was the first remote-controlled rover ever to land on another celestial body. The wheeled vehicle was carried to the lunar surface by a spacecraft called Luna 17, touching down in the Sea of Rains on Nov. 17, 1970.

Among its instruments, the rover toted a French-built laser retroreflector consisting of 14 corner cubes that can reflect laser light beamed from Earth. []

Attempts to contact the rover after the lunar night that began on Sept. 14, 1971, were unsuccessful, apparently due to a component failure on the rover. Lunokhod 1's days of rambling aroundformally ended on Oct. 4, 1971, after 11 lunar day-night cycles (322 Earth days).

Laser ranging observations

For the most part, those working in the laser ranging field have cautioned over the years not to spend time on Lunokhod 1, calling the rover a nearly impossible target.

"And during 30 years, nobody tried to range on Lunokhod 1," Jean-Marie Torre, research engineer at the Cte d'Azur Observatory in France, told SPACE.com.

But Torre and his colleagues tried anyway, using the Grasse (MO) laser-ranging station in Calern, France, which is run by the Cte dAzur Observatory. In March, they received return signals from the Lunokhod 1 reflector for the first time since the start of their lunar laser ranging observation campaigns in the early 1980s.

The results were obtained over three nights, using a new instrumental configuration at the MO station.

The historical difficulty of ranging on Lunokhod 1 may have been due to a number of factors. The reflector may have been dusty, or its cover could have closed. Or the rover may not have been parked in view of Earth, Torre said.

In the end, however, "it was more a problem of lack of confidence than to a technical difficulty," Torre said.

Poor weather conditions prevented the scientists from getting a good determination of the Lunokhod 1 reflector's efficiency. Still, the results have buoyed the interest of Earth-based scientists to continue beaming their lasers at the long-dead rover.

A retroreflector array was also left on the moon by the landing crew of NASA'sin 1969, while two more retroreflector arrays were set up by Apollo 14 and Apollo 15 moonwalkers.

In fact, Torre and a colleague were ranging successfully the Apollo 15 site when Torre suggested trying Lunokhod 1. []

"Fortunately, we had immediate echoes ... and if not, we might not have tried again for one or many years!"

Pinpointing Lunokhod's locale

The final end-of-mission location of Lunokhod 1 was uncertain until 2010. But thanks to images snapped by NASAs(LRO), both the Luna 17 lander and Lunokhod 1 were spotted.

Lunokhod 1 came to its final stop on a site situated around 1.4 miles (2.3 kilometers) north of its point of landing.

The success last month by the Grasse station was not the first laser ranging effort targeting the "lost" Lunokhod 1 reflector.

In April 2010, specialists at the Apache Point Observatory Lunar Laser-ranging Operation (APOLLO) in southern New Mexico used the LRO images to first pinpoint the locale of Lunokhod 1, closely enough for laser range measurements.

Surprisingly, the APOLLO researchers reported that the crafts retroreflector was returning much more light than other reflectors on the moon.

"In normal conditions, the difficulty to range this [Lunokhod 1] reflector is the making of the corner cube [which is] silver coated. They are very good in the dark, from a few days after the new moon to the quarter. It is better to range the reflector from March to May," when the on-the moon reflector is the highest in the sky, Torre said.

A better understanding of the moon

Lunar laser ranging has been made possible by combining advances in laser technology, data processing and precision timing via , according to the International Laser Ranging Service, a service of the International Association of Geodesy.

uses short-pulse lasers and state-of-the-art optical receivers and timing electronics to measure how long it takes light beamed from ground stations to travel to retroreflector arrays on the moon and back again.

It takes just two and a half seconds for light to make this roundtrip trek, requiring use of an atomic clock.

Because the reflectors on the moon are relatively small and a laser beam naturally loses its intensity with distance, only a tiny fraction of the signal makes it back. However, the information is sufficient for precise calculation of the Earth and moon's movement: speed of rotation, axial variation and orbital deviation (taking into account, of course, the influence of other celestial bodies such as the sun).

Torre said that thanks to Lunokhod 1's position on the moon -- closer to the moons limb than any other reflectors it allows researchers to detect more precisely small libration effects. Laser ranging on the rover can improve researchers' understanding of the moon's internal structure and rotation, he added.

