From A to Z with Mrs. Sykora

Written by Elen

In this month's From A to Z, I have interviewed our math and physics teacher Mrs. Sykora. Be sure to read this article and find out what she has to say about SPACE.

Apollo

I recall the last US moon landing in 1972, Apollo 17. I was five and knew someone who worked on the moon buggy. Tang! We drank a lot of that then. Check out the astronaut connection.

Big Bang

Young Sheldon….great spin-off from TBBT

Climate change

Most serious threat and challenge facing humanity

Dark Matter

Climate change is a dark and disturbing matter.

Extinction

A far too common tragedy corporate decision makers could often prevent.

Flat Earthers

Grifters and dupes. Maybe some are just having fun with an absurd idea.

Gravity

Bohužel, NASA does not have an anti-gravity room. Instead, they use the “Vomit Comet'' to train astronauts.

Hoax

QAnon. The new integer discovered between three and four.

Invention

A Rube Goldberg machine (look it up)

Jump

Van Halen, 1984. Good song. US daredevil Evel Knievel jumping over the Snake River Canyon in a rocket in 1974.

"Karma

Chameleon” by Boy George with Culture Club, 1980s. Great song. “Instant Karma,” a John Lennon classic. We all shine on.

Leonardo da Vinci

He painted “The Last Supper,” but he never got a dinner. If anyone gets this reference, please let me know. I am betting against it.

Mars

“Boys go to Mars to get more candy bars.

 Girls go to Jupiter to get more stupider.”

A third grade Texas early 1970s playground taunt by boys. More stupider? Really?

NASA

I lived about a mile from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, USA. It was cool to see the giant Saturn V rockets, as well as touch a moon rock.

Orbit

We are orbiting the galactic center point. It takes around 225 to 250 million years, far longer than homo sapiens have existed.

Prediction for 2023

It will likely occur. Spacetime seems stable enough for that eventuality.

Quarter

A US coin worth 25 cents, still more than Amazon paid in taxes.

Rockets

I built them as a kid using homemade gunpowder and paper tubes. Never metal. Too dangerous. Brilliant flames, but they never went anywhere. Still, a lot of fun.

Sun rays

Good name for a surfing team.

Telescopes

Watch for new discoveries from the new James Webb telescope.

U.F.O.

I visited Roswell, near the site of the famous crash in New Mexico, in 2012. Saw no aliens. Even so….live long, and prosper. Nanu nanu.

Venus

Second rock from the sun.

Welcome

Selamat Datang. Indonesian phrase for “welcome'.' Often seen at the entrances to villages or wedding parties.

Xenon

The dog of the warrior princess, truly elemental in her career.

Yin-yong

“Da Da Da” by Trio (absurdist 1980s song, partly in German) Have a listen: Da Da Da.

Zenith

The brand of our first color TV. No remote control, and six channels. We enjoyed it.

SOMETHING

A good song, written by George Harrison, on the Beatles’ album “Abbey Road,” 1969