On the Radar: Space history, American history, Libya misery, budget, Bonds
The space shuttle Discovery lands March 9 at Kennedy Space Center at the end of its final mission. Where will it go next?
April 12th, 2011
09:26 AM ET

On the Radar: Space history, American history, Libya misery, budget, Bonds

Shuttle retirement home - NASA will announce where space shuttles Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis will spend their retirement years - which could mean millions in tourism revenue. Among the places in the running are Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, New York, Houston, Chicago, Seattle and Dayton, Ohio. Tuesday is the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle launch.

Spaceflight anniversary - Speaking of spaceflight anniversaries, Tuesday marks 50 years since the first time a human entered space. On this date in 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin took a nearly two-hour ride into space and back aboard the Vostok 1 rocket before he and his capsule parachuted safely back to Earth.

Civil War anniversary - And, lest we forget, Tuesday also marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, which began with Confederate forces' pre-dawn shelling of the Union garrison at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Over the next four years, 600,000 Americans would die and thousands of slaves would go free. But some of the wounds have never healed, as a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll indicates.

Conflict in Libya - The civil war in Libya rages on after rebels seeking to oust leader Moammar Gadhafi rejected an African Union cease-fire proposal. The back-and-forth conflict could lead the country into violent anarchy like Somalia's, Gadhafi's former foreign minister warned in a BBC interview Monday.

Federal budget - In Washington, lawmakers are putting the finishing touches on the budget deal reached last weekend. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama and members of Congress are working on plans for next year's budget, hammering out goals for taxation and spending.

Barry Bonds trial - The jury in former baseball star Barry Bonds' perjury trial enters its third day of deliberations Tuesday. Bonds is accused of lying to a federal grand jury in 2003 about knowingly taking anabolic steroids and getting injections from anyone but his doctors.

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Filed under: Barack Obama • Budget • Civil War • Libya • On the Radar • Shuttle • Space
soundoff (18 Responses)
  1. citizen

    During a time of conflict throughout the world and crisis at home, President Obama has given us all hope with amazing speaches and a strong and forceful leadership style
    Who needs accountability in government and business, or jobs when you have inspiring words.

    April 12, 2011 at 9:50 am | Report abuse |
  2. leeintulsa

    Hey, we're up for a shuttle, too! Go Tulsa!

    April 12, 2011 at 9:55 am | Report abuse |
  3. George Patton

    The fact that the Russians were to be first in space is truly amazing. After WW2 all the German scientists,except for a handful who went to Great Britain,came to the U.S. and assisted us in our quest to go to space,whereas the Russians had no such assistance. I'm still quite amazed.

    April 12, 2011 at 10:21 am | Report abuse |
    • Aeroengineer

      Wrong. Although the US took the lion's share of the scientists and records from Germany, Russia got their share of spoils in the way of scientists and records. Helmut Gröttrup from Germany's V-2 rocket program was moved to Russia after WWII is the first name to come to mind. Dimitri Ustinov Korolyov is the mastermind of the former Soviets' space program, who developed the technology from captured German records with the help of Gröttrup. Russia, just like every other major power following WW2, used captured (not stolen, since it's considered spoils of war) technology to get them where there are today.

      Although still amazing to have developed the technology, it's is false to say it wasn't without the help of Germans. It's no more correct than saying the US got their space technology without German support (side fact: the first base director of one the NASA facilities was a NAZI, immediately after the war. Guess which one 😉 ).

      April 12, 2011 at 2:12 pm | Report abuse |
    • Majorityofone

      Good post,George. Don't let these right-wing propagandists here fool you. Remember Operation Paper Clip? That's when the FBI went into Germany after WW2 to give some of these German scientists and engineers who were war criminals phoney IDs to get them out of Germany and over here to assist in our space and weapons programs. In fact,if Germany chose to to start a Manhatten project of their own before WW2 they would have been the first to have a nuclear weapon.

      April 12, 2011 at 4:22 pm | Report abuse |
    • Cesar

      Did this Helmut Grottrup ever exist in reality or was he a mere invention by the right-wing propagandists to mitigate the embarrasment of the West over Russia's success in space? With the C.I.A. it's hard to tell these days.

      April 12, 2011 at 7:48 pm | Report abuse |
  4. JoAnna

    Houston deserves this! We house and trained astronauts here! We have been the eyes in the sky watching over these men and women for years. Allow us this opportunity!

    April 12, 2011 at 11:47 am | Report abuse |
  5. major tom

    Houston we have a problem.

    April 12, 2011 at 11:52 am | Report abuse |
    • Barbara

      ABC is reporting Houston is not gettin on.....what a joke...Bet Kennedy gets one.

      April 12, 2011 at 12:15 pm | Report abuse |
  6. banasy

    Why is it truly amazing, George Patton? Do you know something I don't know? Why are you still amazed? What's your reasoning? I'm truly curious....

    April 12, 2011 at 1:39 pm | Report abuse |
  7. TaraJ

    Of COURSE Kennedy gets one, thats where we LAUNCH from! I think houston should get Endeavour, Kennedy is getting Atlantis, and Discovery should go to the Smithsonian.

    April 12, 2011 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  8. SMadison

    I believe sending a shuttle to the Smithsonian was a given. Giving one to Kennedy Space Center also another no brainer. But just as obvious was leaving one at Johnson Space Center in Houston.... the Space City. The space program is so engrained and entrenched in the fabric of Houston and JSC that the city adopted the nickname in the 60's. Our basketball team is the ROCKETS; the baseball team is the ASTROS! If politics was the basis for this short-sighted decision, better political capital could have been gained with at least sending it to Ohio... a swing state in the forthcoming election. This momentous day (50th anniversary of manned space flight & 30th anniversary of the shuttle launch) is now sullied. What an outrage!

    April 12, 2011 at 2:52 pm | Report abuse |
  9. TOMAS

    NO CEASEFIRE? WHY? This just shows the fraud about this invasion cnn keep calling civil war. Uk and Paris planned on invading libya on November 2, 2011. And did did with the US and UN helps! I KNOW THIS POST MIGHT BE EXTINCT BECUASE I'm monitored. But stop these lies about civl war because it is an invasion for oil! It's very sad and a tragic injustice.

    April 12, 2011 at 4:25 pm | Report abuse |
    • Cesar

      Good post,TOMAS. I wonder why the right-wing nutjobs didn't try to block it but I'm glad they didn't succeed if they tried at all.

      April 12, 2011 at 7:40 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Jazzzz

    thats why they keep doing it. every one knows so why stop, the american ppl cant do anything bout it.

    April 12, 2011 at 4:58 pm | Report abuse |
  11. TOMAS

    Sorry guys. The date in my last post is "planned invasion on 11-02-2010." this justifies the fact that Libya is invaded not because the man who turned deserts into productive farmlands and sleeps in tents like a camper is the wrong one in this imperialist racist crisis in libya. Truth is Mr. kadhafi is a leader for his people. Mubarak and ben ali along with the long list of the arab league were and or are leaders against their own people. This make col. Kadhafi and his people victims of another iraq type from, u know where! He gives his best the thieves are trying to take away and give to their rich lobbysts!:)

    April 12, 2011 at 10:23 pm | Report abuse |
    • Cesar

      That's OK,Tomas. It's still good posting. I get so sick and tired of all these ignorant fools blogging in here in favor of the uncalled for intervention in Libya.

      April 12, 2011 at 11:34 pm | Report abuse |
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