AP - The barrier island community of Galveston just "isn't ready" for residents to return even briefly to the city thrashed by Hurricane Ike, officials said Thursday as they pleaded for at least another week to make repairs.

AFP - The Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, which was shut down as Hurricane Ike barreled toward the US Gulf Coast, will reopen next week, US space officials said Thursday.

AP - Danish archaeologists say they have found a well-preserved Viking shield that is more than 1,000 years old.

AP - Scientists plan to use satellite photos to count Giant Kangaroo Rats, the first-ever monitoring of an endangered species from outer space.

AP - With oil and gas drilling heating up as an issue in the presidential race, environmentalists and the governor reiterated their opposition to tapping reserves off the state's coast, saying it would endanger the environment and the tourism industry on which New Jersey is so dependent.

AP - Officials urged patience Wednesday on the part of Midwesterners waiting for power to be restored as crews worked feverishly to clean up the soggy mess left by the deadly remnants of Hurricane Ike over the weekend.

AP - The October launch date of NASA's shuttle flight to the Hubble Space Telescope is in jeopardy because of a problem with insulation on the replacement batteries for the telescope.

AP - Researchers are hoping a large cache of ancient crocodile bones in western North Dakota will yield the state's first complete croc skeleton.

AP - Scientists plan to use satellite photos to count Giant Kangaroo Rats, the first-ever monitoring of an endangered species from outer space.