Early last year, we told you all about the new Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS). The launch grounds, run in cooperation with the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, is located on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) on Wallops Island, Virginia, about three hours from D.C. on the Eastern Shore. Are you ready to watch some launches from D.C.?

The Washington Wizards won their last two games by 20+ points, something they hadn’t done since December 2004. So what did they do for an encore? Look rather listless and lethargic while taking it on the chin 92-84 from the visiting Houston Rockets. With Tracy McGrady on the bench, the Wizards focused their defense around stopping Houston’s 7-1 center Yao Ming, and they did an admirable job double-teaming him throughout the night. This tactic,…

A rainy Friday night was enlivened by the return of hometown heroine (and Richard Montgomery High alumni — Go, uhm…Rockets! Right? Y’all are the Rockets?) Tori Amos, who took to the DAR Constitution Hall armed with her giant black Bösendorfer piano, her touring band, and a new record. That record, American Doll Posse, is an odd sort of concept album revolving around a bunch of different characters that Amos invented, costumed, and, I believe, even…

MONDAY >> Fiending for some good ol’ bluegrass and Americana? San Francisco’s The Pine Box Boys will be delivering just that at the Red and the Black tonight. With two drinks tonight, you’ll also be served free beans and rice. We suggest some whiskey to wash it all down. Or, The Whale and Revival open. 9:30 p.m., $8. >>Enjoy the slightly cooler weather by taking in Georgie James, Perfect Souvenir and Brandon Butler at Fort…

And it’s burgers! Redskins owner Daniel Snyder revealed today that he will purchase Johnny Rockets, the ubiquitous chain-diner. With District locations in Georgetown, Dupont Circle, and Union Station, most of us are probably aware of the grease-trap’s existence even if we don’t quite remember many of our experiences there — the restaurant’s hours tend to attract the late-night stumbly crowd. For those of us unfamiliar with the chain, Johnny Rockets tries its very hardest to…

When the NBA calendar turns to March, teams are either start thinking about lottery choices or jockeying for playoff position. The Washington Wizards, after a slow start to the season, seemed to find their groove in February and catapulted themselves back into the playoff race, currently holding a precarious grip on the sixth seed in the East. Tonight on ESPN, they take on Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers, who currently trail the Wizards…

The Wizards lost at home last night to the Houston Rockets 123-111 in a game that was out of reach from the early going. The Rockets shot 55.1% from field (just their second time shooting over 50% all season), 52.9% from three point land and 84.8% from the line. While we realize that with stats like that, it’s the players that lost the game, it’s worth noting that Wiz Coach Eddie Jordan got served…

>> Although it’s (finally) playoff time in MLS, most of the discussion around DC United centers around 16-year-old Freddy Adu. Last week he complained publicly about his playing time, or perceived lack of it. The next day, Adu met with team officials in an effort to clear the air, but apparently he did not apologize, so he was suspended for United’s playoff game on Friday against the Chicago Fire, which ended in a listless…