Apr 10 2002
From The Space Library
Two separate teams of astronomers reported that NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the HST had observed two stars, possibly composed of a form of matter unknown to scientists. Researchers examining data from Chandra and the HST had noted that the neutron star RX J1856.5-3754 was far smaller than expected and, therefore, had concluded that the star might be composed, not of neutrons, but of quarks components of protons and neutrons that scientists had never before observed outside of the nucleus of an atom in laboratories on Earth. Another team of astronomers had analyzed Chandra's observations of neutron star 3C 58 and had found that the star's temperature was less than 1,000,000°C (1,800,032°F), a far lower temperature than scientists would expect for a star composed of pure neutrons. Thus, that star also appeared to be composed, either of quarks, or of another form of matter unknown to scientists. (NASA, “Cosmic X-rays Reveal Evidence for New Form of Matter,” news release 02-65, 10 April 2002; Jeremy J. Drake, “Is RX J1856.5-3754 a Quark Star?” Astrophysical Journal 572, no. 2 (20 June 2002): 996-1001; Patrick O. Slane, David J. Hefland, and Stephen S. Murray, “New Constraints on Neutron Star Cooling from Chandra Observations of 3C 58,” Astrophysical Journal Letters 571, no. 1 (20 May 2002): L45-L49.)
In a letter to the congressional committees overseeing NASA's budget requests, the GAO stated that it could not verify NASA's accounting of amounts charged against cost limits for the ISS and Space Shuttle programs, as reported to Congress in NASA's FY 2003 budget. Federal law required GAO to provide verification of these amounts to the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology and to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. However, GAO said that NASA's lack of an integrated financial management system had prevented NASA from providing GAO with details of costs charged against these programs. GAO reported that NASA's 10 centers operated separate accounting systems, each with its own policies and practices, and that some centers could not provide complete and detailed documentation of accounts covering several fiscal years. GAO also reported that NASA officials had responded that NASA's accounts were verifiable, stating that the verification problems lay in GAO's auditing methodology rather than in NASA's system of accounting. (U.S. General Accounting Office, “NASA Space Station Cost Limits” (report no. GAO-02-504R, Washington, DC, 10 April 2002), http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d02504r.pdf (accessed 12 August 2008).)
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