A One-Way Ticket to Space?

October 25, 2010 5:48 PM

Suddenly, the idea of sending humans on one-way flights to colonize other planets is getting a public airing.

Just last weekend, NASA Ames Director Simon "Pete" Worden was quoted as saying that NASA has "just started a project with DARPA" called the Hundred Year Starship with the long-range goal of settling other planets. (DARPA is an acronym for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.)

The general idea would be to send humans to destinations where they would live out the remainder of their lives.

Mars: Home, Sweet Home?

(Credit: NASA)

And now, a couple of researchers make the argument why the use of one-way tickets to the cosmos would be the preferred - not to mention the most affordable - way to establish human colonies on other worlds..

In a paper published in the Journal of Cosmology, Dirk Schulze-Makuch, an associate professor at Washington State University's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Paul Davies, a physicist and cosmologist from Arizona State University, say the costs of safely returning a crew would eat up the lion's share of the mission's budget.

"We envision that Mars exploration would begin and proceed for a long time on the basis of outbound journeys only," they write, adding that a Mars mission to Mars could exploit hardware technologies developed for the Moon program. "One approach could be to send four astronauts initially, two on each of two space craft, each with a lander and sufficient supplies, to stake a single outpost on Mars. A one-way human mission to Mars would be the first step in establishing a permanent human presence on the planet."

The rationale for a mission to Mars? Species preservation.

"We are a vulnerable species living in a part of the galaxy where cosmic events such as major asteroid and comet impacts and supernova explosions pose a significant threat to life on Earth, especially to human life. There are also more immediate threats to our culture, if not our survival as a species. These include global pandemics, nuclear or biological warfare, runaway global warming, sudden ecological collapse and supervolcanoes Thus, the colonization of other worlds is a must if the human species is to survive for the long term."

Their proposed scenario for the arrival of humans on Mars would first feature the insertion of robotic probes to set up an adequate energy source - they suggest a small nuclear reactor augmented by solar panels - as well as stockpiles of food tp provide the team with a couple of years. Also to be packed in with the first drop: "the basics for creating home-grown agriculture, one or more rover vehicles and a tool-kit for carrying out essential engineering and maintenance work."

How much NASA buys into the idea of one-way missions to Mars (and beyond) is less clear.

Although NASA was unable to verify the accuracy of Worden's comments, the report seemed to suggest that the idea of one-way manned missions is receiving serious attention within the nation's space agency. (NASA and several other space agencies have been studying plans to launch a Mars mission that would return soil samples to Earth.)

Reports of Worden's talk was first reported last week by Kurzweil Blog. He was speaking at an event in San Francisco.

You heard it here," Worden is quoted as saying. "We also hope to inveigle some billionaires to form a Hundred Year Starship fund."

"The human space program is now really aimed at settling other worlds. Twenty years ago you had to whisper that in dark bars and get fired."

According to the blog post, he went onto add that he expects humans to reach the moons of Mars by around the year 2030. At this point, though, he didn't have many details to fill in the bigger picture.

"How do you live in another world? I don't have the slightest idea," he said. "If you're a conservative, you worry about it killing us; if you're a liberal, you worry about us killing it. I think things like synthetic biology have lot of potential for that. I think rather than make an environment on Mars like Earth, why don't we modify life ... including the human genome ... so it's better suited to [Mars]?"

(Google co-founder) Larry [Page] asked me a couple weeks ago how much it would cost to send people one way to Mars and I told him $10 billion, and his response was, 'Can you get it down to 1 or 2 billion?' So now we're starting to get a little argument over the price."

DARPA subsequently issued a statement to CBSNews.com confirmed that it was working on a joint study with NASA Ames to explore the potential of developing "breakthrough technologies" that would be needed for long-duration space missions.

"A key element of the study is exploring models by which sustained co-investment by the private sector in these areas can be incentivized. The study is currently in the early formulation stage, but will be entirely open and unclassified, with more details forthcoming in early 2011."

