An infographic accompanies an article by SPIEGEL detailing, in lay terms, the last four minutes of Air France 447.

This still has to go through Congress and a million hoops, but The NYTimes reports:

President Obama is calling on NASA to cancel the program that was to return humans to the Moon by 2020, and focus instead on radically new space technologies.

Mr. Obama’s 2010 budget proposal for NASA asks for $18 billion over five years for fueling spacecraft in orbit, new types of engines to accelerate spacecraft through space and robotic factories that could churn soil on the Moon — and eventually Mars — into rocket fuel.

On Air New Zealand’s new 777:

When the so-called “friendly skies” are mentioned, a few airlines in particular come to mind: Virgin America, Singapore Airlines and Qantas, for starters. Starting today, you can safely include Air New Zealand in that discussion. In a bid to turn long-haul international travel on its head, the outfit has today revealed a freshly outfitted Boeing 777 with a coach cabin that easily puts every coach cabin found in the US to shame. Designed by Recaro, the world-class coach area includes 11 rows of Skycouches that can actually fold flat in order to create (admittedly short) beds for two. The best part? The “third seat” in the row will only cost a couple 50 percent of what it normally would, making it somewhat more affordable to buy a bed without springing for first class. You’ll also find power sockets, USB ports and iPod connectors in every single coach seat, leaving the plane a Gogo-module away from being absolutely perfect.

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While many companies do contract work for NASA, this really doesn’t sound like a good idea.

Andy Pasztor for the Wall Street Journal tonight:

The White House has decided to begin funding private companies to carry NASA astronauts into space, but the proposal faces major political and budget hurdles, according to people familiar with the matter.

The controversial proposal, expected to be included in the Obama administration’s next budget, would open a new chapter in the U.S. space program. The goal is to set up a multiyear, multibillion-dollar initiative allowing private firms, including some start-ups, to compete to build and operate spacecraft capable of ferrying U.S. astronauts into orbit—and eventually deeper into the solar system.

WeHeart.co.uk on this one-of-a-kind luxury hotel for 2:

Sauna, jacuzzi, 24/7 hostess, 3 flat screens, Blu-Ray player…… sounds like a hotel suite and half hey? What about the Cold War-era cockpit? Yep, you heard correctly… Cold War-era cockpit! Serving as a restaurant for 15 years following German reunification, this 1960, 120 seater plane, that was once an East German government vehicle serving the likes of Erich Honecker, is now a full-on luxury hotel suite, grounded at Teuge Airport. The clean, modern white interiors and luxury facilities installed by Dutch company Hotelsuites.nl mean that the past can easily be forgotten, however stepping into the untouched cockpit offers a real glint of excitement… if that’s not enough however, parachute jumps or stunt plane rides can also be arranged. In search of something truly unique? This has to be it.