World and people

MOSCOW - A Russian astrologist who says NASA has
altered her horoscope by crashing a spacecraft into a comet is
suing the U.S. space agency for damages of $300 million, local
media reported Monday.

NASA deliberately crashed its probe, named Deep Impact,
into the Tempel 1 comet to unleash a spray of material formed
billions of years ago which scientists hope will shed new light
on the composition of the solar system.

"It is obvious that elements of the comet's orbit, and
correspondingly the ephemeris, will change after the explosion,
which interferes with my astrology work and distorts my
horoscope," Izvestia daily quoted astrologist Marina Bai as
saying in legal documents submitted before Monday's collision.

A spokeswoman for a Moscow district court said initial
preparations for the case were underway but could not say when
the hearing would begin. NASA representatives in Moscow were
unavailable for comment.

# posted by Mike @ 3:18 PM