Built by General Motors R2 bears a striking resemblance to its fellow astronaut coworkers — above the torso, that is. NASA was clearly strategic in this design, as only the torso upward will be shipped on this first mission. R2 will work from a pedestal to acclimate to zero gravity conditions before being rejoined with its lower extremities after Discovery lands back on Earth. (The legs aren’t quite ready yet, says NASA’s Rob Ambrose.)

So what exactly is R2’s job description?

Well, what does every kid want a robot for?  To do chores.

Rob Ambrose describes R2’s first duties-in-training:

“Much like those of us down here on Earth, space station astronauts spend their Saturday mornings cleaning. R2′s legs will give the crew their Saturday mornings back! It’s all about making efficient use of the astronauts’ time. They don’t need to waste time doing simple stuff R2 can do…The legs have special toes that plug into the space station walls so R2 can learn to climb without using its hands. The hands must be free to carry cleaning supplies and tools. Remember, robots don’t have pockets to put things in.”

Once he’s proved a worthy Astronaut-slave, efficient at vacuuming air filters and wiping handrails, R2 will be promoted to do the more dangerous jobs aboard a space shuttle. Because it can stay outside for an indefinite period of time and has video cameras for eyes, R2 will be able to take over risky jobs for the astronauts.

Life Always board member and pastor Steve Broden says of the campaign, “During Black History Month, we celebrate our history, but our future is in jeopardy as a genocidal plot is carried out through abortion.” His fellow board member Reverend Derek McCoy also backs his groups efforts by claming that the billboard “highlights the tragedy that abortion is the number one killer since 1973 in the black community, and the truth that we must confront in a city with a near 60 percent abortion rate for black women.”

Unsurpisingly, Planned Parenthood is outraged by Life Always’ crusade on abortion that hit the streets of New York this week. The recently de-funded organization issued a statement calling the campaign, ”an offensive and condescending effort to stigmatize and shame African-American women, while attempting to discredit the work of Planned Parenthood.”

UPDATE: Due to pressure from local black leaders including the Reverend Al Sharpton, who had planned to stage a protest in front of the billboard on Friday, Lamar Outdoor advertising has agreed to remove the contentious anti-abortion sign at the corner of 6th and Watts in New York City.  Black leaders were not the only ones promoting the dismantling of the billboard, local politicians also cited the campaign as offensive and misguided.

This AP video shows footage of the pre-dawn attack, launched by Bahraini riot police on unsuspecting protesters in Pearl Square, Manama. 

Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa speaks during a press conference in Manama, Bahrain on Thursday, February 17, 2011. He admits the violence was “regrettable” but necessary to quell a revolution. (AP/Hassan Ammar)

Bahraini anti-government demonstrators take an injured protester to a hospital in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.  (AP/Hassan Ammar)

A Bahraini anti-government demonstrator lies injured on a stretcher as Bahraini anti-government demonstrators take him to hospital in Manama. (AP/Hassan Ammar)

Bahraini riot police seen near the Pearl roundabout during clashes with anti-government protesters. (AP/Hassan Ammar)

Bahraini women wait for news from victims being treated in a hospital. (AP/Hasan Jamali)

Bahraini soldiers in tanks and armored vehicles stand ready Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011, near a main highway west of the capital of Manama, Bahrain. (AP/Hasan Jamali)

The body of a person killed during clashes between demonstrators and police lies in the street in Manama. (AP)

Young Bahraini girls hold up peace signs.  (Flickr/Al Jazeera English)

Bahraini women join protesters in the streets.  (Flickr/Al Jazeera English)

An injury sustained by discarded tear gas canisters, which were littered across the streets after police spread protester camps with tear gas.  (Flickr/Al Jazeera English)

In actuality, The Essex was only “rammed” by a massive whale, the rest is the product of Melville’s fabulous imagination. 

Nathaniel Philbrick, author and historian, says of the discovery:

To find the physical remains of something that seems to have been lost to time is pretty amazing…It just makes you realise these stories are more than stories. They’re about real lives.

Read the full BBC story

NASA scientists are equally insouciant to our potential dinosaur demolition.  In 2009, NASA scientists disclaimed the chances of Apophis hitting earth in 2036, and adhere to their position still today.

Donald Yeomans, head of NASA’s Near-Earth object Program Office said that “technically” the Russian scientists are correct. “There is a chance in 2036,” says Yoemans. But this chance, he adds, is about 1 in 250,000. Upon its discovery in 2004, NASA did vocalize a concern that Apophis had a 2.7 percent chance of striking in 2029. They were quick to modify this claim, however, stating instead, “There will be a historically close approach to the Earth, estimated to be a 1 in 800 year event” in 2029.

Both Russian and American scientists agree that 2029 will bring Apophis within a remarkable 23,000 miles of Earth. The discord between the two institutions, however, emerges from slight differences in calculations.

These are a lot of facts and figures and speculations drawn from them. It’s worth pointing out that there’s a very big “if” at stake. The Russian numbers predict that the asteroid (approximately the size of two football fields) will travel through a gravitational keyhole in 2029, as it passes by Earth. The gravitational pull on the asteroid as it passes through this keyhole will reset its trajectory ensuring a direct hit with our planet by 2036. 

While Yoemans agrees that the passage of the asteroid through the keyhole would set the mass on a collision course with Earth, he argues that the chances are miniscule. Either way, he’s still confident that NASA will have found a way to change the orbit of Apophis before 2036.

Here’s to hoping. Meantime, here’s what it might look like: