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			There is a bright spot in the otherwise gloomy national real estate picture: the rising demand for office space in Washington, thanks to the government's almost unprecedented role in managing the economy and the hopes of lobbyists to influence it. The Washington Post reports that the federal General Services Administration, which leases space for government offices, expects in 2009 to double the amount of new leases it normally acquires in a year.
		Obama proposals include retirement plan changes The election is over and the message is clear â€" the economy is priority one. The big question now is how some of President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign proposals will affect retirees and workers with 401(k) and other retirement accounts. Looking at them a bit closer may reveal some clues. Retail job losses sap an occupational safety net Retail employment has traditionally been relatively resilient in times of recession. But this time, the sector’s job losses have outstripped those of other troubled industries such as automotive manufacturing, financial services and hospitality, according to the latest government jobs data. Somel experts believe many of the industry’s biggest cuts are yet to come. Owners cling to false optimism about home values A recent report showed that more than three-quarters of its real estate agents surveyed said most sellers have unrealistic initial listing prices for their homes. Likewise, an unscientific study found that half of homeowners polled think their home’s price has increased or stayed the same in the past year. Can high-def radio build critical mass? The new service hasn’t gained traction with consumers. For one thing, the signal can be heard only through special digital radio receivers, and just some of the nation’s radio stations offer extra HD channels. Moreover, the digital signal typically doesn’t reach as far as an analog signal.
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830p 11/15 Update: Suspect insulation apparently intact; mission status briefing

=================================

CBS NEWS STS-126 STATUS REPORT: 17
Posted: 8:20 PM, 11/15/08

By William Harwood
CBS News Space Analyst

Changes and additions:

   SR-15 (11/15/08): Heat shield inspection underway; flight controllers ask astronauts to photograph area of possible insulation loss
   SR-16 (11/15/08): MMT briefing; KU antenna glitches; lost insulation strip discussed
   SR-17 (11/15/08): Mission status briefing; presumed lost insulation still in place; analysis continues

=================================

6:30 PM, 11/15/08, Update: Lost insulation blanket not considered serious threat; engineers implement work-arounds for KU antenna glitches (UPDATED at 8:20 p.m. with mission status briefing; presumed lost insulation blanket still in place)

The shuttle Endeavour is in good shape after its climb to space Friday and engineers are only working a handful of relatively minor problems, most noticeably glitches with the shuttle's KU-band antenna, the chairman of NASA's Mission Management Team said today. Based on an evening video inspection, a presumably lost strip of flexible insulation from the shuttle's left aft fuselage apparently is still in place.

"The mission is going extremely well," said MMT Chairman LeRoy Cain. "The crew is in good shape as is Endeavour. ... There are a few very minor things that we have in work that the team is looking at but nothing of overall great significance. The space station program reported to us that the station is in good shape and the crew on board the station is ready for Endeavour and her crew to show up tomorrow."

Cain said an analysis of imagery from Endeavour's night launch Friday is not  yet complete, but poor lighting means a detailed assessment will have to wait until on-orbit inspections are completed later in the mission. The crew was told of two possible debris events late Friday, but Cain said today as far as he's concerned, only one event is currently under discussion.

At roughly 28 seconds after launch, just before the shuttle's three main engines throttled back to 72 percent thrust to ease aerodynamic loads on the vehicle, a piece of debris of some sort, possibly a small strip of flexible reusable surface insulation, or FRSI, appeared in close-up tracking camera footage in the area right above the shuttle's left-side aft umbilical connection plate just below the left orbital maneuvering system rocket pod.

"We have one area that we're looking at from a debris standpoint," Cain said. "Just underneath the left OMS pod, in the area right above the T-0 umbilical plate, there is what we think is a narrow strip of the blanket insulation material that came loose and flew away there. ... This is not an area that is of great concern to us in terms of losing a blanket. As I said, the umbilical plate itself is an aluminum surface that is unprotected by any thermal protection system."

Just after 6 p.m. today, the astronauts took a moment to aim a camera on the shuttle's heat shield inspection boom to photograph the area. To the untrained eye, no obvious damage was apparent and at an 8 p.m. mission status briefing, lead flight director Mike Sarafin said the insulation in that area appeared to be intact and "there's no apparent damage there."

"To me, I saw the launch imagery at 28 seconds, it looked like something was clearly there, it wasn't there in a previous frame or two of the ascent imagery," Sarafin said. "What the root cause of that is, I'll wait until we get all the imagery data on the ground."

FRSI insulation is used in areas of the shuttle where re-entry heating does not exceed 700 degrees Fahrenheit. Engineers are continuing to study what the debris seen in the launch video might have been.

