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Sunday, March 3, 2013

Heat win 13th straight, top Grizzlies 98-91

Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) shoots over Memphis Grizzlies' Zach Randolph (50) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, March 1, 2013. The Heat won 98-91. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) prepares to shoot against Memphis Grizzlies' Marc Gasol (33) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, March 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade, center, goes to the basket against Memphis Grizzlies' Darrell Arthur (00) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, March 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) prepares to shoot over Memphis Grizzlies' Zach Randolph (50) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, March 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

MIAMI (AP) ? For a while, it looked as though a pair of long streaks were in jeopardy.

That is, until LeBron James finally got going ? at the perfect time.

Dwyane Wade scored 22 points and set up James for a critical 3-pointer in the final half-minute, and the Heat extended their winning streak to 13 games by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 98-91 on Friday night.

"I thought this was one of our better wins of the season," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It was tough. We had to work for everything. We had to find a different way to win, deal with frustration ... and then make some plays down the stretch."

On a night when he shot just 4 for 14, James finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double, with 18 points and 10 assists. Shane Battier scored 14, Chris Bosh added 13 and Ray Allen had 10 for Miami, which snapped Memphis' eight-game winning streak.

"He's the best player in the world," Bosh said. "But we have the best supporting cast."

Down the stretch, James ? who had 14 points, four rebounds and four assists in the fourth quarter alone ? was simply too much. After managing only four points in the first three quarters, James still wound up reaching double digits for the 475th straight regular-season game.

"He made the big shot and that's all that matters," said Memphis' Marc Gasol, who led all scorers with 24.

Gasol tied the game with a pair of free throws with 2:44 left, before the Heat scored the next five. Bosh had a three-point play, and Wade took off in transition for a slam that put Miami up 90-85.

Gasol scored the next four, but Memphis got no closer. James calmly hit a 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining to seal the win.

"I'm always confident in my next shot," James said. "D-Wade gave me a great pass and I was able to knock it down."

The Grizzlies got 14 points from Zach Randolph, who said he was bothered throughout after turning his left ankle on the game's first possession. Mike Conley added 14 for Memphis, which got 10 from Quincy Pondexter.

"I have no problem with the game," Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. "We were right there. They just made a few more plays than we did down the stretch."

For the Heat, this week was filled with attention for things like pregame dunking exhibitions and their version of a "Harlem Shake" video ? which generated more than 5 million views on YouTube in about 24 hours of being posted.

Then came a basketball game, the likes of which had not been seen in the NBA for almost 20 years.

According to STATS LLC, the most recent time before Friday that there was a game between two teams that were carrying at least 12- and eight-game winning streaks was Dec. 3, 1993, when Atlanta (which had won nine straight) beat Houston (which had won 15 straight).

In fact, the Heat-Grizzlies game was just the eighth in NBA history pitting two teams with active winning streaks of at least eight in a row.

Want more significance? Spoelstra and Hollins were announced earlier in the day as the Eastern and Western Conference coaches of the month, respectively. And news came just before tipoff that James was picked yet again as the East's player of the month, making him 4 for 4 in that department this season.

"Just a residual of team success," Spoelstra said.

Added Hollins: "I'm the head coach and I get the credit and I get the blame, but those guys have been playing extremely well ... coming together with all the turmoil and all the chaos that we've had."

So of course, in a game between the NBA's two hottest teams, the start was ice cold. The teams combined to miss 23 of their first 32 shots.

And for James, things were downright frigid.

After the best shooting month of his career ? the three-time MVP made 64 percent of his shots in February, the best month of any NBA player with 200 attempts since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shot 65 percent in March 1983 ? James' run in March started in a decidedly different manner.

James made a 3-pointer on his first attempt of the night, then missed his next eight tries.

"You won't see that happening too many times," Wade said. "It was great that on a night where he didn't have it going offensively, he had trust in his guys and didn't force up 20-odd shots. He played to pass and he still was aggressive. We'll take it. We'll take it, him getting those numbers and us getting the win."

