Inspections of Boston's Big Dig have revealed hundreds of bolts that need to be reinforced. Join Joe Palca and guests in this hour of Science Friday for a look at the materials and techniques behind construction projects. What keeps houses, bridges, and tunnels from falling apart? Are there ways to easily detect damage before it becomes severe?

Plus, if you're bored with the usual summertime trips to the beach, lake, or mountains, we'll provide a guide to the top tourist attractions in our solar system.The cost of getting there might be a bit high, but the scenery is like nothing on Earth. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (2-3 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Steven Cramer
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
College of Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, Wisconsin

Christopher Earls
Editor-in-Chief, Americas, for the journal 'Steel and Composite Structures'
Associate Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Paulo Monteiro
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
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Andrew Fraknoi
Director, Project ASTRO
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Chair, Astronomy Department
Foothill College
Los Altos Hills, California

Books/Articles Discussed:

"Scaling and saturation laws for the expansion of concrete exposed to sulfate attack," by Paulo J. M. Monteiro. PNAS, vol. 103, no. 31, pp. 11467–11472.

(find books discussed on previous broadcasts)

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This segment produced by Charles Bergquist