Cain mentioned two problems with the shuttle's KU-band antenna, a steerable dish antenna mounted near the front right side of the ship's payload bay that automatically finds, locks onto and tracks NASA's data relay satellites. The antenna sends and receives data, voice communications and television signals and can operate in radar mode during rendezvous operations.

In one problem, the antenna fails to maintain lock on a target satellite after getting initial pointing instructions from the shuttle's computers. Cain said flight controllers can work around the glitch by operating in what is known as GPC designate mode, in which pointing instructions are continuously sent to the antenna system. While this mode requires additional work by ground controllers, it is transparent to the shuttle's crew.

The second problem involves trouble with automatic handover between KU- and S-band communications. Again, ground controllers will manually oversee such handovers as required with no impact on the mission.

It's not yet clear what is causing the problems. If the loss-of-lock condition is located in the antenna electronics, Cain said, the KU system may not be able to operate in radar mode during Endeavour's rendezvous with the international space station Sunday. In that case, the crew will switch to a backup procedure and use the shuttle's star trackers to provide navigation data during the final stages of the rendezvous.

Cain said all shuttle crews are trained to carry out star tracker rendezvous procedures in case of radar failures.

"In my recollection, we've done at least one (star tracker rendezvous) in the space station assembly sequence, it was on STS-92 (in 2000)," Cain said. "We did exercise a radar-fail rendezvous on that mission."

=================================

Quick-Launch Web Links:

CBS News STS-126 Status Reports:
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/current.html

CBS News STS-126 Quick-Look Page:
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/currentglance.html

NASA ISS Expeditions Page:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/index.html

NASA Shuttle Web: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/index.html
NASA Station Web: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/index.html
Spaceflight Now: http://spaceflightnow.com/index.html
GoogleSatTrack: http://www.lizard-tail.com/isana/tracking/

=================================

630p 11/15 Update: MMT briefing; KU antenna glitches; possibly lost insulation assessed

=================================

CBS NEWS STS-126 STATUS REPORT: 16
Posted: 6:30 PM, 11/15/08

By William Harwood
CBS News Space Analyst

Changes and additions:

   SR-13 (11/14/08): Shuttle Endeavour roars into orbit
   SR-14 (11/15/08): Endeavour astronauts gear up for heat shield inspection
   SR-15 (11/15/08): Heat shield inspection underway; flight controllers ask astronauts to photograph area of possible insulation loss
   SR-16 (11/15/08): MMT briefing; KU antenna glitches; lost insulation strip discussed

=================================

6:30 PM, 11/15/08, Update: Lost insulation blanket not considered serious threat; engineers implement work-arounds for KU antenna glitches 

The shuttle Endeavour is in good shape after its climb to space Friday and engineers are only working a handful of relatively minor problems, including a possibly lost strip of insulation and glitches with the shuttle's KU-band antenna, the chairman of NASA's Mission Management Team said today.

"The mission is going extremely well," said MMT Chairman LeRoy Cain. "The crew is in good shape as is Endeavour. ... There are a few very minor things that we have in work that the team is looking at but nothing of overall great significance. The space station program reported to us that the station is in good shape and the crew on board the station is ready for Endeavour and her crew to show up tomorrow."

Cain said an analysis of imagery from Endeavour's night launch Friday is not  yet complete, but poor lighting means a detailed assessment will have to wait until on-orbit inspections are completed later in the mission. The crew was told of two possible debris events late Friday, but Cain said today as far as he's concerned, only one event appears confirmed.

At roughly 33 seconds after launch, as the shuttle's three main engines were throttling back to 72 percent thrust to ease aerodynamic loads on the vehicle, a small strip of flexible reusable surface insulation, or FRSI, appeared to pull away from the orbiter's fuselage right above its left-side aft umbilical connection plate just below the left orbital maneuvering system rocket pod.

"We have one area that we're looking at from a debris standpoint," Cain said. "Just underneath the left OMS pod, in the area right above the T-0 umbilical plate, there is what we think is a narrow strip of the blanket insulation material that came loose and flew away there. ... This is not an area that is of great concern to us in terms of losing a blanket. As I said, the umbilical plate itself is an aluminum surface that is unprotected by any thermal protection system."

Just after 6 p.m. today, the astronauts took a moment to aim a camera on the shuttle's heat shield inspection boom to photograph the area. To the untrained eye, no obvious damage was apparent.

Cain said the presumably lost strip measured roughly 12 to 18 inches long, 4 inches wide and 0.3 inches thick. FRSI insulation is used in areas of the shuttle where re-entry heating does not exceed 700 degrees Fahrenheit and while engineers will carry out a thorough assessment, the loss of insulation in that area would not appear to be an issue of any consequence.

