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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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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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 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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NASA has neither found nor fixed the fuel sensor fault that halted the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery two weeks ago. So it's turning to the ultimate test: setting another launch in motion, for mid-morning Tuesday.
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Over the years the scientific community has largely decided not to take part in public debates over creationism v. evolution. Now they're being careful about how they take on Darwin's latest critics — advocates of "Intelligent Design," the argument that life is too complex to have evolved without help. -
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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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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This July 4, NASA is preparing for fireworks in space, when the comet Tempel 1 will smash into a probe set in its path. Scientists hope the mission, called Deep Impact, will reveal what comets are made of and how they're put together.
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There is new interest in a plan to recycle nuclear waste, which could then be used again in a reactor to make electricity. Reprocessing could also reduce the amount of material destined for Nevada's Yucca Mountain.
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Last winter, a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory began a Web log, or blog, for employees to post concerns and complaints about fixing problems at the government nuclear facility. But now, some members of Congress who've seen the blog see it as a reason to shut Los Alamos down.
