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Spacecraft Disaster in Mojave Desert; Boko Haram Continues Terrorism in Nigeria; U.S. Political Dynasties Rule; Sistine Chapel Protected by High Technology
Aired November 03, 2014 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to standard time and to this November, 3 edition of CNN STUDENT NEWS. Hope you are doing well this Monday. I`M
Carl Azuz.
First up, investigators are trying to figure out what caused another spacecraft disaster in the U.S. 45,000 feet above the Earth and about 20
miles northeast of Mojave, California, the Virgin Galactic Spaceship 2 broke up in a test flight Friday.
There were two pilots on board. One was killed in the accident, the other parachuted to the ground. He was injured, but he survived. The founder of
the spaceships company says he`s determined to find out what went wrong and to learn from it. He`s still committed to putting people safely in the
orbit, but the accident wrapped up a tragic and trying week for private space travel.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ground control lost contact with the experimental spacecraft around 10:000 Pacific Time. The half billion dollar rocket
power craft could sit six passengers, but during this test flight, only two pilots were on board. The Spaceship is carried into flight beneath an
airplane. And that launch vehicle returned to the ground safely, but not the spacecraft. What went wrong is anyone`s guess. The ship is 60 feet
long and designed to fly 62 miles above the earth. And the wreckage in the Mojave Desert attests to the ferocity of the explosion.
A crumpled parachute could be seen on the ground, but still authorities say one pilot was killed and the other seriously injured.
It`s a far cry from the ambitious hopes Virgin Galactic Founder Richard Branson expressed earlier this year.
RICHARD BRANSON, VIRGIN GROUP, FOUNDER: 200 of the best engineers and technicians building them. Now we are beginning the final stages of test
flights in flight. By the end of this year, you know, we will eventually gone (ph) interspace.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Instead, it is another blow to the idea of privatized space travel, and it comes only days after a spectacular Launchpad
explosion in Virginia, a blast that involved a spacecraft once again manufactured by a private company.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: A militant Islamic group in Africa is denying making a deal with Nigeria`s government. More than 200 schoolgirls who were abducted back in
April have not been freed. This contradicts what the Nigerian government announced in October. It said, it had agreed on a ceasefire with Boko
Haram terrorists. And that the girls would be set free.
But there were doubts about that because Boko Haram continued to attack Nigerians after the statement was made. The terrorist group leader says
the girls, some of them Christians, had converted to Islam and that they`ve been "married off." Nigeria`s government says it`s been fighting a war,
and wars don`t end overnight.
We are following sun east to west as we take today`s roll. First, in the Garden State. The New Jersey borough of Collingswood. We`ve got the
panthers of Collingswood High School.
In the show me state, the city of Kansas City, Missouri, hello to the Vikings of Maple Park Middle School. And to the Grand Canyon state at
Apache Junction High School in Apache Junction, Arizona, the prospectors have just struck gold. Thanks for watching, yo.
Tomorrow is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. That means it`s Election Day. The U.S. Congress made the designation in 1845.
This time around, we are not voting for a president, midterm elections determine who represent us in Congress, who will be governor in certain
states and who will serve in other state and local offices.
America declared its independence from Britain, which used to be ruled by kings and queens. So why do we seem to have our own political royalty?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America is a country that rejected royalty when it was founded, but it seems to love dynasties, political dynasties. The Adams`s.
The Roosevelt`s, the Kennedys and in modern times, the Bush family.
GEORGE W. BUSH: I, George Walker Bush do solemnly swear. And the Clinton family.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: I, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are among the most popular names in U.S. politics today, but this year`s midterm elections feature branches of several family
trees. Sam Nunn was a powerful U.S. Senator from the state of Georgia. Now he`s given his daughter Michelle an assist in her bid for his old job.
SAM NUNN: And I think you`ve got a pretty good shot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there`s another budding family legacy in Georgia.
JIMMY CARTER: The next governor of Georgia, my grandson Jason Carter.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that`s former U.S. President Jimmy Carter endorsing his grandson Jason for an office he once held, governor of
Georgia. It`s in the family, from Alaska where the son of a former congressman is running for re-election in the Senate, to Louisiana, where
the daughter of a former New Orleans mayor is trying to keep her Senate seat. And it`s all building toward what could be the big showdown between
political dynasties two years from now. The wife of a president, Hillary Clinton versus the son and brother of president, Jeb Bush, in the race for
the White House.
But why do families dominate the political landscape? Well, name recognition goes a long way. Among other things, analysts say family ties
can make it easier for candidates to connect with donors, and political campaigns are more expensive than ever.
In 2012, winning Senate candidate spent an average of $10 million to get elected, and that year`s presidential candidates spent a combined $2
billion, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Keeping things all in the family might make it easier to run for president, but not
everyone likes the idea.
BARBARA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY: If we can`t find more than two or three families to run for high office, that`s silly.
MANN: Like it or not, political dynasties are part of the American DNA. Jonathan Mann, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See if you can I.D. me. I`m a place plus of worship that was opened to the public 502 years ago, I`m considered one of the
greatest achievements in art, as he painted my frescos, Michelangelo wrote a poem about how difficult it was for him. Do you know it? I`m the
Sistine Chapel, as he painted part of this masterpiece, Michelangelo wrote, "I`m not in the right place, I`m not a painter."
AZUZ: Michelangelo`s incredible achievement has been incredibly enduring. Not only for its timeless depictions of scenes from the Bible, but that it
stayed in place and stayed vivid since 1512. It was restored once from the 1980s to the 1990s, and it`s seeing some enlightening changes now, because
age alone isn`t the only threat to the Renaissance monument.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: High above the altar in the Vatican Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo`s masterpiece fresco is being seen in the whole new
light. The new glow is a result of a high tech makeover, which includes a new air purification system and 7,000 LED lights. All of which will serve
to illuminate, but will not cause any heat damage.
450 years after Michelangelo`s death, this is an emotional moment for many.
ANTHONIA PAOLUCCI, HEAD OF THE VATICAN MUSEUMS (through translator): I felt very moved and very happy, too. Why? Because I got to see the
Sistine Chapel like I had never seen it before. This light allows you to see every little detail of the paintings and at the same time, it allows
you to craft (ph) and experience the Sistine Chapel as a whole in its entirety.
SOARES: Experts hope the facelift will safeguard Michelangelo`s centuries old artwork, from the damage caused by the ever-growing crowds, who bring
in with them that dust and sweat and breathe out carbon dioxide. So, from now on, sensors and cameras mounted on the wall, will count the number of
people in the Chapel and regulate the temperature and humidity. And if the numbers of tourists continue to rise, the Vatican says it may have to limit
the numbers of visitors.
PAOLUCCI: When we reach 6 million, enough. No more. We will not exceed that number. It is the maximum number. After that, regulating the
reservations, we will make sure that number is not exceeded.
SOARES: Bold and enlightening moves that will ensure that no fresco is left in the shadows. Isa Soares, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: It`s college class exercise that can be completed in less than two minutes. If you make it, you get an A and the winner can get $500 in
scholarships. All you have to do is walk on water. It`s part of an architectural construction class at Florida International University.
Students design and build water shoes, then put them to the test trying to cross a 175-foot lake. Some make it, some get soaked, some do both.
Everyone gets exercise. Because it`s a great way to work out or work in your waterobics. It gets students in the swim of design, whether they like
it or not. It`s a trendy way to make waves with everyone wearing boat shoes, and now that you`ve been inundated with puns, we are going to climb
out and fish for more stories for you to soak in tomorrow.
I`m Carl Azuz.
END