NOTES: Battier has at least one 3-pointer in 14 straight games, the fourth-best such streak of his career. ... Miami is at New York on Sunday, facing a Knicks team that has already beaten the Heat twice ? by 20 points each time. "Our guys will look forward to playing this game," Spoelstra said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-02-BKN-Heat-Streak/id-223f6f6e7d8f49a8b3e79409c2eda193

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Saturday, March 2, 2013

Agent: NY cop said cannibalism chats hurt his life

FILE- In this Feb. 25, 2013, courtroom sketch, former New York City Police Officer Gilberto Valle, second right, is seated at federal court in New York. Currently on trial for kidnapping conspiracy, told investigators after his arrest that his fascination with the idea of cannibalism set him on a downward spiral that was wrecking his personal life, an FBI agent testified Friday, March 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? A police officer told investigators after his arrest that his online chats about cannibalism set him on a downward spiral that was wrecking his personal life, an FBI agent testified Friday.

Gilberto Valle "claimed he did not enjoy it and he did not know why he was doing it," agent Anthony Foto told jurors at Valle's federal trial in Manhattan.

Foto testified that Valle, after his October arrest, acknowledged talking to people about a fetish of kidnapping, killing and eating women.

However, he "claimed he would not have gone through with it," the agent added.

The testimony came as the government winds down its case against the 28-year-old officer. Valle contends it was all fantasy and he intended no harm.

The trial's first week concluded Friday afternoon. Jurors were to return Monday.

The government called agent Foto on Friday to recount the arrest and initial interview of Valle last fall on kidnapping conspiracy charges.

When agents arrived to pick up Valle at his Queens home and told him to stay calm and everything would be fine, Valle responded: "I don't think so," the agent said.

Under interrogation at FBI headquarters, Valle lamented that his chats and emails with others on the Internet about cannibalism were leaving him exhausted and uninterested in sex with his wife.

He never said he harmed anyone, and he offered to help the FBI distinguish between which people on the Internet were real threats and which were not, Foto said.

The agent said that when he asked Valle why he thought he was being arrested, the officer said he believed it was for conspiracy to commit murder or attempted murder. But Foto later conceded that Valle made the remark an hour into an interview that lasted several hours.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Robert Baum drew the jury's attention to moments when the FBI tricked his client, including when the FBI told him he been under investigation for more than a year.

"That was a lie, right? Baum asked.

"Of course," Foto responded, acknowledging that Valle had been under investigation for only a few weeks. He said the ruse was investigative technique aimed at getting the defendant to speak.

After the testimony, U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe sent the jury home for the day. He spent the afternoon hearing proposed testimony from an FBI expert who studied Valle's computer history, finding numerous gruesome images and some videos.

Defense lawyers are opposing the presentation of as many as 34 ghastly exhibits of images, including women being tortured, dead bodies and body parts.

Gardephe put off a ruling on Friday on whether jurors would see the pictures, which defense lawyers say may have been saved automatically without him ever seeing them when he went on certain websites.

The government says the exhibits include a picture of a dead body with feet unattached, an image Valle's wife testified she saw when she went to one of his favorite sites and discovered why he stayed up late online.

Valle has been held without bail since his October arrest. Throughout the trial, which began Monday, Valle's lawyers have attacked government evidence as nothing more than the reflection of a man engaging in extreme sexual fantasies with like-minded people around the world. The government has conceded that Valle never met the purported Internet co-conspirators and that no women were harmed.

