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nd aF . Ra dke Science & Nature : by Photo Li Exploring Our Solar System by Conrad J. Storad Imagine that you are on a spaceship cruising through outer space. You and your crew blasted off weeks ago. The ship has already traveled millions of miles as you begin a years-long mission to explore the solar system. Take a quick look back to see where you started. Look closely. Planet Earth looks like a tiny, blue dot. Humans have special feelings about this tiny, blue planet. It is home. Think about it. Only a handful of people have ever really been away from our planet. They were the American astronauts who flew to the moon as part of the nine Apollo missions between 1968 and 1972. Only 12 of those brave men actually walked on the moon. No human has ever been back or even close to the moon since. And less than 600 people have ever been in orbit away from the safety of Earth’s surface. But humans have big plans. Humans are born to explore the unknown. It is part of who we are. I have some travel plans for you, my science-loving readers. In months to come, I will take you on trips to interesting parts of our solar system. You can enjoy the trip from the safety of your home and travel via the pages of this magazine. There is plenty to see and much to learn! 22 Story Monsters Ink | AUGUST 2015 | StoryMonstersInk.com Solar system image by Harman Smith and Laura Generosa, graphic artists and contractors to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Where to start? I think it is always best to start at the beginning. Earth is just one of eight planets that orbit Sol, the star we call the sun. The four inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Each is a relatively small, dense and rocky planet. The outer planets are much larger. They include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Each is primarily a massive ball of dense gas. Pluto is a small, rocky ball of ice and frozen methane gas. It used to be known as the outermost planet. But scientists changed their minds several years ago. Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet. It is one of hundreds or even thousands of such dwarfs that orbit on the far edge of our solar system. Earth is very special because it is our home. Our planet has all the right conditions to support life of many kinds. It is not too hot and not too cold. As Goldilocks would say, the temperature here is “just right.” So is the atmospheric pressure. And Earth is made of just the right chemicals and materials to keep living things happy and growing. However, the conditions at other planetary locations in our solar system are very different. Those conditions can be difficult to imagine. But scientists have learned a lot about our solar neighborhood during the past few decades. Mercury Venus (Courtesy NASA/JPL) (Courtesy NASA/JPL) Mercury is the planet closest to the sun. It receives tremendous amounts of solar radiation. There is almost no atmosphere to help distribute this energy evenly. hurricane winds of up to 220 miles per hour. The air pressure there is about 90 times of that found at sea level on Earth. You’ll need some super special gear to visit Venus. Without it, you would be cooked, crushed and dissolved in minutes! Solar system travel kit: Would you like to know what you would weigh on Mercury or Venus or on other planets in our solar system? For example, if you weigh 150 pounds on Earth, you will weigh: 56.7 pounds on Mercury or 136 pounds on Venus. Pack this nifty calculator from the website below in your travel kit. It will be a handy tool to help you prepare gear for your visits to all of these new worlds: www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight Resources to learn more about the solar system: WEBSITES: On the sunlit side of Mercury, the temperature rises to 800 degrees Fahrenheit. That is hot enough to melt lead into a gooey soup. A totally different world exists on Mercury’s dark side. Temperatures there can plunge to a frigid 280 degrees below zero. No other planet is so different from one side to the other. • Chain Reaction—solar system —Arizona State University chainreaction.asu.edu/solarsystem Mercury does not have an atmosphere. There is nothing to protect the little planet’s surface from impacts by meteorites or other space debris. Mercury is pockmarked with craters as a result. It looks a lot like Earth’s moon. • NASA for Kids—kid-friendly solar system solarsystem.nasa.gov/kids Venus is the planet closest to Earth. This second planet does not receive as much solar radiation as Mercury. But Venus has a very thick atmosphere. The layers include lots of carbon dioxide, a powerful greenhouse gas. The thick atmosphere on Venus traps heat from the sun. As a result, the temperature on Venus can soar above 900 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s hotter than the sunny side of Mercury, which is much closer to the Sun! Thick clouds of sulfuric acid also wrap around Venus like nasty blankets. Those clouds get blown around by • Moon stuff for kids lroc.sese.asu.edu/learn • Fun views of the solar system solarviews.com/eng/homepage.htm Conrad J. Storad The award-winning author and editor of more than 50 science and nature books for children and young adults, Conrad J. Storad expertly draws young readers into his imaginative and entertaining “classroom” to help them better understand and appreciate the natural world. StoryMonstersInk.com | AUGUST 2015 | Story Monsters Ink 23