June 14, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 4 In advance of the Group of Eight (G-8) summit in Deauville, France, the science academies of the G-8 and five other nations released a statement recommending that their governments take action to improve science education.
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June 14, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 4 Most megaproject failures “stem from a basic lack of being able to pursue a common goal with clarity and good behavior,” according to Edward Merrow, author of Industrial Megaprojects.
![Surveyor 1's shadow against the lunar surface. Credit: NASA/JPL](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Surveyor-670x380.jpg)
June 14, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 4 Forty-five years ago this month, scientists let out a sigh of relief when Surveyor 1 didn’t sink into the moon’s dusty surface.
![The NASA Academy’s iTunes U page on an iPad.](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/4-4-Academy-Introduces-iTunes-U-Site-670x380.jpg)
June 14, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 4 The Academy now offers learning materials on iTunes University that are accessible whether youre on the road or in the classroom.
![Ares 1-X Knowledge Share Wiki poster.](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/4-4-Ares-I-X-Knowledge-Capture-and-Transfer-670x380.jpg)
June 14, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 4 The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate’s Ares I-X knowledge capture initiative represents a comprehensive effort to optimize learning from a complex project.
![Philip Harris in the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center.](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/4-4-Philip-Harris-670x380.jpg)
June 14, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 4 Two weeks on the job, Philip Harris walked into an office looking for something to do and walked out a project manager.
![Illustration of the snatch pickup, from 1944 U.S. Army Air Forces manual. Image Credit: Central Intelligence Agency.](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/4-4-Extraordinary-Lessons.jpg)
June 14, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 4 Shot down, tied up, and imprisoned somewhere in China, two CIA operatives were told by their captors, “Your future is very dark.”
![A close-up camera view shows Space Shuttle Columbia as it lifts off from Launch Pad 39A on mission STS-107.](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/4-4-U.S.-Space-Policy-through-the-Looking-Glass-670x380.jpg)
June 14, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 4 Space policy remains a moving target in the post-Cold War era, according to space policy representatives from six presidential administrations spanning 35 years.
June 14, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 4 A common refrain from very experienced practitioners at NASA is, “You’re never as smart as you think you are.” NASA’s mission has always enabled the agency to attract a highly talented workforce. We have world-class experts in any number of technical disciplines, and many at NASA have […]