--www.ncicap.org--] >> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm veronique. here's this week's top story. one of the highest compliments you can pay someone is to call him or her a rocket scientist. but as our next report shows, you don't really have to be a genius to build a rocket and successfully launch it. >> before we get into that, here's a short lesson on the history of rockets. [ asian-style music plays ] when the chinese invented the

first rockets, they didn't care that their rockets blew up midair because they mostly used them to create fireworks. fast forward 2,000 years, and a british soldier named congreve turned rockets into weapons, an idea he borrowed from india. but controlling their flight was difficult, and his own soldiers were as likely to be hit by the erratically flying missiles as the enemy. rocketry really didn't take off until an american named goddard successfully launched the first liquid-fuel rocket in 1926. [ explosions ] during world war ii, england was bombardeded by german rockets called the v1 and the v2. hitler hoped his "vengeance rockets" would pound the english into surrender. fortunately, they didn't. after the war, rockets began to be used for more peaceful purposes.

plays ] >> today a new moon is in the sky -- a 23-inch metal sphere placed in orbit by a russian rocket. >> in 1957, the russians sent the first artificial satellite, sputnik i, into orbit. >> you are hearing the actual signals transmitted by the earth-circling satellite -- one of the great scientific feats of the age. [ beeping ] >> those eerie beeps from high above the earth set off the great space race between russia and the united states. and while the soviets were the first to send a man into space, america was the first to land a man on the moon. >> it's one small step for man... one...giant leap for mankind. [ slow orchestral music plays ] >> in 1981, nasa built the first reusable manned rocket ship, officially called the

we know it as the space shuttle. during their 30 years in service, these amazing craft flew 135 missions. watching the giant orbiter glide back to earth was always a thrilling sight. >> main gear touchdown. >> the european space agency got late into the rocket game, but in 2014, they were able to land the robotic explorer philae on a speeding comet. >> we are sitting on the surface. philae's talking to us. more data to come. [ cheers and applause ] [ mid-tempo orchestral music plays ] 5...4...3...2...1! [ cheers and applause ] >> and more recently, there was celebrating on our side of the

atlantic ocean. nasa's probe new horizons crossed an ocean of deep space on a 9-year mission to fly by the dwarf planet pluto. it sent back incredible photos from 3 billion miles away. [ music continues ] one of the world's preeminent scientists, stephen hawking, sent words of congratulations. >> i would like to congratulate the new horizon's team and nasa on their pioneering decade long mission to explore the pluto system in the kuiper belt. >> professor hawking is paralyzed and speaks with the help of a computer. you can learn more about his incredible story in the hit movie "the theory of everything." hopefully you now have a pretty good grasp of just how important rockets are in our world -- and out of it. when we return, you'll meet some high-school students who took top honors in an international rocketry challenge. "teen kids news" will be right

>> here's the challenge -- to build a rocket that will fly about 800 feet into the sky carrying a raw egg, and then the rocket has to return to earth gently enough so as not to crack the egg. here's a look at what i mean. >> 3...2...1...launch! >> yes! [ scattered cheers ] >> our rocket has to fly to an altitude of 800 feet... >> while carrying an egg which cannot crack upon re-entry to the earth. >> our rocket has to come down between 46 to 48 seconds. >> it has to be under 650 grams, and there's a limit of 22 inches

[ up-tempo music plays ] >> pretty cool, especially if you're the egg. but it's also cool if you're one of the teens who helped build and launch a rocket that can do that. and that's what the international rocketry challenge is all about. joining us from tv station waff in huntsville, alabama, are members of the rocketry team from the russellville city schools. hey, guys. why don't you introduce yourselves? >> hi. i'm katie burns. >> i'm mark keeton, the head sponsor. >> i'm andrew heath, and this is the rest of our team. >> first of all, congratulations. you not only won the team america rocketry challenge, you went on to win the international finals, as well. what was that like? >> well, it was extremely exciting. you know, after putting in all that hard work and working the long hours, after winning, it felt amazing. >> it was very overwhelming. it was just a great experience to be able to go, and it was

be there and compete with the rest of the teams. >> just so everyone understands the exact rules, explain what you were judged on. >> well, we were challenged to build a rocket. that rocket had to reach an altitude of 800 feet, return within a flight time of 46 to 48 seconds, and safely carry a raw chicken's egg. and also, in the international competition, we also had to do a 10-minute presentation along with a question-and-answer section afterwards. >> in all, how many teams were you competing against? >> to be able to go to washington, there was around 700 teams, and once we got to washington, there was actually 101 teams, and in paris there was 3. >> wow! from 700 teams to just 3? mr. keeton, what would you say the team's secret for success was? >> i believe the team's secret to success had to be the motivation and drive that all of these students had. we went out into the field, we

