Problem-Solving Prizes

People Fixing the World

• Episode: Problem-Solving Prizes
• Website: People Fixing the World
• Feed URL: http://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p04grdbc.rss
• Duration: 00:23:50
• Published: 2018-04-17 04:06

People can’t resist a prize, especially when there’s money to go with a medal, and for hundreds of years that basic human urge has been used to push humanity forward. When you focus minds and money towards a simple target, incredible things can happen - from the clock that won the Longitude prize money in the 1700s to the spacecraft that won the XPRIZE in 2004. Are there any problems that a big enough prize cannot solve? Producer & Reporter: William Kremer Photo Caption: Pilot Mike Melvill standing on Space Ship One, which went on to win the Ansari XPRIZE Photo Credit: Getty Images This programme uses a sound effect created by Freesound user bone666138 Correction: Since our interview with Marcus Shingles was recorded, he has stepped down as CEO of XPrize