Cain mentioned two problems with the shuttle's KU-band antenna, a steerable dish antenna mounted near the front right side of the ship's payload bay that automatically finds, locks onto and tracks NASA's data relay satellites. The antenna sends and receives data, voice communications and television signals and can operate in radar mode during rendezvous operations.

In one problem, the antenna fails to maintain lock on a target satellite after getting initial pointing instructions from the shuttle's computers. Cain said flight controllers can work around the glitch by operating in what is known as GPC designate mode, in which pointing instructions are continuously sent to the antenna system. While this mode requires additional work by ground controllers, it is transparent to the shuttle's crew.

The second problem involves trouble with automatic handover between KU- and S-band communications. Again, ground controllers will manually oversee such handovers as required with no impact on the mission.

It's not yet clear what is causing the problems. If the loss-of-lock condition is located in the antenna electronics, Cain said, the KU system may not be able to operate in radar mode during Endeavour's rendezvous with the international space station Sunday. In that case, the crew will switch to a backup procedure and use the shuttle's star trackers to provide navigation data during the final stages of the rendezvous.

Cain said all shuttle crews are trained to carry out star tracker rendezvous procedures in case of radar failures.

"In my recollection, we've done at least one (star tracker rendezvous) in the space station assembly sequence, it was on STS-92 (in 2000)," Cain said. "We did exercise a radar-fail rendezvous on that mission."

=================================

Quick-Launch Web Links:

CBS News STS-126 Status Reports:
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/current.html

CBS News STS-126 Quick-Look Page:
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/currentglance.html

NASA ISS Expeditions Page:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/index.html

NASA Shuttle Web: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/index.html
NASA Station Web: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/index.html
Spaceflight Now: http://spaceflightnow.com/index.html
GoogleSatTrack: http://www.lizard-tail.com/isana/tracking/

