Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2017 i Ask Science and Arts Magazine for Kids and Children

FAKE CATERPILLARS GET BEAT UP Life is hard for a caterpillar—especially in the tropics. That’s what some scientists discovered when they set they glued caterpillars 31 spots all over the world. After a couple of weeks, the models were in rough shape. They had bites, holes, and claw marks from animals that had tried to eat them. The scientists studied these marks to find out what kinds of critters had attacked the caterpillars. They found that the closer the fake caterpillars were to the equator, the more bite marks they had. But the added danger wasn’t from birds or mammals. The extra nibbles in warmer places were from bugs, mostly ants. SPACE BUDDY The newest crew member on the International Space Station isn’t human—it’s an adorable floating robot ball. Int-Ball…

When Anne McClain found out she was going to be an astronaut, she couldn’t wait to call home. Her mom was outside gardening, and when she heard the news, “She screamed so loud that my stepfather thought that she had injured herself,” says McClain. McClain had wanted to be an astronaut for as long as she could remember, and now it was really happening! NASA picks a new group of astronauts every few years. Anyone can apply, but only a few are chosen. In 2013, NASA selected eight—including McClain—out of 6,300 applicants. Finding new astronauts takes about a year and a half. There are many tests! First, NASA checks to see if you meet the basic requirements. These are: • A college degree in science, engineering, or math. • Three…

Mika McKinnon is a geologist and physicist in Canada. She also works as a science adviser to Hollywood. We asked her about her job and what it’s like teaching science to the movies. How did you get interested in science? I watched way too much Star Trek as a kid. I am a huge fan of science fiction. But when I would ask my mom why the sky was blue, she would make me figure it out, and research it, and actually learn the answers. So I learned that science is something you can do anywhere, anytime. How did you start working on movies? A film company came to my university looking for a “string theorist” (a kind of atom scientist). I figured they were saying “string theorist” because that…

Hi there! I’m Matthew, and these are my new friends. We’re all going to be astronauts! Matthew Dominick is one of NASA’s newest astronauts, the class of 2017. Why do you want to be an astronaut? I want to explore and see things that I haven’t seen before. I grew up in Colorado, and climbing the mountains, going over the next hill, finding something I hadn’t seen before—that was huge. I love science, I love engineering, I love building things, taking things apart, understanding how they work. It’s about the question—everybody wants to know why. When I was growing up, I had a picture in my bedroom of Earth rising over the moon. It covered my entire wall, and I looked at it every day. What drew you to the…

What’s It Like in Space? by Ariel Waldman What does space smell like? How do astronauts sneeze? In space, which way is up? If you find yourself pondering odd space questions, this is a fun book to explore, with answers from astronauts who’ve really been there. Exploring Space by Martin Jenkins & Stephen Biesty From Soyuz rockets to future habitats for living on Mars, this is your complete guide to space exploration. This book is full of big, beautiful drawings with lots of interesting details, so you can really see how everything works, from airlocks to robotic rovers. Universe, here we come! Catstronauts by Drew Brockington Dogs may have been the first to space, but now the cats are catching up. This amusing comic book series follows a group of…

The universe awaits—all we need is a ship. For this month’s contest, design your very own dream spaceship for traveling the stars. How will it go? What will it have on board? Where will you visit? Send us your stunning designs, and we’ll launch a fleet of the most fantastic in an upcoming issue of Ask. Contest Rules: 1. Your contest entry must be your very own work. Ideas and words should not be copied. 2. Be sure to include your name, age, and address on your entry. 3. Only one entry per person, please. 4. If you want your work returned, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. 5. Your entry must be signed or emailed by a parent or legal guardian, saying it’s your own work and that no one…

Even the closest star to us, Proxima Centauri, is very far away. Scientists would love to get a closer look at this star and its planets. But the fastest spaceship ever built would take nearly 75,000 years to get there. That’s just too long! One team of scientists have come up with a plan that might get us there a little faster—send a swarm of very tiny probes. Why tiny? The smaller something is, the easier it is to make it go fast. They’re hoping a flock of postage-stamp-sized ships (StarChips) could travel fast enough to reach Proxima Centauri in just 20 years. There they could take pictures and collect data. If there is any life there, the StarChips might be able to find it—and say hello from Earth. Each…

No matter how zippy space ships get, there’s a limit to how fast they can go. The universe has a speed limit—nothing can travel faster than light, 186,000 miles (300,000 km) per second. This speed limit is part of space itself and isn’t going to change. Light speed is pretty fast—but space is so fantastically huge that even light takes many years to get from one star to its nearest neighbor. Space ships take much longer. The vast distances of space are a drag for space movies. Science fiction writers have come up with many clever ideas to allow people in their stories to travel faster than light. You just need warp drives, wormholes, or transporters! Will we ever see these in real life? It’s unlikely, since they bend some…

Dear Zia and Rats, I just ate two cookies and a mini pizza! I think you will really like that. Also, when I was in France skiing I heard that the squirrels there are black. See you, Tess M. Dear Tess, Skiing, pizza, and cookies make a perfect day! Avery says squirrels come in many different colors—gray and reddish-brown and black, and some are even spotted. But they all enjoy acorns. Au revoir, Zia and Rats Dear Bot, I love dogs! They are so cute! I also like robots. I can speak a little Spanish. Do you? I have a twin sister. My favorite color is blue. What’s yours? A lot of people say that blue is a boy color. I don’t think so. Sincerely, Adelynn L., age 8, California…