News From Around The Internet: Dateline Jan 20, 2006

• Popular Science Editor Eric Adams will be on CNN Headline News between 1 and 1:30 pm EST to talk about the Rocket Racing League. (hat tip to Michael Belfiore)
  
  
• New Horizons is in space. After days of delay, the first probe to Pluto is on its way.
  
  
• According to Alan Boyle, the rocket racing league is going to be headquartered in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Man, those New Mexicans just keep getting all the fun stuff. Here is the AP story.
  
  
• Mike Griffin continues to pull engineering work back in-house. Does that mean they are going to hire Engineers? I tried to for years to get on at NASA. I have given up at this point. Of course it doesn't help that I would likely take a 50% pay cut to work at MSFC.
  
  
• Spirit and Opportunity continue to chug on. It is amazing what are essentially two big remote control cars can accomplish. Of course two geologist could have done the same in a few months...
  
  
• SPACEHAB announced yesterday it will be trying for COTS.

  SPACEHAB, Incorporated, a leading provider of commercial space services, announced today that the Company will be competing for the opportunity to serve as NASA's supplier of commercial International Space Station logistics services.

  
  
  
• Elmer L. (Bart) Forbath, has proposed a Nation Space Lottery in the new issue of Ad Astra, the Nation Space Society's monthly magazine. The lottery would offer space flights as prizes. Sam Dinkin at Spaceshot.com is already doing something similar.
  
  
• More editorials about Jeb Bush's $55 million proposal to build up Florida's attractiveness to the space industry. Some members of the New Mexico Legislature should read this:

  The new space race isn't between superpowers on opposite sides of the globe. Rather, it's a battle for the jobs and dollars that the space industry spawns.