5/19/2004:

Intermediate Word:  koan  (a) Chinese bear  (b) paradoxical Zen riddle  (c) Hindu prayer book  (d) acrostic puzzle
Difficult Word: - insessorial  (a) lacking a stem  (b) adapted for perching  (c) continuing unabated  (d) greedy

Canadian Arrow Team Moves Forward in Human-Rating Rocket - Space.com  In the quest to build and fly suborbital passenger spaceships, the Canadian Arrow is ready to roar. A series of unpiloted validation tests of rocket systems are now slated for this summer. The testing is scheduled to take place over a period of four months beginning in August. According to Canadian Arrow team leader, Geoff Sheerin of London Ontario, Canada, the rocket's launch pad abort and escape systems are to be evaluated first.

Two Architectures Chosen for Terrestrial Planet Finder - SpaceDaily  Included in the nation's new vision for space is a plan for NASA to "conduct advanced telescope searches for Earth-like planets and habitable environments around other stars." Terrestrial Planet Finder-C: a moderate-sized visible-light telescope, similar to the 4- by 6-meter (13.1- by 19.6-foot) version currently under study, to launch around 2014. Onboard coronagraph instrumentation will use a central disc and other specialized techniques to block the glare of a star, allowing detection and characterization of dimmer planets around it.  Terrestrial Planet Finder-I: multiple spacecraft carrying 3 to 4 meter (9 to 13 foot) infrared telescopes flying in precise formation, to launch before 2020, and to be conducted jointly with the European Space Agency. Combining the infrared, or heat radiation gathered by the multiple telescopes, using a technique called interferometry, will simulate a much larger telescope. This will enable the mission to detect and study individual planets orbiting a parent star observed by TPF-C and also new ones beyond the reach of TPF.