NASA’s going back to the moon

Storm-chasing birds

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11/21/22 Thank you for subscribing to The Cheat Sheet, from Science News Explores. If you like this newsletter, share it with a friend or colleague. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up for our weekly updates. Got questions, suggestions or comments? Email us at sns@sciencenews.org and put “The Cheat Sheet” in the subject line. We’d love to hear from you. In the News We have liftoff! Last week, NASA’s Artemis I mission finally launched. This uncrewed mission to the moon lays the groundwork to finally put boots back on lunar soil later this decade — including ones that will be worn by the first woman to walk on the moon.  The launch comes nearly 50 years after the final Apollo mission. We’ve learned a lot from the experiments those astronauts did on the moon and the lunar samples they brought back. And in the decades since Apollo, dozens of spacecraft have been sent to orbit or land on the moon, including a Chinese rover that brought back more samples. But humans could make better deep-space explorers than any machine. And they’ve been practicing plenty. So far, astronauts have spent their longest stints in space aboard the International Space Station.  NASA’s goal now is to send spacefarers to the never-before-explored lunar south pole, which holds a trove of water ice in its cratered surface. But that’s not all. The Artemis program is just a stepping stone to eventually send astronauts to Mars, which has only ever been explored by space robots.  The next Artemis mission, which could fly as early as 2024, will have astronauts onboard. And Artemis III in 2025 is expected to land the first woman astronaut on the moon, with other lunar voyages following roughly once a year to build up infrastructure for astronauts to live there long-term. Back on Earth, scientists are prepping to make the lunar terrain livable by building moon dust vacuums and trying to farm in lunar soil.   A New Magazine for Kids Learn more and subscribe to Science News Explores, a new magazine designed to satisfy young readers’ curiosity about how the world works.      SUBSCRIBE NOW   Catch up with the latest from Science News Explores Jets may have sculpted rings of Cat’s Eye nebula: This gassy celestial object is one of the most complex of its kind. A 3-D model now reveals the source of that complexity. Readability: 6.3 Resources: power words, alternate version at Science News If mosquitoes vanished, would we miss them? Vampire spiders might: These spiders get their meals from blood-filled Anopheles mosquitoes. But if those insects disappear, these spiders will likely adapt. Readability: 7.6 Resources: power words, alternate version at Science News Forever chemicals show up in students' school uniforms: Researchers found PFAS chemicals — ones that never naturally break down — in clothing worn by kids, including school uniforms. Studies have linked these compounds to health risks. Readability: 7.2 Resources: power words Let’s learn about microplastics: See why microplastics have turned up everywhere, from the highest mountains to the bottom of the ocean — even inside animals and people. Readability: 6.9 Resources: power words, word find puzzle, video Some seabirds survive typhoons by flying into them: Some birds take massive detours to avoid cyclones. But shearwaters caught between land and a storm’s eye sometimes fly toward the storm’s center. ​​​​​​​Readability: 6.8 Resources: power words, alternate version at Science News Should we use a genetic weapon against mosquitoes carrying malaria?: One new tool — a gene drive — seems to eliminate malaria carriers in the lab. Now it’s time to ask local people if they want this tech released in the wild. Readability: 7.7 Resources: power words, classroom questions, word find puzzle, alternate version at Science News Scientists Say: Astronaut: Astronauts have been going to space for over 60 years. Readability: 6.2 Resources: power words, audio recording Opportunity To improve the Cheat Sheet, the Science News Explores team has put together a brief (5-minute) survey about this newsletter. We invite you to tell us what you like — or hate. Feel free to even suggest new content that would make our newsletter more valuable to you, your kids or your students. All respondents are eligible to win a free print issue of Science News Explores. Thanks in advance for your feedback!   Find out more about the resources available for using Science News Explores stories for learning. And if you like this newsletter, please share it with a friend or colleague. Did someone share this with you? Subscribe to this newsletter here. If you’ve got questions, suggestions or comments, email us at sns@sciencenews.org. Thank you for reading! Privacy policy  |  Update Profile  | Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe This email was sent by: Society for Science 1719 N Street NW Washington, DC, 20036, US