Jurors have heard testimony from Valle's estranged wife and from former classmates and other women who testified they knew Valle on a casual basis and never considered him dangerous. Their testimony was followed by evidence that all of them were the subjects of emails and chats describing how they could be snatched away and eaten.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-01-Police%20Officer-Cannibalism/id-6a1c744867694f89bc4fd5d9b6d59090

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Blackhawks win, earn point in 21st straight game

Chicago Blackhawks' Brent Seabrook (7) celebrates with teammates after scoring his game-winning goal during the overtime of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Chicago, Friday, March 1, 2013. The Blackhawks won 4-3. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews, left, controls the puck past Columbus Blue Jackets' Vinny Prospal during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Chicago, Friday, March 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville yells to his team during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Chicago, Friday, March 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Blackhawks' Viktor Stalberg (25) celebrates with teammates after scoring his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Chicago, Friday, March 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

CHICAGO (AP) ? The Chicago Blackhawks had already extended their NHL-record point streak once they got to overtime with the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets.

With one standings point already in the bag, the high-flying Blackhawks snagged the other one, too.

Brent Seabrook finished off a 2-on-1 rush at 3:23 of overtime to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 win over the banged-up Blue Jackets and stretch their season-opening points streak to 21 games.

This one was a struggle at home against the team with the fewest points in the league.

The Blackhawks (18-0-3) have won eight straight overall and haven't been beaten in regulation time in 27 games, dating to a loss on March 25, 2012, to Nashville.

The Blue Jackets (5-12-4) are saddled with injuries to key players, but they skated toe-to-toe with Chicago for much of the game. Columbus failed to hold onto a pair of one-goal leads.

"They come out and play 60 minutes hard," Seabrook said. "There are no easy games, and you can never take a night off."

Columbus' Ryan Johansen scored with 7:37 left in regulation to tie it at 3, snapping his 37-game goal drought.

But Chicago finished off the Blue Jackets when Jonathan Toews carried the puck down left wing and dished a cross-ice pass to Seabrook, who fired in a shot from the right circle before goalie Steve Mason could slide across the crease.

"It was a great pass by Tazer," Seabrook said. "I just tried to get up in the play. Tazer had some speed going up, and I tried to help out."

Patrick Sharp and Bryan Bickell scored 59 seconds apart late in the second period, and Viktor Stalberg also connected in regulation for Chicago, which has earned 39 out of a possible 42 points this season.

Ray Emery made 19 saves for the win.

Vinny Prospal and Artem Anisimov also had goals for Columbus, which has a league-low 14 points.

"They had us on our heels a couple times," Bickell said. "They had a late goal, but it was good to see Seebs get on the rush and pop the OT winner.

"We were down early in this game. It shows the character in this room to come back. It's been fun. We're just having a blast right now."

The Blackhawks posted their 10th consecutive win against the Blue Jackets, dating to Feb. 18, 2011.

Mason stopped 31 shots as he faced the Blackhawks for the second time in less than a week. He made 26 saves in a 1-0 loss to Chicago on Sunday.

"We did some pretty good things to be able to stick with those guys, but we're not doing enough to get that next goal," Mason said. "We knew it would be a real test for us because we had a lot of guys out."

Earning one point, even in Chicago, wasn't a moral victory for Columbus coach Todd Richards.

"Regardless of who it us, it's still a loss," Richards said. "We still just aren't quite good enough. We battled and competed, which is what we should do, but we've got to find ways to come out on top."

Anisimov scored in his first game after he missed three because of an upper-body injury. He was hurt in Detroit on Feb. 21 when his head struck the ice.

Columbus has lost seven of eight, with all but one of the defeats by one goal.

Emery relieved Corey Crawford after the first period in St. Louis on Thursday as the two combined to shut out the Blues 3-0. Crawford was forced out by an upper-body injury. Crawford was back on the bench Friday, serving as Emery's backup.

The Blue Jackets were again without centers Brandon Dubinsky (knee) and Derick Brassard (upper body) and defensemen Jack Johnson (shoulder), James Wisniewski (broken foot) and John Moore (upper body). Moore was injured Friday during Columbus' morning skate.

Prospal gave the Blue Jackets the lead just 31 seconds into the game.

