homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Cocaine found at Kennedy Space Center... again

NASA’s Inspector General’s Office says an investigation is under way after a white powdery substance found at the Kennedy Space Center tested positive for cocaine. I wanted to insert some puns somewhere in this post about astronauts, cocaine, high and outer space, but by the time I finished researching for this post I remembered that […]

Tibi Puiu
March 15, 2011 @ 1:40 pm

share Share

NASA’s Inspector General’s Office says an investigation is under way after a white powdery substance found at the Kennedy Space Center tested positive for cocaine.

I wanted to insert some puns somewhere in this post about astronauts, cocaine, high and outer space, but by the time I finished researching for this post I remembered that N.A.S.A. is through some though times at it is.

“Law enforcement personnel field tested the substance, which indicated a positive test for cocaine,” said Renee Juhans, an executive officer with the office.

“The substance is now at an accredited crime lab for further testing,” she said.

The find was made last week when a small bag containing 4.2 grams of white powdery substance, which wouldn’t you know it turned out to be cocaine, was stumbled upon. Embarrassing enough, this wasn’t a premiere for N.A.S.A. either, as last year a small quantity of cocaine was found as well, this time in a secure part of a hangar that housed space shuttle Discovery. That time almost 200 space shuttle workers were tested for drug use, but no one was found positive. The investigation was eventually closed without any disciplinary or legal actions.

NASA has a zero-tolerance drug policy. All employees may be randomly tested. It is not known whether any employees have been asked to submit to drug testing in this investigation.

share Share

AI has a hidden water cost − here’s how to calculate yours

Artificial intelligence systems are thirsty, consuming as much as 500 milliliters of water – a single-serving water bottle – for each short conversation a user has with the GPT-3 version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT system. They use roughly the same amount of water to draft a 100-word email message. That figure includes the water used to […]

Smart Locks Have Become the Modern Frontier of Home Security

What happens when humanity’s oldest symbol of security—the lock—meets the Internet of Things?

A Global Study Shows Women Are Just as Aggressive as Men with Siblings

Girls are just as aggressive as boys — when it comes to their brothers and sisters.

Birds Are Singing Nearly An Hour Longer Every Day Because Of City Lights

Light pollution is making birds sing nearly an hour longer each day

U.S. Mine Waste Contains Enough Critical Minerals and Rare Earths to Easily End Imports. But Tapping into These Resources Is Anything but Easy

The rocks we discard hold the clean energy minerals we need most.

Scientists Master the Process For Better Chocolate and It’s Not in the Beans

Researchers finally control the fermentation process that can make or break chocolate.

Most Countries in the World Were Ready for a Historic Plastic Agreement. Oil Giants Killed It

Diplomats from 184 nations packed their bags with no deal and no clear path forward.

Are you really allergic to penicillin? A pharmacist explains why there’s a good chance you’re not − and how you can find out for sure

We could have some good news.

Archaeologists Find 2,000-Year-Old Roman ‘Drug Stash’ Hidden Inside a Bone

Archaeologists have finally proven that Romans used black henbane. But how did they use it?

Astronomers Capture the 'Eye of Sauron' Billions of Light Years Away and It Might Be the Most Powerful Particle Accelerator Ever Found

A distant galaxy’s jet could be the universe’s most extreme particle accelerator.