Advancements on Mars Spacecrafts

Photo Source: Pixabay

Artemis SLS, Starship... Do you know any of these names? No? Don't worry, most people don’t. These names correspond to spacecraft, and in this blog post, I will try to explain as much as possible about them. We will talk about their tests and production timelines. If you want to stay updated, follow EVERYDAY ASTRONAUT on YouTube.

First, we will start with Artemis. Artemis it’s the program that will land "the first woman and the next man" on the Moon. The program is mainly financed by NASA but expects international partnerships to play a critical role in advancing Artemis as the next step towards the long-term goal of establishing an expedition team and a sustainable presence on the Moon, laying the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy, and eventually sending humans to Mars. This mission will serve as a test for more advanced Mars missions.

The SLS (Space Launch System), is a NASA-made rocket that uses 2 SRBs or solid rocket boosters which can be found on the space shuttle but these are a bit stretched upwards. SLS will also use 4 RS-25 engines on the first stage, these 4 engines are also found on the space shuttle, but the shuttle only used 3.

The first mission will be unmanned (that means that no crew will be needed). They will use 3 things to get there and thousands to be ready, they will need a gateway which is the name for the lunar space station, they will also need a separately launched lander and separately launched crew. These missions will start to take place in 2024 according to NASA.

Starship is our next spacecraft. This one is made by private company Space X. This spacecraft was tested many times and its most recent one was a crash, but not a failure. Elon Musk himself said there was a 10-15% chance that it would land. This test was unmanned as well and will keep testing with different models.

The starship uses many engines. I don’t know the exact number, but these engines are new; they are called Raptor engines and were made by Space X themselves. I will record a video making a replica of the hop that SN8 did on a simulation game called Kerbal Space Program. You can watch my video replica here. This rocket is a concept to make colonies on the moon and Mars or even on other planets, but they will start with the Moon and Mars.

Photo Source Everyday Astronaut

In conclusion, many of these rockets will fly on in the near future. They represent the most recent advancements in space exploration and the hope we may all someday have a chance to visit other planets in our lifetime.

Written by Diego Puertas

7th Grader

Racism in America

I am pretty sure that you think that Covid -19 is the only problem around the world, but that is not true. The African- Americans are - again-  having problems in the United States due to social discrimination and injustice. The most famous social injustice was the one held against George Floyd, who was killed in cold blood by police officers and recorded in a video. The video became viral and the Black community decided to protest. Many other episodes of police brutality have happened in the last months.

These injustices are not new. Black people are often discriminated against and killed for no reason.

Long ago, African- Americans were not treated equally. They could go to the same school as white people,  they could not sit at the same lunch table to eat their lunch and they could not even go to the same bathroom, or drink from the same water fountain as the white people did. Black people were demanded to stand on busses, while white people could sit. White people would refuse to sell their houses to people, just because of their skin color. Black people’s salaries were lower in comparison to White people’s ones. 

In Atlanta, Georgia, an African American called Martin Luther King Jr. decided to give a speech to change the laws and the way society worked. He saw that African Americans were forbidden to relate to white folks. He said, “I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." 

That speech inspired a change back then and could be used also to inspire us today as well. Let’s remember that Martin Luther King wanted us to fight for our rights. He wanted the law to be changed into a more fair one, that African Americans were not judged by their skin color or religion, but by their actions and values.

Let’s hope one day we get to see that African Americans, and everyone in the world, are treated fairly.

Written by Carlos Graveley

5th Grader

Toxic Friendships

When we hear the word 'toxic' we think of two things: death or a relationship sinking. However, we never think of friendships being toxic and that's where I come in with this writing piece. I hope you really enjoy and learn from it.

Let’s start with saying what makes a good friendship. Well, there are lots of opinions on that, but I think that a good friendship is all about honesty and respect, and when one of those values lack in a friendship, it becomes a toxic one.

I am going to start with an example: Two friends, let’s call them Eloise and Elisabeth. Let’s assume that Elisabeth always gets good grades and Honor Rolls, but her best friend, Eloise, doesn't. Even though she tries her very best, she always gets a bad grade. They always help each other, until one day Eloise starts to get jealous of Elisabeth’s grades, so she copies all her works, she tells people lies about Elisabeth, but in front of her, she acts very kindly. Elisabeth on the other hand never noticed that Eloise was being a toxic friend until they graduated from high school when she caught her lying and talking bad stuff about her to a teacher.

See? All that time Elisabeth didn’t confront her because she trusted her. Jealousy empowered Eloise and she didn’t think, she just acted on her emotions. Situations like this happen especially around the people we spend the most time with, our friends.

