David Kestenbaum
David Kestenbaum is a correspondent for NPR, covering science, energy issues and, most recently, the global economy for NPR's multimedia project Planet Money. David has been a science correspondent for NPR since 1999. He came to journalism the usual way — by getting a Ph.D. in physics first.
In his years at NPR, David has covered science's discoveries and its darker side, including the Northeast blackout, the anthrax attacks and the collapse of the New Orleans levees. He has also reported on energy issues, particularly nuclear and climate change.
David has won awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
David worked briefly on the show This American Life, and set up a radio journalism program in Cambodia on a Fulbright fellowship. He also teaches a journalism class at Johns Hopkins University.
David holds a bachelor's of science degree in physics from Yale University and a doctorate in physics from Harvard University.
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NASA astronaut Steve Robinson says he's ready to make repairs on the heat shields of Space Shuttle Discovery. Robinson will venture to the underside of the spacecraft's nose Wednesday. This will be the first time an astronaut has tried to make repairs beneath an orbiting shuttle.
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The Space Shuttle Discovery has docked with the International Space Station. In doing so, it did a controlled back flip to enable cameras on the ISS to photograph its belly for damage. So far, there is no indication that the shuttle was damaged on liftoff.
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NASA will try to launch the space shuttle Discovery Tuesday morning. A fuel sensor problem caused the launch to be delayed two weeks ago. NASA officials say all sensors were working properly when they refilled the fuel tank overnight. They estimate the chance of weather cooperating at 80 percent.
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NASA sends Space Shuttle Discovery into orbit in the first shuttle launch since the Columbia accident, which killed seven astronauts. NASA managers are now analyzing data to ensure the shuttle's heat-resistant surfaces were not damaged during launch.
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Discovery and a crew of seven astronauts blast off for the international space station. An earlier attempt was scrubbed two weeks ago because of a faulty fuel gauge. Hear special coverage of the first shuttle launch since the Columbia disaster two and a half years ago.
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The crew carries much-needed supplies to the International Space Station. They'll also be testing modifications made after the Columbia disaster two and half years ago. The launch was scrubbed two weeks ago because of a problem with a fuel sensor system.
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NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft successfully crashed into Comet Tempel 1 early Monday. Scientists arranged the collision in an effort to learn more about the comet's physical makeup.
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NASA scientists confirm that a space probe has hit its comet target. They hope the collision will reveal clues about how the solar system formed.
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President Bush's nominee for NASA director, Michael Griffin, may revive efforts to repair the Hubble Space Telescope at his confirmation hearing. NASA previously abandoned a plan to use an unmanned robot to repair the telescope, but a new internal review has given high marks to the same proposal.
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NASA is considering an unprecedented robotic mission to save the Hubble Space telescope. But a final report from the National Academy of Sciences says the robotic mission probably won't be ready on time to save the telescope. It strongly recommends sending astronauts instead. NPR's David Kestenbaum reports.