spacetoday.net: News briefs: May 11-12

Posted: Mon, May 13, 2002, 10:13 AM ET (1413 GMT)

NASA has turned to online auction site eBay to look for vintage hardware no longer available from other sources, the New York Times reported Sunday. In one case cited by the Times, NASA purchased outdated medical equipment in order to scavenge from it the ancient Intel 8086 chips needed for shuttle diagnostic tools. NASA's use of eBay to obtain antiquated equipment was first reported in the April 29 print edition of Space News.
A National Science Foundation-funded poll has found that the American public’s interest in NASA is lukewarm, at best. The poll found that 45 percent of Americans believe that the benefits of space exploration outweigh the cost, down from 49 percent a year earlier. Men are more likely than women to support space exploration, the poll also found. Another poll published earlier this year by the Orlando Sentinel also found limited support for NASA and space exploration.
A meteorite fell in a garden earlier this month in a town in Belarus, Interfax reported Saturday. A woman living in the house next to the garden observed the fall. The meteorite, weighing about half a kilogram, created a hole a meter deep and 40 centimeters across.