Looking Ahead

Private flight to ISS

On Nov. 30, SpaceX, a privately owned Space taxi, will launch one of its Falcon rockets from Cape Canaveral to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. In the post-space shuttle era, NASA will depend on SpaceX and three other private companies to continue the agency's mission.

Norwegian shooter assessed

A court in Norway gave psychiatrists until Nov. 30 to determine whether Anders Behring Breivik is mentally fit to stand trial for the murders of 77 people killed in a July 22 massacre in the Scandinavian country. Breivik already confessed to the killings, but the psychiatrists' report could mean the difference between spending the rest of his life in prison or in a mental institution.

Kennedy Awards

President Barack Obama on Dec. 4 will present awards to actress Meryl Street, singer Neil Diamond, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and others when the Kennedy Center marks its 40th anniversary with its yearly awards ceremony.

Pearl Harbor Day

The date which will live in infamy is now 70 years old. On Dec. 7 in 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, sinking five battleships, killing more than 2,400, and drawing the United States into World War II. Survivors, who are now in their 90s and few in number, will lay wreaths in ceremonies across the nation.

Nobel Prizes awarded

King Harald V of Norway will present the Nobel Peace Prize to three women on Dec. 10-just-reelected Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen-for their roles in expanding women's rights. On the same day, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden will award Nobel Prizes for Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, and Economics.