Wallops Island, VA, USA. With NASA focused on deep-space missions, the federal government is increasingly turning to private companies to handle more routine flights. Now, states are competing to lure the space entrepreneurs — and the high-tech jobs they promise — to their new or refashioned launch facilities.

The 62-foot-tall Minotaur 1 rocket that stands on the launch pad on Wallops Island, off the Eastern Shore of Virginia, encapsulates much about the near future of space flight in the United States.

Washington, DC, USA. State, national, and local policymakers should elevate K-12 science education to the same importance as reading and mathematics, says the National Research Council, recommending ways to improve K-12 education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The report grew from a request by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to identify highly successful K-12 schools and programs in STEM fields.