In his weekly radio address President Bush said, “Gerald Ford’s life spanned nine decades, and took him from the football fields of his boyhood in Michigan to the halls of power in Washington, D.C. At every stage of his journey, he displayed a decency, patriotism, and courage that Americans will always admire. As we say goodbye to the year 2006, we bid farewell to one of the finest public servants America has ever known. We give thanks for the gift of his remarkable life, for the caring man who touched so many lives, and the wise President who helped heal our Nation.”

In his weekly radio address President Bush said, “At this special time of year, we give thanks for Christ’s message of love and hope. Christmas reminds us that we have a duty to others, and we see that sense of duty fulfilled in the men and women who wear our Nation’s uniform. America is blessed to have fine citizens who volunteer to defend us in distant lands. For many of them, this Christmas will be spent far from home, and on Christmas our Nation honors their sacrifice, and thanks them for all they do to defend our freedom.”

Since the 1995 discovery of the first extrasolar planet, more than two hundred have been identified using ground-based telescopes. COROT will be launched on 27 December 2006 by a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, and will be placed in a polar orbit around Earth at an altitude of some 850 km. Led by the French Space Agency CNES, the COROT mission has wide European scientific and technological participation including ESA, Austria, Belgium, Brazil and Germany.
ESApod video programme

In his weekly radio address President Bush said, “Christmas is fast approaching, and I know many of you are busy trying to finish up your holiday shopping. This week, we received good news about the economy that should brighten the season and keep us optimistic about the year ahead.”

Are we alone in the Universe? Are there other planets like our own orbiting distant stars? COROT, the upcoming exoplanet-hunting mission, promises to open our eyes on new, fascinating alien worlds.
ESApod audio programme