The space shuttle may have to work past retirement age, after all.

The US Congress is currently trying to set NASA's future mission and goals by drafting a bill called the NASA Authorization Act. A version of the bill, obtained by New Scientist, has passed a Senate committee that would require the agency to look into the prospect of flying the shuttle past 2010. As this Senate press release states:

The bill includes a number of provisions to ensure the United States has uninterrupted human access...