Emery made a glove save on Derek Dorsett's drive from the right circle, but knocked the rebound into the slot. Prospal swooped in and fired the loose puck into the open net before Emery could react.

Stalberg tied it with 3:51 left in the first when he scored a power-play goal from the edge of the crease. Battling in a scrum, Stalberg converted a rebound of Brandon Saad's shot.

Anisimov put Columbus back ahead with 7:18 left in the second on a screened shot from the right wing. His shot appeared to glance off of Chicago's Daniel Carcillo before getting past Emery.

Mason came up with several tough saves, but was fooled when Sharp tied it at 2 with 2:40 left in the period. Sharp cut down the left wing and shoveled a backhanded shot from a sharp angle that struck Mason's blocker and slipped through.

Less than a minute later, Bickell put Chicago ahead 3-2 on a 2-on-1 break with Stalberg.

Columbus' Mark Letestu and Matt Calvert, and Chicago's Jamal Mayers all fired shots off the post early in the third.

Johansen scored his first goal since Jan. 24, 2012, with 7:37 to make it 3-3. Following a failed clearing attempt, Johansen took a pass from Nick Foligno, broke in alone and slipped a backhander past Emery.

Mason made two point-blank blocker saves on Stalberg with 2:55 left to keep the game tied.

But Chicago eventually prevailed, again.

"You get that swagger and confidence when you're on a streak like this." Stalberg said "You have confidence you'll find a way to get it done."

NOTES: Stalberg has 11 goals and two assists in 15 games against Columbus. ... Blackhawks C Dave Bolland missed his fourth game because of an upper-body injury. ... The United Center crowd of 21,828 was the Blackhawks' 200th straight sellout. ... Columbus recalled D Dalton Prout from Springfield of the AHL. The 22-year-old Prout played in his sixth NHL game.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-02-HKN-Blackhawks-Points-Streak/id-dfa67065b97e4987a5c7d1297135dd49

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Dartmouth neuroscientist finds free will has neural basis

Public release date: 1-Mar-2013
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Contact: John Cramer
john.d.cramer@dartmouth.edu
603-646-9130
Dartmouth College

A new theory of brain function by Peter Ulric Tse, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at Dartmouth College, suggests that free will is real and has a biophysical basis in the microscopic workings of our brain cells.

Tse's findings, which contradict recent claims by neuroscientists and philosophers that free will is an illusion, have theological, ethical, scientific and legal implications for human behavior, such as whether people are accountable for their decisions and actions.

His book shows how free will works in the brain by examining its information-processing architecture at the level of neural connections. He offers a testable hypothesis of how the mental causes the physical. In contrast with philosophers who use logic rather than data to argue whether mental causation or consciousness can exist, he explores these issues by starting with neuroscientific data.

Recent neurophysiological breakthroughs reveal that neurons evaluate information they receive, which can change the way that other neurons will evaluate information and "fire" in the future. Tse's research shows that such informational causation cannot change the physical basis of current information, but it can change the neuronal basis of future mental events. This gets around the standard argument against free will that is based on the impossibility of self-causation.

Tse lays out his argument in his new book titled "The Neural Basis of Free Will" -- https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/neural-basis-free-will

###

He is available to comment at Peter.U.Tse@dartmouth.edu.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Dartmouth neuroscientist finds free will has neural basis Public release date: 1-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: John Cramer
john.d.cramer@dartmouth.edu
603-646-9130
Dartmouth College

A new theory of brain function by Peter Ulric Tse, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at Dartmouth College, suggests that free will is real and has a biophysical basis in the microscopic workings of our brain cells.

Tse's findings, which contradict recent claims by neuroscientists and philosophers that free will is an illusion, have theological, ethical, scientific and legal implications for human behavior, such as whether people are accountable for their decisions and actions.

His book shows how free will works in the brain by examining its information-processing architecture at the level of neural connections. He offers a testable hypothesis of how the mental causes the physical. In contrast with philosophers who use logic rather than data to argue whether mental causation or consciousness can exist, he explores these issues by starting with neuroscientific data.

