Sea turtles must dive to considerable depths in search of food, yet their bodies are designed so as not to trap harmful gases during descent. Diets of turtle species vary significantly. Hawksbills live in coral reef environments and are carnivorous eaters of sponges; green turtle hatchlings consume both sea grasses and algae for sustenance. Leatherbacks…
The Saturn V rocket safely transported Apollo 11’s lunar module Eagle with Commander Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin on board to the moon for their successful moon landing. Armstrong and Aldrin used Eagle’s ascent stage to rejoin Collins before departing lunar orbit and heading back towards Earth using Eagle’s ascent stage…
Mercury is the sole planet in our Solar System without any moons due to its small size and weak gravity; too small for supporting one, plus closeness to the Sun makes survival of such bodies impossible. Its egg-shaped orbit lasts 88 Earth days and it may approach as close as 29 million miles to the…
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….
Aerospace engineers design and test aircraft, spacecraft, satellites and missiles according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, they may oversee manufacturing of these products and systems. Astronautical engineers design and construct spacecraft, the vehicles astronauts use to explore what remains mostly uncharted areas of space. This work can be both challenging and rewarding….
Each sea turtle species has a specific diet depending on its habitat and available food sources, with different-shaped jaws to efficiently consume their favorite dishes. Green sea turtles feature finely serrated beaks to scrape algae off rocks and feed on seagrasses; hatchlings of these turtles are omnivorous. Hawksbills feature bird-like beaks for accessing cracks in…
Hyenas are predators in the wild that consume birds, insects, small mammals and reptiles as their diet. These big brains have evolved to remember individual voices and ranks of clan members, helping them negotiate the strict social hierarchy without unnecessary conflict. A familiar whoop is used as a signal between clan members to signify that…
JPL launches spacecraft into orbit via launch vehicles like Soyuz or NASA’s shuttles; each one designed for specific tasks. They must generate enough thrust to counter the force of gravity pulling down on them, but to do that they require lots of fuel. How a Spacecraft is Launched Spacecraft may be efficient machines, but their…
Even though Mars has lost much of its overall magnetic field, some areas still create unique atmospheric electrodynamic structures – magnetic loops and cusps which alter how ions leave its atmosphere. Sabine Stanley and her colleagues have developed an effective technique for artificially creating these structures. Their paper published in Science details how this can…