As we all know, we are all different, and that is okay... that is actually what makes us special! However, sometimes we want to be like others and by doing this we can end up hurting ourselves, and others too.

Once, I had a very good friend. She was sweet and caring and respectful, but there was a time when she started treating me like an object. She only spent time with me when I went to her, and she talked bad about me to her "new friends." One day, I even told her a real deep secret and she shared it without my permission. Now I am good friends with this person, but I don’t think I will ever forget how this moment affected me.

If a friend you trust and love with your heart speaks badly about you to others, bullies you in a way that hurts you, but they make you believe they don't,  reveals your deepest secrets, and acts like he/she doesn't really like you, then that person is not a real friend, and does not deserve that very important title in your life.

"When you have everything in life, you have friends, when you have nothing, you have true friends."

 

                                                    Oscar Bimpong

By Maria Alejandra Vásquez

5th Grader

Black History Month 2021: The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity.

Today we will talk about Black History Month, why it's celebrated and why does it matter. I hope you enjoy this article and learn more about this important celebration.

Black History Month it's celebrated each year in February to honor the triumphs and struggles of African-Americans throughout U.S. history, including the civil rights movement, the Harlem Renaissance, and other artistic, cultural and political achievements. The theme of Black History Month for 2021 is "The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity."

According to History.com, Black History Month honors the contributions of African Americans to U.S. history. Among prominent figures are Madam C.J. Walker, who was the first U.S. woman to become a self-made millionaire; George Washington Carver, who derived nearly 300 products from the peanut; Rosa Parks, who sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and galvanized the civil rights movement; and Shirley Chisholm, who was the first African American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

To me, Black History Month is a celebration where we remember the meaning of our roots, and the need to respect others, regardless of the color of their skin. The world is no longer black and white.

Origins of this Celebration

The origin of black history begins in Chicago during the summer of 1915. An alumnus of the University of Chicago with many friends in the city, Carter G. Woodson traveled from Washington, D.C. to participate in a national celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Emancipation, sponsored by the state of Illinois. He created an event called the "Negro History Week". Thousands of African Americans traveled from across the country to see exhibits highlighting the progress their people had made since the destruction of slavery.

Why does it matter?

In my opinion, it matters because it is an important date where you need to be grateful for and enjoy our diversity and color. Think about how boring the world would be if we were all exactly the same. Always remember to be yourself and respect others and their culture because our true beauty lies in the fact that we ARE DIFFERENT.

Written by Paula Garcia

6th Grader

How to rock a Zoom Party this Valentine's Day!

Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

Just like Lance Reynald once said, “True friends stay with you no matter the distance or time that separates you from them.” Valentine's day is nearby and because of all this quarantine time we have, and our current COVID-19 situation, we will barely be able to see our friends face to face. We will have to see them through Zoom... Yeah, I know, not the usual, but you can still rock it!

Zoom parties are really fun, but they require dedication and creativity to be engaging. Here are some easy tips to make the best zoom party ever!

Schedule 

Try to find a date and a time where everyone can go, but try to send the invitations at least a week before. DO NOT  forget to have a zoom link that is easily visible so your attendees know how to enter!

Plan ahead

 Never organize a zoom party without knowing what you are going to be doing. Whatever the option, each and every one of your party guests should be happy with it. Here are suggestions of games you can play along with friends during a Zoom party:

a) Roblox

b) Among us

c) Fortnite

d) Minecraft

e) Freefire

f) Pubg

g)Raft

h) Scribble

i) Human fall flat

j) Would you rather: In this fun game your friends get asked questions and have to choose one of the given options, for example, "Would you rather visit every country in the World or be able to play any musical instrument?"  This is a great game to get to know your friends. Just remember to plan your questions ahead of time!  If you need ideas, you can find some here!

Other activities you can do while in the meeting:

• Watch a newly released movie, ask your guests to have their popcorn, PJs, and slippers ready!
• Talk, tell funny jokes.
• Have a shared lunch, ask your guests to bring their favorite snacks along!

On the day of the event...

Send all your guests a reminder for the party, that way they will not forget. Enter 5 minutes before the start time and wait for them. Make sure to give everyone a proper time to enter the meeting (and don't waste energy thinking that no one is going to join it).

Once everyone joins, start with your planned activities, but also remember to be flexible, and listen to your guests' opinions. An option in case people want to do different things at a point is to work with the Breakout Rooms option in Zoom and allow guests to chose what they want to do. The point is for everyone to have a good time.

