CALIFORNIA YANKEE

Martian Ice Lake

Wow, frozen water on the surface of Mars.

According to th European Space Agency (ESA), the photograph was taken February 2, 2005, by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on board the ESA's Mars Express.

The ice is located in an unnamed impact crater on Vastitas Borealis, a broad plain that covers much of Mars' far northern latitudes. The crater is 35 km (23 miles) wide, with a maximum depth of about two km (1.2 miles).

Foam Might Have Struck Discovery

The BBC reports NASA officials now believe at least one shard of foam debris might have hit a wing Discovery:

Nasa deputy programme manager Wayne Hale said new photographic evidence appeared to suggest an impact with one of the wings.

But he stressed there was a "divergence of opinion" at Nasa on whether the foam had actually made contact.

[. . .]

"We might have four areas of the wing leading edge where there might have been an impact."

Mr Hale said he did not believe the impact had caused any damage to the shuttle.

[. . .]

During Tuesday's launch, at least three pieces of foam came off the Discovery, including one about 80cm (31 inches) by 35cm (14 inches), slightly smaller than the piece which caused Columbia's destruction.

The Los Angeles Times reports that NASA officials said they were confident that Discovery had weathered its launch without major damage and will likely be able to return without a problem. The officials cautioned they couldn't make a final decision until analysis of the voluminous data and images was completed.

Discovery successfully docked with the International Space Station this morning. Before docking, Discovery completed a back flip to allow further inspection of its underbelly for damage.

The top image, taken by the crew of the International Space Station, shows Discovery as it performed a back flip. The operation allowed the space station crew to photograph the underside of the orbiter to check for damage. The bottom image shows Discovery's nose gear door as photographed by the crew on the International Space Station.

UPDATE: The Los Angeles Times now reports that a NASA graphic showed the trajectory of one small piece of foam arcing toward the right wing and then abruptly changing course:

NASA officials said they were concerned that the debris might have hit the wing, as that was the cause of the Columbia disaster 2 1/2 years ago.

However, they said they were confident the foam was too small to have caused damage that would prevent Discovery's safe return to Earth.

"That was the only piece that may have impacted the orbiter," said N. Wayne Hale Jr., the deputy shuttle program manager. "We have assured ourselves it caused no damage."

Because the shuttle fleet could be grounded for months, NASA is preparing to transfer more water and other cargo to the International Space Station than originally planned.

NASA's assurances that the foam debris is hauntingly familiar to assurances NASA made when Columbia was struck by foam debris. A big difference is that with Discovery there is a greater capability to check for damage.

North Korea Has No Nukes Ready For Use

United Press International reports that a Russian diplomat involved in the six-party talks says North Korea has no nuclear weapons ready for use:

The diplomat said the North Korean government now describes the country as a nuclear power because they have the technical capability to manufacture nuclear weapons. That took several decades because the country had difficulty developing the capacity to manufacture detonators.

According to UPI, the diplomat is described as a source close to the negotiations over North Korea's nuclear plans.

The source is also quoted as saying, "North Korea will have to develop a nuclear arsenal for self-defense if the United States and its allies do not provide safety guarantees to Pyongyang or if they make unacceptable demands on it." Sounds like North Korea's mentors are just putting pressure on the U.S. to make concessions.

Fatwa Against Terrorism Text

Earlier today I posted "North American Muslims Issue Fatwa Against Terrorism." Here is the text of the fatwa:

The Fiqh Council of North America wishes to reaffirm Islam's absolute condemnation of terrorism and religious extremism.

Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians’ life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram – or forbidden - and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not “martyrs.”

The Qur’an, Islam’s revealed text, states: "Whoever kills a person [unjustly]…it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind." (Qur’an, 5:32)

Prophet Muhammad said there is no excuse for committing unjust acts: "Do not be people without minds of your own, saying that if others treat you well you will treat them well, and that if they do wrong you will do wrong to them. Instead, accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not to do wrong (even) if they do evil." (Al-Tirmidhi)

God mandates moderation in faith and in all aspects of life when He states in the Qur’an: “We made you to be a community of the middle way, so that (with the example of your lives) you might bear witness to the truth before all mankind.” (Qur’an, 2:143)

In another verse, God explains our duties as human beings when he says: “Let there arise from among you a band of people who invite to righteousness, and enjoin good and forbid evil.” (Qur’an, 3:104)

Islam teaches us to act in a caring manner to all of God's creation. The Prophet Muhammad, who is described in the Qur’an as “a mercy to the worlds” said: “All creation is the family of God, and the person most beloved by God (is the one) who is kind and caring toward His family."

In the light of the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah we clearly and strongly state:

1. All acts of terrorism targeting civilians are haram (forbidden) in Islam.
2. It is haram for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence.
3. It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians.

We issue this fatwa following the guidance of our scripture, the Qur’an, and the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him. We urge all people to resolve all conflicts in just and peaceful manners.

We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism. We pray for the safety and security of our country, the United States, and its people. We pray for the safety and security of all inhabitants of our planet. We pray that interfaith harmony and cooperation prevail both in the United States and all around the globe.

FIQH COUNCIL OF NORTH AMERICA

I thank and commend the Council for taking this important step in the global struggle against the enemies of freedom and civilization. If you wish to compare this fatwa to the fatwa against Osama bin Laden by the Islamic Commission of Spain, California Yankee posted links here.

North American Muslims Issue Fatwa Against Terrorism

The Associated Press reports that North American Muslims issued a fatwa against terrorism:

In the fatwa, the 18-member Fiqh Council of North America wrote that people who commit terrorism in the name of Islam were "criminals, not 'martyrs':"

"There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism," the scholars wrote. "Targeting civilians' life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram - or forbidden."

According to the Associated Press, the fatwa did not specifically address suicide bombings in a war, but the scholars barred Muslims from helping anyone "involved in any act of terrorism or violence." The council also declared that Muslims were obligated to help law enforcement officials protect civilians:

"It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities," according to the Fiqh Council. The term "fiqh" refers to Islamic legal issues and understanding the faith's religious law.

[. . .]

"We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism," the scholars wrote. "We pray for the safety and security of our country, the United States, and its people. We pray for the safety and security of all inhabitants of our planet."

I have not yet been able to find a copy of the fatwa, only press releases saying it would be issued at 10:30 this morning. I'll post it when I find it.

"North American Muslims" are nearly four years late on this. California Yankee suggested American Muslims do something like this in June.

UPDATE: I have posted the text of the fatwa here:

The Washington Post also covered the fact that the fatwa against terrorism was going to be issued. Unfortunately the Post buried the story on page 11. Such an important development deserves much more attention.

This post has been linked to today's Beltway Traffic Jam.

CAFTA Approved By House

The Chicago Tribune reports that the House of Representatives approved Central American Free Trade Agreement ("CAFTA").

The 217-215 vote gave President Bush more of a political victory than an economic victory. Both President Bush and Vice President Cheney lobbied Representatives to vote for approval. In order to get the approval The roll call was held open for more than an hour - instead of the usual 15 minutes - while the necessary votes were rounded up. The Senate approved the trade agreement in June 54 to 45.

The vote was mostly along party lines. 25 Republican voted against it and 15 Democrats voted for it. Two Republicans did not vote, and the lone House independent voted no.

CAFTA will eliminate tariffs on 80 percent of U.S. exports to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Most imports from these countries now enter the U.S. duty-free.

According to the Los Angeles Times, CAFTA's political symbolism loomed large.

Congress has not rejected a major trade pact in more than four decades, and CAFTA's defeat could have undermined Bush's efforts to encourage the spread of democracy to combat terrorism, and to negotiate bigger hemispheric and global trade agreements.

CAFTA was also seen as an important test of Bush's ability to steer major legislation through Congress in his second term.

The CAFTA vote was much closer than the 1993 approval NAFTA, which passed the House 234-200 (132 Republicans and 102 Democrats voting in favor) and the Senate by 61-38.

President Bush praised the CAFTA approval:

I am proud that the House of Representatives has acted to advance America's economic and national security interests by passing the CAFTA-DR agreement. CAFTA helps ensure that free trade is fair trade. By lowering trade barriers to American goods in Central American markets to a level now enjoyed by their goods in the U.S., this agreement will level the playing field and help American workers, farmers, and small businesses. The agreement is more than a trade bill; it is a commitment of freedom-loving nations to advance peace and prosperity throughout the Western hemisphere. We have a moral obligation and a vital national security interest in helping the democracies of Central America and the Dominican Republic succeed, and CAFTA furthers that goal. I look forward to signing this important legislation into law.

The President is to be congratulated on his political victory. I sometimes wonder if these free trade agreements are truly in our best interest. My misgivings stem from the negative effects of globalization, such as the continuing loss of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. But we aren't going to stop globalization so it makes sense to manage it through these free trade agreements.

The White House argues CAFTA will promote freedom and democracy and expand economic opportunity and security in our hemisphere:

CAFTA Is Essential To The Stability Of America’s Neighbors. The young democracies of Central America still face forces opposed to democratic government and economic freedom, such as the leaders of Cuba and Venezuela. By supporting CAFTA, the United States can stand with those in the region who stand for democracy and freedom, who are fighting corruption and crime, and who believe in the rule of law.

CAFTA Is Essential To U.S. Influence in the Region. CAFTA, by integrating the Central American economies together with our own, will strengthen America’s influence in the region. Failure to move forward with CAFTA could create a vacuum that China, with its growing economic weight, might use to expand its political influence in the region.

Expanded Trade Opportunities Will Improve Life In Central America And The Dominican Republic. CAFTA will buttress democratic reforms, give the United States more leverage in improving labor conditions, and boost economic growth throughout the region.

CAFTA Will Benefit American Workers, Farmers, And Ranchers By Leveling The Playing Field And Opening Up New Markets.

CAFTA Will Level The Playing Field For American Workers, Farmers, And Ranchers. Eighty percent of imports from Central America and the Dominican Republic, including 99 percent of agricultural imports, already enter the United States duty free. CAFTA will level the playing field by reducing hefty tariffs and burdensome regulations.

American Sales Will Grow By Billions. CAFTA will allow the people of Central America and the Dominican Republic to buy even more from the United States across a broad range of agricultural, manufacturing, and service sectors. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce predicts U.S. sales to the region could expand by more than $3 billion in the first year, and the American Farm Bureau estimates U.S. farm exports could grow by $1.5 billion per year.

U.S. Manufacturers Also Stand To Gain. CAFTA will instantly eliminate tariffs on 80 percent of U.S. manufactured goods, and the remainder of tariffs will be phased out within a few years. As a result, manufacturers and workers will benefit from increased sales of information technology; farm, construction, medical, and scientific equipment; paper products; and pharmaceuticals.

CAFTA Will Cut Foreign Taxes For U.S. Products. U.S. businesses export more than $15 billion per year to Central America and the Dominican Republic, but because of high tariffs, U.S. companies and farmers pay out more than $1 billion per year in foreign taxes to do business in that region. CAFTA would be a tax cut for our small businesses and farmers.

CAFTA Will Help The United States Compete. America exports more to the six nations participating in CAFTA than to Russia, India, and Indonesia combined. By removing tariffs and other barriers, CAFTA makes trade between the United States and participating countries less expensive.

CAFTA Will Strengthen The Western Hemisphere And Allow Us To Better Compete In The Global Economy.

CAFTA Marks The Foundation Of A Lasting Partnership. In Europe and Asia, many nations have organized to reduce the cost of doing business by consolidating their economies. CAFTA will help further integrate the western hemisphere so U.S. companies are in a better position to compete against foreign competitors in markets around the world.