Recent neurophysiological breakthroughs reveal that neurons evaluate information they receive, which can change the way that other neurons will evaluate information and "fire" in the future. Tse's research shows that such informational causation cannot change the physical basis of current information, but it can change the neuronal basis of future mental events. This gets around the standard argument against free will that is based on the impossibility of self-causation.

Tse lays out his argument in his new book titled "The Neural Basis of Free Will" -- https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/neural-basis-free-will

###

He is available to comment at Peter.U.Tse@dartmouth.edu.

[ | E-mail | Share ]
?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/dc-dnf030113.php
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Friday, March 1, 2013

How can I find foreclosed property owners such as ... - Zillow Real ...

If you're asking how to find foreclosed properties to purchase, they are normally listed on the local MLS just like any other property. Athough the seller is a bank, they normally hire?a real estate agent to market and sell the property for them, and the process is very similar to a standard sale.

If you are talking about purchasing a property that is?being foreclosed on, but you want to purchase it?before the bank takes ownership, then you need to go to the auctions. The banks set auction dates for properties that are in default.The auctions typically happen on the steps of the county courthouse. Normally, you pay all cash, and you are unable to do any inspections, etc. You must do all your due diligence prior to the auction date including liens on title, past due taxes, etc. You can get lists of properties that will come up on the auction block through title?companies.?

If you're asking how do you determine?the owner of a foreclosed property, then you can pull up public records online (you may have to subscribe to a site) and it will give you the name, and possibly contact info, of the property owner.

Hopefully, I came close to answering your question.

Source: http://www.zillow.com/advice-thread/How-can-I-find-foreclosed-property-owners-such-as-banks-etc/480676/

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Dow eases back from near record as rally fades

Reuters ? ? ? 5 hrs.

An early rally faded as the trading day concluded on Wall Street, pulling the Dow slightly lower and a bit further away from reaching a record.

The market was up for much of the day, then turned lower in the final minutes of trading.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended with a loss of 20 points, or 0.2 percent, at 14,054. That's 110 points below the record close it reached in October 2007. It came within 15 points of that level during the day Thursday.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index ended down a point, or 0.1 percent, at 1,514. The Nasdaq composite lost two points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 3,160.

Rising and falling stocks were about even on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was average, 3.7 billion shares.

While some data released Thursday were rosy, a read on economic growth was weaker than expected, and analysts said a pullback may be in store a day after major equity indexes posted their biggest daily advance since early January.

Over the prior two sessions, the S&P 500 had gained 1.9 percent, rising back above the closely watched level of 1,500. The Dow Jones industrial average had moved within striking distance of an all-time high.

"The market is looking choppy, and I think investors should use this as an opportunity to sell into strength," said Matt McCormick, a money manager at Cincinnati-based Bahl & Gaynor. "This seems like an environment where someone should be conservative instead of aggressive."

The U.S. economy grew 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter, a weaker pace than expected, although a slightly better performance in exports and fewer imports led the government to scratch an earlier estimate of an economic contraction.

Separately, the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, while the February Chicago Purchasing Managers Index unexpectedly rose to an 11-month high.

While equity markets suffered steep losses earlier in the week on concerns over European debt, they have since recovered, with the gains fueled by strong data and recent comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that showed continued support for the Fed's economic stimulus policy.

"Growth is still anemic and there are still issues with Europe. People seem to be ignoring the signs that would otherwise give them cause for concern," said McCormick, who helps oversee $8.2 billion in assets.

J.C. Penney Co Inc slumped 18 percent to $17.32 as the S&P's biggest decliner after the department store reported a steep drop in sales on Wednesday. Groupon Inc also slumped on weak revenue, with the stock off 25 percent at $4.50.

Mylan Inc jumped 6.5 percent to $30.45 on the Nasdaq after the generic drugmaker posted a 25 percent rise in fourth-quarter profit.

