Government considers realistic portion sizes for food\nWASHINGTON -- Faced with a nation of rapidly expanding waistbands, the government is seeking advice on how to change food labels to help people better understand what they're getting.\nThe Food and Drug Administration said it has received complaints about products that appear to be packaged as single servings, but contain nutrition labels that indicate they really include two or more servings.\nThat practice can mislead consumers because calories, fat and so forth are currently listed per serving. People who don't realize they need to multiply by the number of servings may underestimate their intake.\nThe current food serving sizes were worked out some 20 years ago, the FDA said, and "there is evidence that the U.S. population is eating larger portion sizes than they did in the 1970s and 1980s."\nAn increase in the standard portion size might result in nutrition labels more closely resembling what people eat, and could lead to more realistic labels for single-serving packages.\nThe FDA also wants to hear suggestions for making calories more prominent on labels: Should calories be printed in larger type or perhaps moved to the front of the package?\nThe FDA is seeking comments for 75 days. Interested persons can submit comments via e-mail to fdadockets@oc.fda.gov or in writing to the Division of Dockets Management, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, Md. 20852.\nComments on serving sizes should list Docket No. 2004N-0456. Comments on making calories more prominent on labels should list Docket No. 2004N-0463.
NASA schedules launch date for robotic spacecraft\nLOS ANGELES - After a series of delays, NASA has scheduled April 15 as the launch date for the first robotic spacecraft designed to rendezvous in orbit with other satellites without any human intervention, officials said Friday.\nIf all goes as planned, the DART spacecraft -- short for Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology -- will soar into space off the California coast, catch up with an orbiting Pentagon satellite and maneuver around it, making close approaches and moving away.\nThe U.S. space program has so far relied on astronauts to maneuver around spacecraft in orbit and repair them. If the 24-hour DART mission is successful, it will lay the foundation for future manned and unmanned projects using similar technology.\nFuture applications could include robotic delivery of cargo to the international space station and automated docking and repair between spacecraft in orbit.\nThe $110 million, 800-pound spacecraft is equipped with on-board computers and sensors to perform tasks without human guidance.\nPreviously scheduled DART launches last fall were canceled because of technical snags and poor weather.
Partial solar eclipse to cast shadow on western hemisphere\nLater this week, the moon will pass over the sun -- creating a partial solar eclipse for all to view as long as they do so with precaution. \nA little after 6 p.m. Friday, the eclipse will be visible from Indiana. However, experts caution that people who directly looks at an eclipse might burn their retinas, which could create permanent blind spots in their vision. According to NASA, using handmade pinhole projectors or No. 14 welder's glass, which can be obtained from welding supply outlets, are two safe and inexpensive ways to view the eclipse.