CAFTA Will Strengthen The U.S. Textile Industry’s Ability To Compete. Most apparel manufactured in Central America and the Dominican Republic uses American materials. Everything from the fabric to the thread to the elastic is made by workers in the United States. According to a recent poll by the American Apparel and Footwear Association, without CAFTA, more than 53 percent of apparel investors in Central America say they will go elsewhere to buy these raw materials. CAFTA will keep these manufacturing jobs in our region.

You will find more information about CAFTA at the U.S. Trade Representative's CAFTA Briefing Book.

Shuttle Fleet Grounded Again

UPDATE: NASA now says "Foam Might Have Struck Discovery."

NASA grounded the space shuttle fleet on Wednesday after determining that a large piece of insulating foam had broken off Discovery's external fuel tank shortly after liftoff Tuesday morning:

"Until we fix this, we're not ready to go fly again," William W. Parsons, the manager of the shuttle program, said at a news briefing at the Johnson Space Center here on Wednesday evening.

According to the New York Times, Discovery's foam incident occurred two minutes after the launch, at a point where the atmosphere is so thin that the piece drifted away. The Columbia accident occurred in part because the foam fell off the tank about 82 seconds after liftoff, when the air was much thicker and slowed the foam so the climbing orbiter struck it with great force:

N. Wayne Hale, the deputy manager of the shuttle program, said that if the Discovery foam had been shed earlier, "we think that it would have been really bad."

How very disappointing and extremely fortunate.

The photos are handheld still images taken by Discovery's crew of the external fuel tank as it was jettisoned after launch on July 26. Initial analysis of the imagery shows a large piece of foam that separated from the tank during the Shuttle's ascent to orbit. The foam detached from an area of the tank called the Protuberance Air Load (PAL) Ramp. This debris also was identified during ascent from a live video camera mounted on the external tank. The television view indicated the debris did not impact Discovery. In this still image, the area of missing foam on the tank is indicated by a light spot near the upper edge of the tank just below the liquid oxygen feedline. (Image Credit: NASA)

California Yankee's previous post on this debris problem are available here and here.

Beyond Kyoto

The United States, Australia, China, India and South Korea have made a regional pact to combat greenhouse gas emissions by developing environmentally friendly energy technology. The pact, to be called the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate, will be formally announced on Thursday.

Reuters reports that Australian Environment Minister Ian Campbell said that the countries had been working on a pact to tackle climate change beyond the Kyoto protocol, which requires a cut in greenhouse emissions by 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12:

"It's quite clear the Kyoto protocol won't get the world to where it wants to go ... We have got to find something that works better -- Australia is working on that with partners around the world," Campbell told reporters on Wednesday.

[. . .]

"We need to expand the energy the world consumes and reduce the emissions. That's going to need new technologies, it's going to need the development of new technologies and the deployment of them within developing countries," Campbell said.

Good news indeed. I am so tired of the main stream media bashing the Bush administration for rejecting the Kyoto treaty. It was clear when Bill Clinton signed it that the U.S. would never ratify the treaty. The Senate approved the Byrd-Hagel Resolution, 95-0, rejecting Kyoto in 1997. I think Clinton was still President then.

This is what the Senate said in the resolve clause of the 1997 Byrd-Hagel Resolution:

Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--

(1) the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol to, or other agreement regarding, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change of 1992, at negotiations in Kyoto in December 1997, or thereafter, which would--

(A) mandate new commitments to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the Annex I Parties, unless the protocol or other agreement also mandates new specific scheduled commitments to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions for Developing Country Parties within the same compliance period, or

(B) would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States; and

(2) any such protocol or other agreement which would require the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification should be accompanied by a detailed explanation of any legislation or regulatory actions that may be required to implement the protocol or other agreement and should also be accompanied by an analysis of the detailed financial costs and other impacts on the economy of the United States which would be incurred by the implementation of the protocol or other agreement.