Leonard David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. He is former director of research for the National Commission on Space and is co-author of Buzz Aldrins new book Mission to MarsMy Vision for Space Exploration out in May from National Geographic. Follow us,or. Originally published on

Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi told a news conference that "no one has the right to make false accusations." He says that "this is not the behavior of the Syrian government.

Zoubi's comments were the first official Syrian response since Saturday's bombings in the Turkish border town of Reyhanli, near Syria.

The Syrian minister alleged that Turkey is responsible "for all that happened in Syria and what happened in Turkey yesterday," but did not explain.

He also launched one of the harshest personal attacks on Turkey's prime minister by an Syrian official so far, demanding that Recep Tayyip Erdogan "step down as a killer and as a butcher."

Also on Sunday, Syrian rebels released four Filipino U.N. peacekeepers they abducted last week, a military spokesman in the Philippines said.

The four, seized Tuesday, were apparently unharmed, but will undergo a medical checkup and stress debriefing, said Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan.

The peacekeepers are part of a U.N. contingent that patrols a buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, a plateau Israel captured from Syria in 1967.

It was the second abduction of Filipino peacekeepers since March, when 21 were held for three days by rebels fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The Philippine foreign secretary has said he would recommend withdrawing Filipinos from the peacekeeping contingent in Syria, but the final decision is up to the country's president.

Nearly 1,000 U.N. peacekeepers are patrolling the Golan Heights. Other major contributors are India and Austria. Croatia has recently withdrawn its contingent.

The buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan had been largely quiet for four decades, but tensions have risen there since the outbreak of the revolt against Assad more than two years ago.

The uprising escalated into a civil war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions of Syrians. The two sides have been largely deadlocked on the battlefield.

In the latest violence in the capital, Damascus, six mortar shells struck a neighborhood causing damage and casualties, a Syrian official said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to brief reporters.

The mortars hit the predominantly Alawite district of Mazzeh 86 during morning rush hour, he said. Sunday is the first day of the work week in Syria.

Alawites, including Assad, are followers of an offshoot of Shiite Islam, and have dominated government under Assad family rule. Rebels and regime forces have been fighting in parts of Damascus, and have fired mortars at neighborhoods seen as pro-Assad.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group, confirmed that mortars struck Mazzeh 86, but said it had no immediate reports of casualties.

The increase along with a jump in homebuilder confidence this month suggests the housing market continues to recover.

The National Association of Realtors said Monday that sales rose 2.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.79 million. That's up from 4.69 million in September, which was revised lower.

The sales pace is roughly 11 percent higher than a year ago. But it remains below the more than 5.5 million that economists consider consistent with a healthy market.

As the economy slowly recovers, more people have started looking to buy homes or rent apartments. Prices are steadily climbing, while mortgage rates have been low all year. At the same time, rents are rising, making the purchase of a single-family home or condominium more attractive.

"Altogether, the report is encouraging," said Michael Gapen, an economist at Barclays Capital. "Our view is that housing is in a recovery phase," he added, though it will be restrained by limited credit and modest job gains.

A separate report Monday showed confidence among homebuilders rose this month to its highest level in six and a half years. The increase was driven by strong demand for newly built homes and growing optimism about conditions next year.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index increased to 46, up from 41 in October. Readings below 50 suggest negative sentiment about the housing market. The index last reached that level in April 2006. Still, the index has been trending higher since October 2011, when it stood at 17.

The Realtors' group said Superstorm Sandy delayed some sales of previously occupied homes in the Northeast. Sales fell 1.7 percent there, the only region to show a decline. Those sales will likely be completed in future months, the group said.

The median price for previously occupied homes increased 11.1 percent from a year ago to $178,600, the Realtors' said.

A decline in the number of homes available for sale is helping push prices higher. There were only 2.14 million homes available for sale at the end of the month, the lowest supply in 10 years. It would take only 5.4 months to exhaust that supply at the current sales pace. That's the lowest sales-to-inventory ratio since February 2006.

Prices are also benefiting from the mix of homes being sold. Sales of homes priced at $500,000 and above have jumped more than 40 percent in the past year. Sales of homes and condominiums that cost less than $100,000 fell 0.6 percent.

There have been other positive signals from the housing market. Applications for mortgage loans to buy homes jumped 11 percent in the week ended Nov. 9, compared with a week earlier, the Mortgage Bankers' Association said last week. Purchase applications are up 22 percent in the past year.

Foreclosures are slowing. The number of properties that began the foreclosure process in the first 10 months of the year fell 8 percent compared with the same period last year, RealtyTrac said last week.

And builders broke ground on new homes and apartments at the fastest pace in more than four years in September. The jump could help boost the economy and hiring.

Still, the market has a long way back to full health. Many potential home buyers cannot meet stricter lending standards or produce larger down payments required by banks.

That can be a particular problem for first-time homebuyers. They accounted for 31 percent of sales in October, down slightly from September and below the 40 percent that is common in a healthy market.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Thursday that banks' overly tight lending standards may be preventing sales and holding back the U.S. economy.

___

Veiga reported from Los Angeles.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Utility companies would have to compensate customers who generate surplus power under a proposal advancing in the Texas Legislature.

In a unanimous vote on Thursday, the Senate Business and Commerce Committee approved SB 1239. It still must pass the full Senate and the House.

Excess power generated by businesses and homeowners who install rooftop solar panels flows back to the grid. Under current law, customers can negotiate with their power companies for compensation.

The bill would require utilities to pay customers market rate prices for the surplus electricity. El Paso Democratic Sen. Jose Rodriguez said his proposal would help Texans invest in renewable energy at a time when supplies are expected to be constrained.

Federal statistics show Texas ranks eleventh in solar power generation despite ample space and sunshine.

The media company announced the new digital programming in a presentation to advertisers on Wednesday. The Vogue- and Wired-inspired shows follow similar digital video initiatives for Conde Nast's Glamour and GQ.

Amid dwindling print profits, the venerable publisher has been seeking to capitalize on its popular stable of magazines. It recently formed the Conde Nast Entertainment division to develop digital video, TV shows and films that trade on the brands of its magazines.

Conde Nast said Wednesday it's adding a total of 30 new lifestyle series based on Vogue, Wired, Glamour and GQ.

The major college football conference commissioners named the new postseason system that starts in 2014 on Tuesday, the first of three days of meetings at a resort hotel in the Rose Bowl's backyard.

Out with the Bowl Championship Series and in with the College Football Playoff.

"I don't think you can ever go too wrong calling something what it is," Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said. "Things that make sense tend to stand the test of time."

Next on the agenda is to pick three more bowls for the six-bowl semifinal rotation the Rose, Orange and Sugar are already in and where the first championship game will be held on Jan. 12, 2015. That comes Wednesday.

Four bowls have bid to be part of the rotation. The clear front-runners are the Cotton, Chick-fil-A and Fiesta. The Holiday Bowl in San Diego also put in a bid, but even its organizers acknowledged they are a long shot at best.

The finalists to host the first championship game are Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the billion dollar home of the NFL team and the Cotton Bowl, and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., home of the NFL's Buccaneers and the Outback Bowl.

Arlington is the favorite, but the competition has been serious.

"I'm glad it has," Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Tuesday. "I think it will give us a better outcome."

Even before an official announcement about the name was made on Tuesday, the website www.collegefootballplayoff.com was up and running and allowing fans to vote on a new logo. And there also was a Twitter handle: (at)cfbplayoff.

"It's really simple. It gets right to the point," BCS executive director Bill Hancock, who will hold the same position in the playoff system, said at a short news conference.

"Nothing cute. Nothing fancy. We decided it would be best to call it what it is."

Premiere Sports Management in Overland Park, Kan., was hired to help come up with a name and brand the new system. A committee of commissioners handled the naming of the new system, and Hancock said they ran through "in the neighborhood of three dozen" names.

Scott said: "We're clearly trying to make a clear break from the BCS."

The new postseason format will create two national semifinals to be played New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, with the winners advancing. The six bowls in the playoff rotation will host marquee, BCS-type games on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day during the seasons they do not host a semifinal.

The first semifinals will be played at the Rose and Sugar bowls on Jan. 1, 2015.

Also on the agenda this week for the commissioners will be the composition of the selection committee that will set the field for the playoff. They have said they would like the committee to be similar to the one that picks the teams for the NCAA basketball tournament, made up of conference commissioners and athletic directors.

Bowlsby said he expected both current and former administrators to have a spot on the committee.

"The hardest thing is making sure we're arming whoever is on the committee with the tools that it takes to differentiate among closely proximal teams," Bowlsby said. "You have to have some metrics available to differentiate between three, four, five, six and seven.

"You can't just say we like blue uniforms and not gold uniforms. You've got to arm the committee with the tools that it takes to do their job."

Rick wants to bring his mother with us. It will be a tight fit in our car, but I don't have a problem with that. What bothers me is that Rick wants her to stay with us in our hotel room.

I am a very private person. I have a problem sharing such close quarters with her. There is no privacy in a hotel room!

I offered to get two rooms, but he feels I am being unreasonable. I feel three adults plus two children is a lot to pack into a small hotel room.

Am I being unreasonable? Or should I just accept it and deal with being miserable? -- FRUSTRATED IN THE SOUTH

DEAR FRUSTRATED: Although there may be exceptions, as a general rule, adults need their privacy. Frankly, I am surprised your mother-in-law would be willing to go along with such an arrangement. This is a vacation, and you should not be miserable when you're supposed to be enjoying it.

A better solution would be to get two rooms, and the children should bunk with their grandmother. That way you and your husband could enjoy some private time together.

DEAR ABBY: I have been with my boyfriend for seven years. We have no children together, but he has two young children from a previous relationship whom I have been raising as my own. They call me "Mom," but they know I'm not their biological mother. Their mother has not contacted them -- or cared to -- since the younger one was just months old.

My fear is now that the kids are getting older, they may want to form a relationship with her later on. I don't want to seem selfish, but they are my kids. Any girl can have a baby, but it takes a real woman to be a mom. How should I handle this when that time comes? -- DREADING THE FUTURE IN ARIZONA

DEAR DREADING THE FUTURE: It is natural for children to want to know who their biological parents are; that's the reason adoption records are no longer sealed. You appear to fear that your boyfriend's ex-girlfriend will want to swoop in and steal your maternal spotlight. From all indications, it's not the case; you are the only mother they know.

If the children want information about their birth mother, the truth should not be kept from them. Meeting her does not guarantee they will love you any less. Worrying about it is self-defeating.

DEAR ABBY: What is the protocol for in-person conversations vs. phone interruptions (either via text or call)? When talking with someone, I feel it's rude for the other individual to respond to voice or text messages. Can't people take a break long enough to actually have a real live conversation? How do other readers handle this? Do they walk away? Patiently wait? Or speak up? -- TECHNOLOGICALLY OVERLOADED IN VIRGINIA

DEAR OVERLOADED: The best approach is the direct approach. Tell the person, "I wish you wouldn't do that."

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby ator P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in "What Every Teen Should Know." Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

She walks around the house bare-chested and obviously thinks I find her breasts a big turn-on. I have faked it for five years. What should I do? -- NOT THAT EXCITED IN COLORADO

DEAR NOT THAT EXCITED: Your letter is a lesson about the danger of "faking it." Level with your girlfriend, but without using the words "terrible" and "turn-off." Tell her you love her, but while many men find large breasts to be a turn-on, you actually prefer smaller ones -- to the degree that it sometimes affects your sexual performance.

Explain that if she thinks her breasts are what have kept you interested, it's not the case. At some point, one or more of her implants may need to be replaced, and she might opt for smaller ones.

DEAR ABBY: I moved to Australia 10 years ago. It has been a fantastic adventure, but I feel drawn home. Complicating things is the fact that I have a same-sex Australian partner. Because gay marriage is not federally recognized in the United States, he has no possibility of legally emigrating there. His skills are not sufficient.

To move back to the U.S. would destroy my home, which is a happy one. On the other hand, I come from a large, close family and my parents are entering their 70s. I miss my family and my culture every day, and feel torn between my family in the U.S. and my partner in Australia.

I have felt this way for a few years. I feel unable to settle down and start living or feel comfortable in my life until I work this out. The thought of not being around my family in the long term is unbearable. The thought of leaving my partner is equally painful. I have tried in vain to find an answer and feel overwhelmed. Help! -- TRANS-PACIFIC READER

DEAR TRANS-PACIFIC: I don't know your financial situation, but why must this be an "either/or" situation? You're happily settled in a beautiful country and enjoying a loving relationship. I assume you also have a well-paying job.

Your dilemma might be solved by visiting your parents more often, particularly since their health is still good. If that changes, you could return to the U.S. for a more extended period. Until the laws in the U.S. regarding same-sex marriage change, that's what you will have to do unless you're willing to sacrifice your relationship.

DEAR ABBY: Is it proper to tip your tattoo artist or piercer? They provide a service, just as a hairdresser would. I have never seen this addressed before. Your input would be helpful. -- CURIOUS IN UPSTATE NEW YORK

DEAR CURIOUS: Tattoos and piercings are considered works of art, and it's not unusual for a customer to present the artist with a gratuity commensurate with the degree of satisfaction the person feels with the results, the time it took to create it and the intricacy of the design. In lieu of money, sometimes gifts such as art books, spiritual artifacts or jewelry are given to the artist.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby ator P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

For everything you need to know about wedding planning, order "How to Have a Lovely Wedding." Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Problems with the toxic residue of a mold that attacked the 2012 drought-hit U.S. corn crop may worsen this summer and autumn as Midwest farmers blend off tainted supplies held in storage, grain experts say.

The substance, aflatoxin, is a chronic problem in dry, hot southern states like Texas where stressed crops are vulnerable to the mold. But in 2012, the worst U.S. drought in more than half a century extended the aflatoxin threat moved northward into the heart of the Midwest, resulting in the biggest outbreak since the 1980s.

"As we get into summer, you are going to see the worst of it," said Doug Bartlett, co-owner of Midwest Farm Services, an advisory service in Higginsville, Missouri. "We have tight corn supplies and when we get down to the nitty gritty, there is going to be a lot of the aflatoxin left over, and it will have to be blended off into the new crop," he said.

Aflatoxin can sicken humans and animals if ingested and is carcinogenic. So corn users - from pet food and livestock feed makers to vegoil and sweetener producers - test for it, and reject tainted supplies.

Ethanol makers, which consume 40 percent of U.S. corn output, can be even more picky because the aflatoxins concentrate during the distilling process, contaminating dried distillers' grains, a valuable ethanol byproduct sold for feed.

Months after the harvest, aflatoxin continues to cause headaches along the corn supply chain.

"From eastern Kansas across northern Missouri and up into central and southern Illinois - there is an area there that has significant aflatoxin issues," said Charles Hurburgh, an agricultural engineering professor at Iowa State University who specializes in grain quality.

TAINTED CORN BLENDED INTO FEED

Most of the contaminated corn is now being blended into feed for hogs and beef cattle, large animals that can tolerate low levels of aflatoxin.

Under guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, certain types of feed can contain an aflatoxin concentration of up to 300 parts per billion. Human foods must contain less than 20 ppb, while the threshold for milk is even lower, at 0.5 ppb.

For the export market, outbound U.S. corn must also test at less than 20 ppb.

Cows that eat tainted corn can pass on aflatoxin through their milk. Dairy processors in the St. Louis area have had to dump loads of milk found to contain elevated levels of aflatoxin, said Max Hawkins, a nutritionist with Alltech, a Kentucky-based feed supplement company.

"Aflatoxin and spring weather - that is their major, major focus right now," Hawkins said.

The mold that causes aflatoxin can spread inside grain storage bins as temperatures rise in spring, creating the potential for a second wave of problems after the initial outbreak at harvest.

"We've already seen some flourishing of the molds that can produce aflatoxin," said Hawkins. "Because corn is in short supply, everybody wants to get every kernel, everything they can out of the bin," Hawkins said.

"As the bin is emptied, those damaged kernels tend to concentrate in the bottom area....There is ample aflatoxin present in many, many storage facilities," Hawkins said.

Several major Corn Belt states, including Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Nebraska, received temporary approval from the FDA last fall to let grain handlers blend corn containing aflatoxin with clean grain, and some of those states have extended the blending allowances into this summer.

Corn handlers have stepped up testing for aflatoxin but sampling the grain can be difficult since contamination levels vary greatly.

In February, the Hy-Vee Inc grocery chain recalled five product lines of its privately branded dog food due to elevated levels of aflatoxin in the corn used to make the pet food. The products were manufactured at a plant in Kansas City, Kansas.

U.S. corn stocks are historically tight, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture projecting a 17-year low by August 31, the end of the 2012/13 marketing year. Cash corn prices remain strong because buyers are scrambling to cover their needs through the summer and up until the 2013 harvest.

Aflatoxin has complicated that job, forcing some to source grain from farther away.

"It's a difficult year in working through this crop," said Jeffrey Adkisson, executive vice president of the Illinois Grain & Feed Association. "It's probably one of the most challenging years some of our people have had to go through."

(Additional reporting by Christine Stebbins; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz)