Shuttle inspection finds no damage
Early inspections have revealed no damage to the space shuttle Discovery, NASA said Wednesday after a day of checking out the spacecraft with on-board cameras.
That means that when the shuttle meets up with the international space station today it likely won’t need emergency repairs while hooked up with the orbital outpost – unlike last year’s daring spacewalk fixes.
Discovery’s delicate heat shield and everything else appear at first glance to be in near perfect shape, NASA officials said, although it’s still very early in the analysis.
Engineers are nowhere near finished poring over 70 minutes of video that astronauts shot using an extended boom armed with a laser and cameras to inspect Discovery’s delicate reinforced carbon wing and nosecone.
Los Angeles
Protesters held as garden bulldozed
Workers began bulldozing a 14-acre urban garden Wednesday, and 10 protesters were arrested as they tried to stop the demolition.
Eight protesters broke onto the site shortly after noon and rushed the bulldozer as it made its way in. Several demonstrators climbed on but were forced down by security guards and arrested by police.
One protester chained himself to a bulldozer, and firefighters were called to cut him loose. Another was arrested for lying in front of the bulldozer, said Dan Stormer, a lawyer for the farmers.
Protesters will be charged with felony vandalism and trespassing, said Los Angeles police spokeswoman April Harding. Some will be charged with battery after the bulldozer driver was punched and a milk crate thrown at a police officer. Neither was hurt, Harding said.
For years, neighborhood residents grew vegetables and flowers on the site rent free. But they were evicted three weeks ago after property owner Ralph Horowitz told them he planned to build a warehouse on the land.
West Palm Beach, Fla.
No new charges against Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh will not face charges in Palm Beach County for the bottle of Viagra found in his luggage that was prescribed in his psychologist’s name, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Charges could have nullified the conservative radio host’s plea agreement in a “doctor shopping” case.
Limbaugh, 55, was detained for more than three hours at Palm Beach International Airport on June 26 after he returned on his private plane from a vacation in the Dominican Republic.
The state attorney’s office said the medication was prescribed by Limbaugh’s cardiologist, Dr. Steven Schnur, to Limbaugh’s psychologist and addiction counselor, Steve Strumwasser. Strumwasser then provided the Viagra to Limbaugh, said state attorney spokesman Mike Edmondson.
Strumwasser told authorities he “agreed to have his name on the label in an effort to avoid potentially embarrassing publicity for the suspect,” according to the state attorney’s office filing.