Investors were keeping an eye on the debate in Washington over sequestration - U.S. government budget cuts that will take effect starting on Friday if lawmakers fail to reach an agreement on spending and taxes. President Barack Obama and Republican congressional leaders arranged to hold last-ditch talks to prevent the cuts, but expectations were low that any deal would be produced.

With 93 percent of the S&P 500 companies having reported results so far, 69.5 percent have beaten profit expectations, compared with a 62 percent average since 1994 and 65 percent over the past four quarters, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Fourth-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies are estimated to have risen 6.2 percent, according to the data, above a 1.9 percent forecast at the start of the earnings season.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/dow-eases-back-near-record-rally-fades-1C8613347

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Sequestration Shovels Money to the Russians

A widespread opinion is that the sequestration?the blunt whack of $85 billion from the national government?s budget?was, as UPI puts it, ?a dumb idea when it was created and it?s a dumb idea now.?? But the sequestration may be far dumber than most realize.? To save money, this budget bash is about to gush over three quarters of a billion dollars from America?s space budget directly into the coffers of the Russians.? Penny wise and billion dollar foolish.

How does this astonishingly self-defeating cash transfusion to Moscow work?

?View from the International Space Station of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as the station's robotic arm moves Dragon into place for attachment to the station. May 25, 2012.? Caption courtesy of SpaceX. Photo: NASA

NASA has a little-known but crucial project called the Commercial Crew Program.? In the days of the Space Shuttle it cost roughly $37,500 per pound to get an American astronaut into space.? Let?s say that you are that astronaut.? Adding in all the oxygen, food, water, and equipment it takes to keep you alive, that?s close to $82.5 million to get you into orbit.? Which is the price of flying the entire population of Pittsburgh to LA and back with tickets from cheapoair.com.? But if America can get that cost down, it can make space as accessible as, well, airline trips from Pittsburgh to LA.

This is where the Commercial Crew Program comes in.? In the Program, three private companies are competing to deliver US astronauts to the International Space Station. Those companies are Boeing, Sierra Nevada, and Space Exploration Technologies (better known as Space X).? All are under contract to meet performance milestones on a timetable that would deliver US astronauts to the International Space Station by 2017 or sooner.

SpaceX Dragon Capsule berths to the International Space Station, October 10, 2012. Credit: NASA

And so far, things look promising.? SpaceX has already built the rockets it takes to get to orbit and has put them into regular commercial use.? What?s more, SpaceX has designed a Dragon Capsule capable of putting seven humans into space, and has launched two of these capsules, orbited them, and brought them safely back to earth. ? But that?s not all.? On launch number two, the Dragon Capsule carried a load of NASA cargo, docked with the International Space Station, uneventfully transferred its 1,200 pound load, took on 1,673 pounds of used hardware, supplies and more than a ton of scientific samples from the Station packed in a GLACIER (General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator) freezer, and brought that crucial payload to earth.? SpaceX plans its third launch of the Dragon capsule with 1,268 pounds of crew supplies and scientific equipment for the International Space Station Friday, March 1^st, the day the sequestration is scheduled to take effect.

Normally delivering cargo to orbit costs NASA roughly $10,000 per pound, a lot less than delivering people.? But SpaceX?s Dragon Capsule and Falcon 9 can cost an estimated $2,500 per pound, a galumphing 75% savings. What?s more, SpaceX?s head, Elon Musk, has stated that his goal is ten dollars per pound.? Yes, you read that right: ten dollars a pound to orbit.? Which would bring the cost of putting you into orbit along with the oxygen, food, and water necessary to keep you alive down to $22,000.? Not exactly the cost of an airline ticket from Pennsylvania to LA.? But within the range of reality for a business traveler, researcher, space colonist, or asteroid miner.

