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  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

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    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.
  • Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley
    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Io...Read more

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    Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley

    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. On May 20th, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, devastating communities - destroying over 100 homes and hitting two elementary schools and a hospital - with many casualties and deaths. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues suffering from these storms. For more on the May 20th storms, see the NOAA Storm Prediction Center Storm Report.
  • Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education
    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of ...Read more

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    Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education

    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of sustainability. Here is a link to the one-page bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2366_00_0000.pdf. See report on Bloomberg News.
The space shuttle Discovery rolls out to the launch pad after two months of delays.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of NASA

Discover Heads to Launch Pad Just in Time
News story originally written on November 15, 1999

Finally, after two months of delays, the space shuttle Discovery is on the launch pad. Wiring problems have set back the initial launch date to December 6th. Now that the shuttle is on the launch pad, NASA getting ready for the launch.

The good news couldn't have come at a better time. The Hubble Space Telescope is having problems. The telescope has 6 gyros, which keep the spacecraft in position for measurements. Four of these gyros are not working, forcing the Hubble into safe mode. This means that it can no longer be used for observations until it is fixed.

Although the telescope is not in any danger, scientists will lose 6 weeks of information. NASA believes that after astronauts fix the Hubble, it should be ready for use in January.

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