2008 Woodie Awards
National Updates
Courtney Roy
Issue date: 10/13/04 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Winner in the New Space Race is Announced
Early Monday morning Burt Rutan, Michael W. Melvill, and Brian Binnie finally accomplished the final step in the Ansari X Prize, which award $10 million to the first people to successfully design a private space ship and complete 3 trials, and is modeled after the contests of aviation's early days. The ship, dubbed SpaceShipOne completed three trials and was built and designed in just three years. Financed by Paul G. Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, and made possible by Mojave Aerospace Ventures, these men have made aerospace history. Though their $10 million prize makes up less than half of what Allen invested in the project, the men plan to split the money and pay their employees for their work in designing, building, and testing SpaceShipOne. Businessmen are already looking into commercializing the technology. Though two companies with plans for taking passengers into space by 2007 were announced last week, SpaceShipOne will be donated to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Problems in the Expansion of the Testing of US Students
A recently approved federal requirement aimed at sharply increasing the testing of US students is facing large obstacles, according to a government report by the Government Accountability Office (G.A.O.). The most notable of these issues is the lack of solid data, as well as missing guidance from federal officials. The report found that states have differing rules used to measure students' progress, as required under the No Child Left Behind act, a federal education law. More than half of the state and school officials interviewed for the report claimed that they had been "hampered by poor and unreliable student data." The report also mentions that when the Federal Education Department stated that it had approved all of the state plans for No Child Left Behind in June 2003, only 11 states had been fully approved, with the other states only receiving conditional approval.
Tourists Continue to Flock to Mount St. Helens
As geologists wait impatiently for what will happen to Mount St. Helens, a volcano located near Seattle, Washington, thrill-seeking tourists continue to flock to the natural wonder to catch sight of one of the eruptions of steam, dust, debris, and ash. The last time Mt. St. Helens erupted was in 1980, and it resulted in the death of 57 people, spreading tons of ash across the area, as well as setting off a major landslide. While scientists' predictions led to a "code red" alert for an imminent eruption, this explosion would be far less damaging than the 1980 disaster. Scientists have been closely watching the mountain, making note of the movement of magma that is slowly pushing upward, and could possibly erupt explosively, adding to the large lava dome created in the 1980 explosions. Though scientists continue to analyze ash samples in order to gauge the "magma on the move," visitors' centers and vantage points on the mountain continue to have record numbers of tourists.
US Will Lack Half of Usual Supply of Flu Vaccine
Due to a suspension of the manufacturing license of Chiron, the factory that provides 50% of the US supply of the flu vaccination, US government officials are scrambling to come up with alternate plans. The British government because of sterility issues suspended the factory, located in Liverpool, England. Federal officials had hoped to have 100 million vaccine doses available to Americans this year, but now expect only 54 million doses. Authorities are also urging people to save the scarce supplies of the vaccine to those most at risk, such as adults 65 or older and infants 6 to 23 months. While authorities are currently looking for additional supplies, the Food and Drug Administration is sending a team to Britain to further study the problems found in the vaccine this year. Other manufacturers are not expected to be able to up their production, as the process of vaccine production takes too long. Tests run by the federal government several years ago indicate that half of the usual dose of the vaccine can suffice for a healthy adult.
Early Monday morning Burt Rutan, Michael W. Melvill, and Brian Binnie finally accomplished the final step in the Ansari X Prize, which award $10 million to the first people to successfully design a private space ship and complete 3 trials, and is modeled after the contests of aviation's early days. The ship, dubbed SpaceShipOne completed three trials and was built and designed in just three years. Financed by Paul G. Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, and made possible by Mojave Aerospace Ventures, these men have made aerospace history. Though their $10 million prize makes up less than half of what Allen invested in the project, the men plan to split the money and pay their employees for their work in designing, building, and testing SpaceShipOne. Businessmen are already looking into commercializing the technology. Though two companies with plans for taking passengers into space by 2007 were announced last week, SpaceShipOne will be donated to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Problems in the Expansion of the Testing of US Students
A recently approved federal requirement aimed at sharply increasing the testing of US students is facing large obstacles, according to a government report by the Government Accountability Office (G.A.O.). The most notable of these issues is the lack of solid data, as well as missing guidance from federal officials. The report found that states have differing rules used to measure students' progress, as required under the No Child Left Behind act, a federal education law. More than half of the state and school officials interviewed for the report claimed that they had been "hampered by poor and unreliable student data." The report also mentions that when the Federal Education Department stated that it had approved all of the state plans for No Child Left Behind in June 2003, only 11 states had been fully approved, with the other states only receiving conditional approval.
Tourists Continue to Flock to Mount St. Helens
As geologists wait impatiently for what will happen to Mount St. Helens, a volcano located near Seattle, Washington, thrill-seeking tourists continue to flock to the natural wonder to catch sight of one of the eruptions of steam, dust, debris, and ash. The last time Mt. St. Helens erupted was in 1980, and it resulted in the death of 57 people, spreading tons of ash across the area, as well as setting off a major landslide. While scientists' predictions led to a "code red" alert for an imminent eruption, this explosion would be far less damaging than the 1980 disaster. Scientists have been closely watching the mountain, making note of the movement of magma that is slowly pushing upward, and could possibly erupt explosively, adding to the large lava dome created in the 1980 explosions. Though scientists continue to analyze ash samples in order to gauge the "magma on the move," visitors' centers and vantage points on the mountain continue to have record numbers of tourists.
US Will Lack Half of Usual Supply of Flu Vaccine
Due to a suspension of the manufacturing license of Chiron, the factory that provides 50% of the US supply of the flu vaccination, US government officials are scrambling to come up with alternate plans. The British government because of sterility issues suspended the factory, located in Liverpool, England. Federal officials had hoped to have 100 million vaccine doses available to Americans this year, but now expect only 54 million doses. Authorities are also urging people to save the scarce supplies of the vaccine to those most at risk, such as adults 65 or older and infants 6 to 23 months. While authorities are currently looking for additional supplies, the Food and Drug Administration is sending a team to Britain to further study the problems found in the vaccine this year. Other manufacturers are not expected to be able to up their production, as the process of vaccine production takes too long. Tests run by the federal government several years ago indicate that half of the usual dose of the vaccine can suffice for a healthy adult.