Space Shuttle

We just learned about the Ariane rocket.

Another famous rocket is the Space Shuttle, made in the USA in 1981.

This was a kind of airplane made for doing work in outer space, and then bringing people home.
The space shuttle had two big rockets to help it launch called "Solid Rocket Boosters" or SRBs.
These are the tall skinny white rockets on either side of the shuttle.

These SRBs used solid rocket propellant, together weighed about 2.6 million pounds, were about 150 feet long, and 12 feet wide.
When the shuttle was launched, these rockets helped bring it to 28 miles up into the sky, at a speed of over 3,000 miles per hour.
They used gimbaled thrust like we learned about, to tilt the engine nozzle and steer the rocket, and they used gyroscopes to make sure they were going the right way.
After these rockets ran out of fuel, they would let go of the shuttle and fall to earth with a parachute.
When they made it down to earth, they were found and fixed up and reused over and over again.

The Space Shuttle main engine, called the SSME uses liquid fuel, and has three rocket engines with nozzles at the bottom of the space shuttle.
These engine nozzles also used gimbaled thrust, just like the SRBs.
It holds its fuel in a giant fuel tank called the Space Shuttle external tank (ET).
The ETs weighed over 70,000 pounds, was over 150 feet long, and 27 feet wide.

During launch, the SSME would burn the fuel in the fuel tank for about eight minutes, and then it would drop off the ET which would fall into the ocean and never be reused.

After it was coming back from space it used small thrusters called the Reaction Control System or RCS to help steer it down, and then it mostly flew down to earth like a glider.

The space shuttle flew 135 missions into space, from 1981 to 2011.







(from: wikipedia - space shuttle)


Space Shuttle Launch Audio - play LOUD (no music) HD 1080p - indiegun


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Seismite

Nomura's Jellyfish

We just learned about the Moon Jellyfish.

Another type of jellyfish is Nomura's Jellyfish.

This is the biggest jellyfish in the world, and can grow to be over 6 feet wide and weigh over 400 pounds!
In only six months they can grow from the size of a grain of rice to 6 feet wide.

They live over near China in the Yellow sea and East China sea.
For food these jellies start eating small things like plankton, but then as they get bigger they will eat some kinds fish.
Other animals that eat these jellies are swordfish, tuna, sunfish and leatherback turtles.
Even some people eat these, and in Japan someone makes a type of vanilla and jellyfish flavored ice cream.

They do have a sting that is painful, but as long as the person gets to a doctor they will be ok.





(from: wikipedia - nomura's jellyfish)


Nomura's Jellyfish, Japan - SuiTube5


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Blue Ringed Octopus

Circumvallate Papillae

We just learned about the Foliate Papillae.

Another part of the mouth is the Circumvallate papillae.

We know the filiform papillae are just for touch,
the fungiform papillae have taste buds,
and the foliate papillae are soft folded skin on the sides and back of the tongue with taste buds.

The circumvallate papillae are rounded on top, and the tongue has around 8 to 12 of them.
They are on the back part of the tongue, with one row on each side.
These papillae are usually bigger bumps than the other types of bumps on the tongue.



(from: wikipedia - lingual papillae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Patellar Ligament

Frankenstein Castle

We just learned about the Cairo Citadel.

Another famous castle is Frankenstein Castle built around 1252 AD near Darmstadt Germany.

In German, the word stein means "stone" and the Franks were a group of people who lived in Germany.
So Frankenstein castle means "stone of the Franks".

In the year 1818, a writer named Mary Shelley wrote the famous book about Frankenstein's Monster, and many people think that she visited the castle and got ideas for her book from the area.

Near the castle there are many scary stories about ghosts, witches and fairies living in the forest.
There is one special water fountain that stories say witches use to stay young, and there is another place with rocks that are so magnetic compasses do not work there.
Another story is that a man lived there long ago who studied chemicals and human bodies and was almost like the Doctor who made Frankenstein.

All of these stories together bring a lot of people to this castle to visit and see if any of the stories are true, but most people believe they are just stories used to scare little kids.

Either way, it really is called Frankenstein castle!






(from: wikipedia - frankenstein castle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Aguascalientes

Gospel Harmony

We just learned about the First Apology.

Another part of early Christianity is the Gospel Harmony.

We know that the four Gospel books of the New Testament in the Bible are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Long ago around 160 AD in Syria, a man named "Tatian" decided to try and put those four books together into one book, since they are all about Jesus' life.

He called this book the "Diatessaron" which means "made of four" or "mixed Gospel".

Because the word "harmony" can mean a mixture of music that sounds nice together, people call this type of writing a "Gospel Harmony".

Other people have made gospel harmonies through the years, but Tatian's Diatessaron was the first one we know about.



(from: wikipedia - diatessaron)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Saint Matthias

Konark Sun Temple

We just learned about the Rajagopuram.

Another Indian sculpture is the Konark Sun Temple, built around 1238 AD in Konark, Odisha, India.

The name Konar comes from the words Kona meaning "corner" and Arka meaning "the sun".

This 100 foot Hindu temple is made to look like a giant chariot with wheels being pulled by horse sculptures.
There are 24 wheel sculptures, and each one is over 12 feet tall.

There are seven horse sculptures made to look like they are pulling the chariot.
It has sculptures all over the building, and some other sculptures around it like elephants and people.

Next to the temple is another building called the Nata Mandir, which means Dance Temple.





(from: wikipedia - konark sun temple)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Kushan Maitreya

Norwegian - We are surprised

We just learned that in Norwegian I am happy is jeg er glad,
you are sad is Du er lei deg, he is angry is Han er sint,
and they are excited is De er begeistret.

Let's learn how to say We are surprised.

Vi er overrasket

We can break it up into two words:

We - Vi - Sounds like Vee
are - er - Sounds like ah-r
surprised - overrasket - Sounds like oh-veh-d-ask-et

So all together Vi er overrasket sounds like vee ah-r oh-veh-d-ask-et.


(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

Greek: Είναι έκπληκτοι

ASL: We are surprised

German: Wir sind begeistert

Spanish: Estamos sorprendido

French: Nous sommes surpris