Female butterflies lay many eggs to increase the odds that at least some will survive and continue their lives as butterflies. As soon as eggs hatch they transform into larvae or caterpillars which feed and develop while also shedding their skin periodically. Once a caterpillar has completed its life cycle, it forms a protective shell…
Spacecraft designers craft hardware specifically tailored for outer space travel. Ranging from orbiting satellites and space vehicles that travel between planets to missions that explore distant corners of space, each piece must withstand its challenging surroundings. After adopting a mission, detailed designs are drawn up and Engineering Models (EM) and Qualification Models (QM) constructed. These…
Numerous animals found on savannas are plant eaters (herbivores), and get most of their sustenance from grazing various types of grasses. Gazelles and zebras specialize in eating lower grass while others, like giraffes, can reach high up in trees for leaves they need for nourishment. Animals of a savanna also employ strategies to evade predators….
Apollo wasn’t always popular among the general public. Following Apollo 1’s tragic accident that claimed astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Roger Chaffee and Edward White’s lives, there was widespread public disbelief regarding both its cost and complexity of sending humans to space. NASA was ultimately successful in fulfilling their goal of landing humans on the Moon,…
Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), like other wild animals, must fight for survival. Cheetahs hunt by sight from high points such as termite mounds or kopjes (small rocky hills). Predators feed on various antelope species, including Thomson’s gazelle and Grant’s gazelle as well as hares and birds. When encountering people, attacks will only occur out of self-defense….
As opposed to temperature and rainfall changes that leave their imprint in sedimentary layers, tree rings, or ice cores, clouds have the ability to dissipate quickly – and when this happens, computer simulations indicate that climate tipping points could result in 8 additional degrees of warming globally over the course of one century – this…
A girl and her mother gather frog spawn from a pond, then watch as the jellylike eggs hatch and grow into tadpoles. Large easy-to-read illustrations combine with factual information for this tale of discovery that also includes environmental warnings and care-taking advice. An effective way for students to explore animal growth and metamorphosis is with…
On July 24, 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin successfully descended to the Moon, taking photographs, collecting specimens from rocks and soil samples, installing a laser-ranging reflector and passive seismograph (a moonquake detector), as well as speaking with President Nixon. But their descent was far from uneventful – during a powered descent an alarm went off that…
Germination (break-open of seeds) requires oxygen, water and temperature conditions that meet specific parameters for them to germinate (become open). This process is known as germination. Seedlings form roots and leaves to gather water, nutrients and sunlight for photosynthesis to produce food for themselves – this process helps them grow into mature plants which blossom…