Well, these are all the tips that I can give you. I hope they all work out for you and your friends! Let me know in the comments how you did with your party and if any of these tips were useful to you!  Happy Valentine's Day! Have fun!

Written by Maria Alejandra Ramirez de la Rosa

6th Grader

How to cope with peer pressure

Peer pressure is when your friends, peers, pals, or however you call them, pressure you to do things. Sometimes the things you do because of them are good, but sometimes they are bad... really bad.

First of all, peer pressure does not happen to kids only, it can happen to grown ups too. As I already said, there are two types of peer pressure, positive and negative. Since good or positive peer pressure isn’t harmful, I will talk about the negative one. Also, keep in mind that your family rules are the ones you need to follow. Don't pay attention to anyone if they are telling you to break one of them somehow.

Examples of negative peer pressure:

1- Smoking is bad for everyone's health, even when you are not the one doing it. If you are close to people, it can affect your lungs and theirs! It is very common and easy to persuade other people to do it, that is why the “JUST SAY NO!” campaign was popular and aimed to teach kids about the dangers of cigarettes, alcohol, and other types of drugs.

2- Drinking (alcohol) is something only adults are supposed to do. When you drink alcohol it runs through your blood stream, just like any other food, but it makes you lose control and alters your Nervous System, especially when it is too much. If adults aren’t necessarily strong enough to control it, imagine kids! This is why you shouldn’t let your peers make you do this.

3- Skipping school for fun is not the worst, but it can get you into serious trouble. Your parents might take away stuff you like and you might get a detention so, try hard not to do this and other things that might get you into trouble.

There are much more types of negative and positive peer pressure but I’m going to leave it up to here, just try listening to yourself and thinking about what is wrong and what is right because as Oscar de la Renta once said you need to "Be the designer of your own destiny."

               

 Written by Maria Alejandra Vasquez

5th Grade Student

How I could overcome the death of a family member

We all know family is a priority in our lives, but sometimes we don't spend the most time with them. Like the famous quote says, “We don't get the value of something until we've lost it”. In 2019 my grandma died. I was returning from my last day at a summer camp and, on the way home, I noticed my dad was very serious. I took a bath and I went directly to watch the tv. My mom called my brother and me over and said “Guys I have something important to communicate to you both: your grandma died this morning at 3:00 am while sleeping”. When those words came out of her mouth, my heart broke into a million pieces. All my desire of watching TV was gone, and I collapsed and crashed into a void of sadness. I felt my entire life had ended.

Maybe your family has experienced similar moments recently. Maybe you too have lost a loved one, a family member, a friend, a pet... Based on my PERSONAL experience, today I will share with you some tips that helped me to overcome grief.

Don't hide your feelings:

Hiding your feelings and doing nothing is not an option. We are humans, and feeling pain because of the loss of your loved one is fine because that person was special in your life. If someone tells you not to cry, or not to feel pain, do not allow it. It is something that you need, and hiding it is the worst thing you can do, believe me.

According to a study, repressing our feelings does not make us stronger, on the contrary, it makes us weaker. Many times we hide our feelings, we feel that showing a vulnerable face is showing weakness, but living that way is like living with a secret that slowly and painfully eats you away. Instead, think that each of your tears is a smile for that person, and a celebration of that person's life.

Be positive:

Every rainy day has its rainbow path. To be positive in difficult times, you have to keep going. Don't worry, the best is yet to come. Think that there is a tear for every laughter and that if you are feeling very sad, it means that your moments with that person were unforgettable for both of you. I like to think when people die, they are in a better place, where they can rest in peace.

Moments of grief:

Give yourself time. Time is the best medicine. Allow yourself to go through each of the feelings of grief, understanding that they will pass, and after, you will feel better. Here are the stages I went through:

1- Paralysis: At that moment you feel like your heart is breaking and the walls are falling,

2- Crisis: When you cry it lasts approximately (2-3 days in my case)

3- Denial: You do everything to distract yourself, dance, watch TV, eat... to avoid facing the loss.

4- Acceptance when you finally accept your loved ones are gone. In this stage, you remember the moments with this person, and you will still feel sad, but the memories of your life together and the moments you shared give you comfort. Unfortunately, stage 5 lasts a lifetime.

Most of us have experienced or will experience difficult situations that put us to the test in our lives. They can range from situations that can be overcome easily to terrible situations that completely change the way we live, and seem almost impossible for us to overcome, much less have a positive attitude about them. In the latter case, it is not that we pretend to have a positive attitude from the beginning, but it is necessary to know that everyone inside us has a vital strength that makes us overcome any type of adversity, and it is called resilience.

