What would happen if an asteroid hit our Moon?

Most asteroids are small and slow enough that they just hit the Moon to create a new crater. Even the largest asteroid, Ceres - with  a diameter of 975km (605 miles) wouldn't cause lasting damage. On the other hand, it would cause a spectacular explosion that would be visible from Earth! To remotely displace or break up the moon, it would take an object of roughly the same size  - which won't happen!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Bites-Short-Tour-Universe-ebook/dp/B00LHOXRO4

Follow the rest of my #SummerofScience and me on Twitter @Sci_Sparks. Don’t forget to download my charity eBook, Science Bites: A Short Tour of the Universe HERE. 

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Why do we get used to smells?

The city people out there, might wonder why the heck farmers get used to that "countryside" smell. Although our nervous system has evolved to become progressively less sensitive to a stimulus (in this case a smell). This enables us to concentrate more on the new sights/smells that might pose more of a "danger" to us. We also have what's called an olfactory memory that discards smells that we've experienced recently - so you don't notice the smell of your house when you come back from work, but it smells different when you come back from your holiday!

Follow the rest of my #SummerofScience and me on Twitter @Sci_Sparks. Don’t forget to download my charity eBook, Science Bites: A Short Tour of the Universe HERE.

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Our 21st Century World

We now see the world through different eyes. Whether it's global warming and the Europe-wide thunderstorms or the middle-eastern crisis. Whatever it is... we can't help but look at our world through different eyes. So today, I thought as part of the Summer of Science I'd put a collection of my favorite pictures of Earth together. 

And no, this picture hasn't been photoshopped!! 

Just for good measure - one of the coolest astronaut selfies!


Follow the rest of my #SummerofScience and me on Twitter @Sci_Sparks. Don’t forget to download my charity eBook, Science Bites: A Short Tour of the Universe HERE. 

Science through the eyes of a 16 year old

I went to the Big Bang Fair Eastern, presenting my project - communicating the science of space and space travel. Although I didn't win anything, I came back to the amazing news that my eBook that I'd made free for the day had reached the top 100 in free science books. By the end of the night my eBook reached number 3 on free science books!

I absolutely love science communication - but many teenagers are put off by what they're taught in science lessons. I reckon this is partly due to the fact revision for the GCSE's always seems to become learning huge lists of bullet point information. To a lot of teenagers - they often don't know or understand the point of what they learn.

So what can be done?? In my opinion it's about getting teenagers and school aged children to see beyond the classroom which what I've tried to address with my eBook, Science Bites. I've covered many topics that you do in school up until GCSE level - I've then adapted them to make it fun for people of all ages to read, you can download my eBook here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Bites-Short-Tour-Universe-ebook/dp/B00LHOXRO4. 

Follow the rest of my #SummerofScience and me on Twitter @Sci_Sparks. Don’t forget to download my charity eBook, Science Bites: A Short Tour of the Universe HERE. 

What would wi-fi look like if we could see it?

How do we know what the Milky Way looks like?

You're right, it's really difficult to deduce the shape of the Milky Way, the main reason of course being that we're in it! On the other hand, astronomers can map the distribution of the stars and motion of them really easily. This research indicates that we're orbiting a 'central bulge' , this means the planets and stars are distributed along a thin plane. The most convincing evidence for the structure of the Milky Way comes from the studies of gas clouds - here they measure the velocities and positions of these clouds. So although we know we have spiral clouds - we have no idea how many spiral arms there are!

Follow the rest of my #SummerofScience and me on Twitter @Sci_Sparks. Don’t forget to download my charity eBook, Science Bites: A Short Tour of the Universe HERE. 

Making Straw Rockets!

Over Space Week, I made Straw Rockets with year 7's who absolutely loved them, so I thought I would share with you how to make them! 

 1. This is all the equipment you'll need.

- Paper (I used lined just because it's easier to cut in  a straight line, but use any paper you like. Some people where using card which is okay, but difficult to roll)

- Post it Notes These just make it really easy to make the fins with as it's manipulatively VERY easy.

- Scissors

-A Straw (it's not shown in the picture as I don't have any)

- A pen (or wooden pencil) to roll your straw rocket around

2. Cut the ripped bit of the paper off if it's from a notepad :)

3. Cut a strip of paper, about the width of your little finger. The length isn't too important, just make sure it's not too short! If necessary you might need to chop it down. Get your pen ready as I've shown in the picture. 

4. Have the paper at an angle then begin to roll it around you pen/pencil. Make sure it's not too tight. Once you've reached the end of the pen/pencil and if you have paper left over then chop the excess off. 

5. Add sticky tape in three places ; each end and the middle. This should keep things secure. 

6. If you take it off the pen/pencil, at one end you should be looking at something like the picture. 

7. Pinch the end and fold over the triangle, then secure it with sticky tape. 

 8. Get 3 of the Post it Notes ready.

9. Fold them in half diagonally, then cut it. This should leave you with three right angled triangles with one of the shorter sides all sticky. 

