Reaching for the Stars
NASA
is accelerating development of a space plane to transport crews to and
from the International Space Station, reported The New York Times, but
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said the aging space shuttles could remain
in use for many years.
At an October news conference, O'Keefe said the
Orbital Space Plane, primarily designed to carry people, could be available
as a station rescue vehicle in five years and ready to serve as a crew
hauler a few years after that. However, he said a space plane would not
replace the shuttle altogether.
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Boston airport begins cargo screening
Boston Logan International Airport last month began a test to screen
cargo electronically on passenger planes in a bid to seal what many regard
as a critical vulnerability in the nation's aviation security.
According to United Press International, the initial 30-day stage of
the pilot project will use a self-contained mobile X-ray machine to screen
cargo trucks. Logan Airport was the staging point for two of the airplanes
hijacked in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
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China banking on tourism boost, despite
SARS fallout
The tourism industry in China is set for rapid growth in the coming
years, despite lingering fallout from the SARS epidemic earlier this year,
according to a report released last month.
According to The New York Times, the World Travel and Tourism
Council report predicts the number of tourists and business travelers
visiting China will grow 22 percent a year from 2004 through 2013, with
the flow of Chinese tourists and travelers going abroad growing even faster.
Council representatives and travel industry executives warned, however,
that China must overhaul its tourism administration and accept more foreign
involvement if it is to manage the expansion.
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