Written by Paula García

6th Grade

A Wildfire of a Country

The Dominican Republic feels like a wildfire... A vast wildfire of culture, tradition, and love, as well as corruption and mistrust. There are positives and negatives to this beautiful country, some more apparent than others, though the hardship we face is to better our future and our talent and promise as a country, which makes me proud to be Dominican.

Our Tradition is built off of natives, pride, and fun, it revolves around being loving and caring, helpful and overall being an open person. We emit a smell that attracts people to our diversity and vast land of culture, great traditional food we pride ourselves in making like Mangu, 'Sancocho', Platano, Arroz and many more, which are very popular outside of the D.R and show the extent to which our country has grown. I believe this defines us exponentially.

Our way of life shows how carefree- but also careful- we are. As much as there are people who don't accept outsiders, the majority of Dominicans do and embrace them as if they were our own, and that love spreads like a wildfire. We are blessed with talent and prosperity that shows what we output to the world. This can be seen in our vast amount of Hotels, in Terrenas, and our exponential amount of beautiful beaches that are to be seen by outsiders. I believe that we are a very open country.

There's a lot of mistrust though. We struggle with the fact that we don't come to terms with our own leadership, for the right reasons. Most of the government steals from the poor to benefit their own lavish lifestyle. This is evidenced in the fact that our public schools are drained, the lack of fresh water in most houses, kids that unfortunately have to live there because they don't have a stable home life and the government doesn't provide for sad children, which is upsetting to see, though this can be worked on. Despite this, with the population now calling out the government for said issues, I think there's a bright future ahead.

This mistrust leads to corruption. Families are torn apart by different political beliefs, theft from the poor from the wealthy, and a pretty clear hierarchy whether we like it or not. This clearly shows the miscommunication between the two sides and how they act. Though, not all blame should be placed on the government as those that give up and treat others badly because of their situation doesn't help, this is shown when people fight over political and ideological beliefs, instead of actually having a formal discussion over the mentioned situation. In conclusion, I think we can do better in terms of trusting each other.

To finalize, the Dominican Republic is an example of a bunch of feelings being expressed: love and hate, all at once. A fiery nation that has a bright future ahead. We have the talent, the tradition, and the culture. All we need is to express those in the right way, and help ourselves to that future so that we can maintain it alive for generations to come.

Written by Tomas Gil

Guest Writer

Benefits and drawbacks of eco- friendly cars

What is an eco-friendly car?

Before we start getting deeper, we need to talk about what is an eco-friendly car because that’s very important. An eco-friendly car is mostly any car that doesn’t use gasoline or diesel. There are two types of these cars: Hybrid and Full Electric. In this article, we will talk about both types, including price, benefits, drawbacks, and affordability. Let’s get into it.

Hybrid cars

A hybrid car is a car that uses half gasoline and half electricity to function. Most electric cars are affordable. To mention some of them as examples, we have the Honda Insight, Toyota Avalon Hybrid, Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, Toyota Prius Prime Hybrid, Toyota Prius V, Honda Accord Hybrid, Kia Optima Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid, and there are many more, but I’m going to talk about them later.

Some of the benefits of hybrid cars are that A) you save money on gas, B) they are more affordable, C) they emit less CO2 than comparable conventional petrol or diesel-engined vehicle and D) Hybrid car owners also get extra benefits in the shape of lower first-year road tax.

Some drawbacks are that they are not as environmentally friendly as plug-in hybrids or electric cars, you may not get as many discounts or incentives, servicing and maintenance charges can be higher, and they aren't as powerful.

Prices of these types of cars are at an average of $29,310 remember this is an average, not the real price.

Fully electric cars

These cars don’t need an explanation, the name says it all! Well, almost because these cars are not actually as different from phones as you would think. Electric cars are plugged in with a literal charger and some have a big iPad for a touch screen like Tesla.

Some benefits of these type of cars are that they have more power and are more advanced and efficient. Some drawbacks are that electric cars have a shorter range than gas-powered cars, recharging the battery takes time, they are usually more expensive than gas-powered cars, it can sometimes be difficult to find a charging station, and there aren't as many model options.

Examples of these cars, other than the very well known Tesla are the 2019 Audi E-Tron, 2017 Honda Clarity Electric, 2020 Hyundai Ioniq Electric, 2020 Hyundai Kona Electric, 2020 Jaguar I-Pace, 2019 Kia Niro EV: Kia's first long-range EV.

This is a video about why some electric cars are worse than gas cars by Donut Media.

