How to Get a Spacecraft to the Moon

Moon exploration has long been an exciting prospect, drawing the interest of various agencies and private companies alike – though their attempts often resulted in mixed outcomes. Surveyor 5 was equipped with a scoop designed to “weigh” lunar rocks, returning images that helped scientists map its surface composition. Mission controllers sent it crashing towards the…

Learn About the Solar System and the Planets in Spanish

Kids can gain a great deal of knowledge about our Solar System and Spanish by listening to songs with catchy rhythms that help them memorize words easily. They may also watch films featuring Spanish dialogue that provide additional information about planets and objects within it. Mars is a parched planet with limited water supplies and…

The Life Cycle of a Flower

Students can explore the life cycle of flowers through colorful photographs, charts and diagrams to showcase this topic. Flowers produce nectar to attract insects and animals that serve as pollinators to ensure reproduction; by moving from flower to flower sipping nectar they transfer pollen between plants. Seed Seeds are the starting point of every flowering…

What is the Planet Closest to Earth in Size?

People frequently ask, “Which planet is closest to Earth in size?” Unfortunately, the answer lies within how distance is measured. Kepler-452b, located 1,194 light years from Earth, is approximately 60% larger than Earth and orbits within its host star’s habitable zone, giving researchers reason to believe there’s an excellent chance it could support life. Venus…

Why is the Sky Really Blue?

Sky blue color results from air molecules scattering light. Short wavelengths like blues bounce around more, while longer ones such as red can just wiggle through more freely. Rayleigh scattering was first developed by Lord Rayleigh in 1871. The Sun One major contributor to why the sky appears blue is due to sunlight hitting Earth’s…

The National Archive Digitizes Apollo Mission Footage at High Resolution

National Archive employees collaborated closely with filmmakers to digitize their film footage at high resolution for better clarity than would have been possible with original technical restrictions. Miller did not exploit this aspect in his movie. Instead, Miller used this image of astronauts wearing spacesuits as an allusion to their monumental mission and its associated…