X PRIZE Foundation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The original Ansari X Prize was presented on November 6, 2004.

The X Prize Foundation is a non-profit prize institute based in Santa Monica, California [1].

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Mission

The mission of the X PRIZE Foundation is to create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. X PRIZE began its mission by offering the US$10 million Ansari X PRIZE to encourage private exploration of space. Based on the success of the Ansari X PRIZE, the Foundation is now widely regarded as the premiere prize management institute in the world.

Activities

The Wirefly X PRIZE Cup

The Wirefly X Prize Cup is the current iteration of an ambitious project launched in 1995 to spur private enterprise towards spaceflight and exploration. The 2006 Wirefly X Prize Cup, scheduled for October 20-21 in Las Cruces, NM, and is the latest effort by the X Prize Foundation to continue encouraging innovation in the private sector.

The 2006 Wirefly X Prize Cup will focus on rocketry and lunar landing technology, offering up $2.5 million in prizes to teams competing in several distinct competitions related to the general theme. The exposition will also feature high-powered rocket launches and exhibits intended to boost public interest in aerospace technology.

Archon X PRIZE

The Archon X Prize for genomics, the second X Prize to be awarded by the X Prize Foundation, based in Santa Monica, California, was announced October 4th, 2006. The Archon X Prize in genomics, a joint effort of the X Prize Foundation and the J. Craig Venter Science Foundation, is a $10 million to be awarded to "the first Team that can build a device and use it to sequence 100 human genomes within 10 days or less, with an accuracy of no more than one error in every 10,000 bases sequenced, with sequences accurately covering at least 98% of the genome, and at a recurring cost of no more than $10,000 per genome."

Ansari X PRIZE

The Ansari X PRIZE was designed to be a catalyst for the private space tourism industry. While only one team was able to take home the Ansari X PRIZE it is expected that several private companies will create reusable launch vehicles over the next few years.

Automotive X PRIZE

The goal of the Automotive X PRIZE[2] is to stimulate and showcase true market innovations that:

• Radically reduce petroleum consumption and harmful emissions
• Prove demand for a new generation of super-efficient vehicles that are amazing, desirable, affordable and mainstream

New Prize Fields

On 2006 October 4 the foundation announced the Archon X-Prize for Genomics^[1] of 10 million US dollars for the first team that can map 100 individual genomes within 10 days.^[2]

Related prizes are NASA's Centennial Challenges (Lunar Landing Analog & Suborbital Payload, Orbital, Energy, Nanotechnology, Genomics, Education, Humanitarian).

WTN X Prize

WTN X Prize

Board of Trustees

The current Board of Trustees is comprised of the following:

• Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman;
• Robert K. Weiss, Vice Chairman;
• Eric Anderson, Anousheh Ansari, Amir Ansari, Jack Bader, Richard Garriott, Ron Henges, William Holekamp, Takafumi Horie, Kevin Kalkhoven, Byron Lichtenberg, Dean Kamen, Erik Lindbergh, Gregg Maryniak, Diane Murphy, Elon Musk, Rod O'Connor, Larry Page, Adeo Ressi, Barry Silverstein, Richard Sugden, Barry Thompson, and Craig Venter.

References

1. ^ $10m prize for super genetic test BBC 2006-10-04
2. ^ X PRIZE Foundation Announces Largest Medical Prize in History X Prize 2006-10-04

Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2007, January 6). FL: Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. Retrieved January 6, 2007, from http://www.wikipedia.org