Living in Space

by Joan Marie Galat 

Photo credit: NASA

Astronauts have been living over our heads—in outer space—on a continuous basis since 2000. It takes three astronauts to run the International Space Station (ISS) but up to ten may be on board at one time. The entire structure is as big as a football field but the living area is only about the size of a five-bedroom house. Giant solar panels power the station. Some of the electricity is used to split water into gas to generate oxygen for the astronauts. The ISS orbits the Earth at a speed of 28,500 kilometres per hour. That’s eight kilometres a second—25 times faster than the speed of sound! 

I wanted to know what it’s like to live on the ISS, and made plans to write a book on the topic. As part of my research, I visited NASA facilities and watched a SpaceX Falcon heavy rocket launch. The result is the middle grade novel Mortimer: Rat Race to Space (DCB 2022). Written for ages 9-12, it tells the story of a journal-keeping lab rat who sets out to collect scientific evidence that will prove his species is the one that should colonize Mars. Mortimer records video for his future YouTube channel, but not everything goes as planned. He is forced to face new truths about dreams, friendships, and choosing the right thing to do. You can read an excerpt on Amazon.ca or Amazon.com. 

I collected much more information than I could use, including these facts: 

- Astronauts can’t be too tall or short. If you want to be an astronaut, try to grow taller than 62 inches but stay below 75 inches. 

- American astronauts must have 20/20 vision, even if that means wearing glasses, contacts, or undergoing eye surgery. 

- In the USA, jet pilots with at least 1000 hours of flying time, and teachers who have taught K-12, can apply to be astronauts. 

- Astronauts practice everything they’ll do in space on Earth. This includes how to fix malfunctioning equipment, use cameras, conduct experiments, make a meal, stow equipment, and even store trash. 

- Every astronaut has a university education and experience in engineering, biological science, physical science, or math. 

- Astronauts find out what it’s like to be weightless before they go into space. They practice floating inside a high flying plane known as the vomit comet. The plane flies to an altitude of 24,000 feet then climbs at a 45 degree angle to reach 34,000 feet. It then enters a controlled free fall which involves traveling to 24,000 feet in a gradual curve, following a 30-degree descent. This gives about 20 seconds of being weightless. The sensation of weightlessness makes a lot of people feel nauseous. Passengers in the vomit comet also feel 1.8 times heavier when the plane reaches its lowest point. 

- You can experience a few seconds of being weightless when you go down a sudden drop on a rollercoaster or other amusement park ride. 

If you’d like to see the International Space Station pass by at night, visit the Resources page of my website to access information on alerts for your area. If you’re an educator interested in a STEM or STEAM-themed presentation based on Mortimer: Rat Race to Space, contact me to ask about my virtual session—A Rat, A Rocket, and Science. As well as fun science, it includes literacy-building discussion on research, misinformation, and writing.

It’s Chemical!

By Adrienne Montgomerie

In advertising and in popular writing, especially about health concerns, chemical is used to mean harmful. As science writers and science-literate people, we know that chemical isn’t a synonym for harmful. Not all chemicals are harmful, and besides, everything is a chemical. So how can we, as science communicators, help readers understand the message by using more accurate language?

What writers mean by chemical

When we read chemical, the writer often means

• harmful
• unnatural
• artificial

The truth about artificial chemicals

Some chemicals are good and some are harmful. And some are good because they are harmful. Think of chlorine bleach, for example. It is deadly in large doses, and that’s what makes it useful for disinfecting drinking water. Chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is an artificial chemical.

There is a common perception that artificial or manufactured chemicals are more toxic than natural ones. You don’t have to look beyond the periodic table to find natural chemicals (or elements, in this case) that are highly toxic: lead, plutonium, and mercury, for example.

The truth about natural chemicals

Yes, natural substances are chemicals. Everything is a chemical! Water is dihydrogen oxide and salt is sodium chloride. The difference between an artificial chemical and a natural one is that the natural one can be found in nature, without anyone making it.

To those who tell me “It’s natural, so it can’t hurt you” (I swear, people really say this to me) I respond, “You mean like poison ivy and peanuts?”

