help Decode Ancient, Extraterrestrial Scripts — Lisa Grossman —New Scientist — Aug 16, 2009
A statistical method, from the branch of mathematics called information theory, that picks out the most significant words in a book could help scholars decode ancient texts like the Voynich manuscript - or even messages from aliens. [More]
Iran, whose nuclear facilities are under threat of possible Israeli military strikes, proposed that the 150-nation general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency agree to ban such attacks. [More]
Missile Defense Budget Could Open Vulnerabilities, Report Warns — Global Security Newswire — Aug 12, 2009
The Obama administration's proposal to emphasize battlefield missile defenses over systems for intercepting strategic ballistic missiles would save the nation money while potentially making it more vulnerable to future attack, according to a new report from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. [More]
Without more funding, NASA will not meet its goal of tracking 90 percent of all deadly asteroids by 2020, according to a report released today by the National Academy of Sciences. [More]
Existing sky surveys miss many asteroids smaller than 1 kilometre across, leaving the door open to damaging impacts on Earth with little or no warning, a panel of scientists reports. Doing better will require devoting more powerful telescopes to asteroid hunting, but no one has committed the funds needed to do so, it says. [More]
NASA Needs More Money to Hunt Killer Space Rocks, Report Says — Tariq Malik —Space.com — Aug 11, 2009
NASA needs more cash in order to meet its goal of finding nearby space rocks that could hit Earth in a devastating impact, a new report says. Congress ordered NASA in 2005 to find and track 90 percent of the large asteroids near Earth by 2020, but did not set aside the necessary funds required to do the job, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Academy of Sciences. [More]
Jihadis Thrice Attacked Pakistan Nuclear Sites — Chidanand Rajghatta —The Times of India — Aug 10, 2009
Pakistan's nuclear facilities have already been attacked at least thrice by its home-grown extremists and terrorists in little reported incidents over the last two years, even as the world remains divided over the safety and security of the nuclear weapons in the troubled country, according to western analysts. [More]
Nuclear Test Detectors Becoming More Accurate, Scientists Suggest — Global Security Newswire — Aug 10, 2009
North Korea's nuclear test in May indicated that an international network of nuclear detonation sensors is becoming increasingly capable of detecting violations of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, said leaders of a study that surveyed more than 200 scientists worldwide on the monitoring project's technical underpinnings. [More]