Posts Tagged ‘planet’
Getting Kids Interested in Science – 40 Years of Bringing Science to Life in The Classroom
In 1961, John F. Kennedy famously beckoned the American people to journey into space and reach the moon by decade’s end. Both challenged and encouraged by our young president’s infectious and visionary attitude – the country heeded his call.
Space Exploration Disproves Evolution
Does space exploration shed any light on the theory of evolution? Not exactly. It “sheds” more darkness than light.
The Black Space Experience
The roots of the black space experience date back some 8,500 years when the first lunar calendar was crafted from a bone. Like ancient peoples elsewhere in the world, Africans (sub-Saharan black peoples) “shared the same inspiration and awe of the stars” and “struggled to make sense of it [through] creativity and intelligence” [1] patiently taking “countless generations to watch, justify and map the heavens”[2] and define their relationship with them. According to Dr. Thebe Medupe, a prominent astronomer at the University of Cape Town and the South African Astronomical Observatory, “[Africans] shaped constellations out of stellar patterns and came up with stories about them, …constructed calendars to organize their lives and even erected stone alignments… to follow the sun’s ‘path’ throughout the year.”[3] It was for this reason that Bernard Harris, Jr., the first black astronaut to walk in space stated, “When we look at history itself, you realize that astronomy – the study of the stars – that whole origin… [was] being done by people from Africa. And now I get to fly amongst those same stars” when emphasizing the importance of knowing and understanding history – “If you don’t know where you are and where you came from, you’ll never know where you are going.”[4]
Space Exploration – What’s Out There?
The first Space Exploration started in 1957 with the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, sent into space by the Soviets. Since ancient times people have dreamed of leaving their home planet and exploring other worlds not known to man. Every era through out history has had a belief as to what the “heavens” are made form. The Greeks believed that the stars and space were made of a material called “Quitenses”, and other culture once thought that the stars were made of their peoples passed away.
When Science-fiction Becomes Reality
According to Wikipedia, science-fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology. There are many movies featuring events, gadgets, creatures and people that are very unlikely to encounter, meet or happen in real life. But as time passes by and science and technology keep on advancing and improving, many elements which are considered belonging to science-fiction movie are now coming to life.
Science Fiction Throughout the Ages and Into the Future
The evolution of science fiction movies over the last 50 years can be attributed to much more than the advances in special effects and movie-making technology (although those changes have had an effect); the biggest influence on scifi during this time period are the events that occurred in the real world. These past five decades leading up to today have been subject to an ever-accelerating onslaught of technological achievements and world-changing events.