Of course they know that these natural things are quite harmful to some people. But they’ve gotten caught up in some rhetoric and need a little nudge to remember the truth they know.

Even arsenic is a natural chemical. It’s made in Earth’s crust and often makes its way to the surface because of mining operations. Arsenic is a deadly natural chemical. So is the botulism toxin. In fact, botulism is more than a million times more toxic than arsenic.

Synthetic forms of natural chemicals

What! Enter the grey area: chemicals we find in nature but that are manufactured in larger quantities than it would be reasonable to get from the natural sources. Vitamin C comes to mind. So does alcohol. Most synthetics are chemically identical to the natural form.

Some synthetic forms are actually safer than the natural form because of the natural source is prone to being bound up with some less desirable “by-products.”

Better terms

When we are writing or editing, let’s steer toward using terms that promote a better understanding of science, and of the world around us. Avoid using chemical when synthetic or harmful are the intended meaning.

Writing Workshop for MISSA

By Paula Johanson

Science writing is work that expands my mind. For me writing goes well with kayaking. Best way to clear the cobwebs out of my head after writing about Biofuels or Energy is to head out on the water in my kayak! And often while I'm on the water, there are interesting animals or stones or weather that make me resolve to write as soon as I get back to shore.
Most of my books are for Young Adult readers -- books on science or health or literature, for school libraries from educational publishers. Now I've got a writing workshop to teach in June that will take me to Pedder Bay. Writing and kayaking on the same weekend -- yay!

Jo-Ann Richards' photo shows the dock at Pearson College - borrowed from Facebook

This summer, I will teach a two-day writing workshop for Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts at Pearson College of the Pacific! MISSA is hosting my class Writing Non-Fiction for Young Readers, on June 28-29 2014. This workshop immerses writers in the process of writing non-fiction, starting with generating ideas and query letters and then preparing outlines and book proposals. Young readers need non-fiction books and stories of many kinds, suited to their ages and interests.

Looking forward to bunking at the college and paddling Pedder Bay before my class...

MISSA is a terrific program for arts -- consider making your summer learning my class, maybe followed by a week-long workshop by another instructor! Look at these photos of the fabulous location for MISSA, which takes place at Pearson College of the Pacific right on the shore of Pedder Bay.

Science magazines for kids

A few days ago an email arrived in my inbox from a Toronto colleague -- health writer Jane Langille -- to let me know about a new science magazine. (Thanks, Jane!)

I really enjoyed exploring the website (see Brainspace below), and that made me think about other children's magazines that cater to science interests.

Here are a few science magazines for kids that I know about:

Owl Kids: For me, Owl magazine and its cohorts Chirp and chickaDEE, each geared for a specific age group, remain the standard for Canadian kids' magazines. Owl, geared for nine- to 13-year-old readers, began as a nature and science magazine, but in recent years expanded its scope to include many other subjects and themes. It's been around for some 35 years, and it's still winning awards.

Owl also has an attractive website with content to explore geared for kids as well as teachers & parents. For example, the World Watch section offers links to causes of all types, including science-related topics.

Brainspace: New kid on the block, Brainspace is available through a website offering videos, a blog, and special content for students as well as teachers & parents. This Canadian magazine promises to offer interesting articles on math, geography, technology, and more.

If you've seen the September issue, please let me know: can the cover really talk? And how does it do that?


In my opinion, there's always room for more magazines offering content designed for readers in specific age groups, especially when the articles cover science. When I searched for children's science magazines, I found lots of links.

Odyssey: This is a science magazine designed for readers aged nine to 14, and the website says it intends to make its readers excited about science. Its topic range includes traditional school science subjects like physics and biology, as well as the environment, technology, and careers in the science fields.

Odyssey is part of the Cobblestone & Cricket family of magazines. Cricket has many different magazines geared for various ages and interests offered through Carus publishing (US). Each magazine has its own website, and the Odyssey site is full of interesting content and sample articles.