Administration Drops 'The Global War On Terror' Slogan

The New York Times reports that the administration is dropping "the global war on terror," slogan. Officials say that phrase may have outlived its usefulness, because it focused attention solely, and incorrectly, on the military campaign:

Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the National Press Club on Monday that he had "objected to the use of the term 'war on terrorism' before, because if you call it a war, then you think of people in uniform as being the solution." He said the threat instead should be defined as violent extremists, with the recognition that "terror is the method they use."

Although the military is heavily engaged in the mission now, he said, future efforts require "all instruments of our national power, all instruments of the international communities' national power." The solution is "more diplomatic, more economic, more political than it is military," he concluded.

According to the BBC, National security advisor Steven Hadley co-wrote a piece for the New York Times in which he set out the current thinking:

"Military action is only one piece of the war on terrorism," Mr Hadley wrote.

At the same time, however, we must bring all of the tools of statecraft, economic influence and private enterprise to bear in this war.

Freedom-loving people around the world must reach out through every means - communications, trade, education - to support the courageous Muslims who are speaking the truth about their proud religion and history, and seizing it back from those who would hijack it for evil ends.

I can't dispute the administrations rational, but "the global struggle against the enemies of freedom, the enemies of civilization" just isn't as catchy as "the global war on terror."

Discovery Debris Damage Investigated

The BBC reports that NASA is investigating two cases of apparent debris seen falling from the space shuttle Discovery as it blasted off:

In one case, a heat shield tile seems to have been affected on the underside of the shuttle.

[. . .]

John Shannon, STS-114 mission operations representative, pointed out video frames apparently showing a piece of heat shield tile breaking off from the underside of the shuttle.

This has left a one-and-a-half inch white spot near the nose landing gear doors.

"We're very interested in that," he told reporters, "that's something we're going to get better pictures of on flight day three."

Mr Shannon said it could simply be that part of the black covering on the orbiter's underside was damaged exposing the heat shield tile.

But he added that it was equally possible the tile itself had been dented or sheared.

The missions operations representative also showed journalists video footage of a dark object falling from the external tank.

Experts cannot yet determine its size, but it did not appear to hit the shuttle, they said.

California Yankee first posted about the debris, including a picture, in the update to this post.

UPDATE: The New York Times offers some perspective about Discovery's possible debris damage:

The more NASA looks for damage, engineers and other experts say, the more it will find. And the risks of overreaction to signs of damage while the shuttle is in orbit may be just as great as the risks of playing them down.

"How do you distinguish - discriminate - between damage which is critical and damage which is inconsequential?" asked Dr. David Wolf, an astronaut who spent four months aboard the Russian space station Mir. "We could be faced with very difficult decisions, in part because of all this additional information that we will be presented with."

The shuttle program has lived with damage from debris from the very first flight, in 1981; in 113 missions the orbiters have been hit by debris some 15,000 times, mostly on liftoff. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration replaces about 100 insulating tiles after every flight and repairs many more than that, Stephanie S. Stilson, the vehicle manager for Discovery, said Monday.

Now, though, it will be far easier to spot such damage while the shuttle is still in orbit. Thanks to a $15 million laser camera system developed by a Canadian company, Neptec, for example, NASA can detect a crack of just two-hundredths of an inch, the width of two business cards pressed together. On the leading edge of the orbiter's wing, such a crack could admit dangerous amounts of superheated gas during re-entry. A similar crack elsewhere might not.

It was a large hole in the left wing's leading edge, caused by impact with a 1.67-pound piece of insulating foam during the launching, that led to the Columbia disaster.

[. . .]

The intense scrutiny of the Discovery's mission is an effort to make up for decades of ignorance. Until the Columbia accident, NASA officials generally believed that something as light as insulating foam could not harm the shuttle. The disaster sent the space agency into a two-year struggle to learn just how fragile the craft's thermal protection system is and how to detect damage to it.