Friday, 21 May 93 Washington, DC

1. HEARINGS ON REAUTHORIZATION OF THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
began yesterday in the House. What a difference six months makes. Last year's hot button, "technology transfer," was never touched as representatives of university associations and scientific and engineering societies all agreed that "curiosity-driven research" is the first priority of the NSF. Testifying for the APS, Ernest Henley, Past President, warned that the research community has been allowed to grow faster than the research budget, spreading resources too thinly. "Increasing the investment will not solve any problems if the growth of the community is not controlled," he said. "The NSF may have to be even more selective in funding," and universities should "consolidate and cooperate." Authorizing legislation is intended to set spending caps and define policy.

2. GEORGE BROWN REJECTS RADICAL RESTRUCTURING OF SPACE STATION!
"I don't want to just put a hunk of infrastructure up in space," the chair of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee said at a press conference yesterday. A scaled-down version of Freedom is the only option Brown will support; he gives any other design a 10% chance of surviving. Authorizing legislation introduced by Brown calls for spending $1.9B per year on the station until FY 2000 when it is to become operational. That would exceed the $9B limit imposed by the Administration, but Brown claims it is needed to meet international commitments. Brown was joined by Ralph Hall (D-TX), chair of the Space Subcommittee, who explained why a space station is important. "We must find the elusive cure for cancer," Hall said, "that's why I'm still in Congress. We haven't found it on Earth, maybe we can find it in space."

3. FUNERAL FOR STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE MAY BE PREMATURE!
"I may not be a Rhodes Scholar," Ronald Reagan told an audience at the Citadel with characteristic understatement, "but if we can protect America with a defensive shield, we should do so." The former President was reacting to the announcement that his "Star Wars" program had been terminated (WN 14 May 93). Not to worry, Ron, we see little evidence of Star Wars being cancelled. The Strategic Target System (STARS) to defend against multiple-war-head ICBM's still plans on 13 launches over a 10-year period, even though multiple warheads were banned by START II. And the test of a Topaz reactor (WN 15 Jan 93) in Earth orbit is still planned, despite objections from the Astronomical Society.

4. SAUDI PHYSICIST AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST REPORTEDLY ARRESTED!
Professor Muhammad Al-Mas'ari of the Physics Department of King Saud University is said to have been arrested Saturday, while he was in the process of reporting human rights violations to the media. There is no information on his whereabouts or status. The arrest is believed to be part of a Saudi campaign to suppress a group called the Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights. Today is the 72nd anniversary of the birth of Andrei Sakharov.



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.