Tags:nasa ,darpa ,worden ,space exploration ,ames Topics:In The News ,Tech Talk

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Dem Candidate Tells Obama to "Shove It"

October 25, 2010 1:26 PM (Credit: CBS/ AP)

Updated at 4:20 p.m. ET

Rhode Island's Democratic candidate for governor Frank Caprio on Monday dissed President Obama for refusing to endorse him, telling a talk radio host that Mr. Obama "can take his endorsement and really shove it as far as I'm concerned."

Mr. Obama travels to the Ocean State today for a set of Democratic fundraisers, as well as a visit to a factory. The White House told reporters yesterday, however, that Mr. Obama will not endorse Caprio or any other candidate in the race. Caprio is in a heated contest against Republican John Robitaille and Republican-turned-Independent Lincoln Chafee -- an early Obama ally when he ran for president.

In an interview with WPRO-AM this morning, Caprio criticized the president for fundraising in Rhode Island today, after ignoring the state during the spring's record flooding.

"Now he's coming into Rhode Island treating us like an ATM machine," he said.

A spokesperson for Caprio told the Providence Journal that the campaign doesn't expect the president's non-endorsement to impact the race. However, he said it did benefit Caprio to be invited to join Mr. Obama today at the Woonsocket factory, as well as the Democratic fundraisers.

Chafee spokesman Mike Trainor, meanwhile, told the Providence Journal that the president's decision "is a victory for Linc Chafee."

A Rasmussen poll released Friday showed Chafee with a 7-point lead, though other recent polls give Caprio a slight lead.

A spokesperson for the Rhode Island Republican Party told the Associated Press that Caprio's response to the president's decision was disrespectful and a sign that the Democrat's campaign is in "meltdown mode."

Update: White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton told reporters today that Mr. Obama decided to stay out of the Rhode Island gubernatorial race ""Out of respect for his friend Lincoln Chafee," CBS News Senior Political Producer Rob Hendin reports.

In response to Caprio's comment that Mr. Obama could "shove it," Burton acknowledged that "emotions are running high" in the race.

Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter. Tags:John Robitaille ,Rhode Island Governor ,Lincoln Chafee ,Barack Obama ,endorsement ,Frank Caprio Topics:Campaign 2010

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Brett Favre Has Fractured Ankle, Streak in Peril

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Oct. 25, 2010 (CBS/AP)  Updated at 7:27 p.m. ET

Brett Favre has a stress fracture in his left ankle that could end the Minnesota quarterback's NFL-record durability streak at 291 consecutive games started.

Vikings coach Brad Childress said Monday an MRI on Favre's foot revealed the fracture and an "avulsion" fracture in the calcaneus, which is the heel bone. An avulsion fracture occurs when a fragment of bone is torn away by a tendon or ligament.

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Favre had arthroscopic surgery on the ankle in May, and he received a series of lubricating injections in the joint at the beginning of the season. The ankle has bothered him at times this fall, but he hurt it in Sunday's 28-24 loss at Green Bay as he was being tackled from behind while throwing his first of three interceptions against the Packers.

The 41-year-old Favre was limping around during the game and walking gingerly afterward, and Childress said he was wearing a walking boot around the practice facility on Monday to make him more comfortable. He refused to rule Favre out of Sunday's game at New England, but he also insisted that the streak won't influence the decision on whether to play him against the Patriots (5-1).

"He's got to be able to do all the things that his position does," Childress said. "You can't put a guy that's a sitting duck out there. His competitive nature I'm sure will come into it. But a lot of times you've got to protect people from themselves."

The Vikings (2-4) are struggling to find the groove they enjoyed in Favre's first season, which started 6-0 and ended in the NFC championship game. With Favre's turnover count now at 14 - including 10 interceptions, already three more than last year - he has been hurting them as much as he's helped them so far.

Favre didn't enter the locker room at Winter Park when it was open to reporters on Monday, but after the game he said he wouldn't put his record ahead of common sense.

"If I can play but not be effective, then it's not worth playing," Favre said. "I hope I use good judgment, so we'll see. I'm no spring chicken anymore. I don't heal as quickly. I know the heart's in the right place, though. I know I left it on the field. It's just disappointing that it didn't work our way."

Favre is also the subject of an NFL investigation into allegations that he sent lewd photographs and suggestive messages to a female New York Jets employee in 2008. Favre met with an NFL security official last week but has not publicly addressed the allegations, which were posted on the Deadspin website.

League spokesman Greg Aeillo said Monday there was nothing to report about the investigation.

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Postmaster General to Retire in December

(AP)  Postmaster General John E. Potter says he will retire in December.

Patrick R. Donahoe, currently deputy postmaster general, will succeed Potter.

Potter has served in the Postal Service for 32 years and took over the top job at the agency on June 1, 2001.

He has served during a time that has seen the postal service struggle to deal with rising costs and a declining mail volume as people switch over to the Internet. The post office continues to face losses despite cuts in its spending and staff.

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A Double Standard for House Ethics?

October 25, 2010 12:00 AM From Left to Right: Reps. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), John Carter (R-Texas), Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.)

The ethics cases against Reps. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) highlight an odd paradox: that many other members of Congress do similar things but are not facing charges.

On March 4, 2009, Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) introduced a witness at a hearing promoting renewable energy interests: Brooks Hurst. Congressman Graves failed to mention that Hurst was an old friend. The congressman also left out that his own wife and Hurst invested money in the same Missouri fuel plants.

Congresswoman Waters argues that is the same thing she's accused of: helping a good friend and his company, where her spouse owned stock. Yet Waters is the only one facing an ethics trial.

Then there's Congressman John Carter (R-Texas). On Oct. 7, 2009, he criticized Rangel for, among other things, failing to disclose income. "These are all violations of the rules of the House," Carter said in an interview about Rangel.

But just a few weeks later, Carter himself was making a mea culpa. "I made an error on my House financial disclosure forms," he said in a speech on Oct. 21, 2009 on the House floor. It turns out he got caught -- just like Rangel -- failing to report income: nearly $300-thousand dollars in profits from selling Exxon stock. But Carter isn't facing an ethics trial.

When it comes to ethics, Congress largely polices itself. It has set up two separate ethics bodies and what's interesting is: they almost always disagree.

(At left, watch Sharyl Attkisson's congressional ethics report on Washington Unplugged)

"The fact is the House Ethics Committee is renowned for not doing its job," says watchdog Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). "It is the most toothless committee in Congress. It never goes after anybody. It really exists just to give members a pass. Congress can say it cares about ethics by having an ethics committee, but the ethics committee never finds anybody did anything wrong."

To fix the problem, in 2007, Congress created an independent Office of Congressional Ethics. An even split of Democrats, led by former Congressman David Skaggs of Colorado, and Republicans, led by former CIA Director Porter Goss. The independent Office investigates cases and refers them to the House Ethics Committee... which decides whether to bring charges.

But just look at how it's turned out: in eleven out of twelve cases referred by the independent Office, the House Ethics Committee decided not to charge any members. Sloan says the insiders are thumbing their noses at the independent Office.

"The inside Ethics Committee has made it abundantly clear that it hates the Office of Congressional Ethics, suggesting that the office is out-of-touch and overly-aggressive and finding problems where none exist," she said.

The independent Office found evidence that Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.) got preferential treatment on her foreclosed home (read the report). They pursued Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) who claimed a Maryland home as his principle residence, though he was registered to vote and drive in California (read the report).

From left to Right: Democratic Reps. Charlie Rangel (N.Y.), Carolyn Kilpatrick (Mich.), Donald Payne (N.J.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.) and Delegate Donna Christensen (U.S. Virgin Islands)

They went after five members who took a Caribbean jaunt to St. Martin in November of 2009 paid for by big corporations, which isn't allowed. The members included Rangel (report), Delegate Donna Christensen (report) and Reps. Carolyn Kilpatrick (report), Donald Payne (report) and Bennie Thompson (report) -- all Democrats. The corporations involved included Citigroup, IBM, Pfizer, Macy's, Verizon Foundation and AT&T.

They found evidence suggesting two congressmen, Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) (report) and Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.) (report) gave millions of your tax dollars to companies -- to get campaign contributions. And they referred that conflict-of-interest case against Congressman Graves (report).

Each of the members of Congress denied wrongdoing. And each time, the House Ethics Committee -- the Congressional insiders -- sided with them.

Former Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.)

(Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Finally, there's Nathan Deal (R-Ga.). The outside Office found evidence he failed to disclose income and misused public resources, which he denied (report). Minutes before the House Ethics Committee was to release its findings, Deal resigned to run for governor of Georgia and the House Ethics Committee simply let the case drop.

The independent Office of Congressional Ethics is looking at up to 42 unnamed members of Congress. If recent history is an indicator, the members have little to fear. If anyone should worry, it might be the independent Office itself, which serves at the pleasure of Congress: those they investigate. Both Democrats and Republicans have said they want to dilute or eliminate the independent ethics office. None of them would talk with us.

Sloan says the idea of eliminating the Office of Congressional Ethics is "horrifying" to watchdogs "because the one good thing that's happened to congressional ethics in the last few years has been the creation of the Office of Congressional Ethics. Members are finally being held accountable for their misconduct."

So will the office be all but gone by this time next year?

"I think this time next year this office is all but gone. If it exists, it's just a shadow of its former self," says Sloan.

Read the Reports on Reps. from the Office of Congressional Ethics

Sharyl Attkisson is a CBS News Investigative Correspondent based in Washington. You can read more of her posts in Hotsheet here. Tags:Office of Congressional Ethics ,Nathan Deal ,Ethics ,John Carter ,House Ethics Committee ,House ,Charles Rangel ,Maxine Waters ,Laura Richardson ,Pete Stark ,Sam Graves Topics:Congress

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NPR Sorry for Handling of Juan Williams Firing

October 25, 2010 11:53 AM News analyst Juan Williams was fired by NPR after making comments about Muslims on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor" last week.

(Credit: Richard Drew)

NPR CEO Vivian Schiller apologized on Sunday for how the radio network dealt with the termination of Juan Williams, an NPR political analyst who was fired last week after making controversial statements about Muslims on Fox News.

In a statement, Schiller apologized to her program colleagues for "not doing a better job of handling" Williams' dismissal. She added, however, that the network stands "firmly behind" the decision to do so.

"I regret that we did not take the time to prepare our program partners and provide you with the tools to cope with the fallout from this episode," Schiller wrote in an email obtained by Politico. "I know you all felt the reverberations and are on the front lines every day responding to your listeners and talking to the public."

Williams was relieved of his duties as an NPR news analyst last week, after making comments on Fox News - where he is a paid contributor - that he got "nervous" when he saw Muslims on airplane flights.

The decision was roundly criticized, and conservatives including Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee called for NPR to no longer receive federal money on grounds of censorship.

NPR has said that Williams' recent statements on Fox News were not the only cause for his dismissal.

"This was a decision of principle, made to protect NPR's integrity and values as a news organization," Schiller said in the statement. "Juan Williams' comments on Fox News last Monday were the latest in a series of deeply troubling incidents over several years."

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"There have been several instances over the last couple of years where we have felt Juan has stepped over the line. He famously said last year something about Michelle Obama and Stokely Carmichael. This isn't a case of one strike and you're out," Schiller said in an interview last week.

Schiller added that "the process that followed the decision was unfortunate" and wrote that management should have met with Williams in person. At the same time, she continued, Williams had been "explicitly and repeatedly asked to respect NPR's standards and to avoid expressing strong personal opinions on controversial subjects in public settings, as that is inconsistent with his role as an NPR news analyst."

Despite its reputation as a publicly funded network, the majority of NPR's funding comes from program fees and station dues. In fact, the station does not receive any direct federal funding for operations, though a small percentage of its budget comes indirectly from the federal government.

Lucy Madison is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter. Tags:NPR ,Fox News ,Bill O'Reilly ,Juan Williams ,Vivian Schiller Topics:Domestic Issues

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BP CEO Fires Back at Media and Politicians

LONDON, Oct. 25, 2010 (AP)  BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley accused some politicians and the media on Monday of being too hasty to pin all the blame on his company for the devastating Gulf of Mexico spill - and emphasized the need for deep-water drilling.

