Sagan would also like to make it harder for nations to opt out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, as North Korea has done, such as automatically referring the issue to the UN Security Council and requiring the return of nuclear materials if a withdrawing nation got help from outside.

NPR: Nuclear Weapons Gain Importance for Regional Powers

That project will seek to return samples of organic materials from an asteroid to help scientists understand how the building blocks for life may have been seeded on the early Earth.

CNN: University of Arizona looks beyond Mars mission

Off-world settlements will provide fuel and life support materials for space missions and planetary operations, and for return of goods to Earth.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

This isn't exactly a return to hardcore chemistry sets of the past (you'll find no radioactive materials or poisons in here), but it's certainly a step in the right direction for an America whose love affair with science is on the rocks.

ENGADGET