10. If you've made your rocket quite small then you might want to cut down the size of the fins, do this by cutting down the longest side of the triangle. 

11. Stick each of the fins on so it should look something like the picture. It's easiest to do this with the pen/pencil still in place. 

12. The post it notes may not be too secure, if that's the case then secure it with a piece of sticky tape. 

13. Your finished! Feel free to decorate it! You can either use it as you would a paper rocket/plane or put a straw in then blow into the straw to launch it! 

Keep following my updates on #SummerofScience (@Sci_Sparks) and download my charity kindle book - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Bites-Short-Tour-Universe-ebook/dp/B00LHOXRO4

http://howsciworks.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/summer-of-science.htm

Space Week - To infinity and beyond!!

A trip into space can be yours for $250,000 USD. It may sound a little science fiction, but it’s soon to become science fact. Over 700 astronauts have already booked their place on board Virgin’s next project: Virgin Galactic – furthering the space frontier. Once you’re confirmed you become one of the selected few to visit Necker Island with Sir Richard Branson, that’s after you’ve completed g-force training.  You could be treated with one of the select few – normal, everyday people to go into space. In 2023, the Mars One mission will send its first ever manned spacecraft along the 8 month journey to the Red Planet – 4 normal people from four separate continents out of more than 200,000 first time applicants. They’ll leave Earth without the promise of a return ticket – quite literally travelling into the unknown.

I’ve been doing a Gold CREST Award communicating space and space travel to predominantly teenagers. This led to Space Week that started on the 30th June.  I began Space Week by organising three talks from Professor Carolin Crawford, who is a Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College in London. In 2009 her outstanding science communication abilities were recognised when she received the “Women of Outstanding Achievement Award” by the UK Resource Centre for women in science. She spoke to a year 8, 10 and 12 group on Saturn, The Red Planet – Mars and the Age of the Universe.

I also taught two year 7 lessons covering the history and future of space travel – the impact it will have on your lives and your children’s. They started learning about the space race, where I had them making straw rockets – which I think they found great fun!! On the second lesson they learnt about the present of space travel; even designing a meal for British astronaut Tim Peake to eat on board the ISS (The international Space Station).  We then talked about the prospects of life on Mars and the Mars one mission – aiming to put a human colony on Mars. By the end of the lesson I convinced about half of the group that they would want to live on Mars – although the prospect of free Wi-Fi was a huge incentive!

Throughout the week I ran a competition to design an astronaut’s suit fit for life on Mars. All the entries that I received were amazing – creative and extremely well researched. Congratulations to the winner, who had a portable drinks machine attached to her astronauts suit and radars to receive warnings from Earth!

To end the week I released an eBook; “Science Bites: A Short Tour of the Universe” for £1.51. All the proceeds are going to Keech Hospices. I’ve sold around 130 copies so far so please download it and leave feedback! Overall I think it was a great week, hopefully I’ve managed to convince a couple of people to change their mind about science and get them interested in space travel.

 You can also see the press write up in the Herts and Essex Observer - http://www.hertsandessexobserver.co.uk/Education/School-Report/Space-week-at-Stortfords-Herts-and-Essex-High-School-20140705145305.htm . Don't forget to download my eBook, Science Bites. Follow my #SummerofScience and me on Twitter @Sci_Sparks

Come back tomorrow for instructions on how to make the Straw Rockets. 

Prince George Turns 1...

Could he be going on a flight to Australia- and get there in 5 hours? 

Prince George, the baby that has everything! He even had around 4,000 presents from across the world  to celebrate his first birthday yesterday. This year he went on his first royal tour, to Australia and New Zealand. In the future, could our future king reach Australia in 5 hours? It sounds very science fiction - but it's really not! 

Concorde was one of the fastest planes in our history, it was decommissioned in 2003. Since then supersonic travel became a thing of the past. But work has now begun on a passenger aircraft - one created by the European Space Agency, to create a hypersonic passenger plane. It's designed to fly 5 times faster than the speed of sound and six times faster than a standard airliner. 

This isn't the first time hypersonic flight has been attempted. In 1960, tests took place on an aircraft that was called X-15, half plane and half missile. The craft carried one pilot and flew for 90 seconds until the fuel burnt out. The creators of the X-15 thought that this would herald a new era of high-speed civil aviation. However more than 50 years later a hypersonic passenger plane has yet to be tested or even built. 

Now a team led by the European Space Agency, known as Lapcat, are working on an aircraft called the A2, which could take up where the X-15 left off. Could this herald a new - real era of passenger air travel. 

Continue reading the main story sound and so on

Follow the rest of my #SummerofScience and me on Twitter @Sci_Sparks. Don’t forget to download my charity eBook, Science Bites: A Short Tour of the Universe HERE. 

Prince George Turns 1! His official Birthday pictures...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE!

#SummerofScience Day 6