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Today, Earth Day, it is important to celebrate and teach kids (of all ages) about the wonders of our planet, and how to live more sustainably on it. From now through Saturday, NASA is hosting a virtual event focused on “exploring the connections between Earth’s atmosphere, water cycle, forests, fields, cities, ice caps, and climate.” The program is called #ConnectedByEarth and will include conversations with astronauts and scientists working in space, videos, and even a “kid-friendly fun zone.” The event is free — anyone can attend — to register, just click here. NASA is also asking people across the globe to post an image on social media with whatever it is on Earth that connects you to our planet using the hashtag #ConnectedByEarth. And if you are looking for a great way to explain climate change to your kids, this is a wonderful interactive guide by Julia Rosen with beautiful illustrations by Yuliya Parshina-Kottas that appears in The New York Times online. Happy Earth Day, Friends of the Planet!
Jeff Bezos’ commercial space venture, Blue Origin, plans to launch its first crewed ship to space on July 20, aboard its suborbital space tourism rocket, New Shepard. The company announced on Wednesday that one seat aboard that flight will be auctioned off to support its Club for the Future Foundation.
Why this Matters: After much anticipation, space tourism is finally happening. Really.
Continue Reading 466 wordsLast week was so busy with what was happening on Earth, there was hardly time to talk about what happened in space. To start the week, NASA launched a helicopter (named Ingenuity) on Mars — it did not just roll like the Perserverence rover — it flew and that was an amazing first that would […]
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Don’t underestimate the power of the moon. Super full moons like the one last night happen when the moon is closest to Earth, and they bring higher tides. For coastal cities like Miami or Boston or Norfolk, high tides also mean an increased risk of flooding.
Why This Matters: “In short, the moon has very strong control over how we experience sea level. It doesn’t affect sea-level rise, but it can hide or exaggerate it,” writes Brian McNoldy, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
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