JPL Mourns Passing of Former Director Lew Allen Jr.

The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-004&cid=release_2010-004

A former director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lew Allen Jr., passed away Monday night, Jan. 4, at the age of 84, in Potomac Falls, Va. He led the laboratory from 1982 till 1990, during a period that included the launches of the Galileo mission to Jupiter, Magellan to Venus and the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, as well as Voyager 2's Uranus and Neptune flybys.

Allen was born Dec. 30, 1925, in Miami. He studied at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and had a distinguished career in the U.S. Army and the Air Force, where he remained until 1982, achieving the rank of four-star general and serving as Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

By JAY REEVES (AP) . 3 hours ago

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. . Engineers designing NASA's next moon rocket denied Wednesday that the human space flight program dubbed "Constellation" is too expensive, too risky and would unnecessarily delay man's return to space.

The engineers defended their work to a committee appointed by President Barack Obama to review what's planned once the current shuttle program is retired.

The head of the office that has spent four years designing the next U.S. rocket, called Ares, told members of NASA's Human Space Flight Plans Committee that the current design was the safest, fastest way to get Americans back to space.

"We have done what we said we would do and we are well on the way to our first test flight," said Steve Cook, head of the Ares project office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

Speaking during a public hearing, Cook dismissed suggestions by some that the space agency was on a flawed path with Ares.

NEW MILFORD -- McCarthy Observatory leaders are in a final push to raise money for what is expected to be a lasting tribute to Galileo's astronomical discovery 400 years ago.

The all-volunteer organization started a fundraising campaign last year for a multi-faceted project meant to honor the International Year of Astronomy and the discoveries Galileo made with his telescope, and also to inspire a townwide exploration of science.

To date, some $22,000 has been raised by the campaign, titled "$40-4-400." Observatory leaders need at least 400 individual donations of $40 each to reach their goal.

The centerpiece of the project, expected to cost about $33,000, is a scale model of the solar system -- with bronze planets erected atop steel pyramids at schools and public places across town, the distances between them reflecting how the planets are aligned in space.

Earthquakes, From Above and Below: Live Chat

Earthquakes: they're among the most frightening and deadly of all natural disasters. A live videocast and chat from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will give viewers an opportunity to ask questions of NASA scientists who are using space-based technologies to advance our understanding of these mysterious phenomena.

The live event will air on the "NASAJPL" channel available on Ustream TV at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasajpl on Monday, July 6, beginning at 5 p.m. PDT (8 p.m. EDT and 2400 UTC).

NASA Celebrates Sun-Earth Day With Illuminating Webcast

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 20 January 2009

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. US Presidential Inauguration Day. [Per special crew request, President Obama.s Taking of the Oath of Office was uplinked to the ISS.]