The 'Earth Science Decadal Survey', titled "Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond," was released just a few days ago. It is available at:http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11820.html. One surprising finding is a projected decline in the number of missions and instruments that will be studying Earth science. The decline will be about 30% from the peak number of missions in 2006 to the number of missions in 2008.

There are twelve conditions. Successful management is much easier if a manager (1) knows which condition they are in and (2) follows the actions appropriate for that condition. Right now my group is in an emergency condition, so I had better follow the formula for that condition. The Ethics and The Conditions Booklet provides introductory knowledge about the conditions and formulas. A more comprehensive treatment is provided in the Organization Executive Course Volume 0.

Here is a picture of a Martian sunset.

Some professionals slow down with age, but I just said fairwell to a very active 69 year old. One factor that might cause one to slow down is the factor of pollution. Pesticides, radiation, drugs and environmental toxins have become increasingly pervasive in today’s society. They damage not just your health, but your personality and your ability to think clearly. What can be done about this?

Clear Body, Clear Mind - The Effective Purification Program, by L. Ron Hubbard, details his groundbreaking discoveries in this field. There is an all-natural, proven program to eliminate drug and toxic residues lodged in the fatty tissues of a body. This program has helped me maintain a high level of creativity over 30 years so far.

You create order when you do a good job of planning and managing something. The book, A New Slant on Life contains a chapter that is titled: On Bringing Order. This chapter describes what goes wrong when you try to create order, and it tells how to overcome this problem. This is a very good lesson for the technical professional.

Mars Rover webcast on Thursday January 25, at 7 p.m. PST, click here

If you don't have RealPlayer, you can download the free RealPlayer 8 Basic .

TITLE -- Mars Rovers: Two Thousand Sunsets on Mars

In January 2004, twin Rovers landed on opposite sides of Mars. Each Rover was to explore the surface for 90 days. Each rover is now approaching its third anniversary. How are they performing now, and what will they be doing next?

Technical career success is based on knowledge about organizational matters, as well as technical knowledge. The most thorough introductory book on organizational matters is the Organization Executive Course, Volume Zero.
This contains vital data on basic organization, handling communications, dealing with necessary and unnecessary traffic, appearance, getting exchangeable products, correctly keeping statistics, application of conditions formulas, promotion, servicing the public, following and getting compliance to orders, staff member reports, and much more.
This book has over 900 pages of basics on how any organization operates, and how a person can function as a valuable, productive team member.

The original Mars Rover has been found. The high-resolution camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has imaged the 1997 landing site of NASA's Mars Pathfinder, revealing the current location of the Pathfinder mission's small rover, Sojourner. It has moved closer to its stationary lander after the final data transmission from the lander.
Pathfinder landed on July 4, 1997, and transmitted data for 12 weeks. Unlike the two larger rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, currently active on Mars, Sojourner could communicate only with the lander, not directly with Earth. Here is a link to more information.

NASA announced it was now funding development of a new instrument to detect signs of life on Mars. The new instrument is called Urey. It was proposed by a scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
The instrument is designed to provide the most rigorous analysis possible for the past and present existence of biological compounds on Mars' surface, according to Jeffrey Bada, a professor at Scripps and lead investigator on the project team. Other principal scientists are Richard Mathies of UC Berkeley and Frank Grunthaner of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena as well as researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center in Menlo Park and the Leiden Institute of Chemistry in the Netherlands.

Self Analysis is the first book to provide definite techniques to improve memory, speed reaction time, and reduce stress. It is a means to self-discovery through a series of processes designed to give an individual the clearest look he has ever had into his past.
A series of tests at the beginning of the processing section enables the reader to assess his current condition before starting, and provides a gauge of the improvements achieved as he progresses through the book.

I coached one of my employees on how to become much more efficient. She is actually doing quite well, but she has attracted some new work that will really test her ability to make things go right. The information that I gave here is right out of chapter four of the book, Problems of Work. I think she is going to have a great career.

I interviewed someone for a job last week and they really blew it. They had good communication skills, but they didn't show the aptitude for learning that is needed in a challenging technical job. If they had read the Basic Study Manual, they would have done much better in the interview.

Cassini will fly by Titan on the eve of Huygens anniversary. Cassini will conduct several Titan flybys starting Jan. 13, 2007, one day shy of the Huygens probe two-year anniversary, by imaging Titan's surface with its radar instrument.

Are you more and more alarmed at what is going on at your work place? in the world at large? Do you feel less and less able to do anything about it?
You are not alone. If you feel that you can do nothing about the situations around you, that is not an uncommon reaction.
L. Ron Hubbard provides methods that will help you bring a calming influence into your life and into the lives of your family, friends and associates. Find more information here.

Scientists report definitive evidence of the presence of lakes filled with liquid methane on Saturn's moon Titan in this week's journal Nature cover story. (Jan. 3)

A multi-media podcast describes these findings.

Lots of people make new year's resolutions. Many of us wish for less war and less crime in the world. There happens to be a program underway that is a grass roots movement, called "Operation: Planetary Calm". The idea behind this movement is that turmoil, intollerance, violence and crime expand when ethics and morals decline. What can be done about this is to promote better ethics and morals. This is being accomplished by many of us through the use and distribution of The Way to Happiness booklet. Twenty one basic principles are described in this booklet, which lead a person to live a happier, more ethical, and more successful life.
Distribution of The Way to Happiness booklet has been endorsed by over 150 US governors and mayors so far. It has been recognized in many other countries as well. With over 2 million copies distributed in the Middle East, this is one of the few significant efforts for peace that the individual citizen can support in a meaningful way.
This is a grass roots movement which will advance as far as individuals support it. Additional information on what is going on and how people can participate is provided at this web site.