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NASA's bold plan Landing people on asteroids
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• NASA says it's working on plans to send
  astronauts into space to land on an asteroid.
  The NASA mission isn't planned to take place
  until the 2020s. That isn't stopping astronauts
  from simulating an asteroid landing in a
  40-foot-deep swimming pool at a Space Center in
  Houston. "We're working on the techniques and
  tools we might use someday to explore a small
  asteroid and take samples," said Stan Love, one
  of the astronauts participating in the tests.
  Being underwater creates the lack of gravity that
  allows astronauts to practice walking in space.
  Material from the asteroid's core could contain
  information about the age and formation of the
  solar system. The agency says the approach "makes
  good use of capabilities NASA already has, while
  also advancing a number of technologies needed
  for longer-term plans sending humans to Mars in
  the 2030s."

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In Other News

• A separatist leader declared Monday that eastern
  Ukraine's Donetsk region was not only
  independent, but also would ask to join Russia --
  a day after referendum organizers claim voters in
  the region chose to break away from Kiev. Denis
  Pushilin, self-declared leader of the Donetsk
  People's Republic, told a crowd that no further
  referendum was needed to ask Russia to annex it.
  Pro-Russian separatists held a referendum Sunday
  asking residents of the Donetsk region whether it
  should declare independence from Ukraine. Nearly
  90 of voters in the area favored secession.
• Michael and Jacob, your reign has ended. In 2013,
  for the first time since 1960, a new name
  unseated Michael or Jacob as the most popular for
  newborn boys. That's according to the Social
  Security Administration, which releases the list
  of most popular baby names each year. The new
  king's name? Noah. Sophia held the top spot for
  girls for the third year in a row. Rounding out
  the Top 10 names for boys were Liam, Jacob,
  Mason, William, Ethan, Michael, Alexander, Jayden
  and Daniel. The other top names for girls were
  Emma, Olivia, Isabella, Ava, Mia, Emily, Abigail,
  Madison and Elizabeth.