Roy Mark

The U.S. manned space program is underfunded with unrealistic goals, a presidential review panel appointed by President Obama told the White House Sept. 8 in an executive summary. The 10-person panel chaired by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine said for the United States to maintain a meaningful human spaceflight program, another $3 billion annually […]

The space shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station Sept. 8, conducted a fly-around of the space station and then hit the thrusters to head back to Earth. NASA anticipates a Sept. 10 landing at Kennedy Space Center, in Florida.Pilot Kevin Ford undocked Discovery from the ISS at 3:26 p.m. EDT while the two […]

The HTC Hero will debut on the Sprint network Oct. 11, marking the first Google Android-based smartphone for the nation’s No. 3 wireless carrier. The open-source Android device will cost $179.99 with a two-year contract and $150 in rebates. The Hero joins the Palm Pre and the BlackBerry Tour 9630 in Sprint’s smartphone lineup. The […]

NASA officials are closely tracking space debris from a 3-year-old European rocket that is expected to come within two miles of the International Space Station Sept. 4. If the 204-square-foot chunk from an Ariane 5 rocket body comes any closer to the ISS, NASA may be forced to maneuver the space station out of the […]

Perhaps they’ll play “Send in the Clowns” when Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte departs for the International Space Station Sept. 30. After all, the Canadian billionaire, who paid $35 million for a tourist seat on the next Russian mission to the ISS, said Sept. 2 he’s bringing along nine red clown noses.During a video […]

The space shuttle Discovery’s blastoff to the International Space Station was delayed twice the week of Aug. 24 due to stormy weather and a faulty liquid hydrogen valve sensor. The launch finally took place Aug. 29, but bad weather and sensor woes have followed the crew to the ISS.During the first of three scheduled space […]

Deploying Alcatel-Lucent’s Ethernet service routing capability, Qwest said Sept. 2 it plans to deliver speeds of up to 100G bps to enterprise and government customers. The next-generation network will allow business customers to handle broadband-intensive services such as unified communications, video, multimedia and virtualized applications.At 100G bps, a 2-hour high-definition movie or presentation can be […]

Business travelers and frequent fliers are willing to change their travel plans depending on in-air airline Wi-Fi availability, according to a new survey by the Wi-Fi Alliance. More than 70 percent would opt for a flight with Wi-Fi access over one that provided meal service. The survey also showed that among business travelers who have […]

WASHINGTON-Less than a week after the Federal Communications Commission launched an inquiry into the state of competition and innovation in the wireless carrier industry, CTIA-the wireless industry’s chief voice-is cranking up a publicity campaign to tell “our story.” Steve Largent, CTIA’s president and CEO, has even gone so far as to say he welcomes the […]

CTIA, the major lobbying association of wireless carriers, urged the IRS Sept. 1 to repeal a law that taxes personal use of employer-provided cell phones, joining a growing movement in Congress to repeal the 20-year-old law. Even IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman has recommended that the law be done away with.Originally passed in 1989, the law […]