The National Research Council has backed the plan to orbit the Triana photographic satellite at the L1 point (where the gravity from Earth and the Sun are balanced). The plan (a favorite of Vice President Gore) is to have Triana constantly beam pictures of Earth onto the Internet. Congressional Republicans balked at the $75 million price tag, branding the program a joy ride, and asked the NRC to rule on its fitness. The NRC backed the mission but expressed reservations about how fast the project is being bashed together.--Stephen V Cole