they just persevered. >> andrew, katie, what got you interested in rocketry in the first place? >> well, a lot of what got me interested in rocketry had to do with one of my old science teachers. he started up robotics and rocketry teams, and he really got me started with getting interested in both robotics and rocketry. >> i got interested in rocketry by the best robotics team before, and they had just -- we -- they had asked me to be on it, and i thought it was gonna be a great little club to be in, so... >> so, what does a rocketry club do during the year? >> well, most teams that compete in the tarc competition start around september. we actually have a robotics competition that is in the fall, so we're not able to start until january. so, while this does give us a late start, once we do get started, you know, we hit the ground running. >> mr. keeton, why is rocketry

important? >> well, i believe that they said it best on "star trek" -- that space is the final frontier. and we, as a human race -- we have that motivation, that drive, to want to seek out the unknown and to expand and move out from where we currently are. i really don't think it's any coincidence that back when the space race was going on in the 1950s and '60s that both westerns and science fiction were immensely popular in both film and television. both have very striking similarities between the two -- westward expansion and expanding out into space. >> andrew, what would you say to other teens who might be interested in joining a rocketry club? >> well, i say, "go for it." it's been a great experience for me, and it's not something where you think you have to be rocket-scientist material. it's something that -- especially with model rocketry, it's something for all ages.

easy to do. you know, we always try to tell anybody that's interested in starting up specifically a tarc team to reach out to us, and we're very open to helping them, you know, get on their feet and get going. >> terrific! and congratulations again on your big win. i'll bet you're still flying >> oh, yeah. >> yes. >> most definitely. >> joining a rocketry club is more than just a blast. it might launch you on a great career in science. you can follow the link on our website for more information. for teen kids news, i'm eric. >> i'll tell you about a movement that's giving more sports. "teen kids news" will be right

>> in schools all across the

u.s., a major change is taking place. as daniella reports, when it comes to sports, the playing field is being leveled. >> to play sports, you often need... >> strength. >> high stamina. >> talent and athleticism. >> and that's just what these athletes have. but for too many students, their biggest disability isn't a physical limitation. rather, it's the lack of opportunity to participate. that, however, is changing, thanks to a movement called adapted sports. >> adapted sports are really sports that are designed specifically for kids with disabilities. >> the white house says that students with disabilities shouldn't be sidelined. they need to be given the same chance to play sports as other students. sometimes that just means making some simple adjustments to existing programs. for example... >> if you're deaf, you could use a starting light, as opposed to the starting gun, in order to run on the track-and-field team. >> in other cases, school districts will need to set up programs that are specifically geared to disabled students. the new guidelines encourage

schools to follow the lead of states like georgia. the american association of adapted sports programs has been supporting disabled athletes here for over 20 years. >> i would tell anyone who questions the athletic-ness of adapted sports very simply, "come watch a game." [ crowd cheering ] >> when i was first approached, my opinion was, "you know, i don't want my son playing in a wheelchair environment." and i could have been -- nothing could have been further from the truth as far as what it's done for him and how competitive it is. >> we all know that playing a sport can be good for any kid. aside from the health benefits, it builds discipline and confidence. >> sports has taught me to be a better person, a more social person. you have friendly conversations out there on the court, but it's also taught me that, like, drive in life -- to, you know, never give up and always be the person that you want to be. and if you set our mind to it,

you can do it. and i mean, that's true in sports, and that's what it's taught me. >> it's estimated that 1.5 million american kids are eligible for this kind of experience, but it's going to take a lot of work to get school districts to make the necessary changes. and that's where terry's organization comes in. >> so we led a whole advocacy effort working with members of congress and the administration to get some new guidelines out there that really tell schools what's required in terms of providing kids with disabilities an equal opportutunity to play sports. >> it's all about getting everyone into the game. if you want to learn more, there's a link on our website. for "teen kids news," i'm daniella. [ bat cracks ] [ cheers and applause ] the first dome stadium in mlb history was the astrodome in houston, texas, which housed the houston astros from 1965 to 1999. it was also the first mlb stadium to ever use artificial turf, which explains the term "astroturf."

because of the success of the astrodome, there are now seven different major league teams that play their home games in domed ball parks.

