“It’s obviously a legitimate question. Do you need to be a rocket scientist to be an astronaut?”
NASA spokesman Robert Mirelson on the need for astronauts to have mechanical and construction skills as well as physics degrees (The New York Times, 24 September)
“We’ve got to get a greater understanding on this, on the frequency of fires, the earlier start to the season and if there’s any connection to climate change.”
Kevin O’Loughlin of the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, on fears that after 10 years of below-average rainfall, Australia is on the brink of a catastrophic bushfire season (The Age…
