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