Other Issues
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ISSUE 1

How does a rocket blast off?
How does a spacecraft withstand extreme heat and cold?
Why doesn't it shatter into pieces when it lands on a moon or planet?
Try these activities and discover some answers!

Keeping Cool Put a few ice cubes into a polystyrene foam cup; cover it with a lid. Place the same number of ice cubes in a paper cup; leave it uncovered. Check the ice after one hour. The ice in the polystyrene cup stays frozen longer. Now try using hot water instead of ice. The water in the polystyrene cup stays warm longer.
Space Connection: Polystyrene insulates. It is one of many materials used to insulate spacecraft, or protect them from freezing or burning up in the extreme temperatures of outer space.

Airborne Blow up a balloon and hold the opening shut as you count backward from ten. After you reach zero, let the balloon go. LIFTOFF!
Space Connection: The balloon squeezes the air inside it and the air rushes out of the balloon's opening. As it does, it pushes the balloon forward. This is similar to the way rockets blast off, but rockets use fuel instead of air.

Soft Landing Make a simple parachute by taping ten-inch lengths of string to each corner of a facial tissue. Tape the ends of all four strings to a small object, such as a mini plastic action figure. Then drop the parachute from a high place. Make and drop another parachute using a large sheet of paper instead of a tissue.
Space Connection: Air trapped under a parachute causes the falling object to slow down so that it lands softly. The larger the parachute, the slower the fall, because more trapped air is pushing up from below. When the spacecraft Pathfinder reached Mars in last July, it made a soft landing on the planet with the help of a huge parachute.

How does an Elephant get out of a tree?
It sits on a leaf and waits for Fall.

What was Batman doing up the tree?
Looking for Robins nest.

Why did the robber have a batch before he rob the bank?
He wanted a clean get away!

What happens when you dial 567856976547?
A bruise!

What is Black and White and has sixteen wheels?
A Zebra on roller skates.

1: Measure one cup of chocolate chips, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, and three tablespoons of butter into a microwave-save bowl.
2: Loosely cover the bowl with waxed paper and heat at defrost setting in the microwave oven until mixture is melted (about three minutes).
3: Stir until smooth. Them add two cups of crisp rice cereal.
4: Drop glops onto a baking sheet or plate lined with waxed paper and allow to cool. Them sample the sweet treat.

People are eating chocolate faster than it's being made. Experts say within ten years the world could face a shortage of the yummy food. Chocolate comes from beans of the Cacao tree. The trees, often grown on large plantations in the tropics, need frequent care and are easily ruined by diseases. To solve the problem, chocolate-makers are studying ways to grow healthy Cacao trees on small farms !