The world is remembering 50 years since humans landed on the moon.

American astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first people to walk on the Moon on 20 July 1969.

As Neil Armstrong walked he spoke the famous words: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

A camera was able to transmit the moment to around 650 million people who were watching on television.

Armstrong was joined by fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin. They spent 21 hours on its surface, including a seven-hour sleep, before returning to Earth.

Why was the Moon landing so important?

The simple reason is that it had never been done before – and it was a big ambition for countries.

In 1962, US President John F Kennedy announced a big ambition, in a speech which is now very famous.

In the run-up to the Moon landing, the US was competing with the Soviet Union. Both were trying to be the first to complete missions exploring the world outside the Earth’s atmosphere.

“We choose to go to the Moon!” he said.

NASA invested lots of money (around $25 billion) and effort into making this happen. The mission would come to be known as the Apollo programme and its goal was to land humans on the Moon and bring them safely back to Earth.

About 400,000 people worked on the project.

The Moon landing in numbers

• About 400,000 people worked on the Apollo 11 mission
• It cost Nasa around £25 billion
• The mission blasted off on 16 July 1969
• It took four days, six hours and 45 minutes to get to the Moon
• The lunar module landed on the Moon at 8:17pm on 20 July 1969
• By the time the crew landed back on Earth, the mission had taken 8 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes and 35 seconds
• A total of 12 people have walked on the Moon
• The last people walked on the Moon in 1972

November 25, 2018

Loud beeps went off around New Zealand last night as part of a nationwide Civil Defence test.

Texts were sent to about three million cellphones between 6pm and 7pm on Sunday evening, carrying the annual test alert message from the emergency system.

Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency director Sarah Stuart-Black said the system was a vital information channel for warning people if their life, health or property was in danger.

People whose phones are capable of receiving alerts can expect to hear a loud sound when the test happens.

The aim of the test was to reach 50% of mobile phone users. The alert test in November last year reached about a third of mobile phone users.

The emergency alert system has been used five times since it was launched, warning people about problems such as a chemical spill, flying debris and water contamination.

If you are interested in learning more about Natural Disasters, here is some further reading material for you...

October 31, 2018

A new report by World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) has found “Exploding human consumption” has caused a massive drop in global wildlife populations in recent decades.

The charity says losses in vertebrate species – mammals, fish, birds, amphibians and reptiles – averaged 60% between 1970 and 2014.

“Earth is losing biodiversity at a rate seen only during mass extinctions,” the WWF’s Living Planet Report adds.

It says we must set new targets for sustainable development.

The report says only a quarter of the world’s land area is now free from the impact of human activity and the proportion will have fallen to just a 10th by 2050.

The change is being driven by ever-rising food production and increased demand for energy, land and water.

Although forest loss has been slowed by reforestation in some regions in recent decades.

Marine freshwater species are particularly at risk due to plastic pollution.

This report shows that many species are dwindling at an alarming rate. But it doesn’t tell us that we’ve lost 60% of our wildlife.

ACTIVITY:

1. Read this article on EXTINCT ANIMALS (linked). Imagine that you have travelled back in time and encountered one of the extinct species listed in this article. Write a diary entry or postcard home, describing the animal you’ve seen. Include facts and information from in your own independent research about your chosen species. You can publish your diary as a google slide, a comic strip or a written diary in your literacy book.

2. Sometimes it feels like it is overwhelming and it is beyond us to be able to make a difference. The Kakapo recovery programme is a great example of conservation making a difference.

This infographic explains what a kākāpō is, why they are so vulnerable and how people are working together to help them survive.