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NASA is aiming to send humans deeper into space than ever before. Maybe to an asteroid, maybe to Mars. The mission presents a whole new set of technical challenges. Engineers are hopeful that an inflatable heat shield, shaped like a stack of doughnuts, will be the key to landing a large, manned spacecraft on Mars. Dr. Neil Cheatwood is NASA Langley's Senior Engineer for Advanced Planetary Entry, Descent and Landing Systems. He joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss how the heat shield will hopefully kick off the next age of space travel.
The Office of Special Counsel recently blocked the removal of a TSA inspector in South Carolina. The inspector was also a whistleblower. Kimberly Barnett alleges her supervisor violated agency safety rules and falsified the amount of time he worked and spent in training. The supervisor retaliated — unsuccessfully. Debra Roth is a partner at the law firm Shaw, Bransford and Roth. She joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin for this week's Legal Loop segment to discuss the significance of this case.
You might only know it from "Jeopardy!" but IBM's famous Watson technology has found a new use. Veterans Affairs plans to use it as part of a pilot program to quickly search electronic medical records. If it works as planned, it'll allow VA doctors to spend more time with their patients. Jim Demetriades is the director of emerging health technologies at the Veterans Health Administration. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the program.
The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on Federal News Radio each day. It is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com readers more information about the stories heard on the radio. In today's news, FBI arrests a man who was plotting to blow up the Capitol building, four of the highest-ranking Secret Service executives have been axed and a Veterans Affairs hopsital in Wisconsin earns the nickname "Candy Land" because it prescribes so many narcotic painkillers.
Employees at the Internal Revenue Service may face two days of furloughs before the end of the fiscal year. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen detailed stark budget realities in an agency-wide e-mail to employees.