>> knowing what to do in a medical emergency can be life-saving. that's why knowing first aid is so important. >> little miss muffet had it right.tle miss muffet had it when that spider sat down beside her, she ran away. and while many of us would do exactly what little miss muffet did, for the most part, spiders are harmless, right? >> in the u.s., the vast majority of spiders are not dangerous to humans. >> so if we're bitten by a harmless spider, do we need to apply first aid? >> yes, wash that spider bite with soap and water two or three

times a day until it heals. also, you can apply a cold compress, which is basically just an ice pack. just make sure that there is a piece of cloth between your skin and the ice. >> what spiders are dangerous? >> hmm. there's two of main concern. first is the black widow. it's identified by this red hourglass, but it's on the underside of its body. the second is the brown recluse, which also has a marking on its back in the shape of a violin. if you think you've been stung by either of these spiders, call 911. >> you know, the more i learn about spiders, the more i'm convinced that they're just little, ugly, disgusting creatures. ugh! for "teen kids news," i'm emily. >> sharks are the fiercest predators of the sea. their unique sense of smell enables them to hunt down prey many miles away. however, global warming is putting sharks into hot water. rising temperatures are causing carbon-dioxide levels in the ocean to rise.

causes a decrease in the shark's ability to smell, and that makes it harder for them to survive. and while you might not think that's a bad thing, it really is. sharks play a vital role in the food chain. without these apex predators, the ocean's ecosystem could collapse. and that would be a disaster, and for not just the sharks but for us, as well. >> this message is brought to you by the national road safety foundation. they want you to keep your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road, and your mind on driving. >> i'm ready to go! [ engine turns over, tires squeal ] >> dude, i'm running late. i'll be there as fast as i can.

[ engine revving ] [ tires screech ] [ crash ] [ siren wailing ] [ cheers and applause ] [ heart beating ] [ cheers and applause ] [ flatline ] >> life is not a race! go your own pace! [ cheers and applause ] >> for almost 1,000 years, it's bee the place of coronations and funerals of british royalty. that story next on

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>> in the center of london is the area known as westminster. it's home to some of england's most iconic structures. for example, there's the palace of westminster, more commonly known as the houses of parliament. it's the seat of british government. next to the parliament is the stately four-sided clock tower most people call "big ben," but its official name is actually elizabeth's tower. and just beyond the clock is the collegiate church of st. peter at westminster, but this beautiful building is known the world over by a far simpler name -- westminster abbey. [ organ plays ] rebuilt a number of times over the centuries, there's been a church here since the early

[ music continues ] it became a gothic cathedral in the 11th century, when king edward iii began building the present structure. one of the abbey's first coronations was held in 1066 -- for william the conqueror. since then, just about every english ruler was crowned sitting in king edward's chair. [ mendelssohn's "wedding march" plays ] the abbey has also been the location for many royal weddings, including that of prince william and kate middleton. one of the greatest honors britain has to offer is to be buried or commemorated here in westminster abbey. this is where queen elizabeth i lies. in fact, more than 3,000 others are buried here. in the central nave are sir isaac newton and charles darwin. in the area known as the poets' corner, there's geoffrey chaucer, charles dickens, and rudyard kipling. perhaps the award for greatest

humility goes to the 17th-century poet and playwright ben jonson. he had asked the king for just 18 square inches of floor space, so he was buried standing up. there are other rich and famous luminaries who aren't buried here but had memorial services -- for example, winston churchill... william shakespeare... and lady di, princess of wales. while some of the greatest figures in history are under the floor, when visiting, be sure to look up. the vaulted ceilings and stained glass are incredible. in fact, those are hallmarks of the gothic style. popular in medieval times, you can recognize gothic architecture by a number of design elements. arches come to a point. ceilings. there's usually a giant window in the shape of a flower, hence the name "rose window." and then there are the flying buttresses. they're less a design element and more of a structural necessity.

they keep the upper walls from being pushed outward by the weight of the roof. the soaring twin towers that flank the west entrance are a relatively new addition. they were added in the 18th century. above this entrance are 10 statues honoring martyrs of the 20th century. this one is of dr. martin luther king jr. i bet the man credited as one of the architects of civil rights never dreamed of holding such a prominent place in british architecture. for "teen kids news," i'm nicole. >> hope you enjoyed this week's program, and we hope you join us again next week for "teen kids news."

>> here's a shout-out to pr newswire for including "teen kids news" on their big screen in times square,