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NASA this week released high-quality images from the dark side of the moon. Seen here are craters near the south pole.

(Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech )

The technologies needed back in the days of the Apollo space missions were well understood. But with NASA’s current missions, it faces a broader and more complicated list of priorities.

The National Research Council this week laid out a roadmap for the technologies not yet developed NASA will need over the next five years. The long list addresses energy storage and power generation, human health and safety, materials and sensors, propulsion, and imaging.

The Apollo program provided a clear target for engineers and technology developers, but NASA’s mission is substantially more broad these days. The preliminary report was issued to prioritize among many conflicting choices.

NASA’s three objectives are to extend and sustain human activities beyond low Earth orbit; explore the evolution of the solar system and the potential for life elsewhere; and expand understanding of the Earth and universe.

The reports details several high-level technology goals, such as better launch and in-space propulsion, with an even longer list of more detailed requirements. But the National Research Council’s summary provides some insights into specific technologies needed.

Some examples for space exploration include more research to protect humans from excessive radiation in space, nuclear-powered propulsion systems and power generation, and light-weight materials.

In exploring for life elsewhere in space, NASA singles out solar photovoltaic and thermal power generation, electric propulsion systems and precision landing systems as well as instruments and sensors. The report specifically highlights greater need for autonomous robots and remotely controlled robots for tasks such as operating fuel depots or launching probes.

The NASA report makes clear that there are a number of technical challenges on its roadmap but for space exploration fans, the document provides some clues for technologies to watch in the years ahead.

NASA’s Orion edges closer to space (photos)

Ting’s online calculator challenges the status quo of contract wireless providers.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

How about this for a crazy idea: a cell phone plan that charges you separately for each voice minute, message, and megabyte.

Meet Ting, launched yesterday by Tucows. The new cell phone service for U.S. customers turns the conventional contract on its head by offering plans for various allotments of talk, text, and data.

At the end of the month, Ting credits whatever you don’t use, and charges for any extras beyond the plan (but at a higher rate) with no additional penalty fee.

Talk, text, and data bundles range from “XS,” where you pay nothing until your bill comes in, to “XXL,” which covers 3,000 minutes of talk time, 6,000 text messages, and 3,00MB of data over 3G and 4G.

Ting’s talk, text, and data plans are mix ‘n’ match. Click to enlarge.

(Credit:
Ting)

Flexibility is the name of Ting’s game. If you anticipate using a small number of voice minutes, but a large number of texts and data, you can order a la carte to mix and match. Families and small businesses can share the pool.

Ting, which rides on Sprint’s network, is launching with a number of Android smartphones and feature phones, including the Motorola Photon 4G, LG Optimus S, and HTC Detail, a variant of the HTC Evo 4G.

The Motorola Photon 4G is one Android phone you can get with Ting.

(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)

“What people are forced to put up with from mobile service providers just doesn’t make sense,” Elliot Noss, CEO of Tucows, said in a statement. “It’s too complicated, too opaque, too adversarial, too expensive and frankly too inhuman.”

If only Ting were quite that simple–and that cheap. Consider the expenses.

First, you have to buy the phone or data device in question at the unlocked rate–a much higher, unsubsidized price than with postpaid carriers. Smartphones range from $101 to $545.

You’ll have no luck converting a Sprint phone to Ting. Even though the two share the same network resources, Sprint locks up their subsidized phones so customers can’t stray. “It’s our number one question,” Ting’s customer service representative told CNET over the phone. “And it’s a big hurdle that we’re trying to get over.”

In addition to the plan, which can skyrocket for heavy users, there’s the $35 activation fee per phone, and beyond that each active device costs and additional $6 per month.

Those costs add up.

Tucows hopes that the unconventional nature of its Ting business model, combined with online assessment tools, will snag business from Americans desperately searching for reliable no-contract options, especially those who may not use minutes, data, or texting very often or very evenly.

Yet when you add in the activation and monthly service fee just to use your unlocked phone, pennypinchers will have to make use of Ting’s fee online calculator or break a mental sweat to see if they’re truly getting the better end of a deal.

Article updated at 9:50 a.m. PT with more details on converting Sprint phones to Ting.

Facebook’ new Timeline feature, like it or not.

(Credit:
Facebook)

Hate the new Timeline feature in Facebook? You’re not alone.

A full 70 percent of people polled by opinion site SodaHead said they want to see the new feature bite the dust. Among the rest of the SodaHeads surveyed, only 20 percent said they like the Timeline, while 10 percent said they don’t use Facebook.

Younger people were cooler with the change than were older Facebook users, but not by much. Thirty percent of those 18 to 24 years old said they like the Timeline, while only 10 percent of folks over 65 gave it a thumbs up. Men and women were equally turned off by the Timeline, with 77 percent of each gender expressing disapproval.

But the Timeline stands to gain more acceptance outside the United States. Only 23 percent of U.S. users polled said they’re OK with the new feature, compared with 32 percent in countries like India and Brazil.

The new Timeline marks a change in both content and layout from the traditional Facebook profile page.

Instead of showing your most recent updates one after the other in a single column, the Timeline displays your posts, photos, and other information in a two-column format. The feature gradually moves backward in time until people can see your entire history, at least as much of it as you’ve revealed on Facebook.

And therein lies the rub.

Any embarrassing posts or photos from the past that you hoped would fade away over time can now be seen by anyone who scrolls down far enough. Even worse for Timeline haters, the feature was originally unveiled as an option in December but will become mandatory for all users starting February 10.

A poll of the Timeline conducted by CNET a week ago found a greater diversity of opinions

A full 36 percent said they’re only using it because they’re forced to, 22 percent said they dig it, 18 percent claimed they’re dumping Facebook for Google+, and 13 percent admitted that it’s not so bad once you get used to it.

Though the Timeline will show up whether you want it or not, you do have control over the content that pops up.

By clicking on the edit button at the top of a content item, you can either remove it from the Timeline or delete it altogether. Of course, this means you’ll have to check out your entire Timeline. But it may be worth it to make sure that one embarrassing photo of you from 2007 isn’t on display for everyone to see.