=================================

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	Subscription number: CUSED7A48F5F2F7 Here is today's XE Currency Update for your personal use at home or work. For commercial use of our rates, try the XE Datafeed. If you like this service, tell a friend! Tell us what you think of the enhanced Currency Update Service. Click here. Current Forex News UPDATE 1-IMF urges more flexibility in Algerian economy - 2008-11-15 18:33 UTC Thomson Financial UPDATE 1-W.House: not proposing relaxing fuel efficiency - 2008-11-15 17:32 UTC Thomson Financial W.House: not proposing relaxing auto fuel efficiency - 2008-11-15 17:27 UTC Thomson Financial More Forex News ... Central Bank Interest Rates JPY 0.3% CHF 2.0% EUR 3.25% USD 1.0% CAD 2.25% AUD 5.25% NZD 6.5% GBP 3.0% Currency Rates Base currency is USD. Rates as of 2008-11-15 20:09:10 UTC (GMT). Top 10 Currencies   By popularity Currency Unit USD per Unit Units per USD USD United States Dollars 1.0000000000 1.0000000000 EUR Euro 1.2677565147 0.7887950000 GBP United Kingdom Pounds 1.4853985324 0.6732200000 CAD Canada Dollars 0.8093903493 1.2354978050 AUD Australia Dollars 0.6477000352 1.5439245725 JPY Japan Yen 0.0103018441 97.0699996948 INR India Rupees 0.0205023059 48.7750015259 NZD New Zealand Dollars 0.5620977488 1.7790500000 CHF Switzerland Francs 0.8368900281 1.1949001260 ZAR South Africa Rand 0.1000000015 9.9999998510 Top 85 Currencies   Alphabetically Currency Unit USD per Unit Units per USD AFN Afghanistan Afghanis 0.0211645495 47.2488205000 ALL Albania Leke 0.0102843626 97.2350000000 DZD Algeria Dinars 0.0147596030 67.7525000000 ARS Argentina Pesos 0.3010959894 3.3212000000 AUD Australia Dollars 0.6477000352 1.5439245725 BSD Bahamas Dollars 1.0000000000 1.0000000000 BHD Bahrain Dinars 2.6570658022 0.3763550000 BDT Bangladesh Taka 0.0145129455 68.9040000000 BBD Barbados Dollars 0.5012531316 1.9950000048 BMD Bermuda Dollars 1.0000000000 1.0000000000 BRL Brazil Reais 0.4393190555 2.2762500000 BGN Bulgaria Leva 0.6502373366 1.5379000000 CAD Canada Dollars 0.8093903493 1.2354978050 XOF CFA Francs BCEAO 0.0019326823 517.4156018150 XAF CFA Francs BEAC 0.0019326823 517.4156018150 XPF CFP Francs 0.0106237996 94.1282816229 CLP Chile Pesos 0.0015879191 629.7550000000 CNY China Yuan Renminbi 0.1465351758 6.8243000000 COP Colombia Pesos 0.0004358343 2,294.4500000000 CRC Costa Rica Colones 0.0018094471 552.6550000000 HRK Croatia Kuna 0.1780278079 5.6171000000 CYP Cyprus Pounds 2.1660906083 0.4616612048 CZK Czech Republic Koruny 0.0502386335 19.9050000000 DKK Denmark Kroner 0.1691203207 5.9129500000 DOP Dominican Republic Pesos 0.0282549729 35.3920000000 XCD East Caribbean Dollars 0.3773584770 2.6500000954 EGP Egypt Pounds 0.1799515930 5.5570500000 EEK Estonia Krooni 0.0810242017 12.3419913988 EUR Euro 1.2677565147 0.7887950000 FJD Fiji Dollars 0.5516936997 1.8126000000 XAU Gold Ounces 741.5300292972 0.0013485631 HKD Hong Kong Dollars 0.1290322581 7.7500000000 HUF Hungary Forint 0.0048044585 208.1400000000 ISK Iceland Kronur 0.0074060359 135.0250000000 XDR IMF Special Drawing Rights 1.4683304548 0.6810456030 INR India Rupees 0.0205023059 48.7750015259 IDR Indonesia Rupiahs 0.0000872943 11,455.5000000000 IRR Iran Rials 0.0000989653 10,104.5500000000 IQD Iraq Dinars 0.0008495816 1,177.0500000000 ILS Israel New Shekels 0.2572016461 3.8880000000 JMD Jamaica Dollars 0.0130216472 76.7952000000 JPY Japan Yen 0.0103018441 97.0699996948 JOD Jordan Dinars 1.4128284826 0.7078000000 KES Kenya Shillings 0.0128122998 78.0500000000 KWD Kuwait Dinars 3.6934441367 0.2707500000 LBP Lebanon Pounds 0.0006616163 1,511.4500000000 MYR Malaysia Ringgits 0.2774002053 3.6049000000 MTL Malta Liri 2.9530783012 0.3386296935 MUR Mauritius Rupees 0.0313676286 31.8800000000 MXN Mexico Pesos 0.0765696815 13.0599994659 MAD Morocco Dirhams 0.1145829753 8.7273000000 NZD New Zealand Dollars 0.5620977488 1.7790500000 NGN Nigeria Nairas 0.0084613107 118.1850000000 NOK Norway Kroner 0.1445546282 6.9177999496 OMR Oman Rials 2.5873555932 0.3864950000 PKR Pakistan Rupees 0.0124486490 80.3300018311 XPD Palladium Ounces 216.9999999998 0.0046082949 PEN Peru Nuevos Soles 0.3237817711 3.0885000000 PHP Philippines Pesos 0.0201606806 49.6015000000 XPT Platinum Ounces 841.5000000004 0.0011883541 PLN Poland Zlotych 0.3433240636 2.9127000000 QAR Qatar Riyals 0.2735491636 3.6556500000 RON Romania New Lei 0.3416584099 2.9269000000 RUB Russia Rubles 0.0366152821 27.3110008240 SAR Saudi Arabia Riyals 0.2665529374 3.7516000000 XAG Silver Ounces 9.4960002899 0.1053074947 SGD Singapore Dollars 0.6584362347 1.5187499523 SKK Slovakia Koruny 0.0416883794 23.9875000000 ZAR South Africa Rand 0.1000000015 9.9999998510 KRW South Korea Won 0.0007124537 1,403.6000000000 LKR Sri Lanka Rupees 0.0090896696 110.0150000000 SDG Sudan Pounds 0.4526627889 2.2091500000 SEK Sweden Kronor 0.1272361758 7.8594000000 CHF Switzerland Francs 0.8368900281 1.1949001260 TWD Taiwan New Dollars 0.0302480339 33.0600000000 THB Thailand Baht 0.0285384864 35.0404007682 TTD Trinidad and Tobago Dollars 0.1594896337 6.2699999809 TND Tunisia Dinars 0.7212405337 1.3865000000 TRY Turkey New Lira 0.6159721426 1.6234500408 AED United Arab Emirates Dirhams 0.2722273643 3.6734000000 GBP United Kingdom Pounds 1.4853985324 0.6732200000 USD United States Dollars 1.0000000000 1.0000000000 VEF Venezuela Bolivares Fuertes 0.4657011130 2.1473000000 VND Vietnam Dong 0.0000589588 16,961.0000000000 ZMK Zambia Kwacha 0.0002316853 4,316.2000000000
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