NASA Again Halts Launch of CO2-Monitoring Satellite
For the second time, NASA has had to scrub an attempt to put a new carbon-tracking satellite into space. Tuesday's try for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, dubbed OCO-2, was aborted at 2:56am with less than one minute before launch. OCO-2 is designed to circle Earth from pole to pole, mapping CO2 behavior on a grid similar to the globe's lines of longitude. KQED Science Editor Craig Miller joins us from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Hobby Lobby Contraception Ruling Unlikely to Impact California
Most women in California won’t be affected by the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby. The Christian owners of the craft store chain challenged the Affordable Care Act's requirement that companies provide contraception coverage to employees. The Court ruled that some for-profit companies can opt out if they object on religious grounds. But it’s not so easy in California, because the ruling doesn't apply to state laws.
University of California Unveils Global Food Initiative
On Tuesday, the University of California throws its weight behind an ambitious new effort to improve global nutrition. As an example of what kinds of issues will be targeted by the effort, UC President Janet Napolitano cited the twin problems of malnutrition and obesity.