Star Tracker

We just learned about the Accelerometer.

Another guidance system that rockets can use is the Star Tracker.

When a rocket is way up in the sky, it might not be able to talk to any of the computers on the ground to find out where it is, especially if there are a lot of clouds or bad weather.

But if the rocket is up above the clouds and it is dark, the rocket can use cameras to look up into space and see the stars.
These stars can be compared to a star chart that says where each star is, and it can use this chart to keep itself on course, whether it's going to the moon, outer space, or even another planet!


(from: wikipedia - star tracker)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Numerical Control - CNC

Flapjack Octopus

We just learned about the Armhook Squid.

Another cephalopod is the Flapjack Octopus, also known as the opisthoteuthis californiana.

These octopuses are able to flatten themselves out very thin, almost like a pancake or flapjack, so that's where they get the nickname.

Just like the Dumbo Octopus, their arms are all webbed together like a skirt, and they also use the fins on their head or mantle to help them swim.
They very deep in the ocean, and like the Vampire Squid just eat whatever garbage is floating around in the water.

The little octopus named Pearl in the movie Finding Nemo was a Flapjack Octopus.
Unlike the movie though, the flapjack octopus does not have an ink sac, so they can not squirt out ink like Pearl does in the movie!


(from: wikipedia - opisthoteuthis californiana)


Flapjack Octopus - GirlScientist

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Common Reed Frog

Wisdom Tooth

We just learned about the Maxillary Second Molar.

The next tooth back in the mouth is the Wisdom Toothor Third Molar.

This tooth is a molar just like the first and second molars.
Many times there is not enough room in a person's mouth for these teeth, so a dentist or orthodontist will pull the teeth out.

If these teeth stay in the mouth, they can push up against the other teeth and hurt them.
Sometimes the gums in the mouth can get swollen or bruised by these teeth.




(from: wikipedia - wisdom tooth)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lunula

Blarney Castle

We just learned about Bran Castle.

Another famous castle is Blarney Castle in Blarney Ireland, built in 1210 AD, and then rebuilt in 1446 by the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty after it had been destroyed.

This castle is probably most famous for being the home of the "Blarney Stone", which is a rock made out of limestone built into the castle by a machicolation

A machicolation is a hole in the floor by the top of the castle where people could drop things like big rocks down on people trying to invade the castle.

The Blarney stone is at one of these machicolations, so there is a gap between where the top walkway of the castle is, and where the Blarney Stone is.

There are many legends about where the Blarney Stone came from, with some saying it was a gift from an old goddess, and some saying it was a part of a very important stone used in ceremonies to crown the king of Sctoland.

Nobody really knows for sure where it came from, but there is a legend that if you kiss the Blarney Stone you will get the gift of speaking Blarney, which means to be funny and smart and get people to believe whatever you say.

To kiss the Blarney Stone, you have to have someone hold on to you, and you lay on your back leaning way out over the hole and then kiss the stone!
It used to be very dangerous to try this, but now they have some safety rails up to help people not fall.
Kissing the Blarney Stone is so famous that Sherlock Holmes wrote a mystery story about a man who fell off the castle while trying to kiss it!




(from: wikipedia - blarney castle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: New Brunswick

Urban - bishop of Macedonia

We just learned about Amplias - Bishop of Odyssus, one of the seventy disciples.

Another of the seventy was Urban - bishop of Macedonia.

Urban went out and spread the word of God in the land of Macedonia, which is in southern Europe.


(from: wikipedia - urban of macedonia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Proverbs 17 - A Joyful Heart

Flying Horse of Gansu

We just learned about the Mao Gong Ding.

Another ancient Chinese sculpture is the Flying Horse of Gansu, also called the Bronze Running Horse or the Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow.

This sculpture was found underneath a monastery in an old tomb with over 200 different bronze sculptures.

The horse in this sculpture is a type of horse called Tianma, which means heavenly horse.
These horses came from a place called Ferghana, and they were such great horses that the Emperor of China gave them the nickname of heavenly horse.

The statue is perfectly balanced on just one foot, which is stepping on top of a bird.
This is supposed to mean that the horse runs so fast it is almost like it is flying through the air with the birds.



(from: wikipedia - flying horse of gansu)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: David - Donatello

Greek - Counting to Twenty

We counted to 15 in Greek, let's keep going!

16 δεκαέξι (dekaéxi) - sounds like day-kah-AY-k-see
17 δεκαεπτά (dekaeptá) - sounds like day-kah-ay-p-TAH
18 δεκαοχτώ (dekaochtó) - sounds like day-kah-oh-k-TOH
19 δεκαεννέα (dekaennéa) - sounds like day-kah-ay-n-EE-ah
20 είκοσι (eíkosi) - sounds like ay-EE-koh-see


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

ASL: sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty

Italian: sedici, diciassette, diciotto, diciannove, venti

German: sechzehn, siebzehn, achtzehn, neunzehn, zwanzig

Spanish: dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve, veinte

French: seize, dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf, vingt