AS THE X-PRIZE COMPETITION TIGHTENS, Allen Boyle reports that someone wants to set up a new prize: “Robert Bigelow, the millionaire behind Bigelow Aerospace and a plan to develop inflatable space modules for commercial use, is floating the idea of setting up a $50 million prize for the development of a new orbital space vehicle.”

Meanwhile, donations to the Methuselah Mouse Prize, in the area of longevity research, have topped $500,000 already. I think this approach may be catching on.