NASA and the Department of Energy have completed tests on several fission surface power components within the last few weeks. The agencies are researching technologies that could enable possible use of nuclear power on the surface of the moon and Mars. Nuclear power is part of the range of options that are being examined for potential human missions on the moon and Mars.

This is great news because we can put it on deep space probes too.

NASA and DOE Make Progress on Surface Nuclear Fission Power Technology | SpaceRef - Your Space Reference

As an ex-Brit, I’m well aware of the authorities’ love of surveillance and snooping, but even I, a pessimistic cynic, am amazed by the governments latest plan: to install Orwell’s telescreens in 20,000 homes.

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT

Britain To Put CCTV Cameras Inside Private Homes | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

Apparently Disney is doing a remake of Tron. Lightcycles seem to be upgraded (?) to follow arbitrary smooth Bezier curves rather than non-differentiable right angle turns, and use an expanded color palette allowing one to choose between multiple shades of green. Programs are now given loosely fitting tracksuits and motorcycle helmets. Looks as if memory discs can now be used as weapons or hand-held circular saws, but this is unclear from the trailer.

New Tron Movie

Editor's note: this image was sent to me by someone at NASA and is circulating around the agency. I do not know its origin other than the fact that it was taken by someone in France. Stunning, oui?

Stunning Image of Endeavour and ISS In Transit Across The Sun | On Orbit

Swimming's governing body banned record-setting bodysuits Friday, a major step in limiting technology in the pool.

FINA bans record-setting bodysuits

According to the Senate Armed Services Committee report on the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2010 Triana (aka "DSCOVR" or "GoreSat") is back: "The Air Force is very interested in the space weather information and is part of an interagency team looking at the possibility of refurbishing DSCOVR and launching it to an orbit referred to as L1, about one million miles from Earth on a line with the Sun. If the team determines that the satellite can be refurbished and launched, they will make a recommendation to the President. Notionally, NOAA and NASA would pay for refurbishing the satellite, the Air Force would pay for the launch, and all agencies would receive the data."

GoreSat Is Back | NASA Watch

Malamud, who runs Resource.org, is petitioning the agency to make its bulk data free to all comers, so that nonprofits can make government watchdog sites, researchers can research, and search engines can make custom apps — even paid ones — that the government would never imagine or have time to create.

Free the Patents and Laws, Activist Tells Feds | Epicenter | Wired.com

SomaFM celebrates NASA and space explorers everywhere with our new channel Mission Control: ambient electronica with live NASA audio. Currently featuring the 40 year anniversary Apollo 11 rebroadcast- exactly how it sounded back in 1969 (only now with a great soundtrack). 16-Jul-09

SomaFM: Mission Control

This morning, hundreds of Amazon Kindle owners awoke to discover that books by a certain famous author had mysteriously disappeared from their e-book readers. These were books that they had bought and paid for—thought they owned.

Wow. Just... wow!

Amazon.com Plays Big Brother With Famous E-Books - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

The image of the Apollo 14 landing site had a particularly desirable lighting condition that allowed visibility of additional details. The Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package, a set of scientific instruments placed by the astronauts at the landing site, is discernable, as are the faint trails between the module and instrument package left by the astronauts' footprints.

LRO imaged the Apollo landing sites.

NASA - LRO Sees Apollo Landing Sites