Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
From the brains behind Brains On, this is the Moment of Um. Moment of Um comes to you from APM Studios. I'm Anna Goldfield.
One of the many, many things I love about Making Moment of Um is that while we're searching for answers to your questions, we get to learn so much about so many different topics. Chemistry, biology, history, anthropology, physics, architecture, medicine, food science, you name it.
And through this research, we've learned that kids have done really amazing things throughout history. Like, did you know the trampoline, popsicles, and magnetic wallpaper were all invented by kids? And kids hold some awesome world records, like Roxanne Downs from Australia, who is the world's youngest magazine editor. Or Catherine Gray, the youngest person to discover a supernova.
But there are some things that kids can't do yet, like go to outer space. Ever wondered why? My buddy Simon wanted to know. Hi, my name is Simon, and I'm from North Carolina. And why can't kids go to space? Why can't kids go to space?
Kids can't go to space now, but they can in the future. My name is Varujan Gorjian, and I'm at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The main thing right now that prevents kids from going to space is the spaceships that we make are for adults. And because so few adults are going there, we can't make them appropriate for kids. But I think once there's more spaceships that are being built, then kids will be able to go into space.
To send kids into space, here are some things that we need to think about. And we think about them on Earth all the time. You need special seats, just like your car seats, that are appropriate sized for the kids. You need appropriate seat belts for the kids. And when you go into space, you'll need a space suit. So you need it to be the right size for the kid. Keep in mind that space is a dangerous place. Getting there is dangerous. And once you get there,
The temperatures are extremes. It can be very hot or very cold. That's why you need a special spacesuit if you're outside of your spaceship. But even your spaceship has to protect you from dangerous radiation coming not just from our sun, but from exploding stars and black holes in space. One of the most important things as to why we would want kids to be in space isn't about space itself. It's about the Earth. To see the Earth as one planet.
And every astronaut who's ever been in space sees the Earth and knows that we are one people. And that changes their perspective. And if kids go into space, they'll have that perspective for their entire lives. Um, uh,
We Earthlings are still pretty new to space exploration. We've only really been able to get shuttles and other spacecraft out into space for about 70 years. Figuring out how to send people into space takes a lot of time, effort, invention, and training, and we've only gotten as far as building spacecraft, spacesuits, and training programs for adults.
But with enough time and advances in technology, we'll be able to start testing out ways to make space travel safe for all ages. So don't lose hope, space fans. One day, you might be the one to plan, research, and invent new ways to explore the universe.
If you like this episode, take a second to subscribe to Moment of Um wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you want to travel to inner space, check out the Brains On podcast where we have a whole episode all about how blood travels through our bodies. You want to see our shows come to life? Well, head to YouTube. We've got awesome animated Brains On episodes there. Search Brains On Universe on YouTube and subscribe.
If you have a question, we'd love to help you answer it. Drop us a line by going to brainson.org slash contact.
Moment of Om is produced by Molly Bloom, Rachel Brees, Rosie DuPont, Anna Goldfield, Ruby Guthrie, Mark Sanchez, Anna Weigel, Nico Gonzalez-Whistler, and Avram Muldaslassie. We had editing help from Sheila Farzan and Sandin Totten, and engineering help from Derek Ramirez. Our theme song is by Mark Sanchez. Our executive producer is Beth Perlman. The executives in charge of 8PM Studios are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith.
Special thanks this week go to Hazel Barton, Emma Gerstensang, and Varujan Gorjian. See you next time, and the next day, and every weekday. Until then, bye! I'm gonna boldly go where I've definitely gone before, to the fridge for a snack.