Artist?s conception of Sierra Nevada Corporation?s Dream Chaser. Illustration courtesy of SNC Space Systems

What would sequestration do to this cost-reduction drive?? And how do the Russians get into the act?? There?s another government blunder that?s been hidden from you and me, hidden in plain sight: America?s space gap.

Ever since the retirement of the Shuttle in 2011, America has been unable to launch astronauts into orbit on American launch vehicles.? Yes, there is currently no American craft, no matter how modest, that can put humans into space.? At a time when even the Iranians are launching monkeys.? Embarrassing, right?

As NASA administrator Charles Bolden told a NASA audience in Huntsville, Alabama, on February 22^nd: ?Budget sequestration will slow NASA?s effort to start a commercial space industry to take astronauts to the International Space Station on American spacecraft.?? The gap between America and Russia, which can still launch astronauts, will not close.? The gap is going to get bigger.? Anybody who thinks this is no big deal ? it?s a big deal.?

Artist conception of the Dream Chaser docking with the space station. Picture courtesy of SNC Space Systems.

Despite this space gap, the United States has obligations to the fifteen countries it seduced, kidnapped, and recruited into a $35-100 billion project, the vastly underutilized International Space Station. The International Space Station is an incredible achievement, a historically monumental construction on a par with the pyramids and the Parthenon. And to fulfill our obligations to our partners, we are committed to sending roughly 56 more astronauts to the station.? Which leaves us with a problem.? How do we send our men and women to space when we have no launch vehicle capable of carrying humans?

Artist conception of Boing?s commercial crew vehicle docking with space station. Illustration courtesy of Boeing.

It?s simple. We rely on a nation some of whose media outlets, believe it or not, still portray us as the enemy:? Russia. Yes, Pravda.ru, which has been described as ?the largest news and analytical Internet-holding in Russia,? says week after week that the USA is a degenerate and murderous nation.? With headlines like the current ?Killing Russian Children Not a Tragedy for U.S.?

Only a few months ago, the Russians charged us $55.8 million a ticket to send a single astronaut to space and to bring her back on their Soyuz rockets.? But since they have no competitors to drive down the price, the Russians have hiked the fare by 12% to $62.7 million dollars per ticket.? And the price could go up farther.

Here?s where the ability of the sequestration to turn the saving of a penny into the loss of a billion comes in. Inside sources at NASA say that the sequestration will only cut $25 million to $30 million from the Commercial Crew contracts.? By government standards, that sounds like a mere piffle.? Right?

But through the magic of cumulative blunders, that tiny loss of money will turn into a torrent.? It will delay the Commercial Crew Program for roughly two years.? And every year we go without our own access to space, we are forced to pay another $350 million to $400 million to the Russians. In fact, on March 14, NASA reached an agreement to pay Russia $753 million for twelve round trip tickets to our station in the sky.? That?s three quarters of a billion dollars.? And if the U.S.?s period without American vehicles stretches out, that figure will increase. Think about it.? $753 million or more siphoned from the American space program and used to underwrite Russian research and development and Russian leadership in space.? When Russia?s Sputnik went up in 1957 and shocked the USA, the idea of underwriting Russian space development and crippling ours would have been unthinkable.

Nearly as bad, the Commercial Crew Program works by paying the three competing companies only when they meet milestones. Until then, these firms have to advance their own cash. ? They work ?on the come.? If these companies have factored the government payment into their projections of cash flow and if they reach their milestones, the government?s refusal to pay up can bankrupt them.? Or seriously set them back.? This is NOT the way to encourage American ingenuity, American entrepreneurship, and American job creation.? It makes the American government, the government that represents you and me, a bad business partner.?? A deadbeat.

Concludes Dave Dunlop, head of the International Committee for the National Space Society and a member of the group I run, The Space Development Steering Committee, ?No wonder recent polls show that colonoscopies are more popular than Congress.? ? Or, as percussionist Ralph MacDonald once advised, ?Don?t stop to pick up the pennies when the dollars are flying over your head.?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=4d7cd0042f3898850f4994d946c9046f

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