Supreme Court conceal toward NASA on privacy .….

The U.S. Supreme Court restrict the government's ability to investigate the people who want to work inside its installations in the post-9/11 world, despite the suggestion that federal officials could go too far when prying into people's private lives in name of safety.

The high court heard arguments from government contractors at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, who are fighting the government's request to have them submit to what they call intrusive background checks as a condition of their continued employment.

The case could have ramifications far beyond NASA.

"It's a big government, adding the government cannot be expected to individualize background checks to avoid asking questions one person might find intrusive while another might not.

An applicant might have a yard sign proclaiming a wish for the space shuttle to blow u.But with "low-risk or no-risk employees, the government doesn't need to know,"

JPL is NASA's premier robotics lab, famous for sending unmanned spacecraft to Mars and the outer solar system.

Employees said the agency was invading their privacy by requiring the investigations, which included probes into medical records.

None of the JPL workers who sued work on classified projects or have security clearances, although several are involved in high-profile missions, including the twin Mars rovers and the Cassini spacecraft studying Saturn and its moons.

NASA extended background checks for federal employees to its contract workers in response to a presidential directive that ordered government agencies to reinforce security at facilities and computer systems by issuing new identification badges for millions of civil servants and contractors.

A federal judge originally refused to stop NASA's background checks, saying they could continue while the lawsuit made its way through the courts. He was overturned by the San Francisco-based appeals court.

The contractors pointed to a chart that showed up on NASA's website after they asked about the criteria for employment decisions. Some of the factors that showed up on that chart to be considered in deciding whether to hire someone included carnal knowledge, sodomy, indecent exposure.


"NASA does not and will not use" that chart when it comes to making employment decisions.

Bolden Head To China-Joint Space Talks...

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden have an introductory talks with china for potential space partnerships and first-time visits to Chinese humanspaceflight facilities.

Both Obama and Bolden leaders issued a joint communique calling for talks on cooperation in human spaceflight.

Photo:NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden.


Michel cabbage words was that that Bolden's itinerary was not finalized. Seven NASA officials will accompany Bolden on the five-day trip.


Wolf is staunchly opposed to U.S. cooperation with China, highlighting that country's record of espionage and human rights abuses.

Planning or coordination has been approved by the Congress"."In fact, several recent NASA authorization bills have explicitly sought to place strict limitations on coordination with China."

Space powers like Russia and Europe are gradually warming up to including China in more bilateral cooperation, but leaders have made little progress on the thorny issue of Chinese participation on the International Space Station.


Both Obama and Bolden leaders issued a joint communique calling for talks on cooperation in human spaceflight.

NASA quickly issued a statement on the matter, saying U.S. officials checked with Russian leaders and confirmed there was never a formal invitation offered to China.

The administrator plans discussions with officials from several Chinese agencies, including the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, the China Manned Space Engineering Office, the China National Space Administration, the China Academy of
Spaceflight Technology, and the China Academy of Science.

A delegation of Chinese representatives plans to travel to the United States as soon as November,

The specific agenda for a Chinese visit to the United States will depend on the access and transparency NASA officials are granted in China.

Wolf outlined his concerns about the release of "non-public" information to China. Bolden assured Wolf there would be so such release of sensitive data.

Retirement of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program Delayed Until 2011

The Space Shuttle ‘Endeavor’ was scheduled to make the last mission in NASA’S space shuttle history in November of 2010, when it was all set to take off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, but that final launch has now been postponed until February of 2011.

The final flight of the spaceship ‘Discovery’, will be launch in November, if all goes according to plan. The decision to cancel NASA’s space shuttle program explosion of the spaceshuttle ‘Challenger’ when it re entered the earth’s atmosphere, that killed seven crew members, one of which was the first teacher in space.

President Obama bill decided to go ahead with the planned cancellation, but also dropped a Bush initiative which would have placed astronauts back on the moon before 2020, in a new system which would comprise the Orion crew capsule and the Ares rocket. But Obama’s current fiscal plans ditch the Ares and makes Orion into an emergency lifeboat which would be docked constantly at the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

On Tuesday Space shuttle Discovery's crew arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to start a week of training for their upcoming STS-133 mission.





The six astronauts are doing the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test or TCDT.






It's a modified Gulfstream II business jet that mimics the shuttle's handling during the final phase of landing.

Training will include emergency exit training from Launch Pad 39A and will conclude Friday with a dress rehearsal of launch procedures.

LAUNCH PROCEDURE

At the end of the week, the crew will board space shuttle Discovery just as they will on launch day, with the launch and flight controllers in Florida and Houston watching over the systems and preparations.





The countdown will end just before main engine start, giving the astronauts a chance to practice for an emergency.

After the rehearsal, the astronauts will return to their training facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Discovery and its crew are targeted for launch on November 1 at 4:40 p.m. from Kennedy Space Center.


The astronauts, led by veteran Commander Steve Lindsey, flew to KSC Tuesday evening to begin the standard training cycle leading up to the launch.