The Space Race, Apollo, and Artemis

In this episode of Kids Learning Lab, we’re learning about the Space Race, the Apollo missions, and some facts about the latest Artemis II mission.

Here’s a bonus part in which you can learn about Apollo 13:

Apollo 13 launched on April 11, 1970, as NASA's third planned lunar landing mission, but it never reached the Moon. Two days into the flight, an oxygen tank in the service module ruptured. Jack Swigert radioed Mission Control with the famous words "Houston, we've had a problem." The crew of Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise left the command module and used the lunar module Aquarius as a lifeboat, improvising solutions to dwindling power, freezing temperatures, and a dangerous buildup of carbon dioxide. Engineers on the ground worked 24/7 with the crew to solve each problem with whatever was on board. After looping around the Moon, the astronauts successfully returned to Earth on April 17, splashing down safely in the Pacific Ocean. Even though it never accomplished its original mission, Apollo 13 is widely known as one of the most famous survival stories ever.

Did You Know: The Apollo navigation computer had LESS computing power than a modern calculator or phone.

There’s a really good documentary on Netflix called “Apollo 13: Survival.“ Here’s the trailer:

Quiz: Test your knowledge in the episode! Listen at timestamp 06:50.

Try it At Home: You can make your own paper rockets using simple materials like paper and tape! Watch this Science Buddies video to learn how to do it!