ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 11, 1996 TAG: 9602090111
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: F-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM WIRE REPORTS
Q: Last summer, the news reported on a giant iceberg that had broken off Antarctica and floated north. What ever happened to it?
A: Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge had to wait until Antarctica's summer (our winter) to obtain more images from satellites. David Vaughan, a glaciologist at the agency, said recently that an image taken in January showed the iceberg - which broke away from Antarctica's Larsen Ice Shelf last Feb. 28-29 - had broken into smaller pieces. ``The largest is stuck on some islands about 200 kilometers [124 miles] northwest of the Antarctic peninsula,'' he said. If it moves again, further breakup is likely, with no danger expected in populated areas.
Q: What does the government consider poverty levels to be for a single person and for a family in the United States?
A: The Census Bureau's Housing and Household Economics Statistics division tracks the numbers. Preliminary statistics for 1995 were released Feb. 1. They are computed on a national basis and don't vary by state or city. The poverty thresholds are based on a household's gross income, Census Bureau spokeswoman Jean Tash said. For one person younger than 65, $7,929; one person 65 or older, $7,309. Two people with householder younger than 65, $10,259; two people with householder 65 or older, $9,221. Three people, $12,156. Four people, $15,570. Five people, $18,407. Six people, $20,808. Seven people, $23,573. Eight people, $26,148. Nine or more people, $31,159.
Q: What is the origin of Rx?
A: The Latin word recipere (``take this'') provides the R. The slant across the R's leg is the sign of the Roman god Jupiter, patron of medicine. The symbol looks like ``R'' and ``x'' and is pronounced that way. It has been used by pharmacists for centuries.
Q: My Brownie troop wants to send Valentine's Day cards to American soldiers in Bosnia. Is there an address we should use?
A: The Defense Department has two addresses specifically for Valentine greetings to troops taking part in the Bosnia mission. For Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps land forces: No Greater Love, c/o Operation Joint Endeavor, APO AE 09391. For Navy and Marine Corps personnel aboard ship: No Greater Love, c/o Operation Joint Endeavor, FPO AE 09392.
Q: What is the schedule for rocket launches this year from the Kennedy Space Center?
A: The next unmanned launch is NASA's Near Earth Rendezvous spacecraft, scheduled Feb. 16, with liftoff during a one-minute launch window opening at 3:52 p.m. The next space shuttle launch will be Feb. 22: Columbia, with seven astronauts aboard. The launch window is 2 1/2 hours starting at 3:18 p.m. Other planned space shuttle launches: March 21, Atlantis, with a planned docking with the Russian MIR space station; May 16, Endeavour, carrying the Spacehab 4 laboratory module; June 27, Columbia, with a life and microgravity science laboratory aboard; Aug. 1, Atlantis, another mission to dock with the Russian MIR space station; Nov. 7, Columbia, with a German payload and the commercial weight shield facility; and, the last space shuttle launch of the year, Atlantis, no earlier than Dec. 9, the fifth flight to dock with the Russian MIR space station. Call 407-867-4636 for launch updates.
LENGTH: Medium: 65 linesby CNB