Friday, 20 March 1992 Washington, DC
1. THE ZERO-BUDGET B FACTORY: BOLD PROPOSAL OR DESPERATE
GAMBLE?
When a group of high-energy physicists first began
whooping it up for a B factory, it was given lower odds than cold
fusion. The Supercollider had just been sold to Congress, and
it's fair to say that no one had understated its importance.
Politically, it was not the best time to bring up another
accelerator. So, DOE and NSF politely reviewed B factory
proposals from Cornell and SLAC and said "no." And yet, a B
factory makes sense. It would cost 2% as much as the SSC and
keep high-energy physicists busy studying CP violation while the
SSC is under construction. Now, Burton Richter, the director of
SLAC, proposes to convert PEP to a B factory with no new funding-
--by cutting back on operations. It's a risky strategy;
questions will be raised about the current programs. Some say
it's a matter of survival for SLAC, which was trounced by CERN in
the Z-zero event of the high-energy olympics.
2. R.I.P. IN LOS ANGELES: WHO KILLED AMERICAN SCIENCE
REPORTING?
More than 4,800 papers were delivered in
Indianapolis this week at the APS March Meeting. A top science
reporter, one of the few reporters present, called it a "no-news
conference." Aside from pop psychology and AIDS, little science
news reaches the public. The Los Angeles Times recently replaced
its prestigious Monday science page with a page on LA culture.
This week it was devoted to "Cemeteries to the Stars," and
included a map showing the final resting places of all your
favorite deceased idols.
3. IT WAS A LOUSY TWO WEEKS FOR THE STRATEGIC DEFENSE
INITIATIVE.
First, a "Star Wars" scientist was granted
official "Whistle-Blower" status and proceeded to relate a tale
of corruption and waste to the New York Times. Then Rep. Conyers
(D-MI) released a GAO report warning of the "tremendous technical
challenges" in integrating brilliant pebbles with ground-based
defenses. GAO put the full cost of the Administration's GPALS
(Global Protection Against Limited Strikes) program at (gasp!)
$110B. Then, the ERIS interceptor failed to kill a strapped-down
chicken in a test over the pacific. Inspired by glowing reports
of Patriot missiles in Desert Storm, Congress had directed SDI
to develop a ground-based defense against limited strikes, but is
having second thoughts about ABM systems. It didn't help this
week when MIT physicist Ted Postol testified that Patriot
missiles experienced "an almost total failure to intercept quite
primitive attacking missiles." The Pentagon is investigating
Postol for disclosing secrets.
4. EDWARD TELLER RESPONDS TO BILL BROAD'S BOOK, "TELLER'S
WAR."
The Pulizer Prize winning New York Times reporter
detailed the Star Wars deception. Teller reacted in an interview
with David Saltonstall of the Tri-Valley Herald. It was classic
Teller. "There is on the one hand Bill Broad," Teller said. "On
the other hand Bush, Yeltsin and I. Who do you think is better
informed?"
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