Conclusion

This was a great journey talking about these cars but now we have to summarize. First, we talked about how hybrids are more affordable and have a longer range than fully electric cars, but fully electric are faster and more advanced.

Although this was fun everything comes to an end. It was nice to write this and I hope you enjoyed it!

Written by Diego Puertas Rodríguez

7th Grade

Environmental effects of Covid-19

Covid-19, the topic everyone is talking about. The Global pandemic has everyone stuck at home desperately wanting to leave. The virus originally from the country of China has us all waiting for our freedom. Freedom from whom you may ask? Well, from the feeling of worry. We are all worried about our health as well as others, including our family and friends. Even though our world may not seem in the best form from its first sight, if you look closer you might notice how it’s changing. How this pandemic is affecting and reducing the negative effects that mankind has brought to the world that lives around us. Pollution and contamination are included in these things that we as humans have struggled in an attempt at fixing for the past decade or so. So let us discuss these events that we have successfully put aside.

Let’s start simple, the infamous canals located in Venice which is most commonly known for its muddy waters that glide throughout this island. Gondolas travel these waters and are used as a tourist attraction as well as a means of transportation. Since the quarantine started, this has stopped due to the fact that people were trying to come out of their homes as least as possible. Within a matter of weeks, the usually murky waters of the Venice canals were almost crystal clear. This is caused because of the lack of movement in the waters. The gondolas used to stir up sediment leaving the waters no choice but to look polluted and unkempt. Now, since the sediment has settled down and the amount of pollution was reduced, these waters are healthy. Even dolphins were sighted returning after leaving Venice for a long time due to the heavy amount of pollution.

Matter of factly, wild animals have been spotted returning to their original habitats just like the dolphins in Venice. A species of turtle that used to be considered extinct was only in hiding. The Leatherback sea turtle was spotted laying eggs on a beach owned by a luxury resort located in Cancun. Not only was this species considered to be extinct but it was also seen laying eggs earlier than most turtles, which live near that area, do. Also, Humpback whales return to Hawaii after leaving for what was believed to be migration. After leaving Hawaii for their annual migration, this pod decided to make the return absent for the next two years. Eventually, they returned due to the calmness of this newly changed environment.

One of the more important impacts that COVID has brought to us is the reduction of air pollution. Places like the UK, Paris, China, Madrid, and Milan have seen the wonders that staying at home has done to the air surrounding us. In fact, In China, the pollution percentage has gone down 25% because of the lack of vehicles being used and factories releasing carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, in Europe, there has been a drop in the average level of nitrogen dioxide compared to last year’s average. 

Therefore, cleaner air and water have caused plants to grow faster and stronger. This is also able to happen because of the lack of human interference in this natural process. This means that plants are now allowed to thrive and help nature grow healthier. In addition, less litter means that there is less amount of trash for animals to suffocate on or digest.

In conclusion, the virus known as Covid-19 has caused all these events to happen. This means growth in our community and a great learning experience that we are all able to enjoy.

We have to appreciate everything we have, especially in these moments where everything is threatened to be taken away from us. Our world is changing in a way that may not seem to be the best at the moment. But, after all, as George Bernard Shaw once said “Progress is impossible without change”.

Article Sources:

• https://www.historicbanningmills.com/positive-environmental-impacts-surrounding-covid-19/

• https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/positive-impact-environment-coronavirus-lockdown-a4404751.html

• https://www.hawaiidiscount.com/trip-planner/whales-return-to-hawaii.htm

• https://www.india.com/festivals-events/world-environment-day-2020-positive-impact-of-covid-19-lockdown-on-environment-4047703/

Written by Erika Despradel Urdaneta

7th Grader

2021 and how our lives have changed

We know how COVID -19 changed our lives entirely.  We all had high hopes for 2021 to be different, but it has not, and we are all feeling a little down about it.

Despite everything, we must feel grateful because we can spend more time with our family members than ever before. I know virtual school sometimes might make you feel desperate, and that you can't wait to go out of your house, but you have to be a little more patient. 

This last Christmas was celebration felt very different. The same happened with New Year and other celebrations, such as Thanksgiving. These festivities were a real challenge, mostly because we were unable to gather with most friends and family. We all need to be patient, and we have to follow the safety measures proposed by the Health Department because if people start being careless, we will stay locked down forever!

2021 will be similar to last year, but if you only focus on the negative side, you will be desperate and start acting recklessly. COVID patient numbers have risen because of these people who are breaking the security rules. Remember to always choose what is right for you and those around you. Actions have consequences. Whether you do what is right or you act incorrectly, it is always YOUR CHOICE.

Written by Carlos Graveley Carlo

5th Grader