Friday, 25 November 1988

1. THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE STUDY OF THE SSC IS DISPUTED
by the DOE. In a letter to the Director of the CBO, Robert Hunter, the recently confirmed Director of the Office of Energy Research, concentrates his fire on the cost issues raised in the CBO report (WN 18 Nov 88), but promises a more complete analysis later this month. Hunter is particularly incensed by the use of an "average" figure for cost overruns of recent DOE accelerators, which amounts to an attempt by the CBO to base a statistical analysis on a sample of four. While acknowledging large overruns on Tevatron I and Energy Saver, Hunter attributes this to new technology development and points out that "...the SSC does not require major component development, and consequently can be costed with confidence." Moreover, he complains, the report "...frames for the Congress a choice among false alternatives." Hunter is not alone in his criticism of the CBO study. Several members of the high-energy community have complained that the CBO study is riddled with errors and unsubstantiated statements.

2 . THE STEALTH BOMBER WILL COST 15 TIMES AS MUCH AS THE SSC--and,
according to two recent reports, will add little to our military capability. Before the press was even allowed to view the B-2 from a respectful distance, the Federation of American Scientists released "The Case Against the Stealth Bomber" by John Pike and David Bourns. The Union of Concerned Scientists joined the fray the following day with "The Stealth Bomber and Targeting Mobile Nuclear Forces" by Michael Brower. Both reports question the ability of the B-2 to carry out its primary mission of tracking down and destroying mobile missiles in a prolonged nuclear war. How stealthy is it? Well, the cost of the B-2 program escalated to a mind-numbing $70B without any public debate. That, by the way, is also the projected cost of Phase I of SDI (WN 7 Oct 88). Judged against these programs, the nation's investment in basic research, including the SSC, is hardly an extravagance.

3. A NATIONWIDE SURVEY OF HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS TEACHERS
has been conducted by the American Institute of Physics. The results are at least as disturbing as the reports on the stealth bomber. Our field is not popular. Although 96% of high school students attend schools that offer physics, only about 20% actually take any physics. That's understandable. About a third of the teachers of physics are "draftees" who were trained in other fields.

4. MOON-STRUCK SCIENTISTS ARE GATHERED IN LOS ANGELES
for the 17th International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences, a meeting founded and funded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Among the international participants are two prominent American physicists with long-standing involvement in Rev. Moon's Conference. Alvin Weinberg, former director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is listed as the Conference Chairman. Frederick Seitz, who was once the APS president, is one of the two featured plenary speakers.



Bob Park can be reached via email at whatsnew@bobpark.org
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Opinions are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the University, but they should be.