In his first major public speech since taking the top job, Dudley also said BP would not pull out of the United States - and that the U.S. needs a company with BP's resources to meet its vast energy needs.

Dudley delivered a speech whose mood hovered between firm and penitent, seeking to make clear that BP was learning every lesson possible from the disaster. He stressed that he also has met with experts from other hazardous industries, including the nuclear and chemical industries, as part of the company's focus on improving safety.

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"We were certainly not perfect in our response, but we have tried to do the right thing," Dudley added. Before becoming the first American to lead the British oil company on Oct. 1, Dudley was in charge of BP's spill response efforts in the Gulf.

U.S. lawmakers have widely blamed BP for the disaster.

On Monday, Dudley said many parties, including the media and rival oil companies, were guilty of "a great rush to judgment" before all the facts were known.

"I watched graphic projections of oil swirling around the Gulf, around Florida, across and around Bermuda to England - these appeared authoritative and inevitable. The public fear was everywhere," he said.

The company's own investigation shared the blame between BP, rig owner Transocean Ltd. and contractor Halliburton Co.

But former EPA Administrator William K. Reilly, co-chair of an independent oil spill commission investigating the rig explosion, suggested Monday that BP fed the fear and mistrust by initially minimizing the impact of the spill.

In an interview with The Associated Press in New Orleans, Reilly said the company shouldn't downplay the significance of "what occurred and what happened on their watch and what was their responsibility to prevent."

The U.S. government could fine BP up to $21 billion for the spill, on top of a $20 billion disaster fund that the company has committed itself to. A bill that passed in the U.S. House of Representatives would prevent companies like BP that have a poor safety record from getting new offshore permits. A Senate bill that was eventually tabled didn't contain a similar provision.

Speaking at an annual conference of Britain's leading business lobby group, Dudley stressed BP's commitment to the United States despite the ongoing political and public fallout and talked up the company's ability to withstand the expected financial hit from the spill.

Earlier Monday, BP announced it has sold its stake in four mature oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico to Marubeni Oil and Gas for $650 million. The fields were part of a recent acquisition of Gulf assets from Devon Energy and were considered nonessential. BP is hoping to raise $30 billion from selling assets and already has raked in almost $9 billion from the sale of properties in Egypt, Canada, the U.S. and Colombia.

Dudley argued that deepwater drilling is necessary despite the dangers. He cited predictions that the world could be consuming 40 percent more energy than today by 2030. Deepwater drilling is projected to grow to account for 9 percent of total oil supplies in 2020, from 7 percent currently.

He said BP is "one of only a handful of companies with the financial and technological strengths to undertake development projects in these difficult geographies and it can be done safely."

BP continues to make plans for further drilling projects in the Gulf of Mexico. Rig owner Pride International Inc. said BP has leased two of its deepwater rigs. One of those rigs is already in the Gulf and another is on its way. Pride spokeswoman Kate Perez said it's unclear what projects are in store for those rigs - they still could be moved out of the Gulf.

BP relies on the Gulf for about 10 percent of its total oil and gas production.

President Barack Obama recently lifted a moratorium on new deepwater drilling in the Gulf, imposed after the April 20 explosion that kicked off the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Obama is due to announce further recommendations under a presidential commission in the coming months.

Dudley, who took over from gaffe-prone former CEO Tony Hayward early this month, also sought again to reassure business leaders that the company has the financial strength to shoulder the anticipated heavy costs of the Gulf spill.

Dudley said he has spent much of his time since becoming CEO traveling the world to visit BP's partners.

"Our underlying operational and financial performance is sound," he said, stressing the company's wide geographical reach.

Analysts responded with optimism.

"That's what the company needs, it needs a determined champion not an apologist," said Nick McGregor, an analyst at Redmayne-Bentley Stockbrokers. "He's going to want to go forward and leave the apologies ... His job is to acknowledge the past, not continuously apologize for it."

Dudley dismissed suggestions that the United States might turn its back on the company, or that BP could voluntarily leave the United States.

"I am confident that neither of these propositions is true," he said. "Contrary to what is sometimes said, BP is not widely seen over there as 'British Petroleum': we're part of the American community."

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