Kids Discover: While searching for magazines about science for kids, I came across this website. The Kids Discover website says it was started by a parent/publisher in 1991. It carries several science or science-related topics in its content list, from earth to space sciences.

I don't know much about this online magazine, but the website certainly looks interesting and I was able to read some samples of the content. Has anyone read it? What did you think? (Please leave a comment below.)


Do you have any favourite science magazines? Or any favourite magazines that have interesting articles about science?

Please leave a comment -- and share a link!

By Marie Powell

Marie Powell is the author of seven books for children, including Dragonflies are Amazing (Scholastic) and a new six-book series of Word Families books published by Amicus Publishing. 

Mesopotamia Comes to Canada

This Post by Helaine Becker www.helainebecker.com

In my 2010 book, What's the Big Idea?, I took a look at some of the most important and influential inventions in the history of the world - from the point of view of kids. What was more important - TV, or clocks? Cars, or toilet paper?

Many of the key inventions we rely on today had roots in earlier inventions (like the clock). We take those early items for granted, but without them, we wouldn't have many others. For example, that clock is at the heart of many of our best-loved tools and toys: televisions and computers, airplanes and cars, bicycles and (ahem) school.

The first schools can be traced to Mesopotamia, where scribes needed to be trained for another big league new invention - written language. Mesopotamia, in fact, was home to dozens of these life and culture-changing innovations. (Can anyone say "beer?")

That's why I was so thrilled to learn that the Royal Ontario Museum is hosting a new exhibit, Mesopotamia: Inventing Our World. More than 170 artifacts, most never before seen in Canada, will be on display.

 I'll be going ASAP. If you go, let me know what you think!

What Simon Cowell has taught me about writing

Okay, I confess (but don't tell anyone). I really like reality TV talent shows, particularly Britain's Got Talent and the X Factor. American Idol also has its moments. Over the last couple of years, I've been struck with the notion that there are equivalents between me and my writing and those would-be singers. Plugging away at my craft, facing the judgment of literary journals, agents, granting bodies and publishers, and dealing with the mostly rejections and occasion encouragement or minor success, I think I've learned from the successes and failures of the likes of Susan Boyle and Chris Maloney and the countless others whose names I have forgotten or never knew. Amid all the strutting and crooning and crying, I've gleaned a think or two. Here's my attempt at summarizing what Simon Cowell and his friends have taught me:

1 There are many reasons that people with talent don’t make it. These reasons might include:

·         Someone judging had a fight with their girlfriend/boyfriend/hairdresser

·         Someone judging is drunk or under the influence of narcotics

·         Someone, like a producer, gave bad advice

·         The person with talent chose the wrong song/genre/medium, etc.

·         The person with talent has the personality of a wet noodle.

2  There are many differences in opinion; don’t trust what any one person says, but if lots of people say the same thing, they are more likely to be right.

3  Just because you think you have talent doesn’t mean you actually do. We can delude ourselves.

4 Just because you don’t think you have much talent, doesn’t mean you don’t. We can underestimate ourselves.

5 Sometimes you should listen to no, and sometimes you shouldn’t. (See 2,3, and 4 above.)

6 Young people are capable of a great deal, not just in terms of raw talent, but drive, dedication and maturity.

7  Humans like surprises, in art as well as in people.

8  Everyone likes a good rags to riches story, but especially the rags part.

9 People considered strange in everyday life are often fascinating and attractive if put on a stage. Big personalities need distance to be most appreciated. NOTE: there is such a thing as being too weird (see below).

 10.   Talent in restraint with the occasional burst of brilliance is ideal. A wild streak is great, as long as it is just a streak and not a full immersion.

  11.   Humility is appealing. So is authenticity.

 12.   Hard work and determination are essential, but not enough on their own.

  

 13. There is a big difference between good and great.

Making it Accessible

A short article on the links between success in the classroom and success on the page.

"...there are many things I've learned from being a science writer that transfer extremely well to teaching. Here are three of them: (1) a student is a complete person, and the class he or she is taking is but one part of his or her life; (2) if I am not excited about something

, I can not hope to excite a student about something; and (3) no matter how exciting something is, it needs to be accessible."