Doctor Who action figures, wave 1

Doctor Who action figuresBritish toymaker Character Options releases the first wave of 5-inch action figures based on characters from the new Doctor Who series, including the ninth and tenth Doctors, Rose and K-9. The figures are identical to those included in Character’s Dalek infrared battle set. Read more

NASA’s Dawn mission cancelled

DawnHaving been “on hold” since October 2005 pending an audit of technical and managerial issues related to the mission, NASA formally cancels the Dawn unmanned mission to the asteroid belt. The spacecraft had been intended to lift off in 2006, using an ion propulsion system to visit, orbit, and map not one, but two, of the largest bodies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, in the following decade. The mission is cancelled when NASA auditors find unresolved technical issues and project a budget overrun of 20%. Planners and managers for the Dawn mission plan to appeal NASA’s decision.

Battlestar Galactica: Lay Down Your Burdens – Part 2

Battlestar GalacticaSci-Fi channel airs the 33rd episode of Ronald D. Moore’s re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica. Dean Stockwell (Quantum Leap) guest stars. This episode concludes the show’s second season. Read more

Ghostbusters (expanded soundtrack)

GhostbustersVarese Sarabande releases a CD containing Elmer Bernstein‘s complete soundtrack from the movie Ghostbusters. Though an album was released with the movie in 1984, it consisted mostly of songs; this marks the first issue of Bernstein’s score, including pieces of music left out of the movie. The limited edition of 3,000 copies sells out quickly. Read more

Soyuz TMA-8 / ISS Expedition 13

Soyuz TMA-8The thirteenth full-time crew of the International Space Station lifts off from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard Soyuz TMA-8. Pavel Vinogradov and Jeffrey Williams take up residence on the ISS for 182 days; during their stay, the ISS crew expands to three with the arrival of Thomas Reiter aboard space shuttle Discovery, marking the remaining shuttle fleet’s temporary return to service. Arriving with them on the ISS for a nine-day stay is Brazilian astronaut Marcos Pontes, who returns to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-7 with the Expedition 12 crew.